Hindutvawadis spread hatred: Rahul on Haridwar event

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said "the Hindutvawadis have always spread hatred and violence" and all communities pay the price for it.

He said India is against violence and this should not happen anymore.

The former Congress chief made the remarks while referring to a 'Dharma Sansad' held at Ved Niketan Dham in Haridwar from December 17-20 where hate speeches were allegedly made against a community.

The event was organised by Yati Narasimhanand Giri of the Juna Akhada, who is already under police scanner for making hate speeches and inciting violence against Muslims.

"The Hindutvavadis always spread hatred and violence. Hindus-Muslims-Sikhs-Christians pay its price. But not anymore!" Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi with hashtags 'India Against Hindutva' and 'Haridwar Hate Assembly'.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also demanded the strictest action against those spreading hatred and violence.

"Strictest action should be taken against those who incite hatred and violence of this kind. It is despicable that they should get away with making an open call to murder our respected ex-PM and unleash violence against people of different communities," she said on Twitter.

"Such acts violate our constitution and the law of our land," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra added.

An FIR has been lodged against Jitendra Narayan Tyagi and others in connection with alleged hate speeches delivered at a Dharma Sansad in Haridwar to incite violence against the minorities, police said on Friday.

Tyagi, who changed his name from Waseem Rizvi after converting to Hinduism earlier this month, and other speakers at last week's event have been accused of making extremely provocative speeches and some video clips of it are doing the rounds on social media.

Haridwar Kotwali Police station SHO Rakinder Singh said the FIR was registered on Thursday under IPC Section section 153A -- promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language -- and the matter is under investigation.

The FIR has been registered based on a complaint by a resident of the Jwalapur area in Haridwar. Asked about the video clips being shared on social media, the official said the police does not have any footage of the event yet.

A senior TMC leader had demanded on Thursday immediate action against the organisers and speakers of the event held at Ved Niketan Dham in Haridwar for three days last week.

Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Saket Gokhale, who lodged a complaint in this connection at Jwalapur police station asking the SHO to register an FIR in the matter within 24 hours.

He has set a deadline of December 27 for the police to arrest the organisers of the Dharma Sansad and those who delivered inflammatory speeches against Muslims and other minorities at the event.