Video Producer: Shohini Bose
Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
Bajrang Muni, the saffron-clad man seen in a viral video publicly threatening to kidnap and rape Muslim women, has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police from Sitapur.
He has been sent to jail for 14 days in judicial custody, reported news agency ANI.
In the video shot at an event in Sitapur district, the self-styled priest could be seen addressing a gathering from his car to cheers and chants of 'Jai Shree Ram' by the crowd.
The Uttar Pradesh police had on Friday, 8 April, said that an FIR had been registered in the matter and further investigation was underway.
The incident had taken place at a gathering in the area on 2 April. The video went viral after it was tweeted by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.
Defence of Statement & An Apology
Originally a native of Pratapgarh district, Bajrang Muni alias Anupam Mishra claims to be the mahant of Badi Sangat Udaseen Ashram in Khairabad locality, a minority-dominated area in Sitapur.
Muni has round-the-clock police protection apart from a PAC deployment at his ashram.
After the video went viral, Bajrang Muni had defended his statement, refused to apologise, and targeted Zubair instead.
"The video has been tweeted by Mohammed Zubair. If you check his profile, there is not a single post which is not anti-Hindu. If he was a humanitarian or a secular person, he would also have posted about atrocities committed by Muslims against Hindus or the hate speeches by them. But he has posted only those tweets in which Hindus are shown to be aggressive," Bajrang Muni claimed.
He further alleged that a Muslim youth had disguised himself as a Hindu to murder him at his ashram, but was arrested by the police.
Speaking to ANI, he later reiterated his threat and claimed that the video was distorted to implicate him under false charges.
However, later, a video captured Muni apologising to all 'sisters and mothers'. He added that he respected all sisters and mothers.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate had condemned Bajrang Muni for insulting the Hindu religion. She appealed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure justice and take stringent action, reminding him that he too wears saffron.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) had also sought action in the matter, having taken cognisance of the video.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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