“Make Uttarakhand Islam-Mukt”: Seer Booked For Hate Speech At Dehradun Press Club (image-screengrab/@LalchandParjap7)
Uttarakhand Police booked a seer from Uttar Pradesh for alleged hate speech in Dehradun last week after videos surfaced online where Yati Ramswaroopanand Giri from the Shiv Shakti Dham in Ghaziabad’s Dasna can be heard calling for violence against Muslims.
The incident occurred at the Dehradun Press Club, where a group of seers made anti-Muslim statements on September 10. Ramswaroopanand called for Hindus to carry weapons with themselves and learn how to use them to protect the women in their family.
Read Also | Dalit Homes Burnt In Bihar’s Nawada, Rahul Gandhi Says “PM’s Silence Stamp Of Approval”
Prior to the event, he posted an invite to all “Sanatani Hindus” and tagged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Uttarakhand department of information and public relations, and an account called Uttarakhand News in an X post.
Ramrwaroopanand and a seer named Mahant Giri were booked a day after the incident under sections 196 (promoting enmity) and 353 (public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). No action has been taken till now.
In the video, he claimed that the entire world knew what “Muslims did to women” in Bangladesh. Claiming that they “raped,” “cut into pieces,” and then “ate” the women, Ramswaroopanand said that Uttarakhand would soon become like Bangladesh.
Some of his other outrageous claims also included Hindus becoming “impotent” while Muslims gave birth to many children, increasing their population to create several “countries” for themselves while Hindus had “none.”
“We will discuss how to save our women from jihadis and how to make Uttarakhand Islam-mukt,” Ramswaroopanand pledged.
According to a media report, Ramrwaroopanand and his fellow seers in November handed over letters written in blood to CM Pushkar Dhami and urged him to make Uttarakhand “jihad-free.”
Notably, several journalists also attended the event. Some questioned him on whether he believed in the constitution and why he wouldn’t speak about the rising unemployment amongst the Sanatani Hindus. Many affiliated with the Dehradun Press Club expressed their outrage over an event like this being held there.
Read Also | Construction Of Chinese Heliport Near Arunachal Pradesh Raises Concerns
Ajit Rane, the president of the press club, told Newslaundry that the club neither vets the subject matter of the event nor does it take responsibility for what is said. Although Rane admitted that there were guidelines in place, he refused to elaborate on what they were, how they were enforced, and if they were communicated with the hosts of such events.
After the event and the subsequent police action, a “notice” consisting of “dos and don’ts of speeches” was placed on the club’s notice board, reported Newslaundry, quoting a member of the club who wished to remain anonymous.
