Haridwar Hate Speech Accused Yati Narsinghanand Giri Out On Bail In Two Cases

Hindutva supremacist Yati Narsinghanand Giri was released from Uttarakhand's Haridwar district jail last week, on Thursday, February 17, days after he was granted bail in two cases against him.

The Hindu leader was apprehended on January 15 for his remarks against women and abusing a journalist. Two days later, Uttarakhand, Director General of Police Ashok Kumari, had informed that he had been booked for hate speech at a conclave in Haridwar, India Today reported

The head priest of the Dasna temple, Giri, was granted bail in the Haridwar hate speech case, which had drawn outrage among citizens and prominent personalities.

Call For Violence

A three-day 'Dharam Sansad' in Haridwar saw a series of hate speeches targeting Muslims. Several Hindu leaders present at the event were seen encouraging and advocating violence against the community.

They had also called upon Hindus to pick up weapons, asserting that the 'economic boycott' of Muslims would not work, and the community needed to do more.

The police had lodged a case under Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups and acts prejudicial to harmony) and named five people, including Narsinghanand, former Shia Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi, who recently converted to Hinduism and changed his name to Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, and others.

Demanding Tyagi's Bail

Speaking to the media, Narsinghanand said that his bail was meaningless without Tyagi's release, and he would continue to sit on hunger strike until Tyagi was released. He was the first person to be arrested by the police in connection with the case.

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