LUCKNOW: Amidst tension over killing of a 50-year-old man for allegedly eating beef in Gautambuddha Nagar a couple of days back, Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh’s district unit now wants a complete ban on sale of meat of any kind during the 9-day Hindu fasting of Navratri in the district.
The demand comes at a time when tension has gripped the industrial hub of Greater Noida’s Dadri area over the alleged ‘lynching’ of a man and severe injuries to his son accusing them of eating beef.
Before the beginning of Navratri festivities, the Greater Noida unit of the mahasangh will submit a request before the district magistrate to ban sale of all kinds of meat, confirmed the mahasangh’s district unit chief Onkar.
Before presenting the demand on Monday, the organisation is also planning to submit a memorandum demanding the details of cattle grazing grounds and demand for opening of gaushalas where stray cattle could be kept and fed. Organisation’s district president Onkar believes that because of land being acquired in the name of development, stray animals are left to wander in search of food which makes them vulnerable, hence it was must that gaushalas come up.
Other than this, BJP MP Yogi Adityanath-led Hindu Yuva Vahini, which has begun spreading its tentacles in western UP area since Modi-led NDA government came to power at Centre in 2014, also held ‘sahbhoj’ (feast), which they term as bid to unite Hindus across all castes, at Dhankaur village also in district. It was in Dhankaur that tension had erupted over cow slaughter in June this year. Its district chief Chainpal Bhati told TOI that HYV members are also planning to visit Birada village in Dadri where the man was killed for allegedly eating beef. Besides, 51-member district committee, it has now over 300 active members in the district.
In Noida, members of Hindu frontal organisations forced the administration and locals to stop slaughtering animals in open in Sector 16 on the occasion of Bakrid. “We succeeded to convince members of minority community to avoid slaughtering animals in open,” HYV Noida chief Chaman Awana said, adding that the members of organisations have also launched a campaign to ensure closure of illegal meat and liquor shops near temples in the district. Number of HYV members in Noida would touch 600-mark, said Awana.
On the rise of activities of such organisations over the past one year, Awana said it is media that has begun to focus on these since Modi government came to power.
Sangh pariwar’s frontal organisations have a wider agenda and plans, about which they have also started speaking openly, to address issues like ‘love jihad’, ‘ghar wapsi’, cow slaughter.
Surprisingly, western UP region in particular and UP in general seems to have become a laboratory for these plans.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hindu Jagran Manch, Dharm Jagran and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad have all have increased their activities over the last one year. Most of these organisation don’t link their heightened activities with Modi-led government at the Centre, panchayat poll or impending vidhan sabha elections, but political observers find no reason whatsoever not to believe so.
VHP has been making people aware about cow slaughter and conversion in western UP, its spokesman Sharad Sharma told TOI. VHP ‘awareness’ programmes are aimed at stopping Dadri-like incidents from happening and to move administration to ensure such incidents do not repeat. Sharma also mocked at Azam’s statement and said it was strange that while the UP chief minister is silent on the Gonda incident in which those taking out procession for immersion of Ganesh idol are pelted with stones, he is making baseless allegations on Modi government.
Dharm Jagran, a frontal organisation of RSS has for long been active in ensuring a curb on conversion of Hindus to Christian and call it ghar wapsi.
Organisations like Bajrang Dal and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad are also making people aware against conversion, cow slaughter, love jihad etc, an RSS functionary told TOI.
Bajrang Dal units in Noida and Greater Noida have been holding meetings to make Hindus aware. “We will be holding many more corner meetings to cover both Noida and Greater Noida,” a Bajrang Dal activist concluded.
