Hindu priest arrested for hate speech against Muslims

LUCKNOW: A militant Hindu priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati has been arrested over a vitriolic speech he gave last month calling for a genocide of Muslims.

The 58-year-old head of the powerful Dasna Devi temple in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) was one of several right-wing Hindu leaders who spoke at an event in Haridwar city, where they openly called for violence against Muslims.

Videos of the event travelled swiftly on social media, sparking a flurry of shocked and angry reactions, an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and police complaints from concerned citizens. The Supreme Court is hearing a petition demanding an independent inquiry into the event.

Narsinghanand is no stranger to controversy. For months, he has been accused of making deeply offensive remarks against women and minorities. His videos and words reach millions on social media, spawning an army of right-wing followers.

He has reportedly called Muslims “demons”, threatened to “eliminate” them and said he is striving to create an India “free of Islam”. In September, police in UP registered three cases against him for allegedly insulting women after a video of him describing female politicians as mistresses of their male counterparts went viral.

Narsinghanand is already facing charges in more than 20 different cases, according to his lawyer, Maa Chetnanand Saraswati, who is also a priest at the Dasna Devi temple.

Police shared details of 10 cases — charges included attempted murder, abetment of suicide, and dacoity (banditry). When asked about the allegations of hate speech by a foreign media outlet Narsinghanand became agitated and threw his mic away.

Born Deepak Tyagi, Narsinghanand is reported to be an engineer who studied in Russia and worked in the UK before returning to India. He joined the Dasna temple as a priest in 2007.

Critics say his latest comments in Haridwar are aimed at stirring up passions in UP, where the BJP’s Yogi Adityanath — who himself has been criticised for anti-Muslim rhetoric — is up for re-election as chief minister in polls starting in February.

They say Narsinghanand is protected by his closeness to BJP leaders — and the fact that his hardline politics benefits what they say is the party’s polarising agenda.

No major BJP leader has so far condemned the speeches or the event itself. BJP leader and former spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay attended the Haridwar event, but said that he had been present for only half an hour on the last day.

Police had registered cases against Narsinghanand and several others for ” promoting enmity among groups” and “outraging religious feelings” in connection with the event. The first arrest came after more than a month on 13 January, when Uttarakhand state police arrested Jitendra Narayan Tyagi.

Last Sunday, Narsinghanand was finally arrested in connection with two different cases – for giving a hate speech and making derogatory remarks against women. In October, Narsinghanand was appointed head of the largest sect of Hindu seers.