FIR against seer over rape threat in UP speech

SITAPUR (UTTAR PRADESH): The Uttar Pradesh Police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against a priest for allegedly giving “rape threats” to women of a particular community in a speech in UP’S Sitapur district.

The two-minute video is said to have been recorded on April 2 when Bajrang Muni Das, the mahant of Maharshi Shri Lakshman Das Udasin Ashram in Khairabad town, was taking out a procession on the occasion of Navratri and Hindu New Year.

In the viral video, Das can be heard purportedly saying that if any Hindu girl is teased by a man belonging to a particular community, he would himself rape a woman of that community. He also made some more objectionable comments.

“I am telling this to you with all the love that if a single Hindu girl is teased by you in Khairabad, I will openly bring your daughter and daughter-in-law out of your home and rape her,” he is purportedly heard saying in the video. After the video surfaced on social media, the Sitapur police initiated a probe under Additional Superintendent of Police North Rajiv Dikshit.

Prashant Kumar, additional director general (law and order), also said that FIR has been filed and stringent action will be taken against the accused.

Das, however, claimed that the video has been “distorted” to frame him under “false charges”.

“There are 80 per cent Muslims, 20 per cent Hindus in Khairabad. Hindus’ condition in such a situation needn’t be told. During our ‘kalash yatra’,they were prepared with sticks and stones to repeat Karauli-like incident but due to police, it didn’t happen,” he said.

He also talked of retribution. “If they’ll harass our daughters, their daughters won’t be safe too. The video is distorted to fabricate me under false charges.”