FIR against Dasna priest for ‘hurting religious sentiments’

Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Dasna Devi temple’s head priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati at Parliament Street police station for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with his remarks on the Prophet during a press conference in Delhi. On Saturday, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan also filed a complaint at Jamia Nagar police station against Saraswati, asking police to take legal action against him.

“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,” said Delhi Police spokesperson Chinmoy Biswal.

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.

On Saturday, Khan said: “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.

Tagging Delhi Police in a tweet, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi wrote that Saraswati was insulting Islam for the sole purpose of provoking violence against Muslims.

In a video of the event, held at the Press Club of India, Saraswati can be heard using disparaging words towards Islam.