SIT makes first arrest in Haridwar Dharam Sansad hate speech case

The Uttarakhand police has made its first arrest in the Haridwar ‘Dharam Sansad’ hate-speech case. Waseem Rizvi alias Jitendra Narayan Tyagi was arrested in Haridwar on January 14. Rizvi has been detained for allegedly making provocative statements against Muslims during the Dharam Sansad. The court has sent Rizvi to judicial custody. Soon after the arrest, another controversial priest from Ghaziabad, sat on a hunger strike at the bank of Ganga river in Haridwar. Yati Narsinghanand Giri along with his supporters demanded Rizvi’s immediate bail. Waseem Rizvi has been booked under IPC section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.) among other sections. Seers Dharamdas and Sadhvi Annapurna have also been booked under similar charges.