December 22, 2006

Youth stabbed with a trident in MP

(NDTV.com)
Youth stabbed with a trident in MP

Kumar Shakti Shekhar, Sameer Khan

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 (Khandwa):

The tridents (trishuls) being distributed by the Bajrang Dal in the name of defending Hindu religion are being used as weapons to attack people and threaten communal harmony.

A youth stabbed another in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district on Monday with a trident.

Rustam Khan, who is now in hospital, was stabbed in the back by Chandan, who attacked him after an argument.

Chain of events

The quarrel began when Rustam asked Chandan why he was sitting near his house for hours.

After this, the two got into a heated argument and Chandan went away only to return with a few friends, brandishing a trident.

Chandan then stabbed Rustam in the back. "Three or four youths attacked me and stabbed me in the back with a trident," says Rustum.

Incidentally, the trident that Chandan used to attack Rustam was one of the over 2,000 tridents distributed that morning by the Bajrang Dal in a 'Trishul Diksha' programme in Khandwa.

Attempt to murder

And Chandan, who is now in custody, accepts he bought the trident at the Bajrang Dal's ceremony.

"I had bought the trident for Rs 70 in the trident distribution ceremony. I used the trident in the crime," admits Chandan.

At the trishul distribution ceremony, even young boys were handed out tridents while the administration looked the other way.

The Khandwa police have registered an FIR against Chandan under Section 307 of the IPC for attempt to murder.

But surprisingly they are denying that Rustam was attacked with a trident. "In the first FIR, it was stated that the accused had attacked with a knife. I do not know how the knife was later changed to a trident," said K D Parashar, SP, Khandwa.

The incident points to the fact that events like the Bajrang Dal's 'Trishul Diksha' ceremony only add to the risks of an already vulnerable peace being shattered.

December 17, 2006

Bajrang Dal targets young couples

http://www.rxpgnews.com/
Bajrang Dal targets young couples again
Dec 17, 2006 - 11:08:06 PM

Bhopal, Dec 17 - Activists of the Bajrang Dal have warned young couples here against meeting in public places or be ready to be punished.

Resorting to so-called moral policing, Bajrang Dal members raided Manuabhan Ki Tekri - a picnic spot here - that also has a Jain temple within its premises and made young couples do sit-ups for indulging in actions against the 'culture of our country'.

Though the incident took place Thursday, it came to light Saturday when a regional news channel showed clips of couples being subjected to 'punishment'.

The Bajrang Dal has now warned of intensifying their movement against what they call 'obscenity'.

'Bajrang Dal will not tolerate any obscenity at places of religious importance. We took action after we found them in a compromising position and we will continue to take action against such activities,' Vishal Purohit, a Bajrang Dal leader, told IANS.

The hardline Hindu group, however, says it was forced to resort to extreme action since the police had failed to check such 'indecent' acts.

'We were compelled to take the law into our hands after police took no steps against our complaints regarding obscenity in public places. We once again urge that police personnel be deployed at religious shrines to curb the display of such obscenity,' Purohit said.

Said Superintendent of Police A.K. Singh: 'No one has made any complaint in this connection. We will act if we get a complaint from anyone.'

In the past few years, Bajrang Dal has disrupted Valentine's Day celebrations by vandalising gift shops and burning hundreds of cards.

December 10, 2006

campaign aimed at warning Muslim boys against ‘luring’ Hindu girls

(Ahmedabad Newsline
December 10, 2006)


Bajrang Dal rally takes violent turn
Express News Service

Ahmedabad, December 9: THE Sahjanand College incident has become the entry-ticket into colleges that fundamentalists in the city have been waiting for, with the issue reverberating through other colleges.

Workers of Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini roughed up students at Gujarat College during their launch of a ‘Chetavni Abhiyan’ (warning campaign) led by Ahmedabad Bajrang Dal president Babu Bajarangi on Saturday.

The campaign aimed at warning Muslim boys against ‘luring’ Hindu girls, was launched following a complaint lodged by Prinicipal of Sahjanand College that some Muslim boys had been had been harassing female students outside the college campus.

Students say members of the group began beating up students after asking about their religions. Asking not to be named, a first year student says, ‘‘We were sitting in the parking lot when some people entered the campus, wielding hockey sticks. They started asking questions about our religion and started hitting us.’’

General Secretary of the college Virendra Chauhan, among those beaten up by the activists, says, ‘‘After asking for identification, they hit us without explaining their actions’’. Principal Y M Dalal adds that they have sought police protection although the situation is currently under control.

Ellisbridge police officials have visited the college twice so far, but say complaints are yet to be registered.

Earlier, Babu Bajarangi said Muslim boys have established their hold over most college campuses in the city and were out to ‘‘lure’’ hindu girls from college campuses. ‘‘Parents are unaware of how their girls are being cheated and defiled,’’ he said.

December 09, 2006

VHP workers thrash young couples

ibnlive.com
December 09, 2006 at 20:23

VHP workers thrash young couples
MORAL POLICE: The workers were armed with hockey sticks and lathis and thrashed the young men.

Ahmedabad: After the Meerut Police carried out Operation Majnu to crack-down on pesky eveteasers, it was the VHP's turn to moral police the society.

VHP and Bajrang Dal activists misbehaved with young couples and beat up boys in a park in Ahmedabad.

The party workers alleged that some boys were "harassing girls" and thus they decided to teach them a lesson.

Among the VHP workers were some girls as well. The workers were armed with hockey sticks and lathis and thrashed the young men.

The girls said that they wanted to weed the society of men who used girls for their own means.

The Ahmedabad police were nowhere to be seen and the VHP activists were law unto themselves for quite some time.

Says a girl who was beaten up, "When I tried to stop them, they hit me four times with stick. I hope no other girl is treated like this."

The man behind the lathicharge is said to be Bajrang Dal activist Babu Bajrangi.

"We have not taken the law into our hands. We just want to teach girls how to live decently," was all Babu Bajrangi had to say.

Bajrangi is accused of one of the deadliest massacres during the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Naroda Patia massacre.