PAKISTAN on Monday (27) summoned India's charge d'affaires to the ministry of foreign affairs and conveyed its concern over the alleged hate speeches against religious minorities.
A ‘Dharma Sansad' or religious conference was held at Ved Niketan Dham in Haridwar in northern India from December 17-20. It was organised by Yati Narasimhanand Giri of the Juna Akhada, who is already under police scanner for making hate speeches and inciting violence against Muslims.
At the event, several speakers allegedly made inflammatory and provocative speeches, calling for the killing of people from the minority community.
Pakistan conveyed to the Indian side that the reported hate speeches were viewed with grave concern by the civil society.
According to a statement by the Pakistan foreign office, it was impressed upon India that it was “highly reprehensible” that “neither the organisers have expressed any regret nor the Indian government has condemned or taken any action against them”.
The foreign office said the continued incidents of violence against Muslims highlighted a “worsening trend of Islamophobia” and presented a “grim picture about the fate of Muslims in India”.
India is expected to investigate these hate speeches and “incidents of widespread violence” against the minorities, the foreign office said.
Several opposition politicians in India, including those from the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, have condemned what they said was a "hate speech conclave" held in Haridwar.
An FIR has been lodged against Jitendra Narayan Tyagi and others.
Tyagi, who changed his name from Waseem Rizvi after converting to Hinduism earlier this month, and other speakers at last week's event have been accused of making provocative speeches and some video clips of it are doing the rounds on social media.
(PTI)
