Bajrang Dal

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Bajrang Dal (Template:Lang-hi, Template:Lang-en) is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and one of the Sangh Parivar family of organizations based on the core idealogy 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). "Bachelor" is in reference to the Hindu deity Hanumān

The Bajrang Dal's slogan is "Seva Suraksha Sanskar", or "service, safety, and culture". An integral part of its agenda is preventing the killing of cows. The Dal has vowed to liberate the Ramjanmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, the Krishnajanmabhoomi temple in Mathura and the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Kashi (Varanasi), which are currently disputed structures. It has also vowed to protect India's Hindu identity, from the dangers of Muslim population growth, Christian conversions, and antinational communists. Its members were centrally involved in the demolition of Babri Mosque, that Hindus claim to be built on the ruins of Ram Janmabhoomi temple, in Ayodhya in 1992.

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, some 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 the British Empire. They include demands to convert disputed historical monuments 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 the Christian missionaries. Bajrang Dal national convenor Surendra Kumar Jain today said the outfit would “peacefully” expose questionable means adopted by some Christian bodies to convert poor people under a world evangelical plan that specially targeted Hindu-majority India .These assertions have been questioned.

Controversial activities of Bajrang Dal

In January 1999, militants belonging to Bajrang Dal allegedly attacked and killed a missionary and his two sons. The missionary, Graham Staines, was an Australian and had been helping leprosy sufferers for a period of 34 years. Staines' sons, Philip and Timothy (aged 10 and 8 respectively) were sleeping in a jeep when they were burnt to death." The group denounced the Christian missionary, claiming they use pressure on poor people to convert to Christianty and turn them against Hindus. . However, Bajrang Dal spokespeople assert that they were not involved in the incident. Bajrang Dal national convenor Surendra Kumar Jain had written to the widow of Graham Stuart Staines, conveying the outfit's anguish at the gruesome death of her husband and their children in Orissa's Keonjhar district. The Dal chief said he wrote to her saying that the outfit was not behind the killings.

"We do oppose the activities of the
Missionaries because we think they dupe the poor into embracing their religion by allurements and false promises of faith healing,"

In particular, journalist and right wing sympathetic author Arun Shourie has written an analysis claiming that the entire incident is a smear campaign against Bajrang Dal by Christian Missionaries .

Human Rights Watch alleges that Bajrang Dal had been involved in riots against muslims in the 2002 Gujarat violence .
In April 2006, two Bajrang Dal activists were killed in the process of bomb making. The same group of activists were also suspected for perpetrating the 2003 Parbhani mosque blasts. 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. However, the radical Islamist group Lashkar-e-Toiba are also regarded as suspects.
Bajrang Dal has also been suspected for the 2006 blasts at Malegaon, though investigators have commented that it is too early to speculate and have also pointed to Islamist terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba as suspects..There is presently no evidence that points to Bajrang Dal's involvement in the bombings .
The VHP leader, Praveen Togadia, was arrested in April 2003 after distributing tridents to Bajrang Dal activists in Ajmer defying ban and prohibitory orders.

Misplaced Pages

Origin

Ideology and Agenda

Controversial activities of Bajrang Dal

List of presidents

References

External links