Two days after an FIR was filed against him for making objectionable remarks against Islam, Yati Narsinghanand, the controversial head priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, has reportedly been detained by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Although no official statement has been released, a police officer confirmed the detention to The Indian Express, while Narsinghanand’s aides also stated that he was held in Ghaziabad.
Narsinghanand, known for making provocative statements, has several cases registered against him. His latest remarks, allegedly made on September 29, triggered protests and police complaints across multiple states, including Maharashtra, Telangana, and Jammu and Kashmir, after video clips of the comments circulated on social media.
The priest has faced legal action before, including an arrest for hate speech at a ‘Dharam Sansad’ in Haridwar in December 2021. While on bail, he made similar statements during a ‘Mahapanchayat’ in Delhi in April 2022.
Following the recent incident, the Uttar Pradesh police filed an FIR against Narsinghanand under Sections 299, 302, and 197 of the Indian Penal Code. Security has been tightened at the Dasna Devi temple in response to protests, and an FIR has also been registered against 100-150 unidentified people.
Prominent Muslim organisations Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) demanded the arrest of Narsinghanand and said that filing an FIR against him is “not enough”.
In a statement, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani alleged that Narsinghanand has made “intolerable blasphemous” remarks against Prophet Muhammad.