Representative picture of a mob attacking.
Credit: iStock Photo
Ghaziabad, UP: BJP MLA from Ghaziabad's Loni seat Nand Kishore Gurjar has alleged that the crowd which had gathered on Friday night to protest against Yati Narsinghanand had pelted stones at the Dasna Devi temple here and police should have "shot" the attackers.
If 10-20 people had died, there would have been no rioters, the MLA is purportedly heard saying in a video that has appeared on social media.
A large crowd had protested on Friday night outside the Dasna Devi temple, where Narsinghanand presides, against his remarks on Prophet Muhammad. The controversial priest is facing multiple FIRs in the matter.
A case was also registered against 150 people in Wave City police station on the complaint of Dasna police post in-charge Sub Inspector Bhanu regarding the protest.
Gurjar alleged that there was stone pelting on the temple on Friday night and said, "The attack on the temple is an attack on Sanatan Dharma." The police "did a drama of lathi charge at night, but the police should have shot 10-20 people and then encountered them. This is an attack on the entire Hindutva. If 10-20 people die in a night, then there are no people who create such ruckus,'' he said.
In the video, the BJP MLA is arguing, ''When slogans of 'Sar Tan Se Juda' are raised, do the people of Hindu society go and pelt stones at a mosque like this?'' "It is an attack on the faith of Hindus, so NSA (National Security Act) should be imposed on everyone and those who are not arrested should be killed in an encounter by announcing a reward," he said.
Defending Narasinghanand, he said, ''What Maharaj ji said is a different matter, and now with the kind of attacks that are constantly happening on Sanatan Dharma, daughters are being killed, the situation in Bangladesh, it is natural that he might have said something in anger.'' Security of the temple has been increased after the incident.
Narsinghanand has several cases registered against him, including for allegedly delivering a provocative speech at a conference in Haridwar in December 2021.