The Centre has stepped up efforts to garner evidence against the Bajrang Dal as the demand for a ban on the militant arm of the Sangh Parivar gains currency
NEW DELHI: The Centre has stepped up efforts to garner evidence against the Bajrang Dal as the demand for a ban on the militant arm of the Sangh Parivar gains currency in view of its role in violence against Christians in Karnataka and Orissa.
The ban could be imposed under the unlawful activities Act that has to be followed by ratification by a specially-set up tribunal after three months. The tribunal sustains the ban only if it confirms the veracity of the “irrefutable evidence” provided by the home
ministry against the outfit in question.
The issue was not on the agenda of the Union cabinet that met here on Wednesday, but it figured prominently during home minister Shivraj Patil’s presentation of a report on the violence in Karnataka, Orissa and Assam. He also placed before the cabinet an ‘action taken’ report sent by the Orissa government.
Sources said UPA allies Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan expressed strong dissatisfaction with the state report and demanded president’s rule in Orissa and a ban on the Bajrang Dal. The Congress too had made a similar demand earlier in the day.
The home ministry is currently gathering “irrefutable evidence” regarding the Dal’s involvement in violence. A perquisite for this is to seek inputs from various sources, including the police of various states where the outfit is active.
Interestingly, getting evidence from the half-a-dozen states where the Dal is active is not going to be easy as most of these states are ruled either by the BJP-led NDA or parties not inclined favourably towards the UPA. These states include UP, Karnataka, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.
a_anil@dnaindia.net
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