On July 31st, clashes between two groups started over an attempt to stop a religious procession that was organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Six people, including two Home Guards and a Mosque cleric, were killed in the violence that later spilled over to Gurugram, Palwal, Faridabad, and other districts of Haryana. Several vehicles, food joints, and shops were set on fire by unruly mobs. Cow vigilante Monu Manesar sparked the communal clashes in the district. Manesar is said to have posted a video on social media in which he claimed to be attending the Nuh religious procession and called on his supporters to come out in large numbers. After a lot of uproar by the opposition, a special investigation team (SIT) was formed to investigate the role of Manesar clashes.
Then a mahapanchayat organized by a Hindu outfit in Palwal demanded Nuh district be abolished. They want this area to be made cow slaughter-free, as a committee of 51 people decided at the meeting. The committee also decided to resume the Jalahishek Yatra again on August 28 in Nuh. The mahapanchayat called for strict laws for people coming from other countries. More than 390 people have been arrested and 118 others detained in connection with the violence, but mainstream media treated this issue as TRP material. Schools, colleges, and other educational institutes were closed for a long time. The bus services of Haryana State Transport were also out of service, and the internet was blacked out. The violence was growing, but there was no control. There was a continuous blame game; one community was the target.
Finally, Bittu Bajrangi, head of a cow vigilante group in Faridabad, has been arrested for communal clashes in Haryana’s Nuh. Bajrangi, also called Rajkumar, faces multiple charges, including rioting, armed robbery, and criminal intimidation. Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and follows Hindutva ideology. Bittu Bajrangi heads the Faridabad Gau Raksha Bajrang Force, a cow vigilante group. The group describes itself as an “animal rescue service” on social media. Its social media pages have provocative content, with many posts on “love jihad,” a term used by right-wing activists to allege a conspiracy by Muslims to convert Hindu women.
Bittu Bajrangi is known to be an aide to wanted Bajrang Dal leader Monu Manesar, also under the scanner for the violence in Nuh. Manesar, who is wanted over his alleged role in the killing of two Muslim men earlier this year, has yet to be arrested. As he evades arrest, Manesar continues to post stirring material on social media.
Bittu Bajrangi was present during the yatra. Bittu Bajrangi was arrested earlier on August 4, and was out on bail. According to a senior police officer, Bittu Bajrangi and his associates brandished weapons during the procession that was attacked by a mob. The weapons were seized by police, but Bajrangi and his aides allegedly attacked a police vehicle and snatched them back. The FIR against Bittu Bajrangi and at least 15 others accuses them of rioting, unlawful assembly, obstructing a public servant from discharging duty, armed robbery, and criminal intimidation. They have also been charged under the provisions of the Arms Act.
Founded in 1984, the Bajrang Dal is a division of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The Vishwa Hindu Parishat had started to conduct the Ram-Janaki Rathyatra in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh after a few years of its formation (in 1964). These yatras were aimed at awakening society. Though this was not aimed at any particular religion, many sections created communal tensions during this yatra and claimed it to be a pro-Hindu movement. In 1984, the Hindu saints in the Vishwa Hindu Parishat finally called upon interested youths to protect this yatra. To protect Ram-Janaki, Bajrangi was always there. So the group of youth protecting the Ram-Janaki Rathyatra called themselves Bajrangis. Now this group is spread all over the country.
The main objectives of Bajrang Dal in the present day are to build the Krishnajanmabhoomi temple in Mathura and the Kashivishwanatha temple in Varanasi, which are currently disputed places of worship. Other goals include protecting India’s Hindu identity from the perceived dangers of communism, the prevention of cow slaughter, the prevention of love jihad, and Hindu conversions to Islam and Christianity. It is working to reverse the effects of the Islamic invasion and British imperialism. In the name of Cow Protection, they have indulged in vigilante activities, targeting Muslims and lower-caste Hindus, mostly dalits.
Scores of poor dairy farmers, be they Muslims or Hindus, have been mercilessly beaten and murdered at the hands of these inglorious members. They do a lot of moral policing against couples who celebrate Valentine’s Day, and Public displays of Affection. However, in recent times, some of these goons have been arrested and charged with serious offenses. Supporting casteism and suppressing the voice of Dalits (even beating them black and blue), who have ultimately converted to other religions like Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity, since they get treated with contempt and disrespect They display their muscle power whenever they get a chance to dominate a particular sect.
