Appearing for the Uttar Pradesh Police Friday in a bail petition by AltNews co-founder Muhammed Zubair, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju argued before the Supreme Court that his tweet calling Yati Narsinghanad Saraswati, Bajrang Muni and Anand Swaroop hate mongers had offended the followers of Muni, who is a respected Mahant in Sitapur.

As Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State of Uttar Pradesh, also opposed Zubairs plea, Raju said: Bajrang Muni is a respected mahant a religious leader in Sitapur with a large following. When you call a religious leader a hate-monger, it raises problems. The religious feelings of a lot of people in UP are hurt, he added.

* Bajrang Muni

The 38-year-old runs the Shri Laxmandas Udasin Ashram in Khairabad in UPs Sitapur district, though he is originally said to be from Raniganj in Pratapgarh district of the state. According to those who know him, he was working in an airline company when he reportedly met some spiritual leaders, decided to quit and joined the Udasin Akhara. Before coming to Sitapur, he stayed at Prayagraj, Nasik and Azamgarh.

* The current controversy

On April 2, on the eve of the Hindu New Year that saw several incidents of communal tension across the country, videos had surfaced where Muni was making threats.

In the videos, Muni is heard threatening to rape women of another community if a single Hindu woman is harassed. I am telling you with love. If you harass a single Hindu girl, then I will openly rape your daughters after picking them up from your houses, he is heard saying in one of the purported videos on April 2 in Sitapurs Khairabad town. He is seen surrounded by a crowd, including policemen, while he says this sitting inside a car.

Among others, the National Commission for Women sought his arrest.

Hours after police lodged an FIR against him, another video of him apologising for his statement surfaced, in which he said: To all the mothers and sisters, I would like to apologise. If my video, which is viral, has hurt them, please forgive me I respect all women.

He also claimed the video was being distorted and showed out of context. See, this is Khairabad. Eighty per cent population here is Muslim, while 20 per cent are Hindus That day (April 2), we had a Kalash Yatra, and these people were climbing their terrace with stones and sticks and wanted to repeat a Karauli-like incident (the violence in Rajasthan) When the administration stopped such an incident, they started abusing. We said that if you do so, the power to tolerate will finish, and that if you commit atrocities against our daughters, then your daughters wont be safe.

Muni was arrested on April 13 and booked under Sections 354-A (making sexual remarks), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of the IPC.

A senior police officer who spoke to The Indian Express at the time of the arrest said Muni was known for making controversial remarks in the past too.

On April 24, Muni was granted bail by a local court and was quoted as saying in a PTI report: I have no guilt for what I said. He added that he was ready to go to jail a thousand times, but will continue to safeguard my religion and women:.

* The past rows

It was around two years ago that Mahant Bajrang Muni Udasin first surfaced in Sitapur. The antecedents of the priest before that are blurry, though he is almost constantly in the news in the area for land disputes.

Those close to Bajrang Muni in Khairabad and adjoining areas in Sitapur say he is originally a native of Raniganj area in Pratapgarh district, and once held a job at an airline. It was after he reportedly came in contact with some spiritual leaders that he decided to quit and joined the Udasin Akhara. As part of the organisation, he stayed at Prayagraj, Nasik and Azamgarh before coming to Sitapur.

Contacted over the phone, Bajrang Muni told The Indian Express he was a native of Pratapgarh district, and hung up.

Most of the rows he is involved in Sitapur involve land around the Ashram, also known as Badi Sangat.

Saket Mishra, a candidate who lost from the Sitapur Sadar seat in the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, told The Indian Express that locals in the area had filed several complaints against Bajrang Muni, accusing him of threatening them and harassing them with false allegations, and of grabbing their land around the Ashram.

Circle Officer, City (Sitapur) Piyush Singh said that Muni too has filed three cases against locals, all related to land.

In February 2021, Muni had been provided a police gunner for protection after a clash with a local resident called Laiq Khan, and his brothers Atiq and Salman, who allegedly hit him in the legs with a knife and left serious injuries.

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Rape threat, land rows, unclear past: Who is Bajrang Muni, the 'respected mahant'? - The Indian Express