The controversial Hindu priest Dhirendra Shastri, popularly known by Hindus as Baba Bageshwar has stoke yet another controversy by making blasphemous remarks against Hazrat Ali, the son in law of Prophet Muhammad and the Awliya.
Addressing a gathering of Hindu devotees he made an unnecessary comparison between Hazrat Ali and Hindu God Hanuman, which Muslim deem offensive.
“I am more powerful than any Awliya of Islam and those going to Dargahs should rather come to me. I can assure you they cannot even stand my powers,” said Dhirendra.
Following this, several social media users have been tweeting under the hastag #ArrestDhirendraShastri to seek his immediate arrest over the blasphemous remarks.
Zubair Memon, a prominent Muslim activist from Pune, sought the immediate arrest of the accused Dhirendra Shastri.
हजरत अली(R.A.) की शान में आपत्तिजनक टिप्पणी करने पर धीरेंद्र शास्त्री की गिरफ्तारी की मांग करता हूं मैं।
क्या आप लोग साथ देंगे ?#ArrestDhirendraShastri pic.twitter.com/mYXnj0PLda
— Zubair Memon (@ZubairMemonPune) April 5, 2024
Meanwhile, both Sunni and Shia clerics have expressed anger against the statement of the accused priest. Their concerns were articulated by Shia Chand Committee Chairman, Maulana Saif Abbas Naqvi, who formally lodged a complaint at the Chowk Kotwali, demanding that legal action be taken against Shastri.
In the formal complaint, Naqvi asserted that Shastri’s remarks had not only offended the sentiments of the Shia and Sunni communities but had also infringed upon the religious beliefs held by Hindus.
He emphasized that Hazrat Ali is revered across various faiths and backgrounds, making any disparaging comments about him deeply offensive.
Naqvi, along with other concerned individuals, appealed to both the Election Commission and the Government of India to intervene, urging for the arrest of Dhirendra Shastri and subsequent legal proceedings.