Inflammatory Speeches Delivered at VHP Event in Tense Uttam Nagar Following Tarun’s Murder |
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New Delhi: On Sunday (April 12), at Ayyappa Park in Hastsal, Uttam Nagar (West Delhi), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) – an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – carried out a large-scale distribution of trishuls (tridents) among the youth.
The VHP distributed 1,700 trishuls among the cadres of its youth wing, the Bajrang Dal. The organisation has consistently referred to this initiative as ‘Trishul Deeksha [initiation]’. According to them, the programme is intended to administer a pledge focused on sanskar (values), seva (service) and suraksha (security)’; however, on the ground, its implications appear far more complex.
Speaking to The Wire Hindi, Sanjeev Kumar, the VHP (Indraprastha) chief of publicity and outreach, stated that plans are in place to organise similar events across the entirety of Delhi, with an estimated 30,000-plus trishuls likely to be distributed through these initiatives.
It is worth noting that this ‘Trishul Deeksha’ programme took place after a local criminal incident had escalated into communal tension. Ayyappa Park is located just a short distance from the spot where 26-year-old Tarun Kumar was murdered on the day of Holi (March 4).
What began as a minor dispute soon took on the character of communal tension. A Muslim family stands accused of the murder – a family whose home was first vandalised by unidentified individuals and subsequently subjected to a demolition drive by the municipal corporation, and who have now fled the area.
The home of the family accused in the Tarun murder case. A female police officer stationed outside the lane stated that there has been a round-the-clock police deployment throughout the entire area since the incident.
A heavy police presence remains at the scene of the incident and in the surrounding areas. Barricades have been erected in every street. Despite this, just a short distance away, the VHP organised a trident distribution ceremony, delivered inflammatory speeches and attempted to mobilise sentiments.
When The Wire Hindi questioned VHP state president Kapil Khanna regarding the choice of venue for the event, he stated: “Uttam Nagar was chosen simply because it was this district’s turn; there is no other reason.”
However, the parents and grandfather of Tarun were also present on the VHP’s dais. His father Memraj and grandfather Man Singh also underwent the ‘Trishul Deeksha’ and were presented with tridents by the VHP. Man Singh even delivered a speech from the VHP’s platform.
Tarun’s grandfather Man Singh delivers a speech from the VHP’s platform.
Speaking to The Wire Hindi, both individuals stated that they are receiving full support from the Bajrang Dal. Demanding justice, they called for the perpetrators to be hanged and further suggested that, if possible, they should be subjected to an ‘encounter’.
In a press release regarding the event, the VHP described Tarun as someone who was ‘martyred in a Jihadi attack’.
Minors among those receiving trishuls
Several minors were among those who received the trishuls. Rishabh, a fifth-grade student aged around ten, arrived........