In a breakthrough in the October 2007 bomb blast at the shrine of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty in Ajmer in which three persons were killed, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Rajasthan has arrested one Devendra Gupta. A resident of Muzafarpur in Bihar, the 36 year-old Gupta is suspected to have links with a Hindutva terror outfit. Rajasthan Home Minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal said the suspect was a worker (pracharak) of the RSS in Muzaffarpur. “What Devendra Gupta did was part of a larger game plan. Behind him is an organization which tries to incite violence between Hindus and Muslims. We are
investigating the links of the organization with the RSS” the Minister has asserted.
The Hindu terror imprint in the blast case became stronger with the arrest of the third suspect having links with Abhinav Bharat from Khardonkara village of MP. The accused Vishnu Prasad Patidar is stated to be a close aide of Chandrasekar arrested earlier. According to the ATS sources, Chandrasekar and Devendra Gupta were directly involved in the planning and execution of the blast. Vishnu Prasad was a member of the terror module affiliated to Abhinav Bharat which had the patronage of radical Hindu outfits in MP.
The bomb blast took place at the Ahat-e-Noor of the Dargah on October 11, 2007, just before Magri’s prayers when the devotees were breaking Ramzan fast. It was only three days for Id-ul-Fitr. As usual, the suspects turned out to be Muslim terror groups. The prime suspect then was the Bangladeshi outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (Huji). Though no one was arrested then, about a dozen Muslims-Imams, Maulanas and Madarsa teachers – were detained and intensely questioned. All of them were later released.
It is annoying that immediately after any bomb blast anywhere in the country the investigating agencies and overzealous media jump to the conclusion that it must be the handiwork of some Muslim terror group, and take up a smear campaign causing prejudice in the minds of people. All this even after the September 29, 2008 Malegaon blast and many other bomb blasts in which Hindu terror outfiits’ involvements were clearly established.
In recent years, there were reports linking some RSS affiliates with various bomb blasts across the country – in 2003, in Parbhani, Jalna and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra, in 2005, in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh, in 2006, in Nanded in Maharashtra, in January 2008, at the RSS office in Tenkasi, Tirunelveli district, in August 2008, in Kanpur etc., Subsequently, on September 29, 2008, the ATS rounded up a number of RSS people for questioning and arrests including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and the commandant of Bhonsala Military School, Nasik, Prasad Prohit. BJP leadership, which accuses the UPA government at the Centre, of being soft on terrorism, instead of condemning the terror acts of these people, came in defence of the Sadhvi and Purohit.
The issue of imparting military training to Hindus vis-à-vis Muslims, has a long history. It was Savarkar who gave the slogan ‘Hinduise all politics and militarise the Hinduism.’ Inspired by this, Dr. B.S.Moonje, mentor of RSS founder, Dr. Hegdewar, travelled to Italy to meet fascist dictator Mussolini. The meeting took place on March 19, 1931. His personal diary notes on March 20 reveal his fascination and admiration of the manner in which Italian fascism was training its youth (read storm troopers) militarily. Upon return to India, Dr. Moonje established the Central Hindu Military Education Society at Nasik in 1935, the precursor to the Bhonsala Military School in 1937.
Golwalkar, in 1939, exults Hitler’s purging of the Jews under Nazi fascism and says that it is ‘a good lesson for us in Hinduism to learn and profit by.” More recently, following the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the RSS tentacles, VHP and Bajranj Dal, had publicly prided themselves at the training imparted to ‘karsevaks’. The then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh publicly stated that he was proud of the kar sevaks, who accomplished the job of demolishing the Babri Masjid more speedily and efficiently than any professional contractor.
In this context, the pleas by the RSS and its affiliates not to use the term Hindu militancy or terrorism are indeed, mysterious. Clearly no religious community, as a whole, can be held responsible for the terrorist activities of individuals belonging to it. However, should this not apply to all religions? Not according to the RSS. At the recently Akhil Bharateeya Karyakaarini Mandali Baitak, October 17-18, 2008, it adopted a resolution titled ‘curb Islamic terrorism with an iron hand.’ Apart from such double standards, this resolution showers praise on police force in Maharashtra and elsewhere, particularly the ATS for their successful actions. This is now turning out to be very embarrassing for the RSS as it is the same ATS that has now acted rightly in the country’s interests, against Hindutva terrorist outfits.
Terrorism has no religion. It is simply anti-national and hence non-negotiable and not acceptable. Terrorism of all hues only feed and strengthen each other. In the process, they destroy the very unity and integrity of one country. The larger pernicious ideological methods of using terror as an instrument of political mobilization is widening its footprint. Terror whipped through communal polarization or regional chauvinism to garner larger electoral support is the surest recipe to tear asunder India’s complex social fabric. To safeguard and strengthen modern India’s secular democratic foundations, it is imperative that such policies are defeated!
(09-05-10)
investigating the links of the organization with the RSS” the Minister has asserted.
The Hindu terror imprint in the blast case became stronger with the arrest of the third suspect having links with Abhinav Bharat from Khardonkara village of MP. The accused Vishnu Prasad Patidar is stated to be a close aide of Chandrasekar arrested earlier. According to the ATS sources, Chandrasekar and Devendra Gupta were directly involved in the planning and execution of the blast. Vishnu Prasad was a member of the terror module affiliated to Abhinav Bharat which had the patronage of radical Hindu outfits in MP.
The bomb blast took place at the Ahat-e-Noor of the Dargah on October 11, 2007, just before Magri’s prayers when the devotees were breaking Ramzan fast. It was only three days for Id-ul-Fitr. As usual, the suspects turned out to be Muslim terror groups. The prime suspect then was the Bangladeshi outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (Huji). Though no one was arrested then, about a dozen Muslims-Imams, Maulanas and Madarsa teachers – were detained and intensely questioned. All of them were later released.
It is annoying that immediately after any bomb blast anywhere in the country the investigating agencies and overzealous media jump to the conclusion that it must be the handiwork of some Muslim terror group, and take up a smear campaign causing prejudice in the minds of people. All this even after the September 29, 2008 Malegaon blast and many other bomb blasts in which Hindu terror outfiits’ involvements were clearly established.
In recent years, there were reports linking some RSS affiliates with various bomb blasts across the country – in 2003, in Parbhani, Jalna and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra, in 2005, in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh, in 2006, in Nanded in Maharashtra, in January 2008, at the RSS office in Tenkasi, Tirunelveli district, in August 2008, in Kanpur etc., Subsequently, on September 29, 2008, the ATS rounded up a number of RSS people for questioning and arrests including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and the commandant of Bhonsala Military School, Nasik, Prasad Prohit. BJP leadership, which accuses the UPA government at the Centre, of being soft on terrorism, instead of condemning the terror acts of these people, came in defence of the Sadhvi and Purohit.
The issue of imparting military training to Hindus vis-à-vis Muslims, has a long history. It was Savarkar who gave the slogan ‘Hinduise all politics and militarise the Hinduism.’ Inspired by this, Dr. B.S.Moonje, mentor of RSS founder, Dr. Hegdewar, travelled to Italy to meet fascist dictator Mussolini. The meeting took place on March 19, 1931. His personal diary notes on March 20 reveal his fascination and admiration of the manner in which Italian fascism was training its youth (read storm troopers) militarily. Upon return to India, Dr. Moonje established the Central Hindu Military Education Society at Nasik in 1935, the precursor to the Bhonsala Military School in 1937.
Golwalkar, in 1939, exults Hitler’s purging of the Jews under Nazi fascism and says that it is ‘a good lesson for us in Hinduism to learn and profit by.” More recently, following the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the RSS tentacles, VHP and Bajranj Dal, had publicly prided themselves at the training imparted to ‘karsevaks’. The then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh publicly stated that he was proud of the kar sevaks, who accomplished the job of demolishing the Babri Masjid more speedily and efficiently than any professional contractor.
In this context, the pleas by the RSS and its affiliates not to use the term Hindu militancy or terrorism are indeed, mysterious. Clearly no religious community, as a whole, can be held responsible for the terrorist activities of individuals belonging to it. However, should this not apply to all religions? Not according to the RSS. At the recently Akhil Bharateeya Karyakaarini Mandali Baitak, October 17-18, 2008, it adopted a resolution titled ‘curb Islamic terrorism with an iron hand.’ Apart from such double standards, this resolution showers praise on police force in Maharashtra and elsewhere, particularly the ATS for their successful actions. This is now turning out to be very embarrassing for the RSS as it is the same ATS that has now acted rightly in the country’s interests, against Hindutva terrorist outfits.
Terrorism has no religion. It is simply anti-national and hence non-negotiable and not acceptable. Terrorism of all hues only feed and strengthen each other. In the process, they destroy the very unity and integrity of one country. The larger pernicious ideological methods of using terror as an instrument of political mobilization is widening its footprint. Terror whipped through communal polarization or regional chauvinism to garner larger electoral support is the surest recipe to tear asunder India’s complex social fabric. To safeguard and strengthen modern India’s secular democratic foundations, it is imperative that such policies are defeated!
(09-05-10)
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