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 Thursday said they have registered a case and were investigating the incident.
The seer has been identified as Bajrang Muni Das, the mahant of the Khairabad town’s Maharshi Shri Lakshman Das Udasin Ashram, reported PTI. The video was purportedly shot in the town on April 2 in 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 are 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 alleged have hatched the plot to murder him.
Another video of the incident, which was shot from a different angle, showed Das make the hate speech in presence of police officers. Das can also be heard calling the Muslims residents “jihadi” while issuing the threat.
Sitapur Police said that they were taking steps based on the statement of witnesses.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women said it has written to the police, seeking immediate arrest of the seer.
“NCW has also written seeking appropriate measures from police to curb people from using such outrageous language for women and not be a mute spectator in such incidents,” the organisation tweeted.
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