DECEMBER 28: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad's attempt to communalise the clamp-down by railway police on bhajan singing by running `bhajan trains' from Borivali, Thane, Kalyan and Vashi today turned out to be a damp squib with the Railway police detaining 136 activists. They were set free after three hours.The VHP had earlier planned to board the trains at four different stations at 9 am today and sing bhajans, defying police directions, till the destination points. However, only 115 activists turned up at Borivali and 21 at Thane. They were detained before they could board the trains.The Railway Police Commissionerate had recently ordered bhajan mandalis to stop their activities in trains after a directive by the then Railway Minister of State Ram Naik following complaints that bhajan singers were forcibly occupying seats in crowded locals. However, with Naik recently claiming that he had never ordered the ban, the saffron brigade has been demanding the renewal of its activities.Railway Police Commissioner S M Mushrif said authorities hold nothing against bhajan singing as such. ``It is the forcible occupying of seats and bullying under the guise of bhajan singing which is the problem. These people travel in groups and `reserve' seats in local trains. Because they are regulars and are in groups, people are scared to occupy their seats.''The VHP and Bajrang Dal activists later addressed a meeting at Azad Maidan.
