Bajrang Dal goons assaulting Muslim cleric to ‘protest’ Amarnath Yatra terror attack is disgusting
Amarnath yatra terror attack which killed seven pilgrims and injured about 19 others, has been condemned by most Indians still driven by sanity and a sense of secular togetherness. From Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who emphasised that “Kashmiriyat” and well being of all Kashmiris matter to him, to those asking for calm and a grounded assessment of the security lapses that allowed for the attack to take place.
However, there are those who have leapt to use this unfortunate incident as a peg to hang their communal politics from. Members of the BJP such as GVL Narasimha Rao, or right-leaning journalists have indulged in petty whataboutery.
On Amarnath killings, is "Not In My Name" gang protesting or are protests only for Akhlaqs, Junaids, Pehlu Khans & Not4Lord Shiva devotees?
— GVL Narasimha Rao (@GVLNRAO) July 10, 2017
However, in the degree of viciousness and overt preaching of counter-violence and vindictive propaganda of the Hindutva variety, the Bajrang Dal protesters leave our Twitter warriors and shouting thespians on TV channels far behind.
Not only has Bajrang Dal been organising processions and marches in various states, including West Bengal, Odisha, in which young schoolchildren and youth are seen flaunting weapons like swords, knives and the saffron bandana, it is openly instigating against “avenging” the Amarnath yatra terror strike in Anantnag.
A video has emerged in which Bajrang Dal activists can be seen assaulting a Muslim cleric, forcing him to chant “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram” as he came out of a mosque in Hisar, Haryana. This cleric, Mohammed Yaseen from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, was slapped, kicked and heckled near the Lahoriya Chowk mosque on the evening of July 11, Tuesday, exactly as Amarnath yatra attack hogged the headlines and TV debates.
Reported in the Hindi newspaper Amar Ujala, this incident has triggered communal tension and anxieties in the Haryana town, and the local traders’ association has complained to the police, while the security has been stepped up as a result.
Is this the way to demand justice for the victims of a communal carnage? How is an eye-for-an-eye a solution for anything, and how is that Bajrang Dal still gets branded as “fringe” element within the Sangh Parivar, even though they are responsible for, present in most incidences of communally-triggered violence, or even full-scale riots?Bajrang Dal has taken out such armed processions in Agra today, as seen in these images and video clips tweeted out by the wire service ANI.
Agra (UP): Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) protest against #AmarnathTerrorAttack brandishing weapons (pistol, rifle and swords) pic.twitter.com/fYst21eAJc
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 12, 2017
#WATCH: Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad protest against #AmarnathTerrorAttack in Agra brandishing weapons (pistol, rifle and swords) pic.twitter.com/FMj4zC0MMp
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 12, 2017
The attendant violence and overt threat of communal violence that Bajrang Dal poses, however, has sprung no criticism from the government or its spokespersons. Not only should the Bajrang Dal be stopped from carrying out such weaponised marches and processions, they must be booked for inciting communal passions and egging on Hindutva goons to display aggression as they go.
How is it that in the BJP ruled Haryana and Uttar Pradesh under Yogi Adityanath, communal flare-ups have peaked? Who gave Bajrang Dal members the right to force others to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai/ Vande Mataram? Is this how nationalism or patriotism in inculcated among fellow Indians?
In this atmosphere of mutual suspicion and tension, instead of talking of peace and tranquillity, togetherness and secular ethics, the Sangh and its affiliated “fringe” groups go on a rampage to “avenge” wrongs. This is the breakdown of law and order and can propel an already tensed situation into further riotous mode.
This is totally unacceptable. The respective CMs of the states in which Bajrang Dal is unleashing its Hindutva fury must take action against those seen in the videos, assaulting Yaseen, or calling for violence. This is not the India that makes us proud. This is shameful.