Raising concerns about incitement to violence and hate crimes, over 65 organisations and 190 civil society activists from 22 states have written to the President, urging the Union government to stop the proposed Dharm Sansad scheduled for December 19 in Uttar Pradesh.
The organisers identified in the letter include figures such as Yati Narsinghanand, Rakesh Tomar, and Darshan Bharati, who have faced allegations of involvement in hate speech incidents and violence.
The activists highlighted the 2021 Dharm Sansad in Haridwar, organised by some of the same individuals, as a precedent for potential violence. That event attracted widespread condemnation from national and international quarters, including former military chiefs, senior officials, judges, and global media outlets.
The letter underscored that some organisers, including Rakesh Tomar and Devendra Pawar (also known as Darshan Bharati), have been accused of multiple hate crimes and violent attacks on minorities in Uttarakhand in recent years.
Despite this, no significant legal action has been taken against them, the activists noted. Conversely, they alleged that journalist Mohammad Zubair has faced criminal charges for sharing evidence of hate speeches, highlighting what they describe as a double standard in the treatment of the accused.
The groups criticised the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand for their alleged failure to act against the organisers, despite repeated hate speech violations and breaches of bail conditions. They pointed to public calls for violence, including incitements for Hindus to arm themselves and the use of dehumanising language against Muslims, as evidence of the potential dangers posed by the event.
The letter also drew attention to the organisers' open promotion of the event through a dedicated website and press conferences. The activists urged the Union government to take several actions, including halting the Dharm Sansad, cancelling the bail of the accused, enforcing Supreme Court directives on hate crimes, and compensating victims of past violence linked to such gatherings.
The groups also referenced a recent appeal by retired senior officials from the Constitutional Conduct Group, who called on the Union Home Minister to cancel the event. They warned that allowing the Dharm Sansad to proceed could lead to widespread violence, citing the alleged complicity of state authorities and the police's inaction as contributing factors.
The activists’ demands seek to prevent what they perceive as a threat to communal harmony, urging decisive intervention from the Union and state governments.