Amid the uproar over Yati Narsinghanand’s inappropriate comments about Prophet Muhammad, his backers claimed on Sunday that the police are unlawfully holding the head priest of Dasna temple, a claim which was refuted by the authorities.
The police are investigating the case involving Yati Narsinghanand under the direction of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rural) N K Tiwari, who stated that neither arrest nor detention has taken place, and any necessary action will be taken in accordance with the law.
Additional complaints were lodged against the clergyman in different states such as Thane in Maharashtra and Hyderabad in Telangana. In Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, a demonstration escalated into violence with stones being thrown at the Sheikhpura police post.
Multiple Muslim groups have demanded the priest’s arrest, with political figures from the BSP, National Conference, and Samajwadi Party also urging for harsh consequences. At the same time, the heads of various Hindu organizations gathered at the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, led by Narsinghanand, to discuss their worries about his safety.
Udita Tyagi, General Secretary of Yeti Narsimahanand Saraswati Foundation, stated that Hindu groups and other social organizations were troubled by the unlawful confinement of Maha Mandaleshwar Yeti Narsimahanand Giri.
During the meeting, Sahdev Tyagi, a farmer leader, stated that the priest was forcibly taken from Dasna temple by Wave City police to the residence of his follower Rajesh Pehalwan in Bamheta village. He alleged that the police detained him at “police lines for two days without legal justification, but he is currently not in their custody and has not been brought before the court.
He stated that if anything were to go wrong with him, the police would be accountable. Udita Tyagi stated that a memorandum concerning this matter will be presented to the police commissioner at the police headquarters tomorrow. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rural) N K Tiwari stated they were unaware of Narsinghanand’s location.
An FIR was filed by Sub-inspector Trivendra Singh on October 3 against Yati Narsinghanand for derogatory comments made about a community during an event at Hindi Bhavan in Lohiya Naga on September 19, deemed a violation of Section 302 of BNS. Another complaint was filed by Bhanu Prakash Singh, who is a sub-inspector and responsible for the Dasna area under the Wave City police station. The disciples of the priest at Dasna temple, namely Anil Yadav Chota Narsimhanand, Yeti Ran Singhanand, Yeti Ram Swaroopanand and Yati Nirbhayanand, are alleged to have made offensive comments that were recorded in a video shared on social media.
They are facing charges at Wave City police station under sections 302 and 351 of BNS (pertaining to criminal intimidation). Following Amravati city in Maharashtra, another FIR has been lodged against Yati Narsinghanand in Thane, officials revealed on Sunday.
As per the president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) complaint, the Mumbra police in Thane filed a case against him on October 3 under different sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita like 196 and 302, as cited by an official from Mumbra police station. A big gathering formed outside Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, where he is in charge, to demonstrate against him on Friday night after videos of his provocative statements surfaced online, leading to increased security around the area.
Officials announced on Sunday that six individuals were taken into custody for reportedly throwing rocks at a group of police officers outside the temple during the demonstration. The president of Yuva Shakti Dal, Ravi Gautam, along with four others, was arrested by the police on Saturday for protesting outside the police headquarters and demanding the arrest of v.
Additionally, almost twelve individuals were arrested on Sunday for causing disturbances during a demonstration outside the police station in Sheikhpura in response to Narasinghanand’s comments. They stated that a legal case has been filed against 21 identified and 40-50 unidentified persons for throwing stones, involving different legal sections.
Abhimanyu Manglik mentioned that the event took place when Muslim community members met at the Sheikhpura Qadeem post to present a memo. In the midst of the crowd, a few disruptive individuals started hurling rocks at the police station, causing tense conditions in the vicinity. Manglik stated that there were no casualties in the incident. Police are currently using videos of the incident to identify the culprits and have implemented a high alert in the district.
Police in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, have registered four cases following the chanting of provocative slogans during demonstrations against Narsinghanand on October 4 and 5 in Laksar, Jwalapur and Sidcul.
Chief Superintendent of Police in Haridwar, Pramendra Doval, stated that chants like “Sar tan se juda” reportedly heard in the marches are considered as hate speech. He mentioned that the social media team of Haridwar Police is consistently monitoring different platforms and will take strict legal action against those who disrupt peace or spread incendiary messages.
The Cyber Crime police station in Hyderabad filed a new FIR against Yati Narsinghanand under the IT Act and BNS following a complaint from AIMIM led by Asaduddin Owaisi. Mayawati, leader of BSP, urged the central and state governments to take harsh measures against the priest for his remarks promoting hatred.
In Ghaziabad, UP, the Mahant of Dasna Devi Temple has once more delivered inflammatory speeches against Islam, causing turmoil and tension in the region and various parts of the nation. The former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh stated on X that although the police intervened with the protesters, the primary offenders were not punished. NC’s Jammu and Kashmir spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar criticized Yati Naringhananad’s comments, stating they damage India’s image of religious harmony and tolerance and could provoke communal conflicts.
BJP legislator Nand Kishore Gurjar, representing the Loni constituency in Ghaziabad, has chosen to support Yati Narsinghanand. He claimed that the group protesting against Yati Narsinghanand on Friday night threw rocks at the Dasna Devi temple and suggested that the police should have used firearms against them.
The police staged a lathi charge at night, but they should have shot 10-20 people and then engaged with them. This is a strike against the entirety of Hindutva. In a video circulating on social media, he can be heard saying that if 10-20 people die in a night, then there are no individuals causing such commotion. Yati Narsinghanand faces multiple charges, one of which is for reportedly delivering a speech promoting hatred at an event in Haridwar (Uttarakhand) in December 2021.