Delhi Police Cancels Hindu Sena Mahapanchayat Midway Over Alleged Hate Speech

The Delhi Police cancelled a Hindu Sena mahapanchayat at Jantar Mantar on Sunday (20 August) after the speakers at the event allegedly made hate speeches.

The police intervened and asked the speakers to leave the area after they spoke "against one community".

No FIR has been lodged regarding this incident yet.

The mahapanchayat, which focused on the clashes in Nuh, was organised by the All India Sanatan Foundation and Hindu Sena.

Prominent individuals present at the event included Vishnu Gupta, the national president of Hindu Sena, Pinky Chaudhary from Raksha Dal, and Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the priest of Dasna Devi temple.

The event commenced at 10 am amidst tight police barricading.

During the event, at around 11.50 am, Yati Narsinghanand addressed the audience and discussed the Nuh clashes.

"If the situation doesn't change, a non-Hindu person will become the Prime Minister... You won't have any land for yourself and will have to drown in the Indian Ocean... since you won't fight," Narsinghanand was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

During his speech, two officers approached him and urged him to stop. The organisers claimed that the police asked them to disperse, but the police clarified that they had only asked Narsinghanand to leave.

Following this, another member took the stage to deliver a speech.

Gupta, the final speaker, began speaking at around 12.10 pm.

“Last month, there was a peaceful Shobha Yatra in Mewat but a group of Jihadis attacked with stones and fired. Several Hindu brothers were killed and others were left injured… Why hasn’t a CRPF camp been constructed there to punish these Jihadis?” Gupta was quoted by IE as saying.

Gupta also stated, “Why have we been surrounded by police here? We are the victims and should get an opportunity to speak. Nobody should have an objection… The country’s Partition was over religion but I feel it was incomplete. Till the time there are Muslims…”

While Gupta was speaking, Additional DCP (New Delhi) Hemant Tiwari approached him and took his microphone.

Addressing the crowd, Tiwari said, “The organisers have been told not to say anything about another community/group. Despite our repeated requests, you didn’t listen to us. Hence… this mahapanchayat is over. Please leave. We told you not to take names of another community…”

Another police officer arrived and informed the crowd that their allotted time had also ended and requested them to leave the premises. By 12.15-12.30 pm, the crowd was dispersed.

A video capturing the incident was shared on various social media platforms.

Initially, the police had granted permission for the mahapanchayat and allowed 100 individuals to gather and protest. However, they had to intervene after alleged hate speeches were made.

The organisers claimed that they were stopped and forced to leave. Additionally, they alleged that 5-6 individuals were briefly detained and released later in the afternoon.

The police, on the other hand, denied these allegations and stated that no action was taken against anyone as people left voluntarily.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Gupta stated that he was fully aware of his words while adressing the gathering.

He emphasised that the event was peaceful and that he did not incite violence or promote harm towards any individual or group.

"I was simply talking about Jihadi activities. They treated us like terrorists and removed us. They didn’t allow us to speak…” Gupta told IE.

DCP Tiwari told the media that the incident is currently under investigation, and appropriate action will be taken in accordance with the law. The police is reportedly seeking legal opinion on the speeches and will conduct an investigation.