By: Abu Huda Al-Hindi*
Swami Narsinganand alias Deepak Tiyagi, the priest of Gaziabad’s Dasna temple, is one of those Hindutva hate preachers, who has been given full impunity to make hate speeches and instigate violence against Muslims.
If we talk about the impunity to spread hate and call for violence against Muslim, the BJP-led governments in the states as well as Centre has extended their full support to all Hindutva hate preachers. Most recently, Kerni Sena chief and BJP spokesperson Suraj Pal Amu and Hindutva shooter Rambhakt Gopal Sharma made open hate speeches and explicit calls for violence against Muslims at a Mahapanchayat in Haryana’s Pataudi. The BJP government in Haryana and its police did not take any action against them even though both of these hate preachers are serial offenders. Earlier, Amu called for violence against Muslim at a Mahapanchayat in Indri village of Mewat. Instead of taking action against him, the BJP in Haryana appointed him as its spokesperson. On the other hand, Gopal Sharma had opened fire at the students of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi last year when they were protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He was jailed but granted bail in the shooting case. After coming out of jail, he continues to indulge in communal activities and is so fearless in committing crimes that he chanted violent anti-Muslim slogans at a large gathering in Pataudi. And he continues to roam freely as he was not punished for his genocidal speeches. This level of impunity are being given by the BJP to all anti-Muslim hate preachers in the country.
But when it comes to Narsinganand, he is receiving different level of impunity for his anti-Muslim activities. For the last two years, there are continuous reports of his anti-Muslim activities in India but the police or authorities are not acting against him. An investigation done by The Wire (Digital News Portal) shows that the hate speeches made by Narsinganand has played a significant role in making the atmosphere of north east Delhi fertile to rake up riots against Muslims. While addressing gatherings or talking to local media, he made many such statements which call for violence, fan hatred or dehumanize Muslims. These statements charged the atmosphere of northeast Delhi with communal feelings. Later, it led up to massive anti-Muslim violence in February last year claiming 53 lives. The Delhi police arrested anti-CAA activists in riots related cases but it did not touch Narsinganand and other Hindutva rioters for instigating hate against Muslims.
Earlier in 2019.
Narsinganand made abusive remarks against Muslims blaming them for the murder of a Hindutva leader Kamlesh Tiwari. Tiwari’s mother accused UP CM Yogi Adityanath and other Hindutva leaders for killing his son but Narsinganand and the police accused some random Muslims of killing Tiwar. Narsinganand was booked for inciting hatred over the hate speeches in UP’s Sitapur. But it did not deter him from his provocative speeches. He constantly engaged in provocative activities against Muslims.
In the last few years, he incited hatred and violence at different places and different point of times. He abuses Prophet Muhammed (SAW), Islam and the holy Quran. He calls Muslims ‘murderers, plunderers and rapists’. Time to time, he makes such remarks on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and posts video with such remarks. Such abusive remarks were made not just on social media but even at Press Club in New Delhi. Addressing a press conference at the PCI in April this year, he made a disparaging comments on Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). “If Muslims come to know about Mohammed’s reality, each and every one of them will be ashamed to call themselves Muslims,” said Saraswati in front of media.
The video of hate speeches at the PCI has gone viral on social media with many prominent people demanding action against him. An FIR had beem lodged against him for hurting religious sentiment and promoting enmity between two communities at that time.
These FIRs did not deter him from making from anti-Muslim provocative speeches. He continues to roam freely and make hateful and derogatory remarks against the minority community and its religion. In the latest abusive remarks, he talks about bombing minority institutions like Aligarh Muslim University and Darul Uloom Deoband.
Narsinganand is serial offender when it comes to instigation of hate and violence against Islam and Muslim. He has been roaming freely and consistently making such remarks. The government and police has been providing support to him by not taking action against them. He and his followers are being emboldened in hate crimes. One of his followers Shringi Yadav brutally assaulted a Muslim boy because he entered Dasna temple to drink water. If the government does not act, he can do anything.
* Indian journalist
**Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the Al-Mujtama.
