News18 Hindi anchor Amish Devgan ||Devgan can be seen referring to the revered sufi as “aakranta Chishti” and “lootere Chishti”|| Following that, several police complaints and FIRs were registered against the anchor across the country.

While this is not the first time the anchor has made anti-Muslim statements, there was an uproar over the derogatory remarks he made about Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti during his show that aired on Monday.

“I have full faith in Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti,” said Devgan, in the apology which aired on Wednesday afternoon. “I myself go to Ajmer Sharif for his ziyarat and if my statement has hurt anyone, then I regret it.

Earlier, he had tweeted that he had “inadvertently referred to ‘Khilji’ as Chishti”:

In 1 of my debates,I inadvertently referred to ‘Khilji’ as Chishti. I sincerely apologise for this grave error and the anguish it may hv caused to followers of the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, whom I revere. I have in the past sought blessings at his dargah.I regret this error

News18 Hindi anchor Amish Devgan at NEWS18 

Since the name of Khilji did not figure in the debate at all and just prior to the anchor’s controversial remarks a panelist had referred to Chishti as an examplar of the peaceful spread of Islam in the subcontinent, it is not clear why Devgan confused Khilji for Chishti.The Wire has tried to contact him for a comment, but he could not be reached. He answered his phone once, but disconnected it after promising to call back. Thereafter, despite several attempts, he could not be reached. This story will be updated when he responds.

Meanwhile, followers of the Chishti Sufi tradition are not satisfied with the apology. “While we accept the apology, it is not enough because there is no guarantee that something like this will not be repeated in the future,” said Salman Chishty, the Gaddi Nashin (spiritual heir) of Dargah Ajmer Sharif, while speaking to The Wire over the phone.

“Suppose there was no hue and cry by the followers of Khwaja Ghreeb Nawaz, it would have passed off as a matter of fact and thousands of ordinary people have believed the anchor,” he added. “We have also been exploring the possibility of approaching the Supreme Court with a prayer to issue guidelines in this regard so that this kind of mischief is not repeated in the future.”

On Monday, the news anchor, during a debate on a PIL about the Place of Worship Special Provision Act on his show ‘Aar Par’, had called Khwaja Moinuddin Chisthi, better known as Khwaja Ghreeb Nawaz, an “attacker” and “looter”.

Devgan can be seen referring to the revered sufi as “aakranta Chishti” and “lootere Chishti”. Following that, several police complaints and FIRs were registered against the anchor across the country.

When asked about the cases filed against the anchor, Chishty said, “The cases will take their own course.” He also tweeted about the news anchor using the hashtag#ArrestAmishDevgan.