Protesters pelt police with stones, seek action against Yati

Some residents of Shekhpura Kadeem village in Saharanpur pelted police personnel with stones on Sunday as they sought action against Yati Narsinghanand, the mahant of Shivshaktidham temple in Ghaziabad’s Dasna and the mahamandaleshwar of Juna Akhara, over his alleged objectionable remarks against Prophet Mohammad.
Police used mild force to disperse the protesters.
Saharanpur’s superintendent of police (City) Abhimanyu Manglik said, “Eight persons have been arrested and CCTV footage is being examined to identify and arrest the other troublemakers.” He admitted that mild force was used to disperse the violent protesters.
“Additional force has been deployed in the area in order to prevent any untoward incident,” Manglik said.
He said villagers staged a protest in the afternoon and handed over their memorandum at the Shekhpura Kadeem police post. They again gathered after sometime and a few youngsters pelted police with stones, he said.
Earlier, protests had been witnessed in Meerut and Bulandshahr against Yati’s alleged remarks.
In Sikandrabad town of Bulandshahr district, people gathered after prayers two days ago and staged a protest against Yati.
When police tried to persuade them to go back, they alleged pelted the police with stones police.
Bulandshahar senior superintendent of police Shloak Kumar said 16 protesters were arrested and the situation is now normal in the town.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Samajwadi party Lohianagar Vahini activists gathered at the district magistrate’s office in Meerut on Sunday and staged a protest against Yati Narsinghanand’s alleged remarks.
The protesters gave a memorandum to city magistrate and demanded to book Yati Narsinghanand under the National Security Act and impose the Gangster’s Act on him.
Yati Narsinghanand had allegedly made the objectionable remarks at a programme in Ghaziabad in September.