Parliamentary panel Chairperson urges Amit Shah to enact law against hate speech

He said hate speech is being used to spread enmity and disharmony among religion, caste and ethnicity

Chairman of Parliamentary Standing committee on Home Affairs Anand Sharma has written a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to enact a law to curb hate speeches. The letter written on Wednesday says, "It is requested that the Home Secretary be advised to sensitise the Chief Secretary (CS) and DGP to take prompt and firm action to enforce law and secure order. Further, the government may consider a legislative action, including amendments in the IPC and the CrPC."

He said hate speech is being used to spread enmity and disharmony among religion, caste and ethnicity. The letter was written in the wake of recent hate speeches in Haridwar where Supreme Court has taken cognizance and after the intervention the Uttarakhand Police arrested some of the accused.

The Supreme Court on January 12 issued notice to the Uttarakhand government on a petition by journalist Qurban Ali and former Patna High Court judge Anjana Prakash, seeking action against those who made hate speeches against the Muslim community at Dharam Sansad in Haridwar. Three Army veterans have also moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to constitute a special investigating team (SIT) to probe the alleged hate speeches made at Haridwar and Delhi last month.

The hate speech was reportedly made during an event in Haridwar held from December 17 to 20. Video clips of the event, circulated on social media, says that "Hindus should arm themselves like those seen in Myanmar, every Hindu must pick up weapons and conduct a Safayi Abhiyan." The event was organised by Yati Narasimhanand, a controversial religious leader who has been accused in the past of inciting violence. The Uttarakhand Police have arrested Jitendra Narayan Tyagi -- former Shia Waqf board chairman, who recently converted to Hinduism and Yati Narasimhanand.

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