Assam: Bajrang Dal camp organisers booked for imparting arms training

Guwahati: Assam Police have registered a case against Bajrang Dal activists for organising an arms training camp at a school in Darrang district.

The case was registered with Mangaldai police station under Section 153A/34 IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony).

''Reference video related to training by Rashtriya Bajrang Dal at Maharishi Bidya Mandir, Mangaldai, a case has been registered vide Mangaldai PS case no 357 U/S 153A/34 IPC," Darrang Police tweeted.

Assam Director General of Police G P Singh had directed the Darrang district superintendent of police to register a case and take lawful action against those allegedly involved in organising an arms training camp as seen in a video that has gone viral.

''Reference Mangaldai video-SP@ Darrang_Police has been instructed to register a case under appropriate sections of law and investigate the matter and take lawful action," the DGP tweeted.

Reference Mangaldai video - SP @Darrang_Police has been instructed to regsiter a case under appropriate sections of law & investigate the matter and take lawful action. @assampolice @CMOfficeAssam

— GP Singh (@gpsinghips) July 31, 2023

A video purportedly showing Bajrang Dal members imparting arms training at the school went viral on Monday. Bajrang Dal said 350 youths were trained in handling guns, performing martial arts, besides learning lessons on arts, politics and spirituality at the camp organised in Mornoi village in the district.

A Bajrang Dal spokesperson claimed that such camps are organised at regular intervals to "counter security threats from illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries".

Congress legislature party leader Debabrata Saikia, in a letter to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday, had demanded action against the organisers and inquiry into the role of the district administration in either being unaware or giving permission to the organisers to hold a camp where the members were given arms training.

Saikia had urged the CM to take legal action against the organisers of the camp as well as the officials of the state, while alleging that "this is intended to create a divide among people of different communities, religion and linguistic affiliations".

''This is not the first time that such camps have been organised, as in 2017 also the Bajrang Dal had organised a camp where arms training was imparted and the Congress had protested against it while in 2019 they had again organised similar training programmes in different parts of the state," the opposition leader said.

He said that at a time when measures are being taken to maintain peace and harmony in the state, a section of ''reactionary forces are out to whip up religious frenzy to create a law and order situation in the state''.

The CPI(M) also demanded that the police immediately conduct an inquiry into how the Bajrang Dal members could freely use firearms.

The Left party described it as a ''conspiracy to create communal tensions in the state''.

CPI(M) state secretary Suprakash Talukdar said in a statement that these incidents are a ''threat to the peace and harmony in the state and is a matter of great concern''.

''Such incidents have increased since the BJP has come to power and the chief minister who has often attempted to thwart protests by opposition parties, is silent on such blatant communal activities by the Bajrang Dal,'' Talukdar added.