Inside Bay Area
Finding Hindu hatred online
Fremont-based group monitors Web sites promoting intolerance
By Chris De Benedetti, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 04/04/2007 02:47:08 AM PDT
FREMONT — Longtime organizations that seek to rid the world of religious and racial intolerance have been monitoring Web sites they consider hateful since the medium became available worldwide more than a decade ago.
Now, the Hindu American Foundation, led and founded by Fremont physician Mihir Meghani, is trying to follow the lead of those groups to win a similar battle.
The result is the group's
52-page report titled "Hyperlink to Hinduphobia: Online Hatred, Extremism and Bigotry Against Hindus."
Recently authored by the foundation, the report says that exposing online hate speech is a crucial front in the fight against negative stereotypes about the Hindu religion.
Hinduism is most closely associated with India but has followers around the world. Many Hindus believe in concepts such as karma and reincarnation and in practices including yoga, meditation and a vegetarian diet. The religion also encompasses beliefs ranging from monism — the belief there is just one god — to polytheism — the belief in more than one god, according to the report.
These notable differences from Judeo-Christian beliefs sometimes make it an unfair target of ridicule, Meghani said.
"Though it is less well-known in this country, anti-Hindu bigotry is every bit as ugly and dangerous as anti-Semitism or racism, and every bit as present on the Internet," Jeffery Long, chair of the Religious Studies Department at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania,
wrote in the report's foreword.
The report lists 37 Web sites that allegedly are guilty of hate speech toward Hinduism, Meghani said. Words such as "demonic, dirty and filthy" are used on the Web sites to describe the religion, the report states.
"We have to get rid of the idea that 'my path is better than yours,'" Meghani said. "We have to move beyond hate."
Meghani founded the Maryland-based Hindu American Foundation. It has about 5,000 members nationwide.
Its leaders seeks to follow the lead of the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, each of which combat anti-Semitism and racism on the Worldwide Web and beyond. Meghani applauds Jewish groups that have lobbied Internet service providers and search-engine giants such as Google and Yahoo to get rid of online anti-Semitism.
It is a model that Meghani wants to follow.
"This is our attempt to get into that national debate," said Meghani, a Fremont resident since 2000. "If we don't take that responsibility, no one else will."
Hinduism is the most popular religion in India, which has a population of roughly 1 billion people. But American Hindus number only about 2 million in a nation of 300 million, making them less than 1 percent of the population.
"That means we don't have control of how we're represented," Meghani said.
The majority of the Web sites identified in the report as being "anti-Hindu" are Christian. But Hindu American Foundation leaders say their goal is to promote understanding among different religions — not to point fingers.
"I think everyone faces discrimination at some point. This is something everyone should take up," Meghani said. "None of us like to have our religions denigrated, so it makes sense for us to work together to build a better society.
Chris De Benedetti covers Fremont issues. Contact him at (510) 353-7002 or cdebenedetti@angnewspapers.com.
April 05, 2007
March 27, 2007
Nepal Defence Army wants Hindu state reinstated
(The Hindu
March 27, 2007)
Bomb planted at media office in Nepal
Kathmandu, March 27 (PTI): A bomb was hurled at the regional office of the Kantipur Publication in Biratnagar in eastern Nepal but nobody was injured as it did not explode, media report said today.
The bomb was hurled yesterday by a group calling itself the eastern command of Nepal Defence Army, which is fighting for reinstating Nepal as a Hindu state, The Kathmandu Post reported.
The group detonated another bomb inside the premises of McDowell's Company at Tankisinwari in Morang at the same time but without causing any damage.
The NDA owned responsibility in pamphlets they left at the incident site.
March 27, 2007)
Bomb planted at media office in Nepal
Kathmandu, March 27 (PTI): A bomb was hurled at the regional office of the Kantipur Publication in Biratnagar in eastern Nepal but nobody was injured as it did not explode, media report said today.
The bomb was hurled yesterday by a group calling itself the eastern command of Nepal Defence Army, which is fighting for reinstating Nepal as a Hindu state, The Kathmandu Post reported.
The group detonated another bomb inside the premises of McDowell's Company at Tankisinwari in Morang at the same time but without causing any damage.
The NDA owned responsibility in pamphlets they left at the incident site.
VHP to float 'Hindu Matdata Manch'
(The Times of India
CITIES: LUCKNOW)
VHP to float 'Hindu Matdata Manch'
[ 25 Mar, 2007 0332hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
LUCKNOW: To prevent the division of Hindu votes in the coming assembly elections, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to float a new forum, 'Hindu Matdata Manch'.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, the international president of VHP Ashok Singhal said that the first and the foremost issue for the VHP was to prevent division of Hindu votes during the assembly elections. "For that the VHP has decided to constitute a new forum in the name of Hindu Matdata Manch. This organisation will work day in and day night to keep the Hindu votes intact," said Singhal.
While refraining from declaring its open support to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the VHP leader said that his organisation will lend its support to an outfit or a candidate which will pledge to implement the Hindu agenda'. "On our agenda there are seven issues including construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, goraksha, fight against terrorism and internal security," said Singhal.
Holding the Congress, the SP and the BSP responsible for creating a wedge in 'Hindu society' on the pretext of pseudo-secularism, Singhal said that the new forum floated by the VHP would strive to consolidate the Hindu votes.
Though the VHP chief praised former state chief minister Kalyan Singh by saying that "Hindus mat avam hit surakshit hai unke haath mein," refused to answer queries on whether his outfit would pledge its open support to the BJP.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi's remark on Babri mosque demolition, Singhal said that it was now clear that the Congress wanted to build a mosque at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
CITIES: LUCKNOW)
VHP to float 'Hindu Matdata Manch'
[ 25 Mar, 2007 0332hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
LUCKNOW: To prevent the division of Hindu votes in the coming assembly elections, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to float a new forum, 'Hindu Matdata Manch'.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, the international president of VHP Ashok Singhal said that the first and the foremost issue for the VHP was to prevent division of Hindu votes during the assembly elections. "For that the VHP has decided to constitute a new forum in the name of Hindu Matdata Manch. This organisation will work day in and day night to keep the Hindu votes intact," said Singhal.
While refraining from declaring its open support to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the VHP leader said that his organisation will lend its support to an outfit or a candidate which will pledge to implement the Hindu agenda'. "On our agenda there are seven issues including construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, goraksha, fight against terrorism and internal security," said Singhal.
Holding the Congress, the SP and the BSP responsible for creating a wedge in 'Hindu society' on the pretext of pseudo-secularism, Singhal said that the new forum floated by the VHP would strive to consolidate the Hindu votes.
Though the VHP chief praised former state chief minister Kalyan Singh by saying that "Hindus mat avam hit surakshit hai unke haath mein," refused to answer queries on whether his outfit would pledge its open support to the BJP.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi's remark on Babri mosque demolition, Singhal said that it was now clear that the Congress wanted to build a mosque at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
March 19, 2007
Boycott of non-Hindu businesses in Kerala
Discussion at www.haindavakeralam.org
suggests efforts to replicate Gujarat stycle boycott of muslim businesses in Kerala
suggests efforts to replicate Gujarat stycle boycott of muslim businesses in Kerala
March 08, 2007
Uttarakhand, Chief Minister B C Khanduri seeks blessings of Hindu religious heads
B.C. Khanduri (A former general in the India army) is blessed by sadhus after being sworn in as Uttrakhand's Chief Minister, in Dehra Dun on March 8, 2007.
February 14, 2007
Sticks and Swords against Valentine's day
Muscle-flexing
(The Telegraph
February 12, 2007)
Sticks out for V-Day
RASHEED KIDWAI
Bhopal, Feb. 11: It’s meant to be a festival of love, but the preparations couldn’t have been more warlike.
Sticks are being polished and swords have come out of their sheaths as Valentine’s Day nears in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.
Even axes have been kept ready in case it comes to a showdown — between those against celebrating a western “concept” and their rivals who wouldn’t brook any interference in personal freedoms.
The Bajrang Dal and the Shiv Sena are determined to “stop” what he called “the attack on Indian culture”.
Vishal Purohit, who heads the Dal’s Bhopal unit, said: “We have prepared our sticks by worshipping them to use against people who promote western culture.” Purohit said he and his men will visit hotels and restaurants and stop celebrations on February 14. State Sena chief Rajendra Gupta said his men will “do whatever possible to stop the celebrations”.
On the other side of the divide, the Swaran Mahila Morcha, an outfit that claims to represent upper castes, said its women would use “sword, gada (mace) and battleaxe” to take on the Dal. Another group, the Rashtriya Secular Manch, said it would field stick-wielding women to “provide security to citizens which the Shivraj Singh Chauhan regime has failed to provide”.
“If the Bajrang Dal uses force, we will match them,” said Monu Saxena, state general secretary of the Congress’s National Student Union of India.
State police chief Anand Rao Pawar has asked district police chiefs to ensure that nobody interferes with the personal freedom of anyone.
In the last three years that the BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh, the day has seen violent clashes. Even brothers and sisters were made to do sit-ups for travelling together.
Madhya Pradesh: Bajrang Dal activists burn V-Day Cards
MP readies guns and roses for V-Day
IANS
Posted Tuesday , February 13, 2007 at 18:03
DARING DISSENT: Bajrang Dal activists display V-Day cards before burning them in Bhopal.
Bhopal: Even as the Hindu rightwing Bajrang Dal gains support from a Muslim group to oppose Valentine's Day celebrations in Madhya Pradesh, it faces women's groups vowing to protect young lovers from such moral policing.
A voluntary group of Muslims headed by Maulana Anis S Ahmad has appealed to people not to celebrate western festivals, but to follow Indian culture.
"We urge the youngsters not to be influenced by western culture," said Ahmed, who, however, discouraged the use of force to stop anyone from celebrating the day.
Two women's groups, belonging to the Sawarna Samaaj Party (SSP) and the Rashtriya Secular Manch (RSM), have decided to take on those threatening to oppose Valentine's Day celebrations in the state, ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
If the SSP is threatening Bajrang Dal members with a mace (lord Hanuman's weapon), the RSM has decided to form baton-wielding groups of women to dissuade Bajrang Dal activists from disrupting lovers on Wednesday.
"These women will provide the necessary security to citizens if the state government fails to do so," said RSM convenor Chandna Arora. "We will follow the Bajrang Dal workers on February 14 to prevent them from misbehaving with lovers."
The Congress' student wing National Students' Union of India (NSUI) has also decided to oppose "any act of the Bajrangis".
"NSUI workers would first give roses to Bajrang Dal workers while requesting them not to disturb anyone. Then they would inform the police in case anyone is harassed and lastly take the law into their own hands if the police fails to act," said NSUI state secretary Abhay Kushal Tiwari.
The NSUI has formed teams to defend lovers in case of harassment and even launched a helpline.
State officials said police forces had been deployed in hotels, restaurants and picnic spots across the state in view of the warning.
"We will not let anyone interfere in the personal freedom of a person. Action will be taken against anybody trying to violate the law," said superintendent of police Anant Kumar Singh in Bhopal.
The Hindutva campaign against amour will be carried on by a vivah rath (marriage chariot) manned by activists of Dharma Sena and Durga Vahini - two Hindu organisations.
"We will catch hold of couples meeting in public places, parks and restaurants and get them married. If they will not marry, the girl will have to tie a rakhi (a thread on the wrist establishing brother-sister relation)," said Bajrang Dal leader Rajendra Gupta.
"The couples will be more afraid of marriage than a scolding, beating or blackened faces," he said, adding that after the marriage the boys and girls would be handed over to their family members.
Notwithstanding such threats, youngsters are thronging gift stores for cards, chocolates and stuffed toys for their valentine.
Sena begins moral-policing in Jaipur
Sena begins moral-policing in Jaipur
(CNN-IBN
February 13, 2007 at 19:13)
LOVE LOST: Protestors say they wanted to warn couples from being caught in public places ahead of Valentine\'s Day.
New Delhi: Reports of moral policing by right wing organisations during Valentine's Day celebrations have already started pouring in.
Around 24 Shiv Sainiks protested in Jaipur by burning greeting cards in a shop. Soon after, they headed for the city's Central Park, pulled up couples sitting there, and forced them to leave.
Protestors say they wanted to warn couples from being caught in public places ahead of Valentine's Day, which according to them goes against Indian Culture.
February 11, 2007
Valentine's Day against our culture: RSS
NDTV.COM
Valentine's Day against our culture: RSS
Press Trust of India
Sunday, February 11, 2007 (Bhopal):
Claiming that Valentine's Day celebration was against Indian tradition, RSS on Sunday said the Sangh was not averse to the concept of love or marriage but opposed its exhibition under influence of Western culture.
"There is no ban on love marriage in the country. Sangh believes in love and that marriage is a part of Indian tradition we have been following as a lifetime commitment," RSS executive committee member Ram Madhav said.
"We are against lewdness during Valentine Day celebrations and the blind race to follow Western culture," he said addressing a function held during the birth centenary year of former Sang leader M S Golwalkar.
People might object to the manner in which some protests are staged but Valentine's Day has no rationale in India, he added.
"If a couple is in love, why don't they get married instead of celebrating the day every year?" he said.
Pseudo-secularists
Claiming to have asked "some people" to identify such couples, the RSS leader said "our women's wing members will meet their parents with a suggestion to get them married."
Referring to the Hindu Sammelan organised as part of Golwalkar's birth centenary celebrations, Ram Madhav refuted allegations that functions lead to riots in Madhya Pradesh. Similar meets were held across the country peacefully.
"It is all a creation psuedo-secularists," he added.
Announcing plans of concluding ceremony of birth centenary year celebrations in New Delhi on February 18, he earlier told reporters that senior Hindu leaders, including BJP leader L K Advani and Bhartiya Janshakti President Uma Bharti, were invited for it.
Valentine's Day against our culture: RSS
Press Trust of India
Sunday, February 11, 2007 (Bhopal):
Claiming that Valentine's Day celebration was against Indian tradition, RSS on Sunday said the Sangh was not averse to the concept of love or marriage but opposed its exhibition under influence of Western culture.
"There is no ban on love marriage in the country. Sangh believes in love and that marriage is a part of Indian tradition we have been following as a lifetime commitment," RSS executive committee member Ram Madhav said.
"We are against lewdness during Valentine Day celebrations and the blind race to follow Western culture," he said addressing a function held during the birth centenary year of former Sang leader M S Golwalkar.
People might object to the manner in which some protests are staged but Valentine's Day has no rationale in India, he added.
"If a couple is in love, why don't they get married instead of celebrating the day every year?" he said.
Pseudo-secularists
Claiming to have asked "some people" to identify such couples, the RSS leader said "our women's wing members will meet their parents with a suggestion to get them married."
Referring to the Hindu Sammelan organised as part of Golwalkar's birth centenary celebrations, Ram Madhav refuted allegations that functions lead to riots in Madhya Pradesh. Similar meets were held across the country peacefully.
"It is all a creation psuedo-secularists," he added.
Announcing plans of concluding ceremony of birth centenary year celebrations in New Delhi on February 18, he earlier told reporters that senior Hindu leaders, including BJP leader L K Advani and Bhartiya Janshakti President Uma Bharti, were invited for it.
February 01, 2007
Compartments of Godan Express set on fire by a Hindutva mob
Godan Exp torched, curfew in Gorakhpur
CNN-IBN
Posted Thursday , February 01, 2007 at 23:32
BURNING TRAIN: Two compartments of Godan Express have been set on fire by a mob.
New Delhi: Two compartments of Mumbai-Chhapra Godan Express have been set on fire by a mob at Mohammadabad railway station near Mau in Uttar Pradesh.
The area is close to Gorakhpur, which has been under curfew after communal clashes.
Hindu Yuva Vahini activists – protesting the arrest of BJP MP from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath – are suspected behind the incident.
As many as 68 passenger trains to and from Gorakhpur have been cancelled after setting ablaze of 213 up Gorakhpur-Gonda passenger train at Tulsipur in Balrampur on Wednesday.
DM of Mau P Guruprasad said, Gorakpur is already tense and under curfew. Paramilitary forces and other security personnel remained deployed in strength at all sensitive places as precautionary measure.
CNN-IBN
Posted Thursday , February 01, 2007 at 23:32
BURNING TRAIN: Two compartments of Godan Express have been set on fire by a mob.
New Delhi: Two compartments of Mumbai-Chhapra Godan Express have been set on fire by a mob at Mohammadabad railway station near Mau in Uttar Pradesh.
The area is close to Gorakhpur, which has been under curfew after communal clashes.
Hindu Yuva Vahini activists – protesting the arrest of BJP MP from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath – are suspected behind the incident.
As many as 68 passenger trains to and from Gorakhpur have been cancelled after setting ablaze of 213 up Gorakhpur-Gonda passenger train at Tulsipur in Balrampur on Wednesday.
DM of Mau P Guruprasad said, Gorakpur is already tense and under curfew. Paramilitary forces and other security personnel remained deployed in strength at all sensitive places as precautionary measure.
January 31, 2007
Bajrang Dal activists held for robbing foreigners
(Indian Express
January 31, 2007)
Bajrang Dal activists held for robbing foreigners
Milind Ghatwai
Madhya pradesh: Were tipped off S Africans were carrying beef, turned out to be pork, chicken
BHOPAL, JANUARY 30: Acting on a wrong tip-off, Bajrang Dal activists on Monday beat up two South Africans, accusing them of carrying beef, near Bhajipani village in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. The activists also damaged the vehicle in which the foreigners were travelling to Nagpur and snatched their mobile phones and wallets.
According to reports, the foreigners — Gordon (44) and Jacob (52), both working with Western Coalfields Limited — were carrying broiler chicken and pork when a group of around 15 Bajrang Dal activists stopped them. The activists accused them of carrying beef and beat them up.
Chhindwara Superintendent of Police R K Sihore told The Indian Express that a case of dacoity has been registered against the Bajrang Dal activists. Sihore also said that four of the activists have already been arrested and the others would be taken into custody soon.
The victims were on their way to Nagpur — the headquarters of WCL — since one of them was to leave for South Africa after catching an evening flight to Delhi.
Both were attached to the Tansi Project.
The two were allowed to leave for Nagpur after a thorough medical examination. A senior police officer said that the food samples found were examined at a veterinary clinic and they turned out to be pork and chicken.
“If they had any such information, they should have alerted the police rather than taking the law into their own hands,” Chhindwara Superintendent of Police R K Sihore said, worried about the fallout of the incident.
Bajrang Dal’s founder member in Chhindwara and regional convener of the campaign, Raju Charnagar, admitted that the tip-off was wrong. He blamed it on elements who were at the receiving end of the campaign, which had saved hundreds of cows from being slaughtered.
“We are ashamed of what we did, but we were misled. We will publicly apologise to the foreigners if required,” Charnagar said adding, “but our campaign will continue.” He, however, blamed the villagers for the theft of phones, wallets and a laptop. “The police should also inquire who were behind the theft,” he said.
The Dal alleged that thousands of cows are transported to slaughterhouses in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra via the Chhindwara border. Sources in Parasia and Chandameta police stations admitted that the Dal activists were active in the area and often liased with the police to rescue cows.
“Usually they surround the vehicle and do not allow the people inside to leave until the police arrives,” a constable said. In December, they reportedly succeeded in catching four minority community members, including two women, with beef and handed them over to the police.
The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has decided to award stringent punishment for cow slaughter as the present legislation has failed to be an effective deterrent. The Bill to this effect is likely to come up in the February session of the Assembly.
Recently, a series of bandhs had been organised by Hindu organisations to protest the recovery of a large number of carcasses near Mandsaur town.
January 31, 2007)
Bajrang Dal activists held for robbing foreigners
Milind Ghatwai
Madhya pradesh: Were tipped off S Africans were carrying beef, turned out to be pork, chicken
BHOPAL, JANUARY 30: Acting on a wrong tip-off, Bajrang Dal activists on Monday beat up two South Africans, accusing them of carrying beef, near Bhajipani village in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. The activists also damaged the vehicle in which the foreigners were travelling to Nagpur and snatched their mobile phones and wallets.
According to reports, the foreigners — Gordon (44) and Jacob (52), both working with Western Coalfields Limited — were carrying broiler chicken and pork when a group of around 15 Bajrang Dal activists stopped them. The activists accused them of carrying beef and beat them up.
Chhindwara Superintendent of Police R K Sihore told The Indian Express that a case of dacoity has been registered against the Bajrang Dal activists. Sihore also said that four of the activists have already been arrested and the others would be taken into custody soon.
The victims were on their way to Nagpur — the headquarters of WCL — since one of them was to leave for South Africa after catching an evening flight to Delhi.
Both were attached to the Tansi Project.
The two were allowed to leave for Nagpur after a thorough medical examination. A senior police officer said that the food samples found were examined at a veterinary clinic and they turned out to be pork and chicken.
“If they had any such information, they should have alerted the police rather than taking the law into their own hands,” Chhindwara Superintendent of Police R K Sihore said, worried about the fallout of the incident.
Bajrang Dal’s founder member in Chhindwara and regional convener of the campaign, Raju Charnagar, admitted that the tip-off was wrong. He blamed it on elements who were at the receiving end of the campaign, which had saved hundreds of cows from being slaughtered.
“We are ashamed of what we did, but we were misled. We will publicly apologise to the foreigners if required,” Charnagar said adding, “but our campaign will continue.” He, however, blamed the villagers for the theft of phones, wallets and a laptop. “The police should also inquire who were behind the theft,” he said.
The Dal alleged that thousands of cows are transported to slaughterhouses in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra via the Chhindwara border. Sources in Parasia and Chandameta police stations admitted that the Dal activists were active in the area and often liased with the police to rescue cows.
“Usually they surround the vehicle and do not allow the people inside to leave until the police arrives,” a constable said. In December, they reportedly succeeded in catching four minority community members, including two women, with beef and handed them over to the police.
The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has decided to award stringent punishment for cow slaughter as the present legislation has failed to be an effective deterrent. The Bill to this effect is likely to come up in the February session of the Assembly.
Recently, a series of bandhs had been organised by Hindu organisations to protest the recovery of a large number of carcasses near Mandsaur town.
January 03, 2007
Rewriting Rajasthan's history important: RSS
Rediff.com
Rewriting Rajasthan's history important: RSS
January 03, 2007 18:34 IST
Brushing aside Congress' apprehension of Hindutva agenda in the academic curriculum, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Wednesday hailed Rajasthan's Bharatiya Janata Party government for its move to rewrite the state's history.
It said that the move would delete 'unscrupulous facts' mentioned in textbooks against heroes and leaders.
"History books need improvement and correction as there are a number of citiations where Maharana Pratap, Guru Govind Singh and ex-rulers are being misquoted or defamed in the school and college curriculum," RSS' kshetriya seva pramukh Moolchand Soni told reporters.
RSS has constituted a committee called the Itihas Sankalan Samiti in the state and at the central level and the Rajasthan government's steps towards a campaign on Apni Dharti, Apne Log (our land, our people) was in the right direction, he said.
The Congress alleged on Tuesday that the ruling BJP was trying to tamper with historical facts of the state in a bid to enforce its Hindutva agenda.
"The re-writing of history of Rajasthan's villages is irrelevant and unauthentic. We will not let the state became a testing laboratory for Hindutva agenda," state Congress chief B D Kalla said in a statement.
Rajasthan's Education Minister G S Tiwari announced on Sunday that his department would soon compile historical and cultural facts related to over 41,000 villages for new textbooks.
Rewriting Rajasthan's history important: RSS
January 03, 2007 18:34 IST
Brushing aside Congress' apprehension of Hindutva agenda in the academic curriculum, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Wednesday hailed Rajasthan's Bharatiya Janata Party government for its move to rewrite the state's history.
It said that the move would delete 'unscrupulous facts' mentioned in textbooks against heroes and leaders.
"History books need improvement and correction as there are a number of citiations where Maharana Pratap, Guru Govind Singh and ex-rulers are being misquoted or defamed in the school and college curriculum," RSS' kshetriya seva pramukh Moolchand Soni told reporters.
RSS has constituted a committee called the Itihas Sankalan Samiti in the state and at the central level and the Rajasthan government's steps towards a campaign on Apni Dharti, Apne Log (our land, our people) was in the right direction, he said.
The Congress alleged on Tuesday that the ruling BJP was trying to tamper with historical facts of the state in a bid to enforce its Hindutva agenda.
"The re-writing of history of Rajasthan's villages is irrelevant and unauthentic. We will not let the state became a testing laboratory for Hindutva agenda," state Congress chief B D Kalla said in a statement.
Rajasthan's Education Minister G S Tiwari announced on Sunday that his department would soon compile historical and cultural facts related to over 41,000 villages for new textbooks.
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.
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.
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 15, 2006
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 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.
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.
July 13, 2006
VHP, Bajrang Dal men ransack Surat mosque
(The Times of India)
VHP, Bajrang Dal men ransack Surat mosque
[ 13 Jul, 2006 2331hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
SURAT: VHP and Bajrang Dal men went on a rampage in a mosque in a sensitive area of the city on Thursday, ostensibly to protest against the terror attacks in Mumbai.
VHP and Bajrang Dal attacked the mosque at 5.30 pm. Activists of right-wing groups, who tapping the sense of outrage in this diamond centre over the death of several of its residents in Mumbai, entered the mosque and broke tubelights in the prayer area.
Angry mobs also tried to snatch the mike from the muezzin as he tried to call Muslims for prayers. Earlier, VHP men gathered outside the mosque had demanded over a blaring mobile public address system that the mosque administration not use loudspeakers during azaan as it was hindering their meeting. Some mobsters in the mosque also tried to blow the fuse at the power mains to disrupt electricity supply.
Police claim the situation is under control as no one had turned up at the mosque and there evening namaaz was yet to start. "We were concerned as the area is sensitive and such incidents can lead to trouble.
As a precaution, we have placed a police checkpost and are trying to identify culprits," said DCP (Zone-3) V Chandarshekhar.
Police said a few meteres away in Rustampura, BJP had also burnt an effigy of the Student's Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
VHP spokesperson Utkarsh Patel claimed, "We had requested the mosque authorities to tone down their loudspeakers, but they refused.
It was when they resorted to stone pelting that some of our members ransacked their place." Asked whether VHP had taken police permission, Patel said, "We do not take permission in such cases."
VHP, Bajrang Dal men ransack Surat mosque
[ 13 Jul, 2006 2331hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
SURAT: VHP and Bajrang Dal men went on a rampage in a mosque in a sensitive area of the city on Thursday, ostensibly to protest against the terror attacks in Mumbai.
VHP and Bajrang Dal attacked the mosque at 5.30 pm. Activists of right-wing groups, who tapping the sense of outrage in this diamond centre over the death of several of its residents in Mumbai, entered the mosque and broke tubelights in the prayer area.
Angry mobs also tried to snatch the mike from the muezzin as he tried to call Muslims for prayers. Earlier, VHP men gathered outside the mosque had demanded over a blaring mobile public address system that the mosque administration not use loudspeakers during azaan as it was hindering their meeting. Some mobsters in the mosque also tried to blow the fuse at the power mains to disrupt electricity supply.
Police claim the situation is under control as no one had turned up at the mosque and there evening namaaz was yet to start. "We were concerned as the area is sensitive and such incidents can lead to trouble.
As a precaution, we have placed a police checkpost and are trying to identify culprits," said DCP (Zone-3) V Chandarshekhar.
Police said a few meteres away in Rustampura, BJP had also burnt an effigy of the Student's Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
VHP spokesperson Utkarsh Patel claimed, "We had requested the mosque authorities to tone down their loudspeakers, but they refused.
It was when they resorted to stone pelting that some of our members ransacked their place." Asked whether VHP had taken police permission, Patel said, "We do not take permission in such cases."
June 15, 2006
BJP wisdom: Life term for killing a cow; no Ba Ba Black Sheep
Indian Express
June 14, 2006
BJP wisdom: Life term for killing a cow; no Ba Ba Black Sheep
Milind Ghatwai
Madhya Pradesh set to amend law on cow slaughter; nursery rhymes in school textbooks out to ‘reduce Western influence’
BHOPAL, JUNE 13:As Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan moves to rewrite predecessor Uma Bharati’s law against cow slaughter by handing offenders 14-years in jail as against the current maximum of three years, his Education Minister Narottam Mishra has rewritten the primary school syllabi, dropping popular nursery rhymes like Twinkle, twinkle little star and Ba ba black sheep to “reduce Western influence” on children.
Chouhan’s government, it’s learnt, plans to introduce a Bill this July to amend the law against cow slaughter. A decision to the effect was taken at a meeting attended by Chouhan, officials of the Law and Animal Husbandry departments and the State Board for Protection of Cows.
The minimum fine will be Rs 5,000 and the maximum could depend on the number of cows slaughtered. The Madhya Pradesh Govansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam, 2004, provides for a maximum punishment of three years or a fine of Rs 10,000.
Dr S N Nigam, Deputy Director of MP Gopalan Evam Samvardhan Board who attended the meeting, told The Indian Express that if the proposed amendment takes place, the jail term could go up to 14 years.
In BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, cow slaughter punishment can invite a maximum of ten years and seven years in jail respectively.
The MP government also plans to change the law on movement of cows. The existing law, which deals with vehicular transportation of cows, is helpless when offenders get away by making the cows walk within and across the state borders. Now, a permit will be required from district authorities before the cows can be moved.
Meanwhile, Chouhan’s government has replaced six popular nursery rhymes like Twinkle, twinkle little star and Ba ba black sheep with Indian rhymes in the Class I English textbook. Education Minister Narottam Mishra said there was “no need” to continue with English rhymes when there were Indian rhymes around to infuse “a sense of patriotism”.
June 14, 2006
BJP wisdom: Life term for killing a cow; no Ba Ba Black Sheep
Milind Ghatwai
Madhya Pradesh set to amend law on cow slaughter; nursery rhymes in school textbooks out to ‘reduce Western influence’
BHOPAL, JUNE 13:As Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan moves to rewrite predecessor Uma Bharati’s law against cow slaughter by handing offenders 14-years in jail as against the current maximum of three years, his Education Minister Narottam Mishra has rewritten the primary school syllabi, dropping popular nursery rhymes like Twinkle, twinkle little star and Ba ba black sheep to “reduce Western influence” on children.
Chouhan’s government, it’s learnt, plans to introduce a Bill this July to amend the law against cow slaughter. A decision to the effect was taken at a meeting attended by Chouhan, officials of the Law and Animal Husbandry departments and the State Board for Protection of Cows.
The minimum fine will be Rs 5,000 and the maximum could depend on the number of cows slaughtered. The Madhya Pradesh Govansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam, 2004, provides for a maximum punishment of three years or a fine of Rs 10,000.
Dr S N Nigam, Deputy Director of MP Gopalan Evam Samvardhan Board who attended the meeting, told The Indian Express that if the proposed amendment takes place, the jail term could go up to 14 years.
In BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, cow slaughter punishment can invite a maximum of ten years and seven years in jail respectively.
The MP government also plans to change the law on movement of cows. The existing law, which deals with vehicular transportation of cows, is helpless when offenders get away by making the cows walk within and across the state borders. Now, a permit will be required from district authorities before the cows can be moved.
Meanwhile, Chouhan’s government has replaced six popular nursery rhymes like Twinkle, twinkle little star and Ba ba black sheep with Indian rhymes in the Class I English textbook. Education Minister Narottam Mishra said there was “no need” to continue with English rhymes when there were Indian rhymes around to infuse “a sense of patriotism”.
June 11, 2006
BJP leaders booked in J&K for incitement to kill
The Navhind Times
June 11, 2006
BJP leaders booked in J&K
PTI
Jammu, June 10: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, Mr Vinay Katiyar and Mr Sahib Singh Verma were today booked by the Jammu and Kashmir police for inciting communal passion by announcing monetary rewards to civilians killing militants even as the saffron party sought to defend them saying they were echoing popular sentiments.
A first information report has been registered against them for “making provocative statements” and “inciting communal passions” under section 123-A and 153-A Ranbir Penal Code in Nowabad police station here, the deputy inspector-general of police, Mr Niaz Mehmood, told PTI.
The BJP general-secretary, Mr Katiyar and the party vice-president, Mr Verma on Thursday had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh each for any civilian for killing a militant and Rs 2 lakh for a civilian’s family if he laid down his life fighting militants.
Mr Katiyar, a former chief of Bajrang Dal, is incharge of the ongoing ‘satyagraha’ in Jammu against the killing of Hindus in Doda and Udhampur.
Maintaining that he was not aware of the details of the FIR, the party spokesman, Mr Prakash Javadekar, who is in Jammu, said legal experts would respond to it.
“The BJP is against the common man taking to arms. It does not believe in anyone taking the law in his hands. The leaders were only echoing the general sentiments of the people in the region who have been witness to the government’s failure in tackling militancy. Perhaps they had in mind the village defence committees created and armed by the government to fight terrorists,” he said.
Following party chief, Mr Rajnath Singh’s ‘directive’, Mr Javadekar had yesterday `clarified’ that the leaders were propagating a government scheme.
The Congress party, People’s Democratic Party and the National Conference have condemned the BJP leaders’ call saying it would further vitiate the situation in the militancy-hit state.
June 11, 2006
BJP leaders booked in J&K
PTI
Jammu, June 10: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, Mr Vinay Katiyar and Mr Sahib Singh Verma were today booked by the Jammu and Kashmir police for inciting communal passion by announcing monetary rewards to civilians killing militants even as the saffron party sought to defend them saying they were echoing popular sentiments.
A first information report has been registered against them for “making provocative statements” and “inciting communal passions” under section 123-A and 153-A Ranbir Penal Code in Nowabad police station here, the deputy inspector-general of police, Mr Niaz Mehmood, told PTI.
The BJP general-secretary, Mr Katiyar and the party vice-president, Mr Verma on Thursday had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh each for any civilian for killing a militant and Rs 2 lakh for a civilian’s family if he laid down his life fighting militants.
Mr Katiyar, a former chief of Bajrang Dal, is incharge of the ongoing ‘satyagraha’ in Jammu against the killing of Hindus in Doda and Udhampur.
Maintaining that he was not aware of the details of the FIR, the party spokesman, Mr Prakash Javadekar, who is in Jammu, said legal experts would respond to it.
“The BJP is against the common man taking to arms. It does not believe in anyone taking the law in his hands. The leaders were only echoing the general sentiments of the people in the region who have been witness to the government’s failure in tackling militancy. Perhaps they had in mind the village defence committees created and armed by the government to fight terrorists,” he said.
Following party chief, Mr Rajnath Singh’s ‘directive’, Mr Javadekar had yesterday `clarified’ that the leaders were propagating a government scheme.
The Congress party, People’s Democratic Party and the National Conference have condemned the BJP leaders’ call saying it would further vitiate the situation in the militancy-hit state.
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