Protests against the notorious priest were held in different states. Even Haramain Sharifain called on international organisations to act against people like Narsinghanand .
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – The notorious Hindutva priest Yati Narsinghanand has reportedly been arrested by Dehat police in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh for making inflammatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) after outrage grew against him.
However, Ghaziabad’s SP city Rajesh Kumar on Saturday, by the time this report is filed, said that the arrest has been made by the Dehat police and they are trying to confirm the information related to the arrest.
Protests and outrages erupted demanding Narsinghanand’s immediate arrest after a video of Narsinghanand asking Hindus to burn effigy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) instead of Ravana on the occasion of Dushhera festival.
Speaking to Clarion India SP Rajesh Kumar on Saturday said: Cases were filed against the priest and action is being taken. The arrest has been made possibly by the Dehat police. We are in the city. We have got the information related to the arrest and we will confirm it.”
Kumar said that two FIRs were filed against the priest in two different cases. One FIR was filed at Sihani Gate police related to a speech he made on September 29. Another FIR was filed at the city police station on Friday.
SHO at the Sihani Gate police station also refused to confirm about the arrest of Narsinghanand. He said that the police officers in the city will give information related to his arrest.
Following the provocative remarks, protests were held in Ghaziabad’s Dasna area and Bulandshahr against the priest, who repeatedly makes abusive and inflammatory remarks against Muslims, Islam and their religious figures.
On Friday night, Muslims held a demonstration in front of Narsinghanand’s temple Dasna Devi to vent anger against his remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Later, the police force dispersed the crowd.
Protests were held in Meerut, Bulandshahr, Kairana, Haridwar and other places against the priest, who is facing multiple FIRs.
In Bulandshar’s Sikandarabad, a large number of Muslim proyesyers gathered and raised slogans against Narsinghanand after Friday prayer. They ended the protest after the police talked to them. Later in the evening, clashes erupted between the protesters and the police force. Stone pelting was reported during the clashes.
The inflammatory remarks against Prophet by Narsinghanand were also condemned by Muslims organisations, leaders and even in Haramain Sharifain, holiest sites of Islam.
In a statement he Haramain Sharifain strongly condemned the remarks and called on international organisations to stop these people from creating communal tension.
“Harmain Sharifain strongly condemns the blasphemy of the Prophet Muhammed (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) committed by a priest of India and calls upon international organisations to stop elements that create communal tension and take steps to prevent the spread of Islamophobia and promote religious harmony,” reads the statement.
In Hyderabad on Saturday, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi led a delegation to file a complaint with Hyderabad police commissioner demanding action against Narsinghanand.
“I and AIMIM party MLAs, MLCs met Hyderabad Police Commissioner today and submitted a written representation demanding that Yati Narsinghanand, who is a priest at a temple in Dasna, Ghaziabad… in a video, Yati Narsinghanand has used derogatory, obnoxious language against Prophet Muhammad. Yati Narsinghanand was arrested earlier too for hate speech and his bail condition was that he won’t repeat such a language. Hence, we demand that his bail should be cancelled and he should be arrested,” he said.
Hyderabad MP also urged people to remain peaceful and not take law into their hands while noting that these remarks had hurt the sentiments of Muslims.
In a statement on Friday, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) chief Khalid Saifullah Rahmani called Narsinghanand’s remarks “blasphemous’ and “unacceptable”.
He called upon the government to arrest him immediately as these remarks can disturb peace of the society.
