Members of right-wing outfit Bajrang Dal on Tuesday entered a prominent garden in Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar to register their protest against Valentine’s Day celebrations and drove away couples sitting inside the park.
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In a video of the incident that went viral on social media platforms, nearly 10 Bajrang Dal activists armed with sticks can be seen shouting slogans and driving away couples sitting inside the Central Vista garden located opposite the Assembly complex in the State capital.
While the Opposition Congress strongly condemned the act, the Gandhinagar police swung into action and summoned Bajrang Dal activists involved in the protest against Valentine’s Day, celebrated worldwide on February 14 as the festival of love.
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Shaktisinh Zala, convener of the Bajrang Dal’s Gandhinagar unit, admitted the outfit’s members entered the garden to register their protest against Valentine’s Day, which he claimed, reflected “western culture”.
He maintained the right-wing organisation was against show of “vulgarity” in the name of love.
“We were not harassing anyone. Bajrang Dal workers were only opposing western culture and people indulging in vulgarity in the name of love today. It is our duty to show the right path to Hindu youths and daughters. We went to the garden because our workers saw vulgarity there in the name of love,” Mr. Zala told reporters when asked about the protest.
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The Bajrang Dal functionary said his workers did not harass anyone.
“We are not against love. But, there can not be a day for love. We have not harassed anyone. Our workers only made the youths understand that they should not celebrate Valentine’s Day. Who will make people understand this issue if not the Bajrang Dal? We register our protest against Valentine’s Day every year” he added.
However, the Congress said no one has right to dictate to others and questioned the Home Department’s “silence” over the matter.
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Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said, “This country is run by the Constitution. No one has right to decide what people should do or what they should wear or eat. People who send their kids to English medium schools preach to others about Indian culture. I am surprised by the Home Department’s silence over this episode.”
Taking cognizance of the protest, Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Tarun Kumar Duggal asked officials to take appropriate action.
“The Sector 7 police station (under whose jurisdiction the garden is located) has been directed to take action in the matter,” said Duggal.
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Sources said police officials have summoned protesters seen in the viral video for questioning.
Rally against Valentine’s Day in Nagpur
Bajrang Dal members also took out a rally in Nagpur protesting against Valentine’s Day and organised mass recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa on the occasion.
Mass recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa was organised by the right-wing outfit at Durga Mata Temple in the Sadar area of the orange city.
Bajrang Dal activists took out an anti-Valentine’s Day rally which passed through prominent areas of Nagpur. A large number of police personnel were deployed on the route of the rally to prevent untoward incidents.
The rally concluded at the Samvidhan Square, where tributes were paid to the CRPF personnel killed on February 14, 2019, in a terror attack at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.
Besides Bajrang Dal members, functionaries of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) were also present on the occasion.