Waseem Rizvi, who had been chairman of the Shia Waqf Board, on Monday announced he had become a Hindu.
Rizvi became a Hindu in the presence of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, a rightwing leader known for inflammatory utterances.
also read
- Shahi Jama Masjid row: Survey team face stone pelting, police use tear gas to disperse protesters
- 'Puppets of govt' vs 'victim card': Samajwadi Party, BJP trade charges on day of bypolls
- Uttar Pradesh bypolls 2024: Not an easy task for Yogi's BJP
- Uttar Pradesh Assembly bypolls: Stakes are high for both BJP and Samajwadi Party
Speaking in Ghaziabad, Rizvi said he had not converted as he had already been “expelled” from Islam and was facing threats to his life. He claimed he was adopting “Sanathan Dharma”, calling it the oldest faith in the world. He said his name will be Harbir Narayan Singh Tyagi.
According to reports, Rizvi publicised a will in which he claimed he wanted to be cremated after his death.
No stranger to controversy
In March, Rizvi had earned the ire of Muslim groups for approaching the Supreme Court with a plea to remove some verses from the Holy Quran that he claimed promoted terrorism.
Rizvi had declared he favoured construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and had even called on Muslims who opposed it to go to Pakistan.
