Assam police ban Pravin Togadia from holding meeting in Guwahati

Police in Assam have banned Pravin Togadia, president of newly-formed Aantarashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP), from holding meetings in Guwahati

Updated on: Jul 17, 2018, 16:48:29 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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Police in Assam have banned Pravin Togadia, president of newly-formed Aantarashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP), from holding meetings in Guwahati, saying his “inflammatory” speeches could hurt the sentiment of the religious minority community in the state.

Former VHP leader Pravin Togadia addresses during his indefinite fast outside the state VHP headquarters at the Paldi in Ahmedabad. (PTI File Photo)

The former international working president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, who quit the organisation in April this year, is slated to arrive in Guwahati on July 17 and address AHP meetings and also the media in the next two days.

Guwahati police commissioner Hiren Nath on Tuesday issued a prohibitory order asking Togadia to abstain from attending any event organised by AHP or delivering any speech anywhere in the city without appropriate permission.

“It has been brought to my notice that very sensitive and inflammatory speeches have been made by Togadia at various places….such speeches will hurt the sentiment of religious minority community and create a deep sense of insecurity among them, which is very likely to disturb public peace and order,” Nath said in his order.

The order will remain in force from July 17 for another two months.

The police order also took note of the ongoing updation of the National Register of Citizens in Assam. The final draft of the updated NRC, which seeks to weed out illegal migrants, will be released on July 30.

The updated NRC will exclude names of people who entered Assam illegally post March 24, 1971, and there are fears that exclusion of names from the list might result in a law and order situation in the state.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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