Баджранг Дал: Индийская индуистская милитантская организация

Hindu nationalist militant organisation

organisation that forms the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). It is a member of the right wing Sangh Parivar. The ideology of the organisation is based on Hindutva. It was founded on 1 October 1984 in Uttar Pradesh, and began spreading more in the 2010s throughout India, although its most significant base remains the northern and central portions of the country. The group runs about 2,500 akhadas, similar to the shakhas (branches) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The name "Bajrang" is a reference to the Hindu deity Hanuman. The Bajrang Dal's slogan is Seva, Suraksha, Sanskar or Service, Safety and Culture. Some of the main goals of the Dal is to build Ram temple at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya and the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura, and also to expand the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, which are currently disputed places of worship. The Bajrang Dal opposes Muslim demographic growth, Christian conversion, cow slaughter, and western influence in Hindu culture.

Bajrang Dal is a right wing organisation. Together with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the organisation has spoken out against Islamic terrorism in India and have announced that they will carry out awareness campaigns across the nation. They have stated that Islamic terrorists are hiding among the general population in India and mean to expose them. Convener Prakash Sharma stressed that they were not targeting any particular community, but were trying to "wake up" the people of India, particularly its youth, to the dangers of terrorism in the light of the 2002 Akshardham Temple attack perpetrated by terrorists linked to the militant group Lashkar e Toiba. Bajrang Dal shares the VHP's position against cow slaughter and has supported proposals for banning it. The Gujarat branch is at the forefront of anti beauty contest agitation. Another of its objectives is preventing Hindu Muslim marriages.

Bajrang Dal is active on social media. Facebook's security team has tagged it along with right wing organisations Sanatan Sanstha and Sri Ram Sena, as a potentially dangerous organisation that supports violence against minorities across India. Regardless the organisation has been allowed to spread on Facebook due to political and safety considerations. Facebook has avoided acting against Bajrang Dal as it has ties with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and because "cracking down on Bajrang Dal might endanger both the company's business prospects and its staff in India", The Wall Street Journal newspaper wrote, reaffirming its reportage earlier this year on the subject.

The US State Department's 2000 report on international religious freedom and 2000 World Report by the Human Rights Watch labelled this organisation as a Hindu extremist group. The US Central Intelligence Agency classified the Bajrang Dal and the VHP as religious militant organisations in the "India" entry of The World Factbook on 4 June 2018, but removed the mentions of the Bajrang Dal and the VHP from the entry by 25 June 2018. The group has also been called "terrorist", with Torkel Brekke referring to it as the "best known among the terrorist groups controlled by the RSS". Paul Brass described the Bajrang Dal as Indian equivalent of Nazi Germany's Sturmabteilung. Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has called Bajrang Dal an embarrassment to the BJP and urged Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to "rein them in". After the religious violence in Odisha, the Bharatiya Janata Party Prime Ministerial candidate L. K. Advani advised the Bajrang Dal to cease association with violence, concerned with the fact that it took pressure off the UPA government in Delhi.

In September 2008, the Indian National Congress (INC) demanded a ban on the Bajrang Dal and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) which according to the INC are involved in anti national activities. Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said "White paper should be brought out not only against SIMI "(Students Islamic Movement of India)" but all organisations involved in anti national activities like Bajrang Dal and VHP". Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said, "Those outfits involved in terrorist activity should be investigated, the question is why Bajrang Dal should not be banned". Muslim cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahli, who is involved in the "Movement Against Terrorism", also demanded a ban on this organisation in the wake of the Kanpur blast. The monthly magazine Communalism Combat started by civil rights activists Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand demanded an immediate ban on the Bajrang Dal in August 2008. Leader of the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) Ramchandra Paswan describing the Bajrang Dal as communal organisation said, "Bajrang Dal and VHP should immediately be banned." The Indian National Congress, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, former prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati have demanded a ban on Bajrang Dal and Sri Rama Sena. In this regard, Deve Gowda sent a letter to prime minister and accused Bajrang Dal "for perpetrating senseless violence" against minorities in Karnataka and Odisha. On 5 October 2008, the NCM recommended a ban on the Bajrang Dal and VHP for its alleged role in the attacks on Christian institutions in Karnataka. However, the ruling state government has the Minority commission's recommendations and does not support this suggestion. On 5 October 2008, the Indian Prime Minister called a special cabinet meeting to discuss a possible ban on the Bajrang Dal and the VHP over the continuing attacks on Christians and Christian institutions in Odisha and Karnataka. Bajrang Dal, and its Odisha president Pratap Chandra Sarangi have been alleged to have links with the Graham Staines murder case. However, no proof has been established for the allegations.

S. No. NameTerm1. Vinay Katiyar2. Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya3. Suresh Jain4. Prakash Sharma5. Subash Chouhan6. Rajesh Pandey