Last week, the Maharashtra police in Palghar arrested one doctor identified as Dr Mohammad Saad for posting derogatory social media status against Hindu saint Ramgiri Maharaj. The detained had posted a photo of Ramgiri Maharaj on social media demanding ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ punishment for him. As per the local reports, the arrest happened as a result of a complaint filed by one individual identified as Rajesh Pal.
As per the complaint, Saad had posted a photo of Ramgiri Maharaj and captioned it saying, “Cow urine drinkers and cow dung eaters do not deserve to talk about our God. Whoever does so shall be issued Sar Tan Se Juda punishment.”
The incident is said to have happened weeks after Hindu saint Ramgiri Maharaj made alleged derogatory remarks about Islam and Prophet Mohammad. Saint Ramgiri Maharaj during a sermon in Panchale village of Nashik’s Sinnar region on 16th August indicated that several Islamists have disrespected women in the past because of the religious doctrine they follow.
You kept quiet during Nupur Sharma times… don't be silent this time.
— Sameet Thakkar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@thakkar_sameet) August 17, 2024
Speak up !
Ramgiri Maharaj has just stated fact.#IsupportRamgiriMaharaj pic.twitter.com/LrvWDDxXLX
Widespread outrage attracting multiple FIRs against Ramgiri Maharaj
The remarks sparked wide outrage in several districts of Maharashtra including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Mumbai, and Pune with several Islamist leaders and organizations filing FIRs against Ramgiri Maharaj for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims.
Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city saw a spike in tensions in mid-August following a gathering of Muslims outside the City Chowk police station. The Muslim mob demanded death punishment for the Hindu saint at the police station. They also raised slogans of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’, the video of which was making rounds on social media.
Further, an FIR against Ramgiri Maharaj was also booked under Section 302 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The complainant, Rafehasan Ali Khan stated that the Hindu saint’s alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed had the complete potential to create communal chaos in the state.
Meanwhile, another immediate complaint was filed in the Yeola region of Nashik district in Maharashtra. On 17th August, the Mumbra Police in Thane also filed an FIR against Ramgiri Maharaj for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Islam and Prophet Mohammed. 31-year-old Maulana Sajid-Ul-Rehman from Mumbra complained about the video after which the Mumbra Police in Thane booked the religious leader under sections 353(1)(B)(C), 353(2)(3), 299, 302, 196(1)(9), 356, 352, 351 of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for uttering words with intent to hurt religious feelings and others for outraging religious feelings, promoting enmity between groups over religion, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal intimidation.
Also, in Pune’ Kondhwa region, several Islamists gathered at the city police station demanding the strictest punishment against the Hindu sage who is being supported by several Hindu community leaders amid the ongoing chaos.
Pune : Ramgiri Maharaj has made an objectionable statement about Prophet Muhammad (SAW). In response, people gathered at the Kondhwa Police Station , Pune to express their anger and demands for his arrest. #Pune pic.twitter.com/HmALLUzA1j
— Rahil Mohammed 🆇 (@iamRahilM) August 16, 2024
The complaint copy filed at Kondhwa Police Station by Adv Tusif Chand Sheikh could be accessed by OpIndia. The complaint that booked Ramgiri Maharaj under sections 192, 196, 197, 299, 302, 353(2), 356(2), and 356(3) of the BNS, 2023 stated that Ramgiri Maharaj had made an alleged deliberate attempt to create communal tensions in the state.
“He has caused insult to the Islam following community and hurt the religious sentiments by commenting against Prophet Mohammed. His comments have complete potential to create communal chaos and disturb peace in the state. Strict action is a must,” Adv Sheikh, a complainant from Kondhwa could be quoted as saying.
Ramgiri Maharaj indicated changed context of his speech
Along with Islamists, several political leaders like NCP’s Jitendra Awhad, AIMIM’s Imtiaz Jaleel, etc claimed that the comments made by Ramgiri Maharaj were part of a political conspiracy. However, state CM Eknath Shinde extended support to the saint and stated that no one shall dare to even think of harming the saints in the state.
Ramgiri Maharaj meanwhile commenting on the issue stated that he did not say anything wrong and indicated that the context in which he made a statement about the Prophet Mohammad was changed to demand ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ punishment against him.
“I did not say anything to create a rift. It was an hour-and-a-half sermon. A few parts of it were edited. I was talking about Bhishmacharya and Dharmaraj during the sermon. I was explaining what is Rajdharma and how should a king follow Rajdharma. I spoke giving an instance that injustice should not be tolerated. While raising this issue, the topic of Bangladesh came up,” Ramgiri Maharaj said.
Later Ramgiri Maharaj in the sermon stated that Hindus should stand together against the oppression of Hindus, atrocities that they usually face at the hands of Islamists. “I said that we should be organized against this, we should remain strong. No one should hate or envy. Don’t bother anyone. But if someone is harassing you, don’t bear it. What we said is written in the scriptures,” he said adding that nothing else could be said on this issue. “We are peace-loving people and our intentions are never to hurt anyone but to show society the truth,” he added.
As per the local reports, Ramgiri Maharaj also stated that he had complete trust in the Constitution written by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Indian Judiciary. “Whatever orders the court will pass, will be followed by us,” he had affirmed.
‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ protests across several states
It is important to note that massive protests erupted against Ramgiri Maharaj not only in Maharashtra but also in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh forcing the administration to ensure peace. In Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur, an Islamist mob gathered at the Kotwali police station and pelted stones at the police as they protested against the Hindu said for his alleged derogatory remarks. The police then booked around 150 people for injuring on-duty policemen and creating chaos at the premises. The administration had also executed bulldozer action against accused Islamists who possessed illegal properties. A detailed report on the case can be read here.
In Pune, hundreds of Islamists carried out a protest march without permission, and raised objectionable ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans in front of the Pune Collector’s office on 25th August. The Pune Police in this case booked around 300 persons under sections 189(2), 190, 196, and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as sections 135 and 37(1) of the Maharashtra Police Act.
In the Mumbra region, several minors also participated in the Islamist protest and raised slogans of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ against Ramgiri Maharaj. The NCPCR then took cognizance of the event and asked the Thane administration to identify such children and produce them before the Child Welfare Committee. It also suggested organizing necessary counselling to be given to the children involved ensuring their psycho well-being and behaviour. The commission also stated that FIR be filed against all the perpetrators involved.
Amid this, in Uttar Pradesh, one Muslim identified as Imran extended support to Ramgiri Maharaj and indicated that the Islamists had misunderstood the context in which Ramgiri Maharaj had said things about Islam. He burnt the copy of the Quran and said that Islam was never a peaceful religion and that people following the religion were committing a mistake.
“Mohammed Paigamber has promoted all the wrong things. I agree I don’t know complete Islam but I have the guts to call out wrongdoings which these Maulanas and Muftis can’t do. I am just burning away this book. What these people have done to Bangladeshi Hindus is also wrong. Further, these Muslims are yelling slogans of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ against Swami Ramgiri Maharaj who spoke for Bangladeshi Hindus. These Muslims eliminated the context in which Swami Ramgiri Maharaj said and accused him of blasphemy. I am against all this, committing this act and accepting Sanatan Dharma,” he was quoted as saying.
The individual was arrested by the police and booked under sections 192, 299, 302, and 353 of the relevant act. Protests are also believed to have happened in the Belgavi region of Karnataka where Islamists demanded punishment against Ramgiri Maharaj.
Protests to cause fear in society need to pause
The current Islamist protests against Ramgiri Maharaj are reminiscent of the massive global protests against former BJP leader Nupur Sharma. Several Islamist communities around the world sought ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ punishment for a woman who made similar alleged remarks that annoyed Islamists. Several Hindus who supported her were sliced in half, imprisoned, and tormented, causing fear and disgust across the Hindu community.
The Islamist criticism of Nupur Sharma’s alleged comments appeared to be a deliberate attempt to target a political leader, a woman, and, more importantly, a Hindu, to the point where global Islamists demanded ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ punishment for her based on a video selectively posted on social media by Alt News’ Mohammed Zubair, without mentioning how her alleged remarks were in response to Tasleem Rehmani insulting Lord Shiva on live television. The incident prompted Islamists to cause havoc across the country. The same appears to be happening now in the case of Ramgri Maharaj.
Ramgiri Maharaj clarified the context in which he said what he said. He revealed that he made the statement in response to the ongoing atrocities committed by Islamists against Hindus in Bangladesh after the fall of the Hasina government. However, the Islamist community in India completely ignored the context and is now purposefully attacking the Hindu saint by disseminating an altered video of his one-and-a-half-hour sermon. The Islamist community in the state is additionally believed to have conducted counter-protests in the form of rallies demanding ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ punishment, against Ramgiri Maharaj and the Sakal Hindu Samaj, which called for the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh.
Citizens of Maharashtra and India need to examine these delicate matters in the manner they deserve to be looked upon. Changing or omitting the context of particular words, propagating wild community sentiments via social media, purposefully attacking any individual, and then politicians playing politics on such matters are anything but indications of a failed individual conscience. It’s high time that targeting Hindus over such issues based on one community’s law stops. We all live in India, which is governed by the Constitution, which further protects ‘freedom of speech’, ‘freedom of religion’, and ‘expression’, all of which must be respected by every community within.
