J&K BJP leaders join condemnation of priest Narsinghanand, demand ‘legal action’

Prominent Muslim leaders from J&K and Ladakh write a joint letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding ‘legal action against the Hindu priest’

Top BJP leaders on Saturday (October 6. 2024) joined the condemnation of priest Yati Narsinghanand for his alleged blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad and sought action against him.

Meanwhile, prominent Muslim leaders from Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s intervention in the case.

Demanding “a strict action against Mr. Narsinghanand”, BJP State President Ravinder Raina said, “There is a need for maintaining communal harmony and respecting all religious sentiments. Such inflammatory rhetoric goes against the values of peace and unity that India stands for. The authorities should take swift legal action to ensure justice and preserve the social fabric of the country”.

Darakhshan Andrabi, senior BJP leader and J&K Waqf Board chairperson, too lambasted the Hindu priest for his alleged remarks. “I strongly condemn the highly objectionable remarks of Yati Narsinghananad about the great prophet Hazrat Muhammed Mustafa (SAW). He should be given a severe punishment for hurting the sentiments of crores of believers. Such parasites are enemies of peace,” Ms. Andrabi said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, prominent Muslim leaders from J&K and Ladakh have written a joint letter to Home Minister Amit Shah and demanded “legal action against the Hindu priest”.

“We are writing to bring to your urgent attention a deeply concerning issue that has affected the sentiments of millions of Muslims across India and beyond. The inflammatory and defamatory remarks made by Yati Narsinghanand, targeting the holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), have caused severe emotional distress to the Muslim community and created potential for widespread unrest,” reads the letter.

Among prominent Muslim figures who signed the letter included Kashmir’s chief cleric Moulvi Umar Farooq, Grand Mufti Mufti Nasir-Ul-Islam, head of Darul Uloom Raheemiyah Molana Rehmatullah Qasimi, head of the Anjuman Sharie Shian Aga Syed Hassan Al Moosvi , Mufti Inayatullah Qasmi of the Jama Masjid Jammu, Sheikh Sadiq Rajai of the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust Kargil, Sheikh Nazir Mehdi of the Jamiatul Ulema Kargil, and Molana Umar Nadwi of the Jama Masjid Leh.

“Freedom of speech is a fundamental right in any democratic society, but it cannot be a license to spread hate and cause deep hurt to the religious sentiments of an entire community. India is a land of many religions and ethnicities, where respect for all religions should be paramount. Such remarks are not only offensive but also divisive and pose a threat to communal harmony and peace,” the letter added.

The letter appealed to the Home Minister “to address the matter with seriousness and take necessary steps to restore peace and harmony among all communities”. “Immediate and firm action in this matter will send a strong message that hate speech and incitement to violence will have no place in civilised society,” it added.

Published - October 06, 2024 08:55 pm IST