‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’: Case filed over tweets for spreading ‘misinformation’

Speakers including controversial seer Yati Narsinghanand made hate speeches and journalists were allegedly assaulted

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Monday registered a first information report (FIR) against Twitter users for spreading misinformation related to Sunday’s “Hindu Mahapanchayat”, where speakers including controversial seer Yati Narsinghanand made hate speeches and journalists were allegedly assaulted. This is the fourth case filed in connection with the event. Police said the event was organised without official clearances.

Priest Yati Narsinghanand at the 'Hindu Mahapanchayat' on Sunday. (PTI)

“An FIR under Indian Penal Code’s Section 505 (2) has been registered at Mukherjee Nagar Police Station against some Twitter handles for tweets in circulation having content which could incite enmity, hatred, and ill-will between two communal groups. The investigation in the case has been taken up,” said deputy police commissioner (northwest) Usha Rangnani.

Rangnani shared links to two Tweets including one by Meer Faisal, who was among the journalists allegedly assaulted and harassed by a mob during the event, and another by a Twitter handle called “Article 14”.

A second officer said the people or organisations, whose posts on Twitter “created or promoted enmity, hatred, or ill-will between classes shall be examined and further legal action would be taken accordingly”. The officer said Section 505 (2) has a provision of imprisonment up to three years, a fine, or both.

Hate slogans were also allegedly shouted at the Mahapanchayat. Narsinghanand, who is currently out on bail in the Haridwar hate assembly case, asked Hindu men to wield weapons to safeguard their religion. “Once a Muslim becomes the PM [Prime Minister] of this country, then in the next 20 years, 50% of you will change your faith... If you want to change this, then be a man. Who is a man? Someone who keeps weapons,” he purportedly said in videos circulated on social media.

Narsinghanand is the head priest of Ghaziabad’s Dasna Devi Temple. Preet Singh, the founder of Save India Foundation, organised the event. He held a similar gathering at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar earlier, where anti-Muslim slogans were shouted. Hindu Raksha Dal chief Bhupinder Tomar alias Pinki Chaudhary was also present at the Mahapanchayat. Both Singh and Chaudhary were arrested in the Jantar Mantar hate sloganeering case and later released on bail.

The first FIR in the Mahapanchayat case was registered on Sunday against organisers and speakers for organising the event without police permission and shouting hate slogans on a policeman’s complaint. Two more cases were filed on the basis of the complainants of journalists allegedly assaulted. No arrests have been made so far.