New Delhi: Controversial seer Yati Narsinghanand was on Sunday booked along with other speakers for alleged hate speeches made at a "Hindu Mahapanchayat".
In the Sunday Mahapanchayat, Narsinghanand said that "50 per cent of Hindus will convert" in 20 years if a Muslim becomes the prime minister of the country.
According to news agency PTI, Police stated that they had denied permission for the event but the organisers still went ahead with the "Mahapanchayat Sabha" and around 700-800 people were present at the venue.
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They informed that three FIRs have been lodged in connection with the event and legal action is also being taken against those spreading rumours and misinformation using various platforms, including through social media.
All cases are being investigated and no arrests have been made yet, PTI reported the police as saying.
In a statement, the Delhi Police informed that a request letter seeking permission for organising the event was received in the North-West district from Preet Singh, president, Save India Foundation.
"The request was denied on the ground that the organiser had no permission from the land-owning agency -- Delhi Development Authority -- for organising this sabha at the Burari ground. Despite the denial by Delhi Police, on Sunday, organiser Preet Singh reached the Burari ground with his supporters in the morning and started organising the Hindu Mahapanchayat Sabha. Around 700-800 people gathered at the event place and the invitees of the organiser started delivering speeches from the stage," the statement read, as quoted by PTI.
As per the report, a police team reached the venue of the event where some of the speakers, including Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the head priest of the Dasna Devi temple, and Suresh Chauhanke, chief editor of Sudarshan News, gave speeches promoting disharmony, feelings of enmity, hatred, or ill-will between two communities.
A case under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc. and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Mukherjee Nagar police station.
The police said that the second FIR was registered on a complaint filed by two journalists of a news portal.
"In their complaint, they alleged that at around 1.30 pm, when they were rushing towards the exit, they were manhandled and assaulted by a group of people who also tried to snatch their mobile phones and I-cards," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Usha Rangnani said, adding that they refused to undergo a medical test.
The third FIR has been registered on another complaint received from a freelance journalist, who alleged that at around 1 pm when he and two other journalists were interviewing a man, some people assaulted him.
"Police intervened and ensured their safety. They were medically examined and a case under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered," DCP Usha Rangnani stated.
Narsinghanand Asks Hindus To 'Take Up Arms'
The cases come after Narsinghanand, notorious for making communal remarks against Muslims, fueled yet another controversy with his comment that "50 per cent of Hindus will convert" in 20 years if a Muslim becomes the prime minister of India.
Addressing the "Hindu Mahapanchayat", he also exhorted Hindus to take up arms to fight for their existence.
The mahapanchayat was organised by Preet Singh of the Save India Foundation. This had earlier held a similar controversial event at Jantar Mantar in the national capital, where anti-Muslim slogans were raised.
Preet Singh was arrested for making a hate speech at the Jantar Mantar event.
Notably, Narsinghanand is currently on bail in connection with the Haridwar hate speech case. An FIR was lodged in Haridwar against him for making highly provocative speeches against Muslims at 'Dharma Sansad' event, which was held in the holy town between December 17 and December 19 last year.
In the Sunday mahapanchayat, Narsinghanand remarked that Hindus should stop "begging" for their rights.
"Only in 2029 or in 2034 or in 2039, a Muslim will become the prime minister. Once a Muslim becomes the prime minister, 50 per cent Hindus will convert, 40 per cent will be killed and the remaining 10 per cent will either live in refugee camps or in other countries in the next 20 years. This will be the future of the Hindus. If you want to avoid this future, then become a man and take up arms," Narsinghanand is heard saying in a video clip of the mahapanchayat, which is being widely circulated on social media.
"For long I have seen Hindus begging for their demands to be fulfilled. But I have not seen even a single demand of any Hindu being met. We got Ram Janmabhoomi not by begging but through the court's intervention, so stop being a beggar," he added.
(With PTI Inputs)