Union Minister Giriraj Singh, who remains in news for his controversial remarks, has said the Uttar Pradesh's Deoband is a 'Gangotri of terrorism' and several terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, are born in the town. 

The comments came in reference to the protests against the Citizenship Amendments Act (CAA) that broke out in Deoband. Hundreds of women have been agitating in the town against the CAA since January 27. Some local clerics have urged them to end the protest but the women have refused to call off the protest.

"We were not able to make people aware about CAA. I have always maintained that people from Deoband, who are against CAA, were terrorist; all the big terrorists of the world were born here. I have said it before also that Deoband is Gangotri of Terrorism. The likes of Hafiz Saeed come from here," Singh told the media in Saharanpur.

Deoband, a town in the Saharanpur district of UP houses the Islamic university Darul Uloom, which also has submitted a memorandum to the Centre and the Chief Justice of India against the CAA. 

Reacting to the comments, Congress leader Meem Afzal launched an attack on Singh, saying that he has insulted river Ganga by equating Gangotri with terrorists. Afzal also said that it was 'not acceptable at all' as Ganga flows from Gangotri and it is a holy river for Indians, adding that Singh is not aware of Deoband's history.

The Congress leader further demanded that PM Narendra Modi should throw him out of the cabinet and the BJP for these remarks.

Giriraj Singh was also in news recently after he said that the anti-CAA protest site at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh is a breeding ground for suicide bombers and the protestors are conspiring to divide India.