By Dr Sahibzada Muhammad Usman
Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati is the head of the Hindutva group Hindu Swabhiman, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Parishad, and chief priest of the Devi Mandir in Dasna, Uttar Pradesh. His name has come up in relation to the communal unrest in western Uttar Pradesh and areas near Delhi.
Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, a notoriously xenophobic and misogynistic Hindu militant priest, has once again spewed venom against Muslims in a new anti-Islamic tirade, calling on his supporters to assault Makkah and grab the Kaaba. Narsinghanand declared in a video that has gone viral on social media that “Hindu Rashtra is a dream; we will capture not only it but also Makkah, where Mahadev’s Ganga flows in the form of Zam Zam.” Further, he said, “If you don’t capture the Makkeshwar Mandir (Kaaba), no power on earth can defeat Islam.”
The priest has a history of stirring up controversy; in the past, he has referred to Muslims as “demons,” vowed to “eliminate” them, and said that he wants to make India “free of Islam.” His latest booking and arrest for insulting women followed the viral video in which he referred to female politicians as the mistresses of their male colleagues. Top BJP leaders aggressively support the trends that back Narsinghanand, especially Kapil Mishra, with whom he has a tight connection. In the past, Kapil Mishra ran a fundraising effort in support of Narsinghanand’s mission to eradicate Islam and Muslims from the planet.
Muslims all around the world are outraged about the Narsinghanand video. Because he called for violence against Muslims and Islam, many have labeled his remarks “hate speech” and demanded an apology. Numerous other people urged the Indian government to prosecute the repeat offender harshly.
The burning of Muslim families’ homes and Masjids have been ongoing in India for the last several years, and now a hardline Hindutva priest is expressing extreme views regarding the Muslim holy sites.
Through his official YouTube channel, “Narsingh Vani,” he has made a number of blasphemous claims during the last month. He has also promoted the demise of Islam in interviews. He has called Muslims “jihadis” and stated that Hindus must turn India into a “Hindu Rashtra” because Muslims are engaging in “love jihad” and killing Hindus at will.
In another video, he explicitly claims that mankind can only be rescued when Islam is destroyed. In 2020, he addressed the crowd and claimed that Shaheen Bagh, the site of the well-known women-led demonstrations against the CAA-NPR-NRC, advocates for the annihilation of Hindus. Additionally, he declared that all Hindus should support Kapil Gujjar, a young man who dared to stand up to Shaheen Bagh, calling him a “warrior.” Gujjar started shooting close to where Shaheen Bagh protesters were holding their sit-in.
On February 25, he endorsed Kapil Mishra of the BJP in a video where he applauded Mishra for his words and deeds that allegedly sparked the Delhi riots. He referred to Gautam Gambhir, the newest member of the BJP, as a eunuch and urged all Hindus to embrace Kapil Mishra, who would keep fighting for Hindutva and a Hindu Rashtra. He has exhorted Hindus to take up guns and defend Hindutva, claiming that doing so is neither a sin nor a virtue.
Narsinghanand has openly backed Yogi Adityanath, whom he refers to as “karmyodha,” as well as Amit Shah and Kapil Mishra. However, he often expresses disenchantment in his videos with the party for publicly endorsing the Hindutva goal. He is a hard supporter of Prime Minister Modi. He is seen as being closer to ministers like Giriraj Singh, who have attended functions hosted by Narsinghanand’s group.
In Meerut, he held a “Dharam Samvad” where Giriraj Singh talked about the “battle to resist Ghazwa-e-Hind.” Singh also discussed the ideas of Narsinghanand. Then he said, “Our (Hindus) population is 99 percent in several villages and locations in India. However, anytime this is decreased, the minority gain confidence”. Additionally, he said, “Bharatvanshi, tera mera rishta kya? I possess a constitutional position; hence my hands are bound, Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram. But I urge Hindu religious authorities to take the initiative and organize people”.
Narsinghanand is facing a number of charges, from impeding justice to encouraging suicide, according to a report by Live Hindustan. In 2005, a complaint regarding his protest against the building of a Haj House was filed at the Kavi Nagar police station in Ghaziabad. This case caused a stir and sparked communalism, interfering with the legal process. In 2010, a charge was filed against him at the Mansauri police station in Ghaziabad, accusing him of encouraging others to commit suicide after a man named Sonu Rana ingested poison at his behest. He was accused of trying to kill someone, engaging in dacoity, and causing trouble in Niwari in 2014.
Narsinghanand disbelieves in an India that is secular. Will his incitement of hatred sway the misled, impressionable populace, or will the government, including the nation’s courts and online social media platforms, remove his material and bring him to justice?
About Author:
Research Scholar and Academic; Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Pisa, Italy. Dr. Usman has participated in various national and international conferences and published 30 research articles in international journals.
