Comparative study of the various religions is a purely academic exercise. It gives the student an opportunity to know which religion says what on a given subject. It also leads him to find out which religion is the best in matters of providing guidance in day-to-day affairs of life,in giving spiritual satisfaction or leading to success in this world and in the Hereafter. And also, to find out which religion is based on the Scripture which is still intact and preserved as it was revealed by the Lord Almighty. These studies are investigations that entail analyses and evaluation, with quantitative and qualitative methods, to detect similarities and/or differences.
Such an academic enterprise can never be the business of a person who believes in charming people with his tricks. A February 5 report headlined, “Ramdev Charged For Hate Speech At Event In Rajasthan’s Barmer: Report” says, “At the meeting of seers on February 2, Ramdev accused Muslims of resorting to terror and abducting Hindu women while comparing Hinduism to Islam and Christianity.” We wonder whether this Yoga guru is an academician. If not, what led him to compare Hinduism with Islam and Christianity? Has he ever taken pains to study either of the two religions? We believe he hasn’t. Had he done so, he would have cited verses in support of his tall claims. Bare statement without due citations is baseless. This is why it falls under the purview of hate speech.
However, thanks to the reason of SHO Bhutaram of ParhaiChauhatan police station, that he registered an FIR against Ramdev ‘for allegedly promoting enmity and outraging religious feelings over his provocative remarks’ at the meeting of seers. The complaint was filed by a local resident, Pathai Khan.
According to the SHO, the case was registered under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person). The local resident and the SHO have done their respective duties. Now it is the court of law, where the case will be heard, is to decide the veracity of the complaint and pronounce the verdict. It will take a long time.
This is not the first time that this Yoga guru was involved in hate speech. On April 3, 2016, at an RSS-sponsored ‘sadbhavna’ rally in Rohtak Ramdev had said, “He would have beheaded all those refusing to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ if he were not bound by the law”. A plea seeking FIR against Ramdev was filed against his hate speech.
Ramdev and the people of his ilk indulge in hate speech only because it pays them or their party in the form of electoral dividend. But they forget that hate hurts and it hurts the hated and the hater as well.