The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday issued a statement to clarify that Raj Kumar alias Bittu Bajrangi, who was arrested by Haryana Police in connection with the Nuh violence, “never had any relation” with its youth wing Bajrang Dal, or other VHP-linked organisations.
According to the police, Mr. Bajrangi is the president of Goraksha Bajrang Force, a cow vigilante group which claims to be an animal rescue and rehabilitation organisation.
The VHP also stated that it considers the content of the video allegedly released by Mr. Bajrangi as inappropriate. The video which surfaced before the July 31 procession was said to have stoked communal tensions.
After the statement by VHP, pictures of Mr. Bajrangi in a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) camp went viral on social media.
Communal clashes in Haryana’s Nuh district during a religious procession organised by VHP on July 31 left six persons dead including two home guards and a cleric.
The police, earlier, had booked Mr. Bajrangi and others for offences like rioting, criminal intimidation, armed robbery, obstructing a public servant from discharging duty, as well as offences under the Arms Act.
