‘Dharam Sansad’ Case: Uttarakhand Police Pick Up Yati Narsinghanand From Dharna Site In Haridwar

‘Dharam Sansad’ Case: Both Jitendra Tyagi and Narsinghanand are among those named as accused in the FIRs lodged in connection with the event.

Yati Narsinghanand - Photo: PTI (File) | ANI

New Delhi: The Uttarakhand Police on Saturday picked up Yati Narsinghanand from his dharna site in Haridwar in connection with the case of alleged hate speeches made against Muslims at the ‘Dharam Sansad’ conclave.

Haridwar Superintendent of Police (City) Swatantra Kumar told news agency PTI that Yati Narsinghanand has been brought to a police station.

However, as per PTI, the officer clarified that it was technically not an arrest.

Narsinghanand is the controversial priest of Dasna temple in Ghaziabad who had organised the ‘Dharam Sansad’ event in Haridwar from December 17-19, 2021.

According to PTI, Narsinghanand was picked up from the spot where he was sitting on a dharna in protest against the recent arrest of another accused in the case, Jitendra Narayan Tyagi.

Jitendra Tyagi, formerly known as Waseem Rizvi, had changed his name after converting to Hinduism. He headed the Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board before he converted to Hinduism 

On January 13, Jitendra Tyagi became the first person to have been arrested in connection with the case.

Further action will depend on how the investigation progresses, PTI reported the police official said.

Both Jitendra Tyagi and Narsinghanand are among those named as accused in the FIRs lodged in connection with the event.

The ‘Dharam Sansad’ conclave, where the hate speeches were allegedly delivered, was organised between December 17 and 19, 2021, in Haridwar by Yati Narsinghanand and in Delhi by ‘Hindu Yuva Vahini’. 

On January 12, the Supreme Court issued notice to Uttarakhand and Delhi Police over a petition seeking an independent probe into the ‘Dharam Sansad’ speeches, news agency ANI reported.

The petition had mentioned that the alleged hate speeches involved open calls for genocide of Muslims in order to achieve ethnic cleansing. 

“It is pertinent to note that the said speeches are not mere hate speeches but amount to an open call for the murder of an entire community. The said speeches thus, pose a grave threat not just to the unity and integrity of our country but also endanger the lives of millions of Muslim citizens,” the plea read, as quoted by ANI.