Top cop seeks report after officer is seen laughing with hate speech accused
Uttarakhand police chief Ashok Kumar has sought a report from Haridwar’s senior police superintendent over a video that purportedly showed an investigation officer sharing a laugh with the Dharam Sansad hate speech accused
DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand police chief Ashok Kumar on Wednesday sought a report from Haridwar’s senior police superintendent over a video that purportedly showed an investigation officer sharing a laugh with the Dharam Sansad hate speech accused following a comment that he will be on their side.
The video went viral days after calls for violence against Muslims and Christians at the religious gathering provoked outrage.
In the video, a woman seer can be seen handing a complaint to Rakendra Kathait, the station house officer of Haridwar Kotwali police station, where a case has been registered against the hate speech accused.
“After this complaint, a message should be sent that you are unbiased. You are an administrative officer adhering to the Constitution. You are equal for all. This is our expectation from you,” the woman is purportedly heard telling Kathait.
Yati Narsinghanand, who has also been accused of hate speech, is then purportedly heard saying the officer will be on their side. The officer is then seen nodding before they share a laugh.
Kumar said based on the report, they will take further departmental action, if required. “The police are taking all the necessary action in the case in which a probe is already on. We have already named three accused in the case and will add more as the probe unfolds.”
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Kathait said he had gone to serve notices to two of the three named accused in the case, Jitendra Narayan Tyagi (formerly Waseem Rizwi) and Sadhvi Annapurna, on Tuesday when the video was shot. “One has to understand the whole context of the scenario. I had gone there to serve them notices... stating that they have to present themselves before police or court as and when required. While I was there, Tyagi and other seers present said they were coming to the police station to lodge their complaint, to which I said I wouldn’t be available there in the next few hours, and hence, received their complaint there.”
He denied sharing a laugh with the accused, saying, “I was present there with many other people. Anybody can say anything, but that does not mean I am associated with them. The question would arise if I would have replied to their statement. As police officers, we work as per the Constitution and in an unbiased manner.”
Police couldn’t serve the notice to the third named accused, Dharamdas Maharaj, as he was not at his residence in Haridwar on Tuesday.
In a week since the case was registered, police have only served notices to the named accused who are yet to inform them about the appearance. Once their statements are recorded, police will take a call whether they should be arrested.