New Delhi: Several former senior bureaucrats and police officers have written to Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena requesting a strict legal action against former Delhi government minister Rajendra Pal Gautam for patronising public incitement through a religion conversion event.
The letter comes days after Gautam resigned as Delhi government minister after a controversy broke out over the event, where hundreds of people purportedly renounced Hindu deities in favour of Buddhism.
Signatories of the letter include former senior bureaucrats and police officers who served at top posts such as chief secretary, additional chief secretary, DGP, Commissioner of Police in different state governments of the country.
The list also included names of IFS officers and secretaries who served in different ministries of the central government. In the letter dated October 13, the bureaucrats said they found Gautam's presiding over the event a grave criminal misconduct, and called the event a brazen provocation through hate speech against Hindus and Hindu deities.
"Gautam's conduct is not only condemnable, but also criminally culpable as it engenders animosity, acrimony among followers of different religions and weakening India by causing rifts and cracks in its unity in the face of emerging global challenges. "We, therefore, request you to start criminal proceedings against him, the letter read.
A controversy erupted last week after a video in which Gautam was seen at an event that took place on October 5 went viral. The video showed hundreds of people taking a pledge to convert to Buddhism and to not consider Hindu deities as gods. The retired civil servants said that Gautam in his political viciousness and intrigue, forgot that Lord Buddha is revered by the Hindus, and is worshipped as one of the incarnations of the god they believe in.
They said that the religion and its manifestations are a private prerogative of an individual in Indian democracy, which grants freedom to practice or profess any religion. "Duty to respect others and their religious beliefs is also a part of sustaining the freedom to practise one's own religion.
"There is no reason whatsoever for publicly demeaning any religion, including Hinduism, its gods and goddesses, and hurting the faith of persons following another religion, the letter said. PTI
