The Thane Rural police have started an inquiry into a training camp organised by the Bajrang Dal at a Mira Road school, in which students were allegedly given weapons training.
The probe was initiated after the Democratic Youth Federation of India, the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), brought the matter to the notice of the police.
The organisation approached the Navghar police on Wednesday after spotting pictures of the camp at Seven Eleven Academy, which is owned by BJP MLA Narendra Mehta, on Facebook. A user named Prakash Gupta shared the pictures, stating that it is being held from May 25 to June 1. The pictures showed boys loading and handling several rifles on the premises.
“Some of the children seemed to be minors and it is dangerous for them to handle firearms. The Bajrang Dal is a hard line Hindu organisation and has been blamed for repeated instances of violence across the country,” said advocate Sanjay Pande, secretary of the organisation.
Mr. Pande said he, along with other members of his organisation, sought police action against the school and the Bajrang Dal. “The police refused to entertain our request and we left after submitting an application. On Friday, we met Sub Divisional Police Officer Atul Kulkarni and discussed the matter with him. He assured us that necessary action would be taken,” he said.
Mr. Kulkarni said inquiries had been initiated into the matter. “We contacted the organisers of the training camp and they claimed that they had requisite licences and permissions for the guns. We have asked them to produce the documents for examination. If any discrepancies are found, action will be taken accordingly,” Mr. Kulkarni said, adding no FIR had been filed as yet.
Mr. Mehta could not be reached for comment.
