Tension prevails in Jalalpur as admin steps in to prevent Dharma Sansad

By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 27 Apr: Tension prevailed in Jalalpur village of Roorkee over a proposed Dharma Sansad that was to be held today. However, in response to a Supreme Court warning that the Chief Secretary would be held responsible for any hate speeches there, the State Administration, late last evening, swung into action, enforcing Section 144 of the CrPC and not permitting the proposed Dharma Sansad to be held today. The Haridwar District Administration had last evening issued a statement that no permission had been granted for the event.
However, the organisers seemed determined to hold the Dharma Sansad and, as a precautionary measure, the Police arrested several of them who were trying to reach the village. Even so, some of them before their arrests issued statements that they would hold the event even if they had to do so inside the Police Station. In addition, Swami Dineshanand Bharti expressed resentment at the denial of permission to the ‘Mahapanchayat’ and declared that they would hold protests against this in Dehradun and New Delhi.
According to the District Magistrate, Haridwar, Vinay Shankar Pandey, prohibitory orders had been enforced in Dada Jalalpur village and in areas within its five-km radius to ensure that the Mahapanchaya did not take place. He added that more than 33 persons had been already detained to prevent the event.
Those arrested included Swami Dineshanand Bharti of Kali Sena and representatives of at least three ashrams. The police stopped Swami Anand Swarup, the founder of Kali Sena, and the national president of Shankaracharya Parishad, at the ashram of Swami Dineshanand and also arrested him. SSP, Haridwar, Yogendra Singh Rawat confirmed that 33 persons who were associated with organising the Dharma Sansad had been arrested.
The arrests and the administrative action have, however, resulted in strong reactions locally and currently tension prevails in the area. A tent and a pandal which had been put up at the Dada Jalalpur village for the Dharma Sansad were also uprooted by the Police. Heavy Police deployment was seen in the entire district, particularly in and around the village and nearby Bhagwanpur town.
It may be recalled that, on Hanuman Jayanti, a procession had been taken out by the villagers in celebration but stones were pelted by members of another community in the village, injuring at least 10 persons including the police Chowki In-charge. An inquiry into the incident is underway but the Police have been able to arrest only a handful of the accused, while others are still at large. This has led to resentment among various Hindu groups who accuse the Police and the local administration of a callous approach to the matter. Following this, some Hindu organisations had declared that a Dharma Sansad would be held at Dada Jalalpur village. Meanwhile, on a petition submitted by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, the Supreme Court issued a warning to the Chief Secretary that strict action would be taken against him if any hate speeches were given at the proposed Dharma Sansad. This created panic in the state and the district administration which decided that it would be prudent not to allow the Dharma Sansad to be held at all.
Several organisations have demanded arrest of all the accused at the earliest and have warned that, in case the Police fail to arrest all the culprits, they would hold protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi as well in Dehradun. The Hindu Jagran Manch has now announced a protest against Haridwar police on 7 May if it still fails to take adequate action against the stone pelters.
On the other hand, Muslim organisations have demanded security arrangements at the Idgah and other mosques on the occasion of Eid. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has submitted an eight-point letter of demands to the Chief Minister in this regard.