Uttarakhand: ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’ stopped, organiser among 10 detained in Roorkee

DEHRADUN: The proposed “Hindu Mahapanchayat” at Dada Jalalpur village near Roorkee in Haridwar district on Wednesday was stopped and its supposed organiser, Swami Anand Swaroop, was put under preventive detention in the morning while trying to enter the village and start the event. Several others accompanying him were also detained.
Police detained around 10 people and prevented several others from attending the event.Among them was Swami Dineshanand Bharti, state convener of Kali Sena who was also supposedly one of the organisers of the conclave. Bharti, along with six of his supporters, was detained late on Tuesday night while trying to enter the village to prepare for the event.

This comes a day after the Supreme Court alerted the Uttarakhand government against a proposed conclave in Roorkee, to be held on lines of the controversial Haridwar Dharam Sansad held in December last year. The local administration also assured that the event won’t be allowed and deployed a heavy police force. Section 144 of CrPC was also clamped in the area.

Anand Swaroop, who heads the “Kali Sena”, had recently called for a “Hindu Mahapanchayat” at Dada Jalalpur village in retaliation to a communal clash that took place in the village on April 16, when stones were allegedly pelted at a Hanuman Jayanti procession.

Swaroop wanted a conclave on the lines of the Haridwar Dharam Sansad held last year -- which drew nationwide outrage for hate speeches made against the minority community -- to “discuss the stone pelting event”. Notably, Swaroop had recently urged chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami not to allow “non-Hindus” on the Char Dham route to preserve the “religious sanctity” of the area.

Apart from heavy police deployment, cops kept a watch on the area throughout the day using drones to keep tabs on any suspicious movement. Uttarakhand director general of police (DGP) Ashok Kumar said, “The event was not allowed as the district administration imposed section 144 of CrPC in the area. A total of 10 people have been put under preventive detention under section 151 of CrPC, while several others were arrested without an order or a warrant under section 41 of Crpc.”
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court had directed Uttarakhand chief secretary SS Sandhu to ensure that no “untoward incident” takes place at the proposed Roorkee Dharam Sansad. It also said that top officials would be held responsible if any inflammatory statements are made. Hours later, Haridwar district magistrate Vinay Shankar Pandey said no permission had been sought for any such event and it wouldn’t be allowed. Consequently, section 144 of CrPC, which prevents gathering of more than four people, was imposed in the area, as well as a sizable police force of over 200 personnel was deployed.