While most political parties have mostly stayed mum about the vicious anti-hate speeches -- reportedly calling for killing Muslims and former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh -- made at the so-called 'Dharma Sansad' event in Haridwar from December 17-20 -- student organisations protested against the inflammatory and provocative speeches, calling for the immediate arrests of the accused.
Please click on the images for a better look at the protest.
IMAGE: Student activists protest outside Uttarakhand Bhawan in New Delhi, December 27, 2021, against the hate speeches made at the so-called 'Dharam Sansad 'in Haridwar.
Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: 'Muslim Lives Matter'. Does any Indian who believes in Humanity and the Constitution disagree?
Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Krantikari Yuva Sangathan activists join in the protest.
Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar -- a 1989 Indian Police Service officer and a native of Kurana, Haryana -- said the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) was not invoked in the case as the event did not lead to any killings.
Mr Kumar, why then was UAPA applied in cases like journalist Siddique Kappan and student activist Umar Khalid, neither of who were involved with any killings?
Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Seventy-six Supreme Court lawyers have written to Chief Justice N V Ramana, requesting him to take suo motu cognisance of the hate speeches made at separate events organised in Delhi and Haridwar.
'The said speeches pose a grave threat not just to the unity and integrity of our country but also endanger the lives of millions of Muslim citizens,' the lawyers's letter stated.
Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Swami Dharamdas, Sadhvi Annapurna and Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi, nee Waseem Rizvi who converted from Islam to Hinduism, had been named in the first information report. None of the accused has been arrested so far.
Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
IMAGE: The so-called 'Dharam Sansad' was organised by a man named Yati Narasimhanand, about who you can read more in this The Print article (external link).
Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
