VHP and Bajrang Dal to protest against Mumbai Police, accusing officers of assaulting their volunteers during recent incidents | File Photo
Mumbai: Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal will hold a mega protest rally against Mumbai Police alleging multiple instances of harassment to its volunteers. Through the ‘Aakrosh Rally’, senior VHP functionaries and youth volunteers will meet the police commissioner and special commissioner to address their concerns.
VHP and its youth wing Bajrang Dal have alleged that the Mumbai Police have harassed its volunteers on multiple occasions in the last two years including the recent Wadala Ram Navami procession on April 20. The right-wing Hindu organisation has alleged that the police are deliberately targeting Hindutva activists out of spite and malice.
On Monday, VHP announced that it will hold an ‘Aakrosh rally’ on Tuesday to mark their protest against the alleged police brutality. Thousands of people, including senior VHP functionaries, Bajrang Dal volunteers and members of its women’s wing are expected to participate in the rally.
The protestors will start marching from Churchgate railway station at 3pm to the police headquarters to meet the police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and special police commissioner Deven Bharati.
Mohan Salekar, secretary of VHP’s Konkan division, alleged that Vakola police assaulted four Bajrang Dal volunteers who were assisting a minor girl register a molestation offence. He alleged that police officials including Shivaji Shinde and Achyut Naikare assaulted the volunteers in the police station’s detection room instead of filing an offence in the molestation case.
“It seems that Mumbai police officials follow pseudo-secularism where they serve the citizens according to their religion. The police are making us feel that it is a crime to be a Hindu in India, to carry out a peaceful procession during Ram Navami and to demand justice for a minor girl assaulted sexually,” added Salekar.
Shriraj Nair, national spokesperson of VHP, said, “VHP has always supported the police in maintaining law and order. We have always carried out every rally and procession with the police’s permission but our members are being continuously targetted by the police since last two years.”
VHP Accuses DCP Of Threatening To Shoot Its Karyakartas
Salekar alleged that DCP (Zone 12) Smita Patil had earlier threatened VHP volunteers of shooting them for opposing cross-FIR regarding an incident where VHP members were attacked in Kurar village in Malad.
“We had requested the DCP that our karyakartas were beaten in the incident and the victims cannot be the accused. However, she threatened our volunteers that she will shoot all of them,” he said.
Accuses Police Of Lying In Wadala Ram Navmi Matter
After a brief stand-off between VHP members and Wadala Police unfolded on April 20 during a procession for Ram Navami, the Hindu activists had alleged the police of resorting to lathi charge against the karyakartas, which was refuted by DCP (Zone 2) Mohit Garg.
However, Salekar alleged that the police are lying and claimed that VHP has enough photographic evidence to prove that its karyakartas were assaulted.
