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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A VHP/RSS figure addressing people on the eve of electons in Gujarat

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.

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.

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."

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”.

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.

Saffron Police at Temples

The Statesman
March 14, 2006

Saffron security

BHUBANESWAR, March 13— The VHP and Bajrang Dal will form small groups of local youths to assist local police in providing security to temples and hindu maths, VHP leader, Mr Subash Chauhan said, adding that it was time to build their own security network. As a step in this direction, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal will engage and train local youths to guard temples and keep watch at railway stations and airports, he said.
The VHP leader specified Puri Jagannath Temple, Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar, Samaleswari Temple, Sambalpur, Cuttack Chandi Mandir and Konark temple as first priority of the Surakshya Samitis which will be formed. “Subsequently we shall try to cover all major places of worships and maaths in the state,” he said. — SNS

Hindu Law Board offers money to eliminate M F Hussain

Rediff.com

(see google cache of the paage from Rediff
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:DvVN5cjNE5MJ:www.rediff.com/news/2006/feb/23mf.htm+husain+%22bharat+mata%22+chop+off&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1)

Home > News > PTI

Hindu Law Board offers Rs 51 cr for killing M F Hussain

February 23, 2006 01:05 IST

The Hindu Personal Law Board on Wednesday announced a Rs 51 crore reward for eliminating artist M F Hussain. Meanwhile, a Congress minority cell leader offered Rs 11 lakh to any 'patriot' to chop off the painter's hands for hurting Hindu sentiments.

"Anyone who kills Hussain for making obscene paintings of goddess Sarswati and Bharat Mata, the Danish cartoonist, those in the German company printing pictures of Ram and Krishna on tissue paper and the French filmmaker desecrating Lord Shiva will be given Rs 51 crore in cash," Ashok Pandey, board president, said in a statement in Lucknow.

"Peace will not prevail on earth unless such people are eliminated," he added.

Madhya Pradesh Congress committee minority cell vice-chairman Akthar Baig, in a statement in Indore, said the painter had 'played with the sentiments of the people and tried to disrupt communal harmony in the past by painting nude pictures of Hindu gods and goddess and now of Bharat Mata'.

It would be in the 'interest of the nation if a patriot will chop off his hands. I will give that person Rs 11 lakh', he said.

Baig asked the government to take back all the honours bestowed on the noted painter and declare him a 'traitor'. In an Indore court, Baig had earlier filed a petition against Bollywood actor Dharmendra's purported second marriage to Hema Malini.

P.T. Usha, Geet, Srinath on RSS panel for Golwalkar

The Deccan Chronicle

P.T. Usha, Geet, Srinath on RSS panel


New Delhi, Feb. 22: Former queen of the Indian track P.T. Usha, former vigilance commissioner N. Vittal, former billiards world champion Geet Sethi, former cricketer Javagal Srinath and ace shooter Jaspal Rana are among the prominent members of the 122-strong Guru Golwalkar Birth Centenary Celebrations Committee formed by the RSS.
While former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is one of the leading members, the RSS did not include Mr L.K. Advani in the committee. The committee will organise “Hindu rallies to promote social harmony” and hold public hearings along the lines of “jan adalats” in various localities to “expose corrupt people”. The campaign for “mass awareness” will begin from February 24.
Noted dancer Sonal Mansingh and violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman, Mohan veena creator Vishwa Mohan Bhatt also figure in the list. Sharing places with them are RSS general secretary Mohan Bhagwat and VHP president Ashok Singhal.
The committee will chalk out a year-long mass awareness campaign to propagate the “ideas and vision of Guruji”. In an article in the RSS mouthpiece Organiser, the chairman of the committee, Swami Satyamitranand Giri of Bharatmata Mandir, Hardwar, spelt out the programme: “Hindu rallies will be organised at the block level across the nation. Meetings of caste and religious leaders will be held to promote social harmony. Seminars and lectures will also be organised to propagate the ideas and vision of Guruji.” Another task is to make drug addicts “leave drugs”. Though Mr Advani is not included in the list, he will be among the leaders to participate at the inaugural function in Nagpur on February 24.

No sex education please, we are Hindus!

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=100828

No sex education please, we are Hindus!
Ranjeet S Jamwal
in Jaipur
Dec. 27. — Should schools educate students about sex related issues? Definitely not, as far the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is concerned, as it fears sex education would encourage immorality among school students.
The Rajasthan government has included sex education in the curriculum for Class XI and students will be given lessons on the topic from the coming session. But the VHP is opposing the inclusion of sex education in the school syllabus and has threatened to resist it at every level.
A spokesperson of the state unit of VHP, Mr Mahavir Parikh said the government should rethink the proposal and see to it that sex education does not become part of school education. He said it would encourage immorality among students.
Citing the example of western countries where sex education is part of the curriculum, Mr Parikh said the results have not been good there and incidents of young girls becoming pregnant at young age have increased. “Rather, the government should provide education that inculcates good values in students according to our culture,” Mr Parikh said.
A senior education department official, however, said just three chapters on life skills have been included in the syllabus for class XI. “But these three chapters are not all about sex but various problems young people face while growing up. But yes, sex education is definitely a part of it,” the official said.
“The government has approved the inclusion of sex education in the syllabus under the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA),” the official added. The VHP has decided to registered its protest with the education minister.

It’s aimed at Hindus: Says Bajrang Dal on sterilisation camp

(Indian Express, November 11, 2005)

It’s aimed at Hindus: Says Bajrang Dal on sterilisation camp

by Milind Ghatwai

BHOPAL, NOVEMBER 10: There are men who don’t go to family planning camps. But here, they run away after having reached it. Ask the Bajrang Dal workers standing guard at the vasectomy camp in Siwni (near Hoshangabad) and they will tell you, it’s like conversion — men were lured to the camp. They just changed their mind.

To make sure, Bajrang Dal members have been stopping the officials at work as well.

Not only this. Days before the camp, they went around spreading ‘‘awareness’’ in the Hoshangabad district, trying to convince villagers that the camp was aimed at Hindu men. Officials said persuading men was always difficult, and the Bajrang Dal has made it more so. Doctors have to be accompanied by policemen. Dal activists allege that Muslims are not being sterilised.

This is the camp which the Dal would rather reserve only for minorities. But the free-of-cost government NSV (non-scalpel vasectomy) camp, where the male gets Rs 265 and the motivator Rs 25 per case, is a Central government scheme open for all.

On Wednesday, the first day of the camp, Bajrang Dal men gathered outside the town’s community health centre and argued with officials. The few men who came from nearby villages ran away.

On Thursday, 50 policemen had to be deployed, but the Dal men continued to raise slogans. Dal’s prant sanyojak Manish Dube said: ‘‘We won’t tolerate our men being lured to the camp. Why don’t they bring Muslims?’’

‘‘Those who escaped must have been brought on false promises,’’ he alleged. ‘‘We will oppose such camps,’’ he warned and announced that he will take up the issue at Dal’s three-day national executive meeting to begin at Haridwar on Saturday.

SDM Niaz Ahmed admitted that the Dal’s drive affected turnout. ‘‘We are unlikely to cover all 253 males who had given written consent.’’

Additional collector V.P. Deharia said: ‘‘We are approached only when doctors fail to meet the target.’