Uttar Pradesh police have not yet registered a case against those accused of tricking schoolchildren in Sonbhadra into pledging to “fight, die or kill” for a Hindu Rashtra, with officers waiting for “instructions” from their superiors who have been busy with “election-related” meetings.
In neighbouring Uttarakhand — another BJP-ruled, poll-bound state — the police registered a case almost a week after some speakers advocated a genocide of Muslims at a December 17-19 sadhus’ conclave in Haridwar, and have issued notices to a couple of accused.
However, the FIR does not name convener Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati.
A police officer from Sonbhadra said on Thursday that an inquiry had been conducted into Tuesday's administration of the "fight, die and kill" oath to children, but no case had been registered in the absence of a complaint.
"We have traced the schoolchildren; we have also traced the Twitter handle from which a video of the event was posted. But we can move forward only when someone comes to have a case registered," the officer said, requesting anonymity.
"Our superiors had asked us to conduct the inquiry and we have informed them orally about it. They are in an election-related meeting and will instruct us further after a few days."
Jitendra Singh, manager of the private school --- Vimla Inter College -- at Robertsganj in Sonbhadra, had told The Telegraph on Wednesday that a crew claiming to be from the Sudarshan News channel had asked to take the schoolchildren to a nearby park to film a debate.
The school had allowed it, having no idea that an oath to kill would be administered to the Class XI and XII boys.
Suresh Chavhanke, CMD and editor-in-chief of Sudarshan News, had tweeted a video of the event on Tuesday.
Jitendra, who was at a Varanasi hospital in connection with a nephew's treatment, told this newspaper over the phone on Thursday: "I am definitely going to take this issue up once I'm back in Sonbhadra."
He said the police had not contacted him yet.
Jitendra added that "I personally belong to the RSS" and insisted the organisation "does not preach violence" and was against those who "want to push the country towards violence".
School principal Shiv Narayan Lal said: "Many of the students who attended the event (took the oath) at the Chacha Nehru Park are from families with links with the RSS. But it doesn't mean they support criminal acts."
Chavhanke's office had on Wednesday morning said he would respond within 48 hours if any questions were posted to him on Twitter. He had not responded to this newspaper's queries till Thursday evening.
A video has been circulating since December 26 in which Narasinghanand, head of the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, purportedly says in Hindi: "I consider (Nathuram) Godseji as god. He is worth worshipping…. We are alive today because of him. Godse didn't die for himself, he died for us…. Gandhi was a pile of dirt…."
The audio continues: "Gandhi was such a liar…. It was because of the betrayal of Gandhi and (Jawaharlal) Nehru that while there are 800 crore (sic) people in the Hindu community, we don't have even one inch of land to call our own. He (Gandhi) is not worth (being revered as) Father of the Nation.”
Calls to Narasinghanand's number remained unanswered.
