Petitioners Write to Aligarh DM, Urge Prevention of More 'Dharam Sansads'

Hate speeches targeting minorities had been made at a Delhi event and a Haridwar 'Dharam Sansad' in December 2021.

The petitioners in the Delhi and Haridwar hate speeches case on Thursday, 13 January, wrote to the Aligarh District Magistrate, urging the authorities to take preventive action to ensure that no incendiary speeches of a similar kind are made at a proposed 'Dharam Sansad' in Aligarh.

(Photo: Namita Chauhan/The Quint)

The petitioners in the Delhi and Haridwar hate speeches case on Thursday, 13 January, wrote to the Aligarh District Magistrate, urging the authorities to take preventive action to ensure that no incendiary speeches of a similar kind are made at a proposed 'Dharam Sansad' in Aligarh.

Hate speeches targeting minorities had been delivered by a number of Hindutva leaders at a Delhi event and a Haridwar 'Dharam Sansad' in December 2021.

"There are news reports now that another ‘Dharam Sansad’ is being organised now in Aligarh on January 22-23, 20221 wherein the speakers who participated in the aforementioned events held between 17-19th December, 2021 are likely to be speaking again," the petitioners wrote in the letter to the Aligarh DM on Thursday.

"The responsibility to take preventive measures to prevent any possible incident of mob violence therefore falls on the district administration... the responsibility falls on your shoulders to take preventive action to ensure no speeches of this nature are made."

The Letter

"We are in the midst of general elections to the Legislative Assembly and while we do not want to attribute motives to any person, but if such speeches are made in the midst of an election, they will destabilize the social order and have serious consequences on the polity of this country," the letter further stated.

Similar letters have also been sent to the district authorities of Una, Himachal Pradesh and Haridwar.

The letters were sent a day after the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted liberty to the petitioners to make a representation to the concerned local authorities regarding such events. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal had told the court that more events such as the conclaves held in Haridwar and Delhi are being planned.