Video | Haridwar Hindu monks say police ‘will be on our side,” policeman laughs

The Hindu monks in Haridwar who called for genocide against Muslims are seen in a video laughing with a police officer, who the hate-speech givers said will be “on our side”.

At least five Hindu monks who spoke at the Haridwar’s hate assembly filed a police complaint against “The Quran, Maulvis of Haridwar and other unnamed Muslims” on Tuesday. A mobile video of the meeting with the police officer, Rakesh Kathait has surfaced on the internet.

The video shows at least five participants of Haridwar’s Islamophobic gathering. They are Yati Narasimhanand, Swami Prabodhanand Giri, Sadhvi Annapurna aka Pooja Shakun Pandey, Swami Anand Swaroop, and Jitendra Narayan aka Waseem Rizwi. Interestingly, three of them have been named in an FIR filed by the Uttarakhand Police in the Haridwar hate speech case.

“You should send a message that you are not biased,” Sadhvi Annapurna says in the video, pointing at the police officer Rakesh Kathait who is holding a copy of their complaint against Muslims. “You are a public officer and you should treat everyone equally. That is what we expect from you. May you always win,” she went on to say.

Yati Narasimhanand, one of the key faces of the Haridwar hate assembly who is standing at the side, replies to Annapurna “Ladka humare taraf hoga (he [policeman] will be on our side).” Following Narasimhanand’s comment, everyone in the room including police officer burst out laughing.

Annapurna: Show us that you're not biased.

Narsinghanand: He is biased and our side.

All (including the police officer) burst into laughter. The joke is this country and its rule of law. pic.twitter.com/kKMKUND8ym

— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) December 28, 2021

The video was circulated on social media and drew sharp criticism.

21 Hindu monks form committee for ‘armed fight against Muslims’

Days after Hindu monks and Hindutva leaders in Haridwar called for genocide against Muslims, the Hindu monks who delivered hate speeches against Muslims now formed a core committee of 21 for armed struggle against Muslims.

On Tuesday, 21 swamis from Akhadas who met in Haridwar, resolved to continue their armed fight against Muslims, The India Cable reported. Among the committee members are Yati Narsinghanand Giri, Swami Prabodhanand Giri, Sadhvi Annapoorna alias Pooja Shakun Pande, Pandit Adhir Kaushik, Sindhu Maharaj, and Swami Darshan Bharti.

Hindu monks who defended their genocidal speeches, said they now decided to set up a campaign to convert India into a ‘Hindu Rashtra.’

“We are holding three more sansads in Aligarh, Kurukshetra and Shimla. This is our freedom of speech. Akhadas are an army of the religion. Islam ek hathiyarband giroh hai. You can fight them only with arms,” Swami Anand Swaroop said. During Haridwar’s hate assembly, Swaroop had said they will prepare for war if the government didn’t accept the proposals against Muslims passed by them.

Niranjani Akhada’s Darshan Bharti says: “Is it wrong to talk about Hindu dharma in India? Adi Shankaracharya had established Akhadas 1400 years ago and armed them with various weapons to save our religion from Buddhists. Akhadas were like an army of the religion. Just like Guru Gobind Singh had created this army. There was never controversy then. Why is there an issue now?”

Annapurna Bharti, who is the secretary of Hindu Mahasabha and a Mahamandaleshwar of the Niranjani Akhara had talked during hate assembly, about killing 2 million Muslims following the footsteps of Nathuram Godse.

Last week, several Hindutva leaders and Hindu monks, who addressed a 3-day Hindu Parliament ‘Dharam Sansad’ in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, called for “war against Muslims” and urged “Hindus to take up weapons” to ensure a Muslim “didn’t become the Prime Minister in 2029.”

The speakers at the event had asked Hindus to buy weapons to commit genocide against Muslims. No arrests have been made yet despite the outrage from Opposition leaders, Muslim groups, and human rights defenders.

An FIR has been lodged against Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, a former Muslim who converted to Hinduism, and unknown people in connection with hate speeches delivered at Dharma Sansad in Haridwar. None of the other Hindutva leaders and Hindu monks in attendance, despite the evidence, have so far had any cases registered against them. Following outrage on social media, two more names were later added – Dharm Das and one Sadhvi Annapurna.  

Many including AIMIM Uttarakhand’s president, Dr. Nayyer Kazmi, Trinamool Congress’s Saket Gokhale, and two former service staff chiefs had filed police complaints against the Haridwar event.

Seventy-six advocates of the Supreme Court have written a letter to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, asking the top court to take suo motu cognisance of the calls for “ethnic cleansing” of Muslims at two Hindu parliaments in Delhi and Haridwar.