Nainital HC stays arrest of Gandhian Islam Hussain
Nainital HC stays arrest of Gandhian Islam Hussain
Dehradun, Jan 16
Nainital High Court has stayed the arrest of Islam Hussain, President of the Gandhian organization Uttarakhand Sarvodaya Mandal in a case lodged by the Uttarakhand police on a complaint by a ‘Gaurakshak’( Cow Vigilante) belonging to the ruling dispensation of BJP/RSS at Kashipur on January 5. Interestingly, the FIR was lodged regarding a lecture which Islam Hussain delivered on the occasaion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2,2025.
Uttarakhand Open University had invited Islam Hussain, President of the Gandhian organization Uttarakhand Sarvodaya Mandal, as the chief guest to speak on Gandhism on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2nd, 2025, The event was attended by university teachers, staff, and others and was presided over by the Vice-Chancellor of Uttarakhand Open University.
Islam Hussain spoke about Gandhiji’s life and ideology, including his constructive work. He emphasized the need for non-violence and religious harmony in the present times. He also spoke about the importance of Gandhi’s concept of Gram Swaraj (village self-rule), highlighting the importance of cow rearing and stating that it is a good practice. He also said that when a cow dies, its carcass should be properly utilized/disposed of, its hide should be used, and if necessary, its products should be exported.
Another speaker at the event, while speaking about Savarkar, said that Savarkar ate beef. Another speaker compared Gandhi and Raja Ramchandra, giving his views on Ramchandra’s use of violence. Yet another speaker spoke about Dr. Ambedkar’s criticism of Hindu deities.
None including the Vice-Chancellor, professors, students, and guests present at the event did not raise any objection.
But on January 2, 2026 (three months after the event), an alleged cow vigilante, Joginder Rana, posted on his Facebook page around 10 AM, giving a distorted account of the alleged ‘anti-Sanatan Dharma’ program held at the university and sharing two video clips. One video clip contained a short, few-second excerpt from Islam Hussain’s long speech, showing only the part about cows. The second video clip contained a short excerpt from another speaker’s speech mentioning Savarkar eating beef. About an hour after this post was made, Islam Hussain received a phone call from a woman named Ruchi, who identified herself as a reporter of ‘Sudarshan News’, a news channel aligned with the ruling BJP/RSS . She told Islam Hussain that Sudarshan News would be holding a discussion/debate at 12 PM on the allegedly offensive remarks he made about cows in his speech at Uttarakhand Open University on October 2nd, and asked him to participate in the debate to give his explanation.
Islam Hussain replied that he had not made any offensive remarks in his speech and refused to participate in the debate. On January 4th, some Hindu activists/self-proclaimed cow protectors protested in Haldwani city and at the Haldwani police station, demanding that the government/police take legal action against those who allegedly made anti-Hindu remarks at the Uttarakhand Open University event, and against the university’s Vice-Chancellor. They submitted a letter to the Haldwani police in this regard.
The next day, at 5 PM, the police registered an FIR, naming only Islam Hussain and filing a case against him for insulting cows and disrupting communal harmony, among other charges.
The FIR mentions that another speaker called Savarkar a beef-eater, another speaker described Gandhi as non-violent and Lord Rama as a supporter of violence, and also mentions Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar’s criticism of Hindu deities. The police were requested to take action against these individuals, as well as against Uttarakhand Open University for organizing such an event. However, the police registered the FIR against only Islam Hussain without conducting any investigation.
Islam Hussain had filed a petition against this FIR in the Nainital High Court, which stayed his arrest and asked him to cooperate with the investigation.
