VHP calls for Gujarat Bandh to protest against pilgrims’ killings

AHMEDABAD, AUGUST 3: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had given a call for Gujarat bandh yesterday to condemn the killings of Amarnath pilg...

AHMEDABAD, AUGUST 3: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had given a call for Gujarat bandh yesterday to condemn the killings of Amarnath pilgrims by terrorists in Kashmir. It also demanded the immediate sacking of the Farooq Abdullah Government and army control over the strife-torn State.

VHP international general secretary Pravin Togadia told reporters here that VHP units in different states had staged demonstrations against the killings of the pilgrims in Kashmir and that they had decided to hold a bandh on Thursday.

Togadia claimed that the country was drifting back to pre-partition days when religious fundamentalism ruled the roost among the members of the minority community. Supporting his claim, he said 47,000 weapons and 45 kg of explosive materials were seized from terrorist outfits in the recent past.

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Togadia lamented that the Centre had not been able to comprehend the gameplan of the ultra outfits in Kashmir. “Jehad is an official Islamic doctrine and it has assumed proportions of a full-fledged war against the Government of India and the majority community,” he said, adding, “The militants declare Jehad against the majority community members, on one hand, and get the Haj pilgrimage subsidised with their money on the other,” he said.

Alleging that militant jehad was getting support from within the country, Togadia said, “They would be given a reply in their own language,” and asked the majority community to remain prepared to fight against pro-Pakistan elements in India.

He demanded the relatives of those killed in the massacre be paid Rs two lakh each and the injured be paid Rs 25,000 each. He also suggested that the shrines of Amarnath and Vaishnodevi be put under direct control of the Central Government.

Togadia said various units of VHP had taken a spontaneous decision to call for statewide bandhs in various States. Delhi would go for a bandh on Friday when a demonstration would also be held in front of the Pakistan embassy. Punjab would observe bandh on Thursday, he said. However, the VHP leader did not comment on why could the VHP not call for a countrywide bandh on one single day instead of declaring bandh on different days.

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Gujarat VHP joint general secretary Kaushik Mehta said the VHP members would request the people to make the bandh a success, and ruled out any possibility of the bandh turning violent. He said the VHP volunteers would also stage a demonstration in the evening and memorandum would be submitted to all district collectorates as a mark of protest. He said sadhus had also declared support to the bandh-call.

Meanwhile, although the BJP extended support to the VHP’s call for the Statewide bandh, it was silent on the demand for Farooq’s ouster.

State unit BJP general secretary Gordhanbhai Zadaphia told reporters here on Wednesday that the party was in full agreement with the VHP decision of giving expression to people’s sentiments over killings in Amarnath.