On 20th February, a court in Srinagar issued an arrest warrant against Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, alias Wasim Rizvi, for his alleged controversial remarks about Prophet Muhammad and Islam. The court has directed the police to arrest Tyagi and present him before the court.
According to media reports, the court noted that Tyagi failed to appear despite multiple summons. Following his continued absence, the police have been instructed to form a team to execute his arrest. The next hearing in the matter will take place on 25th April 2025, and the police have been instructed to execute the arrest and present him before the court on the said date.
OpIndia accessed court proceedings in the case. The case was registered against Tyagi on the complaint of Danish Hassan Dar over alleged remarks against Prophet Muhammad and Islam in December 2021. Formal hearings in the matter commenced on 12th October 2022. Tyagi failed to appear before the court for several hearings.
In September 2023, arrest warrants were issued against Tyagi. When he failed to appear, in June 2024, the court issued non-bailable warrants against him. However, the warrants could not be executed.
On 20th February, the court remarked, “Despite several endeavours, the presence of the accused could not be secured. Therefore, in order to secure the presence of the accused, the SSP concerned is hereby directed to constitute a team to arrest the accused and produce him before this Court by the next date of hearing. A copy of this order be forwarded to the SSP concerned for its compliance.”
Jitendra Narayan Tyagi was Wasim Rizvi before reverting to Hinduism
Jitendra Narayan Tyagi was previously known as Wasim Rizvi before he converted to Hinduism. He had formerly served as the chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board. He has been a vocal critic of Islam, and multiple FIRs have been registered against him in various cases.
