One more case against Narsinghanand over inflammatory remarks

The Thane police in Maharashtra have registered an FIR against controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand, who is already facing multiple cases over his alleged objectionable remarks against Prophet Muhammad, officials said on Sunday, 6 October.

The seer allegedly made the objectionable remarks during a programme held at Hindi Bhavan in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) on 29 September, as per the police.

Based on complaint by the president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the Mumbra police in Thane registered a case against him on 3 October.

The FIR has been loaged 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), an official from Mumbra police station said.

No arrest has been made in this connection so far, he said.

Police complaints have been filed in several states against Narsinghanand and there have been demands that he be arrested.

An FIR has also been registered against the priest in Maharashtra's Amravati city, which saw violent protests against his remarks outside the Nagpuri Gate police station in which 21 police personnel were injured and 10 police vans were damaged during stone pelting by a mob on Friday night, according to officials.

Narsinghanand's remarks had sparked protests in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh and other states.

A large crowd gathered outside the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, where he presides, to protest against him on Friday night after videos of his inflammatory remarks appeared online, following which security was stepped up around the premises.

Narsinghanand has several cases against him, including for allegedly making a hate speech at a conclave in Haridwar (Uttarakhand) in December 2021, and was out on bail.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind vice president Malik Motasim Khanhas in a release issued on Saturday said they condemn the "blasphemous" remarks by the seer and demanded that he be arrested immediately.

"Muslims must remember that the stature and dignity of Prophet Muhammad cannot be diminished by the vile words of a few ignorant and despicable individuals. We should remain calm in the face of such provocation and should counter these provocations with wisdom, patience, and dignity," he said.

"We urge the community to take meaningful steps to promote the teachings, ethics, and noble qualities of Prophet Muhammad in multiple languages, so that the true message of peace and compassion reaches every corner of the country. Only through such efforts can we hope to build a society rooted in mutual respect and harmony," he added.