Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Detained In UP's Ghaziabad After FIR Over 'Prophet Hate Speech'

Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, a controversial Hindu priest, has been detained by police in Uttar Pradesh for making blasphemous statements against Prophet Muhammad.

Dasna Devi Temple mahant Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati has been detained at the Ghaziabad Police Lines in Uttar Pradesh after an FIR was lodged against him for "blasphemous statements against Prophet Muhammad". On Friday night, members of the Muslim community staged massive protests at many places in Ghaziabad and other parts of Western UP.

Yati Narsimhanand Saraswati was booked on Friday, October 4, for allegedly delivering a hate speech in Ghaziabad.

A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against Mahant Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati on Thursday, accusing him of delivering an inflammatory speech during an event held on September 29 at Hindi Bhavan, Lohia Nagar, Ghaziabad. The seer is alleged to have made remarks that hurt the sentiments of people from the Muslim community. 

The case was lodged under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code following a complaint by Trivendra Singh, a police officer stationed at the Sihani Gate police station. The FIR was filed on the grounds of religious sentiment being offended. Sachin Kumar, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Sihani Gate, commented, "An FIR has been registered based on a viral video... Action will be taken only after the video is thoroughly examined."

The viral video, which is circulating widely on social media, purportedly shows Narsinghanand making derogatory comments about Prophet Muhammad.

The Uttarakhand unit of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Friday called for stringent action against Narsinghanand. Nayyer Kazmi, AIMIM’s Uttarakhand president, said, "Yati Narsinghanand repeatedly insults the Prophet, and I have filed multiple complaints, but he has been shielded due to governmental leniency and police favoritism."

This is not the first time Narsinghanand has drawn attention for controversial statements. He was previously arrested in 2022 for hate speech. In December 2021, he urged Hindus to arm themselves with more effective weapons against perceived threats from Muslims, during a gathering at the 'Dharm Sansad' in Haridwar.