Kamlesh Tiwari episode all over again: Lakhs of Muslims call for beheading of Yati Narsinghanand

The Kamlesh Tiwari episode seems to be playing itself out once again, as lakhs of radical Muslims have begun calling for the beheading of Swamy Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati of Dasna Temple, who in recent times has grown immensely popular for courageously standing up to the menace of Islamism and not cowing down when threatened by religious fanatics. Yati Narsinghanand has been accused by Islamists of allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Muslim community by speaking ill of Prophet Muhammad. In protest of the same, lakhs of Islamists protested and called for the beheading of the Hindu priest in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly.

On April 9, consequent to the Friday prayers, a sea of Islamists gathered at the Islamia Ground in Bareilly, demanding action against Yati Narsinghanand. Amid the slogans calling for the beheading of the priest, fanatical clerics gave speeches asking for his arrest. Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati was speaking at an event held at the Press Club of India where he had called upon Hindus to be fearless in speaking about the characteristics of Prophet Muhammad.

“If Islam’s reality, for which Maulana says, ‘If you speak about Muhammad, we will behead you’, Hindus should get rid of this fear. We are Hindus. If we can about the characteristics of Lord Ram, and other Hindu deities, then Muhammad is nothing for us. Why could not we speak about Muhammad and speak truth?” Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati had said.

The Hindu priest has been a target for Islamists ever since. In their view, the Hindu priest is guilty of blasphemy, for which he must be beheaded. It must be remembered that the late Kamlesh Tiwari – killed in 2019 by Islamists was also accused of blasphemy. In India, lakhs of Muslims had marched calling for the beheading of Kamlesh Tiwari after his remarks against the Prophet were deemed outrageous by religious fanatics.

Read more: Over 1 Lakh people demanded his head. 4 years later, Kamlesh Tiwari is dead. Therein lies the message

Only last week, one Danish Ali from Meerut was seen announcing a reward of Rs 51 lakh for anyone who beheads Swamy Yati Narsinghanand. Danish, in a 01:45 second long video, said that he will behead Yati Narsinghanand himself if given the opportunity. However, if anyone else chops off the priest’s head, Danish said he was ready to sell his house and jewellery to reward that person with the prize money.

Given the kind of threat the Hindu priest is faced with and given the propensity of Islamists to behead just about anybody, authorities would be well advised to step up security for the Dasna temple head priest, lest they want him to be killed by fanatics like Kamlesh Tiwari was.