ROORKEE: Swami Dineshanand Bharti, an controversial ascetic whose video claiming that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is of Nepali origin has been circulating on social media, was arrested by Roorkee police on Thursday in connection with a land fraud case.
Swami Bharti, who runs an ashram in a village near Roorkee, was accused by a resident of Sonipat, Haryana, of defrauding him of Rs 9 lakh. During police’s preliminary investigation, it uncovered that Swami Bharti operates a gang involved in land-grabbing activities. Several other cases have also been registered against him in different police stations.
However, discussions are ongoing in the city regarding the timing of Swami Bharti’s arrest. Since he questioned CM Dhami’s ethnic origins, it is being speculated that his arrest was carried out under the pretext of an old case registered in June last year.
Bharti, who was arrested in April 2022 for delivering a hate speech at the Dharma Sansad held in Haridwar in December 2021 and was granted bail nearly a month later, runs an ashram called “Shankar Math” in Toda Kalyanpur village near Roorkee. He is also frequently active on various events of the BJP .
Two days ago, at a BJP event in Roorkee, he stated that while CM Dhami is a citizen of Uttarakhand, he is originally of Nepali descent. A video of this statement has been rapidly circulating on social media. Given this, his arrest has become a topic of discussion among the public.
“An FIR in the alleged land transaction case was registered in June 2022, while the arrest took place after over 8 months. The key question is: why did the arrest happen precisely when Swami Bharti spoke against the CM? The BJP is using the police to silence its opponents,”said advocate Shrigopal Narsan.
According to police, Swami Bharti is accused of running a “targeted fraud gang” along with his driver Ajay Raj and two other associates, Noor Hassan and Jogendra. This gang allegedly targets individuals from outside Uttarakhand who are involved in property dealings, luring them into purchasing land in the state in cheap rates.
In a similar case, on June 9, 2024, Satveer Singh, a resident of Sonipat, Haryana, filed a complaint at Kotwali Civil Lines, Roorkee, alleging that Swami Bharti and his associates took ₹9 lakh from him under the pretext of helping him purchase land in Uttarakhand. However, when he demanded his money back, he was allegedly threatened with dire consequences.
However, the police maintained that Swami Bharti’s arrest was not made under any external pressure but as part of their ongoing investigation to apprehend his three absconding associates.
“A case was already registered against Swami Bharti and the other accused, and his arrest was based on that. Efforts are also being made to arrest the remaining suspects,” said SP (rural) SC Suyal.
