An FIR has been lodged against Bajrang Dal activists after a video clip that showed them being trained for self defence in Ayodhya went viral on the social media even as the Shiv Sena came out to supp
An FIR has been lodged against Bajrang Dal activists after a video clip that showed them being trained for self defence in Ayodhya went viral on the social media even as the Shiv Sena came out to support the Bajrang Dal.
The Shiv Sena, which has lately been targeting the BJP on various issues, came out in support of the Bajrang Dal in Mumbai on Wednesday and said that it was important “to fight against terrorism in the country” and training to use arms was perfectly justified.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also questioned the police action to lodge an FIR against the Bajrang Dal office-bearers.
“There are hidden camps of Jaish-e-Mohammad, LeT in our country. Do they take permission for that from the government If our people take preparations to fight them, then why is an FIR lodged ” he told a news agency.
In the video clip that went viral on the social media, Bajrang Dal activists are shown attacking volunteers and dummies that are wearing skull caps that identify them with a particular religion.
The police has registered a case under Section 153 A of the IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), police sources said. SP, city, Faizabad, Sankalp Sharma said that 50 activists have been mentioned in the FIR and the matter was being investigated. After the video went viral, Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik on Tuesday maintained that there was nothing wrong in the training camp which was aimed at teaching self defence to the participants. He said that a person who cannot defend himself cannot protect the society.
Camp organiser Manoj Verma said the training camp is an annual programme of the Bajrang Dal, where activists are trained so that they can defend themselves in difficult times. Reacting to the FIR, VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma said, “We will review it and will take legal advice. Bajrang Dal has not done anything wrong. This is just a camp for self defence. We are not giving any commando training for war. People should be equipped to handle emergency situations in everyday life.” The Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Meanwhile, UP BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak questioned the rationality of an FIR against Bajrang Dal activists.
“Some months ago, the UP police held a mock drill in Allahabad where they showed their targets carrying saffron flags. The objection to the Ayodhya camp is uncalled for. There is obviously a gameplan to politicise certain things for electoral gains,” he said.
Senior UP minister Mohammed Azam Khan told mediapersons in Rampur on Wednesday that such camps should not be allowed to be held. Efforts to vitiate the atmosphere and disturb communal harmony should be dealt with firmly,” he said.
Opposition parties, however, had slammed the event and Congress MLA Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, “Any activity that violates the idea of secularism is condemnable. The state government should have been aware of the event and preventive measures should have been taken. This is obviously a part of a plan to fan communal passions before the elections.”
