Hyderabad: The Ranga Reddy Police on January 28 registered a case against four people, including the head priest of Chilkur Balaji Temple, for alleged hate speech against Muslims during the Dharma Raksha Sabha held in Hyderabad‘s Balapur area on January 24.
The case was registered on a complaint by Rehman Khan, a resident of Shah Ali Banda and an advocate by profession.
Police have registered a first information report (FIR) against the Chilkur Balaji temple head priest CS Rangarajan, leader of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) Ravi Kumar, advocate Karuna Sagar Kashimshetty and Girdhar Swami Shastri and members of the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samiti (BGUS) under Sections 196 (1) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, langugae etc), 223 (disobedience to orders lawfully promulgated by a public servant) and 3(5) (shared criminal purpose) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the FIR, the accused delivered hate speeches against Muslims and Rohingya Muslims, portraying the community as dangerous and encouraging violence against them, blatantly violating the Telangana High Court’s order.
The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi had announced its public rally and called upon the Hindu community to raise their voice against “love jihad,” “economic jihad,” “drug jihad,” “food jihad” and “land jihad,” the conspiracy theories by far-right-wing groups that have time and again been debunked. It stated the rally would be spearheaded under the “Jago Bhagyanagar – Chalo Balapur” slogan.
The organisation also organises the annual Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav in the city.
The Congress government objected and moved the High Court. However, the court green signalled the event.
What was said in Dharma Raksha Sabha
According to a report by The News Minute, one of the accused and chief speakers, Girdhar Swami Shastri, declared he would “not rest until India was converted into a Hindu Rashtra.”
He claimed Muslims enter other countries “either to forcibly convert people or to carry out violence against non-Muslims.”
“Peace is impossible as long as the Quran exists,” he said and went on to describe the holy book as the source of “invasion” and “infiltration.”
He rejected secularism, asserting that the idea of all religions being equal was misleading and harmful. “The Hindu society will not survive unless the community gets organised and starts responding to bricks with stones, sticks with swords and spears with pistol revolvers,” he said.
In an appeal to Hindu women, he urged them to give birth to more children. “Stop teaching children ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ Teach them how to fire a gun and sword fighting. Don’t send girl children to dance classes. Send them to martial arts classes. Send them to RSS shakas, Bajrang Dal’s training centres,” he said.
Chilkur Balaji Temple head priest CS Rangarajan believed that Lord Rama should be included in the Indian Constitution.
According to Karuna Sagar Kashimshetty, who is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Rohingyas do not qualify as refugees under Indian law. “The state government should identify and detain these illegal refugees. India is not a dharmashala,” he said.
In its concluding remarks, the Dharma Raksha Sabha demanded that the Centre and state governments identify, arrest and deport “illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslim infiltrators” living in Hyderabad.
