On Wednesday, the Sirmaur Police in Himachal Pradesh arrested BJP Minority Morcha Paonta President Naseem Naaz and Armaan Malik (Mehboob) for using abusive language toward Lord Shiva and demeaning Hindu religion on the social media. Naaz and Malik had compared the Shivling to a toilet seat and remarked that the Hindu devotees were unnecessarily happy over the discovery of the Shivling in the disputed structure of the Gyanvapi Masjid in Uttar Pradesh.
The incident pertains to Paonta Sahib located in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, where radical Muslims made derogatory remarks on social media about Shivling, leading to tension in the area. According to the reports, two accused, Paonta Minority Morcha President Naseem and Salon shop owner Armaan Malik were arrested by the police for making controversial statements regarding Shivling in Majra under Paonta Sahib police station. Angered by this, Muslim fundamentalists surrounded the police station and attacked it with swords and sticks. Meanwhile, as Hindus came to know about the incident, hundreds of them reached the police station to confront the lumpen Muslim radicals.
Minority Morcha leader Naseem Naaz had claimed in a Facebook post that there is no Shivling in Gyanvapi, saying that no proof of the existence of the Shivling has been found. He had said the claim of Shivling is just propaganda spread by the media. He added that there is a stone in his toilet too, and if searched, some important clue will be found.
“My toilet seat is also made up of stone. Please check that too. You never know that could also mosque, be a Shivling”, Malik addressed the Hindu devotees while commenting on the Facebook post posted by Naseem Naaz that made similar derogatory remarks. Communal tensions escalated in the area as Islamist people gathered around the Paonta Sahib Police station in Sirmaur and raised anti-India and anti-Hindu slogans. They carried swords and lathis and protested against the arrest of Malik and Naaz.
According to the reports, several Hindu people then gathered in the areas and demanded discontinuance of the anti-India and anti-Hindu slogans being raised by the Islamists. The members of the Hindu organisation, Sanjay Singhal, Ajay Sansarwal, Vivek Saini, Mayank Mahawar, Hemant Sharma, Sachin Oberoi, Vaibhav Gupta and Garvit Gupta registered an official case against the duo for demeaning Lord Shiva and the Hindu religion. “The comment has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu people. Action must be taken against such people. The Shivaling, the form of the adorable deity Shiva, has been attached to a toilet in a very messy and indecent manner”, the members noted.
“Such remarks have been made deliberately to incite riots and social discord. Today on one hand, while the whole of the world is paying respect to Hindu deities, there are some anti-social elements who are making such remarks to incite riots. If action is not taken on this then Hindu society will be compelled to take to the streets”, they warned.
Nazeem Naaz suspended from BJP
The Sirmaur Police deployed a heavy police force in the area on May 17 and tried to pacify the situation, but to no avail. The brawl continued for more than three hours from around 9 pm till Thursday midnight. The situation was mollified only after the Deputy Commissioner, the Deputy Superintendent of Police and BJP MLA Dr Rajiv Bindal arrived at the spot.
Reports further mention that while Malik has been arrested, Paonta Sahib BJP President Arvind Gupta temporarily has suspended BJP Minority Morcha Paonta President Naseem Naaz. His BJP membership has also been suspended amid the police investigation in the case that is underway.
Shivling found in disputed Gyanvapi structure-
Recently, a court-monitored survey of the disputed Gyanvapi structure found a Shivling inside the Wuzukhana of the mosque. The Wuzukhana is a place inside a mosque where Muslims wash their hands and feet before offering namaz. The apex court on Tuesday issued orders to protect the site where the Shivling was discovered from the disputed structure. The order also denies entry of Muslims in Wuzukhana, disallowing washing of their feet and spitting on the Shivling. Supreme Court however also maintains that the order in any manner should not restrict or impede the right of the Muslims to use the Mosque for religious purposes.
