Should Bajrang be banned? Govt asks states

The Centre seems to be finally taking note of the demand for a clampdown on Hindu extremist groups like the Bajrang Dal, reports Aloke Tikku.

The Centre seems to be finally taking note of the demand for a clampdown on Hindu extremist groups like the Bajrang Dal.

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Home Minister Shivraj Patil cleared a missive to be sent to all states, asking them to report the involvement of groups like the Bajrang Dal in communal violence and targeted blasts.

“We’ve called for a detailed report, specifically the incidents, names of the accused and the organisations to which they belong,” an official, who didn’t wish to be identified, said.

The states were to get the letter by Wednesday evening or early Thursday, a senior ministry official, who, too, didn’t wish to be named, said.

The inputs will be processed by the ministry to see if there was a case for a ban on groups like the Bajrang Dal, accused of triggering communal violence in recent months.

Pressure has been mounting on Patil to act against saffron outfits. An official said he decided to move after initial investigations by central agencies pointed to a larger conspiracy by the Sangh Parivar outfits. “The reports we have received have made it clear that the design was very clear in the series of communal incidents witnessed in states like Orissa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh,” the official said.