The Ghaziabad police have intensified their probe into the protests that started against Mahant Narsinghanand Saraswati’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad in the village of Sultanpur, Laskar, Haridwar district, Uttarakhand. Now, Police are looking into a conspiracy angle behind the protest outside the Dasna Devi Temple on the night of October 4.
The FIR stated, ‘About 100-150 persons gathered outside the Dasna Devi temple and were raising slogans against the remarks made against Muhammad Paigamber Sahab. They resorted to stone-pelting when stopped and prevented discharge of official duties’.
This comes following hundreds of Narsinghanand’s supporters, on Monday protested at Ghaziabad Police Lines seeking to know about the priest. They also alleged that the violence outside the temple on October 4 was a planned act. As of now, the Ghaziabad police have arrested thirteen people, who were part of a mob of nearly 150 people, for allegedly throwing stones at police officers during the protest against the Hindu seer. Some of the arrested men have been identified as Sameer Mohammad, Sajid, Aamir, Shoaib, Farman and Shahzad Syed.
Surendra Nath Tewari, Deputy Commissioner of police said, ‘We have so far arrested 13 persons in connection with the October 4 protest and we are also investigating the conspiracy and other angles behind the buildup’. The police are also investigating the claims made by these arrested individuals, who said that objectionable comments were made by people of the other community which had hurt their religious sentiments.
The accused claimed, ‘We got angry and gathered together and started shouting slogans’. On the night of October 4, 2024, a group of Islamic fundamentalists surrounded the Dasna temple in Ghaziabad. According to the media reports, a larger conspiracy was at play while Muslim elders attended a peace committee meeting, younger Muslim individuals were directed towards the Dasna temple.
BJP MLA Nand Kishor Gurjar from Loni has also raised suspicions about a conspiracy linked to the attack on the temple. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he characterized the incident as an assault on the Hindu faith. Gurjar said in his letter, dated October 7, 2024, that on the day of the incident, a Muslim mob attempted to attack the temple. He noted that this event has ignited resentment within the Hindu community across the country. He characterized the attacks as an alleged preparation for a massacre of Hindus.
He alleged further that external elements were involved in orchestrating the attack, and also asserted that sleeper cells associated with opposition parties, particularly Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and AIMIM, were inciting the violence.
The BJP MLA described the attacks as a sign of a larger scheme against Hindus, signifying that there have been previous attempts to target the temple. He asserted that the entire Hindu community is angered by the incident and has emphasized the involvement of outside forces in this unrest, blaming opposition parties for fostering the violence.
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