The Delhi Police on Monday booked the organisers of a “Hindu rashtra” panchayat held in North East district of the national capital for not taking permission to hold the meeting, reported PTI.
The event was held on Sunday where members of a Hindutva body, the United Hindu Front, demanded the creation of a “Hindu rashtra” or country of the Hindus, and action against those who perpetuate “love jihad”, reported The Indian Express.
“Love jihad” is a term used to describe a debunked Hindutva idea that Muslim men lure Hindu women into romantic relationships in order to convert them to Islam.
The event was organised in the same region where communal riots had erupted in 2020 leaving 53 persons dead and more than 700 injured. Most of those who died were Muslims.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Hindu United Front chief Jai Bhagwan Goyal was one of the organisers of the event, reported PTI. The event was also attended by BJP Parliamentary Board member and former Union minister Satyanarayan Jatiya and former North Delhi mayor Awatar Singh among others.
At Sunday’s Hindu Rashtra Panchayat, Goyal had urged the crowd that no Hindu should sell or rent out their houses or shops to members of other religions, reported PTI.
“We will first make north-east Delhi a Hindu Rashtra district and then the entire country a Hindu Rashtra,” Goyal said, reported The Indian Express. “We are forming units at the panchayat and Vidhan Sabha level to protect Hindus.”
The BJP official also said that before the party’s ideological arm, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, marks its centenary anniversary in 2025, he aims to achieve the dream of making the country a “Hindu rashtra”, reported the newspaper.
The politician also made reference to the 2020 riots and alleged that there was a plan to turn the area into a “mini Pakistan”, reported PTI.
The Delhi Police on Monday registered a case against the organisers under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, reported PTI. The police, however, have not registered a case against the statements of the BJP official that qualify as hate speech.
“That is part of investigation,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Joy Tirkey told The Indian Express. “For now, we have booked the organisers for flouting norms.”
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