The Ghaziabad police have intensified their investigation into the protests that emerged against Mahant Narsinghanand Saraswati’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad in the village of Sultanpur, Laskar, Haridwar district, Uttarakhand. They are now looking into a “conspiracy” angle behind the protest outside the Dasna Devi Temple on the night of October 4.
“…About 100-150 persons gathered outside the Dasna Devi temple and were raising slogans against the remarks made against Muhammad Paigamber Sahab… When stopped, they resorted to stone-pelting and prevented discharge of official duties,” the FIR stated.
This comes after, hundreds of Narsinghanand’s supporters, on Monday (October 7) protested at Ghaziabad Police Lines seeking to know the whereabouts of the priest. They also alleged that the violence outside the temple on October 4 was a planned act.
13 Muslim youths arrested so far for pelting stones at police personnel
Meanwhile, the Ghaziabad police have, so far arrested thirteen people, who were part of a mob of nearly 150 people, for allegedly throwing stones at police officers during the protest against the Hindu seer. Some of the arrested men have been identified as Sameer Mohammad, Sajid, Aamir, Shoaib, Farman and Shahzad Syed.
“We have so far arrested 13 persons in connection with the October 4 protest and we are also probing the conspiracy and other angles behind the buildup,” said Surendra Nath Tewari, deputy commissioner of police (rural zone).
The police are also probing the claims made by these arrested individuals, who said that objectionable comments were made by people of the other community which had hurt their religious sentiments.
“We got angry and gathered together and started shouting slogans,” the accused claimed, said police.
‘Preparation for a massacre of Hindus’: BJP MLA raises suspicions regarding a conspiracy linked to the attack on Dasna Temple, writes to CM Yogi Adityanath
On the night of October 4, 2024, a group of Islamic fundamentalists surrounded the Dasna temple in Ghaziabad. A report by Live Hindustan suggested that a larger conspiracy was at play. According to the report, while Muslim elders attended a peace committee meeting, younger Muslim individuals were directed towards the Dasna temple.
BJP MLA Nand Kishor Gurjar from Loni has also raised suspicions regarding a conspiracy linked to the attack on the temple. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he characterized the incident as an assault on the Hindu faith.
Gurjar stated in his letter, dated October 7, 2024, that on the day of the incident, a Muslim mob attempted to attack the temple. He noted that this event has ignited widespread resentment within the Hindu community across the nation. He characterized the attacks as an alleged preparation for a massacre of Hindus.
He further alleged that external elements were involved in orchestrating the attack, and also asserted that sleeper cells associated with opposition parties, particularly Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and AIMIM, were inciting the violence.
The BJP MLA described the attacks as indicative of a larger scheme against Hindus, highlighting that there have been previous attempts to target the temple. He asserted that the entire Hindu community is outraged by the incident and has emphasized the alleged involvement of outside forces in this unrest, blaming opposition parties for fostering the violence.
Islamists take to the streets to protest against Yati Narsinghanand; pelt stones and raise STSJ slogans
It may be recalled that on 4th October, thousands of Islamists took to the streets to protest against Mahant Narsinghanand Saraswati’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad in the village of Sultanpur, Laskar, Haridwar district, Uttarakhand. The protesting Islamists raised slogans such as “Nara-e-Takbir Allah Hu Akbar”, “Fansi Do”, and “Sar Tan Se Juda”. Police were present at the scene but appeared outnumbered in the viral video of the incident.
In Bulandshahr too, Islamists protested and indulged in stone pelting over remarks made by Dasna Temple Mahant Narsinghanand Saraswati. The incident occurred in the Sikandrabad area. A large number of Islamists gathered outside Hazrat Ali Mosque to protest against Narsinghanand’s statements about Prophet Muhammad.
Similarly, a group of Muslim youths created chaos and unrest outside the Dasna Devi temple. The Ghaziabad police swung into action and dispersed the mob.
During the protest, when the police tried to calm the situation, a section of the crowd started pelting stones at them. Inspector Ravi Ratan of Sikandrabad Kotwali was injured and subsequently rushed to the hospital for treatment. Following the stone-pelting incident, District Magistrate CP Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar rushed to the scene. Additional police forces were called to disperse the mob.
Muslim community leaders, however, dismissed any claims of a conspiracy and argued that the arrests in relation to the October 4 protest were unjustified.
Remarks by Narsinghanand that led to multiple protests and incidents of violence
The protests stemmed from a statement made by Mahant Narsinghanand at an event where he stated, ”…Even thousands of years since Ravan committed a small mistake, we burn his effigy. But until now, such criminals have taken birth that Ravan’s existence would fail in front of them. I want to exhort all Hindus from this stage if you want to burn an effigy, burn the effigy of Mohammad.”
