Inflammatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad: Thane police register case against priest Yati Narsinghanand

Thane police register FIR against controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand for alleged remarks against Prophet Muhammad, sparking protests.

“The Thane police in Maharashtra have registered an FIR against controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand, who is already facing multiple cases, over his alleged objectionable remarks against Prophet Muhammad,” officials said on Sunday (October 6, 2024.)

The seer allegedly made the objectionable remarks during a programme held at Hindi Bhavan in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) on September 29, as per the police. Based on complaint by the president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the Mumbra police in Thane registered a case against him on October 3.

The FIR has been loaged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 197 (imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 302 (intentionally uttering words to deliberately wound the religious sentiments of another person), an official from Mumbra police station said. “No arrest has been made in this connection so far,” he said.

Police complaints have been filed in several States against priest Narsinghanand and there have been demands that he be arrested. “An FIR has also been registered against the priest in Maharashtra’s Amravati city, which saw violent protests against his remarks outside the Nagpuri Gate police station in which 21 police personnel were injured and 10 police vans were damaged during stone pelting by a mob on Friday night,” according to officials.

Priest Narsinghanand's remarks had sparked protests in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh and other States.

Protests in J&K over Yati Narsinghanand’s alleged remarks against Prophet Muhammad

A large crowd gathered outside the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, where he presides, to protest against him on Friday night (October 4, 2024) after videos of his inflammatory remarks appeared online, following which security was stepped up around the premises.