Ghaziabad: 6 Held For Stone Pelting Near Dasna Devi Temple, BJP MLA Says Police ‘Should’ve Shot 10-20 People’

Heavy police were deployed at the temple after the incident, and an FIR was filed against 150 individuals based on the complaint of a local police officer.

Six individuals were apprehended on Friday for allegedly pelting stones at police personnel near the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place during a protest against comments made by priest Narsinghanand Saraswati about Prophet Muhammad.

According to a PTI report, those arrested include Amir, Shahzad, Sazid, Shoeb, and two others from Masuri. They are accused of attacking the police when authorities attempted to disperse the gathering, police officials confirmed on Sunday.

In a related development, Yuva Shakti Dal president Ravi Gautam, Arvind Gautam, Kapil Gautam, Hashim and Arpit were detained on Saturday for protesting outside police headquarters, demanding the arrest of Narsinghanand, PTI reported sources as saying

Heavy police were deployed at the temple after the incident, and an FIR was filed against 150 individuals based on the complaint of a local police officer.

The police had invoked prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) leaving the assembly of five or more people in the district.

Dasna Temple Row — UP Police 'Should Have Shot 10-20 People': BJP's Nand Kishore Gurjar

In response to the violence, BJP MLA Nand Kishore Gurjar made a controversial statement, suggesting that police should have resorted to lethal force. In a video circulating on social media, Gurjar remarked that if the police had shot "10-20 people," further rioting could have been prevented. He alleged that the temple had come under attack on Friday night, stating, "The attack on the temple is an attack on Sanatan Dharma."

Gurjar criticised the police for what he described as a "drama of lathi charge" and said, "The police should have shot 10-20 people and encountered them. This is an attack on the entire Hindutva. If 10-20 people die in a night, there will be no one left to create such ruckus."

The BJP MLA also commented on slogans of "Sar Tan Se Juda" being raised, asserting, "When such slogans are shouted, do Hindus go and pelt stones at mosques? This is an attack on the faith of Hindus, and the National Security Act (NSA) should be imposed on everyone involved. Those who haven't been arrested should be shot in an encounter with rewards announced for them."

He defended Narsinghanand’s comments, explaining, "What Maharaj ji said is a different matter. With the constant attacks on Sanatan Dharma, daughters being killed, and the situation in Bangladesh, it is natural that he might have said something in anger."