Bajrang Dal eludes ban, Cabinet divided

The Cabinet Meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss a ban on Bajrang Dal rendered inconclusive results, even as the leaders of the Hindu outfit dared the UPA government to outlaw it.

Following the massacre on Christians by Hindu hardliners revolting the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda, demands were made by several political heads, NGO's and Human Rights groups for a complete ban on the Hindu militant organisation.

Churches were attacked in Orissa and Karnataka, where the police arrested over 1000 Hindu radicals. In Karnataka, Police arrested its convener Mahendra Kumar, after he publicly claimed responsibility for the violence on churches and prayer halls.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday although discussed the situation in Orissa, apparently no decision was made on the ban of Bajrang Dal for its alleged involvement in anti–Christian rioting which claimed dozens of lives and forced thousands to flee to forests.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil maintained that more evidence needed to be gathered against the organisation.

Patil also submitted a report to the Cabinet as directed by the Prime Minister, who urged the authorities to curb the violence and take strong steps to protect the Christians.

Not satisfied with the report, some ministers, including Ram Vilas Paswan and Lalu Prasad, demanded an immediate ban and imposition of President's rule in the state by invoking of Article 356, sources said.

Meanwhile, the Bajrang Dal dared the Central government to ban it, warning, "dire consequences" if it was outlawed.

"We will fight the ban and we will go to the people to explain the injustice done to us. The elections are coming up soon and it (a ban) will prove costly for the Government," national convenor of the Bajrang Dal Prakash Sharma told IANS.

"Bajrang Dal does not believe in violence of any kind. Our aim is ... public agitation by mobilising democratic governments to protect Hindus," Sharma maintained.

The Bajrang Dal is is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and is based on the ideology of Hindutva. The group claims to have 1,300,000 members, of whom 850,000 are workers, and runs about 2,500 akhadas.

The United States Department of State's annual report on international religious freedom for 2000 and World Report (2000) by the Human Rights Watch labeled the organization as a Hindu extremist group.