SIT to probe Dharma Sansad hate speeches

Garhwal Deputy Inspector General of Police K S Nagnyal has announced the constitution of a five-member Special Investigation Team to probe the hate speeches delivered at the Dharma Sansad in Hairdwar from December 16 to 19.

He said that there could be arrests if the investigation leads to ‘concrete evidence’.

A First Information Report (FIR) has already been filed against five persons, for delivering hate speeches. The FIR has named Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, who was earlier known as Waseem Rizvi, before he converted to Hinduism, Sadhvi Annapurna, Dharmadas, Sindhu Sagar and the organiser of the Dharma Sansad, Yati Narasimhan.

There are demands from various quarters that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttarakhand should take action against those who delivered the hate speeches.

Several retired officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS) from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have written to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami seeking action against the organisers of the event and the hate speech makers for spreading fear and terror. They said that the Dharma Sansad is a blot on Uttarakhand’s long tradition of peaceful coexistence between people of different religions. The signatories to the letter include former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Narain Rai, former Uttar Pradesh (UP) DGP Vibhuti Narain Rai, former UP Inspector General of Police S R Darapuri and retired IPS officer Vijay Shankar Singh.

Meanwhile, Muslims took out a morcha in Dehradun and Haridwar on Friday and Saturday demanding immediate arrest of those who delivered the provocative speeches at the Dharma Sansa. ​​​​​​​