Pak summons Indian envoy over hate speeches against minorities

Pakistan on Monday summoned India's Charge d'Affaires to the ministry of foreign affairs and conveyed its concern over the alleged hate speeches made at a conclave held in Haridwar recently to incite violence against the minorities.

Held at Ved Niketan Dham in Haridwar from December 17-20, the ‘Dharma Sansad' 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.

At the event, several speakers allegedly made inflammatory and provocative speeches, calling for the killing of people from the minority community.

Pakistan conveyed to the Indian side that the reported hate speeches were viewed with grave concern by the civil society and a cross-section of people in the country.

According to a statement by the Pakistan Foreign Office, it was impressed upon India that it was “highly reprehensible” that neither the organisers have expressed any regret nor the Indian government has condemned or taken any action against them.

The foreign office said the continued incidents of violence against Muslims highlighted a 'worsening trend of Islamophobia' and presented a grim picture about the fate of Muslims in India.

India is expected to investigate these hate speeches and incidents of widespread violence against the minorities and take measures to stop such incidents from recurring in the future, the foreign office said.

Several Opposition leaders in India, including those from the Congress and the TMC, have condemned what they said was a 'hate speech conclave' held in Haridwar and called for strict action against those involved.

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.