Mithun Nath, general-secretary of the Bajrang Dal, in Cachar, Assam has outrightly threatened to beat up Hindu civilians who may “visit churches on Christmas”.
This news broke out when a video of Mithun Nath addressing a Bajrang Dal event held in Silchar on December 3, went viral on social media. In the video he is being heard claiming that if the Hindus of the Cachar district will visit the Churches during Christmas “they will be brutally beaten.”
Continuing his explosive and intolerant statement, Nath addressed a saffron-laden crowd of 70 people screaming the chants of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and said, “They are locking temples in Shillong and we are going and celebrating with them. We will not allow this to happen”
The Dal leader was agitated over the shutdown of the Vivekananda Centre (part of the Ramakrishna Mission) in Shillong, a claim dismissed by the Meghalaya government. The secretary of the Centre also confirmed that the gates of the Centre were not locked-but closed, due to a district holiday. However, the Bajrang Dal members, along with its leader remained intrepid of all the facts.
It is not the first time the musclemen of Hindutva have carried out such a divisive statement, one that is sure to polarize religious communities across the country. Nor shall it be the first time they would be ransacking and rampaging a group of people coming together as a part of the celebration. People whose only sin was being part of a different religious community.
In 2002, Babu Bajrangi was labelled the mastermind of the Naroda Patiya massacre in which more than 90 Muslims lost their lives. In 2006, 2 more people lost their lives in a Bomb Blast in Nanded. After investigation, it was found out that they were part of the Bajrang Dal, and they were making a pipe bomb to incite violence in the peaceful town.
Year after year, the group has been the force that has been prevalent in creating a rift between communities. From forcibly marrying off couples, to beating off couples on Valentine’s day, to wrecking havoc in malls and shops, Bajrang Dal has been actively destroying the ultimate thread of what ties our country together: diversity.
“For me, my secularism is: India first. I say, the philosophy of my party is ‘Justice to all. Appeasement to none.’ This is our secularism.” These are the words of none other than our own Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Words that sound wonderful on paper, utopic if it turns into a reality, but downright bigoted when they are not applied and done justice to. It is a shame that in his regime, militant organizations like Bajrang Dal are still indulging in the act of organized chaos and instilling fear in the minds of the people of our nation in the name of religion.
