Bajrang Dal - Controversies

Controversies

• According to the Human Rights Watch, Bajrang Dal had been involved in riots against Muslims in the 2002 Gujarat violence.
• In April 2006, two Bajrang Dal activists were killed in nearby Nanded in the process of bomb making. The same group of activists were also suspected for perpetrating the 2003 Parbhani mosque blasts. Those arrested later told interrogators they wanted to avenge several blasts across the country. NDTV subsequently accused the police of a coverup in Nanded A report by the Secular Citizen's Forum & PUCL, Nagpur claimed to have found maps of mosques at the home of one of the deceased.
• The VHP leader, Praveen Togadia, was arrested in April 2003 after distributing tridents to Bajrang Dal activists in Ajmer defying ban and prohibitory orders. Togadia asserted that the coming Assembly polls in the Indian state of Rajasthan would be fought on the issue of tridents and attacked the ruling Congress Party for "placating" Muslims for electoral gains. He expressed satisfaction at the publicity received due to the incident.
• The Bajrang Dal has been accused of not allowing Muslims to own land in parts of Gujarat by attacking traders who sell to Muslims and by attacking Muslim homes and forcing the sale of the house or flat. This creates a ghettoisation of large cities in Gujarat, like Ahmedabad and Vadodara.
• On several occasions, acting as "Social Police" the activists of Bajrang Dal have caught un-married couples on Valentines day and forced them to apply sindoor or tie rakhis against their wishes. The activists of Bajrang Dal have often indulged in violence, invading gift shops and restaurants and threatening couples on Valentines day.
• The Bajrang Dal has also been involved in bombmaking accidents on 6 August 2006 in Nanded, and on 24 August 2008 in Kanpur.
• In September 2008, a fresh wave of attacks directed against the Newlife Christian churches and prayer halls in Karnataka by the Bajrang Dal, as a protest against defaming Hindu gods and against religious conversion carried on by the Newlife Missionaries. Later, Mahendra Kumar, the convener of Bajrang Dal was arrested in connection with it even after he publicly announced that they are not responsible for the attacks, after the Center had strongly criticized the state Government. In addition, the National Commission for Minorities has also blamed them for the religious violence in BJP-ruled states of Karnataka and Orissa. However, some police reports claim that the Bajrang Dal was not involved per se and that the attacks were carried out by splinter groups. However, testimonies of Bajrang Dal activists show exactly the opposite, as they described the attacks and openly warned of more violence.
• Starting February 14, 2011, there has been a fresh wave of violence directed at people celebrating Valentine's Day in the city of Kanpur, in the province of Uttar Pradesh. "Offenders", so called, are forced to hold their ears and do sit-ups as punishment for being caught celebrating the "Western holiday". Police have been called in to calm the sectarian violence and discrimination.