Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Booked Over 'Prophet Hate Speech': Who Is This Controversial Hindu Seer?

Yati Narsinghanand, a controversial priest from Ghaziabad has been booked for hate speech after he allegedly made objectionable remarks against Prophet Muhammed. The statement has ignited a firestorm as AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi met Hyderabad police CV Ananad on Saturday and demanded criminal case against him.  

After Narsinghanand's contentious remarks surfaced online, a crowd gathered outside the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad on Friday night. However, Police quickly dispersed the gathering and have since heightened security around the temple. 

Who is Yati Narsinghanand? What Is The Controversy? 

Yati Narsinghanand is the chief priest of the Dasna temple, who is known for making objectionable comments and has several cases against him. Priest Narsinghanand has been jailed previously for delivering a hate speech, he was released on bail under the condition that he refrain from making similar inflammatory remarks. 

Reports indicate that the comments against Prophet Muhammad were made during an event at Hindi Bhavan in Ghaziabad on September 29. 

Complaints against him were filed in multiple states, with FIRs registered by the Telangana police and in Amravati, Maharashtra. 

Prominent Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Saturday demanded the arrest of Yati Narsinghanand. The organisation described the remarks as ‘intolerable blasphemous’. 

FIRs Registered Against Yati Narsinghanand 

An FIR was lodged against Yati Narsinghanand by the Telangana police, followed by another in Amravati, Maharashtra, over his remarks against Prophet Muhammad. On Saturday, prominent Muslim organization Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind demanded his immediate arrest, stating that merely filing FIRs was "not enough" to address the gravity of the situation. 

On Friday night, a violent protest erupted in Amravati over his remarks, leaving 21 police officers injured and 10 police vans damaged in stone pelting. According to several media reports Yati Narsinghanand's close associates claimed that he was detained in Ghaziabad, but the police have denied any such claim. 

A case under BNS sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 302 (intentionally uttering words to wound the religious sentiments of another person deliberately), 197 (actions that harm national integration) and others was registered against Yati Narsinghanand. 

Sumayya Rana, daughter of late poet Munawwar Rana and a Samajwadi Party leader, alleged on Saturday that she, along with several women activists, was placed under "house arrest" while attempting to file a police complaint. The police, however, denied the accusation, stating that Rana's complaint had been filed.

(With PTI inputs)