Dasna (Ghaziabad): Deserted streets are lined on both sides with downed shutters as additional police personnel stand guard to prevent any untoward incident in the aftermath of stone pelting outside the Dasna Devi temple on 4 October. Meanwhile, protests continue in parts of the country over inflammatory remarks made on the Prophet Muhammad by Yati Narsinghanand, the controversial chief priest of the temple now at large.
On Monday, hundreds affiliated with various Hindutva outfits staged a demonstration outside the office of the Ghaziabad police commissioner, raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans, to protest the stone pelting incident.
“Police told us a search is on for Yati Narsinghanand; no one knows where he is. We are not happy with police’s assurance. And if he is not found in the next few days, we will protest in large numbers,” said Jitendra Hindu, who was among those staging the demonstration.
Another, Prakash Singh, a dentist by profession, said he joined the protest to express his support for Narsinghanand “so that the threat Hindus face from Muslims can be countered”.
Police said a search is still underway for Narsinghanand who is facing fresh charges of hate speech.
At the Dasna Devi temple, security has been stepped up. Devotees are allowed entry only after they show their Aadhaar cards. A police team is stationed at the entrance to keep an eye out for any mischievous elements. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which allows for preventive orders to prevent public disturbance, continues to remain in force in the limits of the Ghaziabad Police Commissionerate.
It is learnt that nearly 25 disciples of Narsinghanand live on the temple premises, spread over 10 acres, in addition to over 30 sevadars (helpers). The complex also houses another 15 smaller temples, besides a ‘discussion room’ where Narsinghanand—who assumed the post of mahant or chief priest of the Dasna Devi temple in 2007, regularly holds court.
One of four disciples detained by police on the premises, Nirbhayanand, told ThePrint, “Muslims attacked the temple during Navratri. This is not an ordinary attack but an attack on Hindus. Hindu society will not tolerate this and it will be answered. We will protest against it in different districts.”
A woman identifying herself as Aastha Maa, meanwhile, alleged that a group of Muslim men surrounded the temple on all sides on the second day of Navratri.
“When Hindu temples are being attacked, our sentiments also get hurt. These people talk of sar tan se juda (separating heads from bodies), but we are also not sitting here wearing bangles,” she said.
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Narsinghanand booked for hate speech
Addressing a gathering at the Hindi Bhawan in Ghaziabad’s Lohia Nagar on 29 September, Yati Narsinghanand made inflammatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammad. More than a dozen FIRs have been registered against him in different cities for stoking communal tensions with his remarks.
Narsinghanand, who is also Mahamandaleshwar of the Juna Akhara, was arrested once before in January 2022 in two separate cases, a hate speech he made at a Dharma Sansad in Haridwar, and derogatory remarks against women. He was, however, released on bail in both cases within a month. He had made similar controversial remarks in 2021.
The FIR in Ghaziabad has been lodged under sections 196 (promoting enmity), 197 (imputations/assertions prejudicial to national integration), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 302 (intentionally uttering words to deliberately wound the religious sentiments of another person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Asked for comment, Additional Commissioner of Police (Wave City Ghaziabad) Lipi Nagayach told ThePrint, “The search for Yati Narsinghanand’s assistant Anil Yadav is still on. At present, six teams have been formed at the police station level which are investigating three cases.”
ACP Nagayach added that Hindutva outfits are alleging that the FIR against Narsinghanand is not framed properly and must be scrapped.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, police arrested 13 persons Monday in connection with an incident of stone pelting outside a police post in Sheikhpura during a protest against Narsinghanand. Similar protests were held Saturday in Jammu and Rajouri districts of J&K.
Muslim outfits, meanwhile, have called for Narsinghanand’s arrests with their demand being endorsed by the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) and J&K National Conference.
‘Ever since this baba came here…’
Dasna in Ghaziabad is a Muslim-dominated area where more than 80 percent of the local population is Muslim.
Mohammad Mehraj, who lives barely a few metres from the Dasna Devi temple, said neither Hindus or Muslims benefit from this communal tension which only causes harm to both sides. “Ever since this baba has come to this area, there have been repeated attempts to spoil the atmosphere. But people in this area have never fought among themselves.”
Recalling the days before Narsinghanand came to Dasna, Mehraj says Muslims took part in fairs organised on the temple premises then. “That time was different. This baba changed the entire atmosphere of the town.”
Three days have passed since the stone pelting incident, but a thick layer of tension still engulfs the area around the Dasna Devi temple.
Sitting in front of a shuttered shop, Mehraj alleges the police have “taken away many young boys” in connection with the incident. “All are innocent.”
Asked to comment on Mehraj’s claims, police confirmed to ThePrint that 11 people have been arrested so far and more than 100 have been named in the FIR.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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People like Md. Mehraj are the reason why Muslim society is not just backward and regressive but also excessively violent.