Journalism of Courage
The Delhi Police has summoned Dasna Devi temple’s head priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, days after lodging an FIR against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with his remarks on the Prophet during a press conference in Delhi. The FIR is lodged at Parliament Street Police Station.
Last week, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan had also filed a complaint at Jamia Nagar Police Station against Saraswati, asking the police to take legal action against him. In a video of the event, held at the Press Club of India on April 1, Saraswati can be heard using disparaging words against Islam and the Prophet.
DCP (New Delhi district) Dr Eish Singhal said, “We have issued notice to Narsinghanand, asking him to join the investigation.”
“Taking suo motu cognizance, we have registered an FIR under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity) and 295A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings) in connection with a video circulating on social media in the matter of a conference that took place in Press Club; investigation has been taken up,” Delhi Police spokesperson Chinmoy Biswal had said.
Saraswati’s temple in Ghaziabad was in the news last month when a 14-year-old boy who went inside to have water was brutally assaulted by a man who did “sewa” there. While the man was arrested, Saraswati had said he supported his actions.
Khan alleged, “The law of India does not allow us to do this. We have faith in the Constitution of the country.” In his complaint, he said he came to know about the incident after he found a viral video on social media. “There are uncouth words that are below the standards of being repeated. It is needless to say that such statements for cheap publicity and personal gain hurts sentiments of Muslims at large. Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati with all his knowledge and intention has hurt religious sentiments of the Muslim community not only in India, but all the over the world,” he wrote in his complaint.
Meanwhile, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, tagging the Delhi Police in a tweet, too, wrote that Saraswati was insulting Islam for the sole purpose of provoking violence against Muslims.
