The Lanka Police in Varanasi filed a formal complaint on Friday, February 2, against Roshan Pandey, the head of the Rashritya Hindu Dal, for allegedly putting posters and sharing films on social media to offend religious sentiments. Notably, Pandey, a resident of the Samne Ghat neighborhood’s Gangotri Vihar community, attached a sticker bearing the word “Mandir” over the signs indicating Gyanvapi “Masjid” so that the final signboard read “Gyanvapi Mandir” in both Hindi and English. He took this action shortly after the Varanasi District Court granted Hindus permission to conduct puja within the Vyas Cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.
Pandey is the state secretary of the Hindu Samaj Party (HSP) and is a native of the Gaya area in Bihar, according to a Times of India story. The individual in question was charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 505(2) (dissemination of a rumour or unsettling news about a religion, race, language, or community), and 67 IT Act (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.).
In a video that was made public prior to the lawsuit being filed, Roshan Pandey claimed that the Gyanvapi basement was turned into a temple after the Varanasi district court permitted Hindu puja there. As a result, he covered the Masjid on the signboard with a sticker that said “Mandir.” He claimed that his actions were lawful in light of the court order. He pointed out that CM Yogi Adityanath has stated that it is incorrect to refer to Gyanvapi as a mosque, and the recently released ASI report also states that the mosque was built following the demolition of a temple.
Pandey further stated that he modified the signboard to eliminate confusion among devotees visiting Kashi because he noticed that it was causing confusion. Notable: Roshan Pandey has written to the state’s tourist department and chief minister, pleading for the administration to replace the board. He added that he and his organisation, Rashritya Hindu Dal, made the decision to handle it on their own after learning that their applications were rejected.
He added that he was being threatened with legal action for the act by the Varanasi District Administration. In order to prevent harassment from the police, he made a plea to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to take notice of the situation.
Meanwhile, there are other claims on social media that Roshan Pandey has been charged under multiple provisions of the SC/ST Act.
To find Roshan Pandey, who is allegedly fleeing, the Varanasi police have started a manhunt.
Lanka inspector Shivakant Mishra stated that Ajay Yadav, the outpost in charge of Nagwa, filed the complaint, which led to the filing of the FIR. He said that Pandey used language that incited religious fanaticism and undermined regional peace and tranquilly when creating the posters on letter pads for the Hindu Samaj Party and Hindu Seva.
According to sources, Pandey’s criminal record includes cases under sections 153A, 295A, 505 of the IPC, and 67 IT Act at the Bhelupur police station, as well as cases under sections 295A and 505 of the IPC at the Cantt police station.
The event and the contentious assertion that the building is a “Masjid”
On the first of February, Roshan Pandey put two stickers over signboards that said “Gyanvapi Masjid” and “Mandir” in both Hindi and English. The final wording on the signboard read “Gyanvapi Mandir” in both languages after the “Masjid” writing was covered with the “Mandir” sticker.
The event happened when the Varanasi district court let Hindu devotees pray in the Gyanvapi building’s basement, which Muslim petitioners and some media outlets referred to as a mosque. To determine whether the “disputed” construction has a Hindu character or was constructed on top of an already-existing Hindu mandir, however, legal actions are still underway. Additionally, the Varanasi court order permitting Puja inside “Vyas Tehkhana” in the Gyanvapi compound was denied an interim stay by the Allahabad High Court.
It is significant to remember that the media and the petitioning parties were recently given access to the ASI survey report. The 850+-page ASI Survey study on the Gyanvapi construction was extensively reported by OpIndia. In it, the leading scientific body on the subject declared unequivocally that a sizable Hindu temple formerly stood where the current edifice does. During their inspection, the ASI discovered Shivlings, a small temple, Hindu god idols, and other items buried in Gyanvapi vaults that had been “deliberately blocked” with rubble.
