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Bajrang Dal (Template:Lang-hi, Template:Lang-en), a Hindu organization, is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and one of its family of organizations (Sangh Parivar) based on the core ideology of Hindutva. Founded on October 1 1984 in Uttar Pradesh, India, it has since spread throughout India. The group claims to have 1,300,000 members, of whom 850,000 are workers, and runs about 2,500 akhadas (similar to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's shakhas). "Bajrang" is in reference to the Hindu deity Hanumān.

The Bajrang Dal's slogan is 'sevā surakṣā sanskṛti' or "service, safety, and culture." An integral part of its agenda is preventing the slaughter of cows, which is enshrined in Article 48 of Indian Constitution. One of the Dal's goals is to build the Ramjanmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, the Krishnajanmabhoomi temple in Mathura and the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Kashi (Varanasi), which are currently disputed places of worship. Other goals include protecting India's Hindu identity from the perceived dangers of Communism, Muslim demographic growth and Christian conversion.

The Bajrang Dal is described as a militant organization by several academics. The United States Department of State's annual report on international religious freedom for 2000 and World Report (2000) by the Human Rights Watch labeled this organization as a Hindu extremist group. Paul R. Brass, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and South Asian Studies at the University of Washington, described the Bajrang Dal as Indian equivalent of Nazi Germany's Sturmabteilung.

Origin

In October 1984, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) initiated the practice of regular processions to be held in Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh. These processions were called "Ram-Janaki Rathayatra" and were aimed at "awakening the society." While the VHP did not officially claim any anti-religion drivers for this practice, many sections of the society in India viewed this as a pro-Hindu movement. As a result, there was an environment of communal tension and threat surrounding this procession. Under these circumstances, 'holy saints' (members of VHP) called upon the youth to protect the procession, thus the Bajrang Dal was formed. Eventually, most of the members of Bajrang Dal have come to be very proud of the group and the group now has members outside of Uttar Pradesh as well.

Ideology and Agenda

Among the goals of the Bajrang Dal in modern India is a reversing of the invasions by Muslim conquerors and British imperialism. They include demands to convert historical monuments currently disputed into temples. . The Bajrang Dal asserts on its website that they are neither communal or divisive. In particular, they say

"The Bajrang Dal is not against any religion. It acknowledges respecting the faith of other people, but expects and asserts for a similar respect of the Hindu Sentiments. Being Hindu, the Bajrang Dal believes in validity of All Religions and Respect for all human beings, irrespective of caste, color, and religion (Aatmasvat Sarva Bhuteshu). It is for this purpose that the Bajrang Dal has undertaken various public-awakening campaigns. It does not believe in violence or any unlawful activity."

In addition, Bajrang Dal said they would circulate five million handbills, giving details about the activities of Christian missionaries. Bajrang Dal national convenor Surendra Kumar Jain today said the outfit would peacefully expose what he described as questionable means adopted by some Christian bodies to convert poor people under a world evangelical plan that specially targeted Hindu-majority India .

Bajrang Dal, together with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has spoken out against alleged Islamic Terrorism in India and have announced that they will carry out awareness campaigns across the nation. They have stated that Islamic terrorists are hiding among the general population in India and mean to expose them.Bajrang Dal convener Prakash Sharma stressed that they were not targeting any particular community, but were trying to "wake up" the people of India, particularly the youth, to the dangers of terrorism in the light of the 2002 Akshardham Temple attack allegedly perpetrated by Islamic terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba. Bajrang Dal also share VHP's position against the slaughter of cows (regarded as sacred animals in Hinduism) and have supported proposed bans on bovine slaughter..

The Gujrat Bajrang Dal is at the forefront of the anti-beauty contest agitation. Another of its objective is preventing Hindu-Muslim marriages.

Controversies

• Member of the Bajrang Dal along with Vishva Hindu Parishad were involved in the destruction of Babri Mosque.
• 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 Nandhed 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.
• Bajrang Dal has also received criticism from moderate Hindu Nationalist organizations such as the Hindu Mahasabha. Bajrang Dal has been criticized for adopting the same violent methods as the Islamic Fundamentalists in their attempt to curb the spread of Islamic terrorism, a move deemed by the Mahasabha to be counterproductive.In addition, the Bharatiya Janata Party member and former prime minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee have also come out in criticism of Bajrang Dal. Vajpayee said that the Bajrang Dal "only embarrassed the BJP" and urged the Sangh Parivar to "rein them in".
• 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 .

List of presidents

• Vinay Katiyar
• Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya
• Dr. Surendra Jain

See also

• Rohit Vyasmaan

References

1. Art.48
2. Christiane Brosius (2005). Empowering Visions: The Politics of Representation in Hindu Nationalism. Anthem Press. pp. p105. ISBN 1843311348. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
3. Christophe Jaffrelot (1996). The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics: 1925 to the 1990s. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. pp. p363. ISBN 1850651701. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
4. Alagappa, Muthiah (2004). Civil Society and Political Change in Asia: Expanding and Contracting. Stanford University Press. p. 212.
5. Prema A. Kurien (2007). A Place at the Multicultural Table: The Development of an American Hinduism. Rutgers University Press. pp. p152. ISBN 0813540569. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
6. Amitai Etzioni (2007). Security First: For a Muscular, Moral Foreign Policy. Yale University Press. pp. p123. ISBN 0300108575. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
7. Barbara Larkin. Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2000. pp. p508. ISBN 0756712297. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
8. Human Rights Watch World Report 2000. Human Rights Watch. pp. p188. ISBN 1564322386. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
9. Paul R. Brass (1997). Theft of an Idol: Text and Context in the Representation of Collective Violence. Princeton University Press. pp. p17. ISBN 0691026505. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
10. From the website of the Bajrang Dal
11. Declaration from the website of the Bajrang Dal
12. Media Watch
13. Terror:VHP plans awareness jatha,Deccan Herald
14. Bajrang Dal launches campaign,The Tribune
15. Cow slaughter: Bajrang Dal dubs Forum’s stand anti-Hindu,Deccan Herald
16. [http://www.india-today.com/itoday/08021999/cover3.html BAJRANG DAL Loonies at Large]
17. The context of anti-Christian violence
18. Malegaon the road to perdition,The Hindu
19. Malegaon blasts: Is it Bajrang or Lashkar?
20. Police cover up Nanded blast,NDTV.com.
21. A report on bomb blast at the house of prominent RSS activist in Nanded, Maharashtra,pucl.org
22. Togadia defies ban, distributes tridents,The Hindu
23. Organised intolerance
24. Bajarangis - Do not become Hindu Jihadis,hindutva.org
25. Rein in Parivar outfits, PM tells RSS,The Tribune
26. Valentines day

External links

• Official Bajrang Dal website
• Report of Human Rights Watch referring to the role of Bajrang Dal in Gujarat 2002 Riots

• Articles slanted towards recent events from January 2008
• 1984 establishments
• Hindutva
• Sangh Parivar
• Religion and politics
• Religious violence in India