In a shocking development¸ Anand Swaroop Maharaj, a proponent of Hindutva and an accused in the Haridwar Dharma Sansad case that triggered huge controversy ahead of the assembly elections in Uttarakhand, “has threatened to follow the path of Bhagat Singh and bomb the assembly, if the only two accused arrested in the case are not released, in the span of a week”.
The Haridwar Dharma Sansad case had come under fire when it was observed that many leaders from the ruling alliance supported those controversial statements which called for a genocide of Muslim minorities and supported the idea of a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. The opposition, social activists and others blamed the Centre and the state government for not taking appropriate measures against the accused for defying several sections of the Indian constitution.
After a huge backlash from the opposition, activists and in the media, Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi aka Waseem Rizvi was arrested on January 13 in the Haridwar hate speeches case.
Additionally, a hardcore Hindutva proponent and so-called priest, Yati Narsinghanand, was arrested by the Uttarakhand Police on January 15 for his misogynistic comments on women, following which the hate speech charges were added.
It is pertinent to note here that Narsinghanand, the main accused in the Haridwar Dharma Sansad case, reiterated at an event in Shimla two weeks ago that Muslims are a threat to the nation and to the idea of a Hindu Rashtra. He also added that he fears that India would one day become like Pakistan, Afghanistan or even Bangladesh if appropriate measures are not taken.
At a similar event on Sunday in Prayagraj, Anand Swaroop stated that a religious order has been passed and the country has been declared a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. The group has three demands that are being conveyed to the government through the press and social media.
“The order has been passed to 125 crore Hindus in the country to record history accordingly. It is essential to expand the agitation and pressurise the government, which will eventually bow down to the demand of the public,” claimed Swaroop.
He added, “The Prime Minister has been directed to rectify the ‘constitutional error’ of calling it a secular state and strengthen the anti-conversion law by awarding a death sentence to those who convert.”
“And lastly, we demand the release of our two religious warriors, who have been arrested… If our warriors are not released within the span of a week, the government must get ready to face dire consequences. It is possible that the Bhagat Singh assembly incident may reoccur,” threatened Swaroop.
On January 30, when the nation observed Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary, the Hindu Mahasabha paid tribute to his assassin Nathuram Godse and a co-accused in the Gandhi murder trial, Narayan Apte, in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior by observing “Godse-Apte Smriti Diwas”.
The Hindu Mahasabha bestowed “Godse-Apte Bharat Ratna” in Gwalior upon jailed religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj, who was arrested with four other leaders of the Mahasabha in late December last year for his derogatory statements against Mahatma Gandhi during a Dharma Sansad held in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Read more: Centre Remains Quiet On Hate Speech Against Muslims At Dharam Sansads
“We performed ‘aarti’ of Bharat Mata with a resolve to integrate India with Pakistan to make it ‘Akhand Bharat’. We are observing January 30 as the ‘Godse-Apte Smriti Diwas’ day to express our anger over their arrest on January 30, 1948,” Hindu Mahasabha’s national vice president Jaiveer Bharadwaj told PTI.
“Since Kalicharan Maharaj is in jail, the honour was received by Pramod Lohpatre on his behalf,” said Bharadwaj.
With continuous reports of such developments, it seems that the government is incompetent to tackle such issues that could potentially alter the secular principles of India. Allowing such thoughts to prevail in our society could prove extremely chaotic and even catastrophic.
It is high time that the Centre takes cognisance and concrete measures to deal with these issues, especially at a crucial time when elections are on the way in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab.
