Haridwar denies nod to mahapanchayat, imposes section 144

HARIDWAR: After the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Uttarakhand government to ensure that no hate speeches are delivered at the Dharm Sansad scheduled to held in Roorkee on Wednesday, the Haridwar district administration said permission has not been given to the organisers of a mahapanchayat and Section 144 has been imposed in three villages of Bhagwanpur where communal clashes took place on April 16 on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

A mahapanchayat was announced by Kali Sena, a religious outfit along with the support of some seers associated with Dharma Sansad, on April 27 at Bhagwanpur to come up with a future course of strategy on the recent attack on Hindu devotees who participated in Lord Hanuman birth anniversary religious procession. Kali Sena is not calling it Dharam Sansad, saying it is a mahapanchayat to discuss the future course of action.

Heavy deployment of police and Provincial Armed Constabulary has been made in Dada Jalalpur and Dada Patti villages to ensure no such meeting is held.

Brijesh Tiwari, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Bhagwanpur said permission has not been granted to the organisers of the Mahapanchayat announced by Kali Sena. “Section-144 has been imposed in five-kilometre periphery of three villages of Dada Jalalpur. We have detained 35 people also as a preventive measure and no one will be allowed to violate law and order”,

Citing a possible breach of peace and law and order situation, the SDM said that the district administration has prohibited holding of any such religious meeting in the Bhagwanpur area.

Tiwari said that maintenance of law and order is being ensured and district administration is keeping a close watch on the developments.

“Not more than five people will be allowed to assemble, anyone found violating the order will be sternly dealt as per law. Police and Provincial Armed Constabulary have been deployed and barricading is being done,” said Station house officer Bhagwanpur Amarjeet Singh

Expressing resentment over the district administration not allowing them to hold Mahapanchayat, Swami Dineshanand Bharti, state coordinator of Kali Sena said that they are being forced to stage agitation in the state and the national capital.

“We will soon stage protests outside state assembly and even at Jantar Mantar if our demand of arrest of all the accused Muslims named in the case of rioting is not met in coming days. Those who connived, plotted and attacked on Hindu devotees should be strongly dealt with by police,” said Swami Dineshanand.

“All like-minded organisations and people should support us in ensuring that the justice is meted out to devotees who were violently attacked at Bhagwanpur,” added Swami Dineshanand.

Mahamandaleshwar Swami Pramod Anand, one of the coordinators of Dharma Sansad said that whatever step the state government and administration take, they will go ahead with the Mahapanchayat at Dada Jalalpur village on Wednesday.

Hindu Jagran Manch has now announced a protest against Haridwar police on May 7 for failing to rein in the attackers.

State president of Hindu Jagran Manch Krishna Singh Bora said a protest against police will be staged on May 7 and if needed they will also gherao the director-general of police’s office to pressurise police to speedily arrest the accused involved in violent attack on the religious procession.