Dehradun: Police in Uttarakhand are scanning videos from the controversial ‘Dharma Sansad’ held at Haridwar from 17-19 December and will take suitable action, Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar has told ThePrint.
Videos from the ‘Dharma Sansad’ — a religious congregation of Hindu seers organised by Yati Narsinghanand’s Dasna Hindu Peeth Ghaziabad once or more a year in different parts of India — have gone viral on social media for multiple provocative speeches made by participating seers.
These included calls to arms to protect the “dharma” and statements calling for Muslims to be killed “if needed”. One seer said he had got “10 Muslims” booked under false SC/ST Act charges, while Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati claimed he would provide “Rs 1 crore to those young sanyasis willing to follow the path of the likes of former LTTE chief Prabhakaran”.
Yet another seer said he would have shot PM Manmohan Singh for his statement that minorities had the first right on India’s resources. The participants included former Delhi BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay, who has sought to distance himself from the event.
Videos of the three-day affair, reportedly a closed-door event, have gone viral.
Uttarakhand DGP Kumar told ThePrint that although no complaint against the Dharma Sansad “hate speeches has been lodged with police, all the videos are being examined and assessed by law enforcement agencies”.
“We are aware of the speeches in the conclave but no complaint has been received so far. However, the videos of the speeches are being examined and suitable action will be taken after that,” he added. Another senior police officer from Haridwar said on the condition of anonymity that that an “FIR is awaited”. “Once it happens, the law will take its course. I fully agree that the speeches made at seers’ conclave were highly volatile.”
An associate of Yati Narsinghanand — Pandit Adheer Kaushik, head of the Haridwar-based Parashuram Akhara — defended the speeches made at the event, saying “nothing wrong was said”.
“Seers present at the event were trying to make Hindus understand the threats they are facing from the rising Muslim population in the country,” he added. “Why is there so much hue and cry about it? No one speaks against maulvis and Muslim leaders when they spew venom against Hindus.”
ThePrint contacted state BJP chief and local MLA Madan Kaushik by phone calls but there was no response from him.
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What was said
The speeches were made before thousands of seers at the Dharma Sansad.
Annapurna Maa of the Niranjani Akhara said she would “pick up arms to protect Sanatan Dharma if any demon tries to become a threat to Hindutva”.
“It’s an alarming situation. If we rise to the occasion and realise their intention even today, India will not become Islamic but a Sanatan Vedic Hindu nation,” she added. “I am willing to sacrifice myself to ensure a Muslim prime minister does not take over in 2029. We need to increase our population over them. If needed, we can kill them. We will be considered winners even if 20 lakh of their population is killed.”
Anand Swaroop, head of a body named the Shankaracharya Parishad, said the “demand (for Hindu Rashtra) raised by the Hindu Mahasabha in 1915 is relevant even today and every democratically elected government in Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and other states will have to abide by the final resolution of the Dharma Sansad”.
“If not, they will have to face opposition stronger than the 1857 war of Independence.”
He also sought to threaten hotels in Haridwar against holding Christmas celebrations on 25 December.
Talking to ThePrint Thursday, Swaroop refused to comment on what happened at the conclave but defended the diktat to hotels.
“It’s a norm since 1915 that non-Hindu religious functions cannot be held in Haridwar, acknowledged as a pilgrimage city of Hindus. We have written to nearly 300 hotels that they should not entertain Christmas celebrations at their places on 25 December. If they do, they will have to face the consequences.”
Narsinghanand, who is known to routinely spew controversial remarks, said, “Obtaining economic prominence will not work. Forget about swords. Swords are only showpieces. War is won by those whose arms are more powerful than the enemy’s.
“You will be saved only by your population and good quality arms. We will not remain forever to stand with you.”
Another seer, one Swami Amrita Nand said, “dharma cannot be protected without arms”.
“You may have a Rs 5,000 mobile phone but must possess arms worth not less than Rs 1 lakh. Only retribution can keep one alive. Keep swords in the house and if anyone questions say it’s for puja,” he added.
Seer Sindhu Sagar called on “rich Hindu villagers” to “buy all Muslim properties and keep the village free of the minority population”. “Harass them to the extent that they are forced to sell off their houses. I have arrested more than 10 Muslims on false charges under the SC/ST Act.”
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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