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Journalism of Courage
BJP strongman Sangeet Som’s multistoried house in Meerut’s Sardhana town wore a deserted look. In a small room on an upper floor sat Sachin Khatik, scrolling through his phone.
Khatik is the leader of the Sangeet Som Sena and is among 10 people booked for allegedly assaulting and robbing a biryani seller on April 2 for not heeding the outfit’s call for a ban on the sale of meat in Sardhana during the Navratri festival. Saajid, the owner of the food cart, claimed that though he was selling soybean biryani, the group insisted it contained meat.
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The incident sent a ripple of fear across the town, forcing butcheries to close down and restaurant owners to take meat items off the menu.
Said Khatik, “A day before Navratri, we submitted a memorandum that meat should not be sold. On Saturday, I went to the food cart and told him (Saajid) to wrap it up and head home. I thrice warned him but he did not listen. Then we had to take matters into our hands. We cannot allow anyone to vitiate the atmosphere.”
In a video that went viral on social media, a person believed to be the Som Sena leader was heard threatening a policeman after the incident. “I am very upfront with the police. If they carry out their duty, I praise them. In this case, I told the CO (circle officer) in a manner deemed fit that non-veg (food) was being sold despite our warnings. At the end of the day, it is about the atmosphere in the area.”
Som, the former Sardhana MLA who lost the election this time, lashed out at the police for booking his supporters. “I was told the head of the Som Sena was booked by officials even when a memorandum against the sale of non-vegetarian food had been given. It is clear that the police are working in cahoots and that meat was allowed to be sold,” he told The Indian Express.
Sardhana Circle Officer Rajendra Shahi said the police take action “against any person who creates a problem in the area”. He added, “Anyone can declare their own Sena. Everything has to function within the framework of laws. The case is being probed and there are no law and order problems in the area.”
Khatik, who runs a jagran mandli group that sings bhajans at religious gatherings, said he started the Som Sena in June 2016 as a Facebook page to publicise the work of the BJP leader. Now, he claimed, it has seven lakh members.
“I, along with many other people, have been very impressed by Sangeet Som’s resolve to work for Hindus. When I started the group, I did not know if it would be supported. But there were many like me. Today, the Sena has more than seven lakh members in several states. Our philosophy is to ensure that the Hindu community is not insulted. And we are ready to take all steps for that,” added the 29-year-old, who claims to have taken a vow not to marry and devote his life to the cause of Hindutva.
Most of the Som Sena’s members are between 18 and 40 years old. Khatik said that while most were daily wage workers some were students at local universities. The group holds a monthly meeting but most of its daily agenda — from cow protection to playing devotional songs in the public on speakers — is discussed on WhatsApp. Information about incidents that the group perceives to be anti-Hindu is then shared through local networks. The group claims to have a presence in Delhi and Uttarakhand, among other states, and an office-bearer in each district in Uttar Pradesh.
