Inflammatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad: Tension mounts in Saharanpur over Narsinghanand’s comment  

Multiple FIRs filed in Maharashtra seeking action against the priest; 1,500 submit memorandum to police in U.P. village

Tension mounted at Sheikhpura Kadeem village in Saharanpur of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday (October 6, 2024) over the alleged defamatory comments made by priest Yati Narsinghanand on Prophet Muhammed, leading to heavy stone-pelting by protesters. Police used mild force to control the crowd. Additional forces were deployed in the village to control the situation. 

“Roughly 1,500 people submitted memorandum at the Kotwali Dehat police station limits over the comment related to a particular community. The police took the memorandum in the village itself, despite that some people tried to reach the police post, which was stopped by the authorities.

Afterwards, stones were pelted at police personnel, forcing the authorities to use force. Police registered a case under Section 190 (unlawful assembly committed in prosecution of common object), 191(2) guilty of rioting, 352 (provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace,) 125 (acts done rashly or negligently that endanger human life or personal safety) and other Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against 20 named and other unnamed accused. Thirteen people have been arrested. Further action is undergoing,” said the Saharanpur police in a statement. 

Tension remains high as the community awaits official confirmation regarding the priest’s detention. Yati Narsinghanand, the head priest of Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, is facing FIRs for his alleged offensive speech against Prophet Muhammed.

Reacting to multiple FIRs filed in the State, the Maharashtra Police said they would compile the FIRs against Narsinghanand and send them to Ghaziabad.

At least 10 FIRs have been registered across Maharashtra against the priest. On Saturday at 10.15 p.m., another FIR was registered in Aurangabad along with other places, said Maharashtra president of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Sayed Kaleem. Other places include Thane’s Mumbra and the Shil Daighar police station, the R.C.F. police station in Chembur, Jalna, Parbhani, Amravati, Malegaon, Pune and Nanded police stations.

“The R.C.F. police station on Saturday informed us that they will compile all the FIRs and register a Zero FIR and submit them at the Ghaziabad police station. Zero FIR enables victims to report crimes at any police station, regardless of the crime location, ensuring prompt assistance and efficient response. We are also compiling all the complaints and FIRs against the priest who is known for hate speech and will move the Bombay High Court in a week,” Mr. Kaleem said.

Video goes viral

The statement was made in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad but the video was doing rounds across the country, creating tension among people’s minds, Mr. Kaleem said. “Ever since the sitting government took over the reigns of Maharashtra, they have encouraged communal tension among people instead of focusing on development. For their political gains, they are creating the wave of anti-Muslim mindset in the society,” he alleged.

On October 3, the Mumbra police station registered an FIR and a day later, another FIR was registered at the Shil Daighar police station. Inspector Sandipan Shinde from the Shil Daighar police station said the FIRs were lodged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 197 (imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 302 (intentionally uttering words to deliberately wound the religious sentiments of another person).

Inspector Anil Shinde from the Mumbra police station said no arrest had been made yet. However, the Police department would collate all the FIRs and send them to the Ghaziabad police station on Monday.

Published - October 06, 2024 10:07 pm IST