Haridwar Hate Speech Case: Uttarakhand police lodges second FIR

Dehradun: A second FIR has been lodged against 10 persons in connection with a Dharma Sansad held in Haridwar where hate speeches were allegedly delivered by some participants against Muslims.

The second FIR in the case was lodged at Jwalapur police station in Haridwar on Sunday on the basis of a complaint lodged by Nadeem Ali, a resident of the area, said senior sub-inspector of Jwalapur Nitesh Sharma.

Ten persons named in the second FIR are the event's organiser Yati Narasimhanand Giri, Jitendra Narayan Tyagi formerly known as Waseem Rizvi, Sindhu Sagar, Dharamdas, Parmananda, Sadhvi Annapurna, Anand Swaroop, Ashwini Upadhyay, Suresh Chahwan and Prabodhanand Giri, he said.

The FIR was lodged at Jwalapur police station and transferred to the city police station where the first FIR in connection with the case was lodged, the official said.

A Special Investigation Team was also constituted on Sunday to probe the case.

The BJP government in Uttarakhand is under tremendous pressure for acting against those who delivered the hate speeches against Muslims at the Dharma Sansad held in Haridwar from December 16-19.

Muslims held protest marches in Dehradun and Haridwar on Friday and Saturday demanding immediate arrest of those who delivered the provocative speeches at the Sansad.

The hate speech was reportedly made during an event in Haridwar held from December 17 to 20. Video clips of the event, circulated on social media, says that "Hindus should arm themselves like those seen in Myanmar, every Hindu must pick up weapons and conduct a Safayi Abhiyan."

The event was organised by Yati Narasimhanand, a controversial religious leader who has been accused in the past of inciting violence.

In a similar incident, Chhattisgarh Police had arrested Kalicharan Maharaj for allegedly using derogatory language against Mahatma Gandhi from Madhya Pradesh's Khajuraho.

The police had registered an FIR against the religious leader and others for allegedly making derogatory comments on Mahatma Gandhi and praising Nathuram

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