Ban Bajrang Dal, VHP says President of World Council of Arya Samaj

Swami Agnivesh, the President of the World Council of Arya Samaj, urged the Union Government for a ban on Bajrang Dal and VHP, which engineered the recent anti–Christian rioting in Orissa and Karnataka.

Accusing the VHP and its umbrella organisations for the communal violence in the country, the prominent Arya Samaj scholar said, “They have been breaking law and taking law into their hands.”

“I condemn the attacks on the prayer halls and Christians. They were the handiwork of those minds that want to divide society. Some people are having a political agenda. I denounce such efforts,” he said adding, "Whoever disturbs communal harmony should be arrested. Organisations responsible for it should be banned."

Swami Agnivesh claimed that he raised the issue for a ban on the VHP and Bajrang Dal at the recent National Integration Council meeting in the capital.

The Hindu leader also condemned forcible conversion and said, “This must be stopped. However, one has to have evidence to prove this. It should be decided by the court. One should not act as self–appointed judge. It is wrong to punish someone by taking law into hands.”

National Security Advisor M K Naraynan recently said "SIMI and Bajrang Dal are not two sides of the same coin, but both of them are dangerous." He added that "You can ban it (Bajrang Dal) but you will then not be able to sustain it."

An influential section of the UPA, including Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Minister for Steel Ram Vilas Paswan, has also demanded a ban on Bajrang Dal.