Saffron terrorism

Saffron terrorism is a new phenomenon which would have serious consequences if not checked firmly at the incipient stage. The Malegaon blast case in Maharashtra revealed that a new Hindu outfit known as Hindu Jagran Manch having links with Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parisad based in Indore was responsible for the blast and several arrests had already been made including a young Sadhvi who masterminded the blast. In Tamil Nadu. the police claimed the hands of Hindu extremist outfit responsible for Tenkasi blast. The Modasa blast in Gujarat on September 29 was also the handiwork of Hindu extremist group. Five persons were killed in Malegaon blast and in Modasa one person lost his life. In both the incidents, bombs were placed on motor cycles parked in crowded areas. The motor cycle used in Malegaon blast belonged to the Sadhvi. Earlier two persons lost their lives while making bombs in Kanpur. It transpired that the victims belonged to Bajrang Dal. These incidents confirm that some members of ABVP, VHP and Bajrang Dal have turned extremists and they have been carrying on terrorist activities.

While Islamic terrorism is widely discussed and reported in the media, the activities of the Hindu extremist group was less known. Brinda Karat, CPI(M) MP raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha and criticised the government for maintaining separate yardsticks for dealing with terror. She also opposed branding of an entire community as terrorist after the serial bomb blasts in several cities. She also upbraided the media for painting the incidents in a manner that serves to alienate an entire community. She demanded ban on Bajrang Dal. The BJP objected to the use of the phrase “Hindu terrorism” and stated that religion should not be linked to terrorism. The BJP is the only party which brands an entire community as terrorist and now that their own Sangh Parivar was involved in terrorist acts, they took a different stand. The police raid on Batla House, Jamia Nagar where two terrorists reported to be students were killed and a brave police officer lost his life created a strong reaction among the liberal Muslims also who would like to know the truth about the whole incident. They raised a number of discrepancies in the police version of the incident. Sahnan Khursheed, a Congress leader demanded a proper enquiry so that the community was convinced of the fairness of the police action. Arundhati Ray, a leading intellectual has also lent her voice in support of the demand for an enquiry into the incident. The government should gracefully accept the demand and order an enquiry to allay all misapprehensions in the minds of the minority community. source: assam tribune