Sitapur hate speech: FIR filed against religious leader after he threatens to 'rape' Muslim women
India Today
The Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR on Friday after a video of a religious leader publicly threatening to kidnap and rape Muslim women went viral on social media.
After videos shared on social media showed a seer making rape threats to Muslim women during a procession in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district, the police on Friday said they have registered a case and were investigating the incident.
The seer has been identified as Bajrang Muni Das, the mahant of Khairabad town’s Maharshi Shri Lakshman Das Udasin Ashram. The video was purportedly shot in the town on April 2 on the occasion of Navratri and Hindu New Year.
In one of the videos, the seer can be seen addressing a crowd near a mosque.
“I am telling this to you [Muslims] with love that if a single Hindu girl is teased by you in Khairabad, I will openly bring your daughter and daughter-in-law out of your home and rape them,” Das can be heard saying to a crowd in the video. His remarks were met with loud cheers of “Jai Shri Ram” by the crowd.
Das can be heard alleging Rs 28 lakh has been collected for a plot to murder him. He also threatens to kill the Muslims residents, who he alleges have hatched a plot to murder him.
Another video of the incident, which was shot from a different angle, showed Das making the hate speech in the presence of police officers. Das can also be heard calling Muslim residents “jihadis” while issuing the threat.
After the video went viral on social media, the Sitapur police initiated a probe under Additional Superintendent of Police North Rajiv Dikshit.
