By Maktoob
At a “Hindu Mahapanchayat” organised by Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the head priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, his close aide Anil Yadav, also known as “Chote Narsinghanand”, allegedly called for the “annihilation” (sanghar) of Muslims, Alt News reported
The June 21 gathering came days after Narsinghanand released a video alleging that two Muslim clerics associated with Deoband and a Samajwadi Party MP were promoting “jihad” and “ghazwa-e-hind,” a term frequently invoked by Hindu nationalist groups to allege an Islamic conspiracy to take over India.
At the Mahapanchayat, Narsinghanand urged Hindus to “stand up for themselves” against what he described as an imminent threat from Muslims, saying the event had been convened to decide how to protect the community and its families, according to the report.
Addressing the gathering, Yadav declared that he shared Narsinghanand’s views, describing himself as the priest’s “shadow.” He alleged that Hindus were under attack and argued that increasing the Hindu population was necessary to strengthen the community.
To support his claims, Yadav referred to the killing of 17-year-old Surya Pratap Chauhan in Ghaziabad in May and the subsequent police encounter in which the prime accused, Asad, was killed.
He claimed, without providing evidence, that supporters of the accused were seeking revenge and outnumbered Hindus.
He also made remarks opposing interfaith marriages, citing instances in which Hindu men in relationships with Muslim women had allegedly been attacked by members of the women’s families.
Yadav reiterated his call for sanghar (“annihilation”), saying, “Whoever does it first will win this battle,” before reciting a poem calling for the death of “traitors.”
After videos of the speech drew criticism online, Narsinghanand released another video on June 25 expressing support for Yadav’s remarks.
In the video, he praised Israel’s military actions in Gaza, claiming that Israel and China had found a “befitting response” to what he referred to as “jihadis” and Islam, while adding that India lacked the courage to act similarly.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.