Sri Ram Sena
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The Sri Ram Sena (literally, "The Army of Lord Ram"; alternately spelled as Sri Ram Sene) is a right-wing Hindu extremist group founded in the late 1960s by Kalki Ji Maharaj right hand Bal Thackeray, a former leader of the Shiv Sena, the Bajrang Dal and the Vishva Hindu Parishad. Kalki Ji Maharaj is a devotee of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna was born in Vrindavan U.P. Delhi India. He left to live in the Himalayas in Badrinath and kept a very low profile and, after many years, he joined the Hindu Organization Shiv Sena and got very close to Bal Thackeray who appointed him as the leader Shiv Sena for North India. At that time he was provided (Z) security by the Government of India.
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[edit] Sena acts in 2008
On 24 August 2008, the Sri Ram Sena vandalized an exhibition of M F Husain's paintings in Delhi.[1] The Sena claimed that M F Hussain had painted Hindu gods in a derogatory manner, including a nude representation of Bharathmata(mother India). The exhibition had been organized by Sahmat, an NGO, to protest the controversial exclusion of Husain’s works from the concurrent India Art Summit. The artist's framed paintings and photographs were smashed. The vandals left behind scribbled notes attacking Husain.[2]
The Sena has repeatedly spoken out against the celebration of Valentine's Day, and has said it will stage protests against it.[3]
The group also finds mention in the Malegaon blast charge sheet filed by the Maharashtra Police. In the transcript of a conversation, the prime accused Colonel Purohit is heard praising the Shri Ram Sena, and calling Muthalik its leader.[1] In an interview given to a website, Muthalik staunchly defended Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, another key accused in the Malegaon blast case, saying she is innocent. After the investigation its found that there is neither any involvement of sri ram sena nor Pramod Muthalik in this case.[1] In an interview with Redriff, Pramod Muthalik, saying "Look at the Hubli case where so many terrorists were arrested. These arrests helped in cracking a nation-wide nexus of the Students Islamic Movement of India. It was our boys who gave information about these terrorists and on the basis of our information the police nabbed these anti-national elements."[4]
On 27 October 2008, activists of the Sena ransacked the central office of the Samajwadi Party in New Delhi, in retaliation to alleged defamatory comments made against slain Delhi Police Inspector M C Sharma by SP leadership. Taking responsibility for the attack, the outfit's national general secretary Binay Kumar Singh told PTI that he and his supporters had entered the premises of the SP office at Copernicus Lane and damaged some vehicles parked inside, as well as furniture and hoardings.[5]
[edit] Valentine's Day issues
On January 2009, Muthalik announced an action plan to target couples found dating on 14 February, Valentine’s Day. He said "Our activists will go around with a priest, a turmeric stub and a mangalsutra on 14 February. If we come across couples being together in public and expressing their love, we will take them to the nearest temple and conduct their marriage.[6] On 9th feb 2008, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that "Sri Ram Sena is a threat to the country. The Centre is watching its activities with great concern" [7]
The remarks of Muthalik raised widespread criticism and protests like the Pink Chaddi Campaign. As an additional precaution, Muthalik and 140 others of the Sri Ram Sena have been held in preventive custody on Valentine’s Eve [8] and released 4 days later.
To distance themselves from the Sri Ram Sena group, the RSS called for stringent action against the group, and said that they would have no objections should the government ban them.[9]
[edit] Other activities
On 12 October 2011, a few Sri Ram Sena activists allegedly roughed up senior lawyer and social activist Prashant Bhushan in his Supreme Court chamber. The Sena leadership denied any involvement. [10]
In January 2012, seven people[11] were arrested in Bijapur, Karnataka for raising Pakistan's national flag on a government building in order to create communal tension in the town, which has a sizeable Muslim population.[11] According to the police, they were members of Sri Ram Sena,[12] though the organization refuted the claim.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090081485
- ^ "Ram warriors' smash Husain works". The Telegraph (Calcutta, India). 25 August 2008. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080825/jsp/frontpage/story_9739593.jsp.
- ^ http://www.india.com/news/india/ram_sena_chief_bailed_and_arrested_again_2796
- ^ http://in.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/10inter-we-are-training-youth-to-fight-terror.htm
- ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sri-ram-sena-activists-attack-sp-office-in-delhi/378540/
- ^ "We'll not spare dating couples on Valentine's Day: Muthalik". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 6 February 2009. http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/06/stories/2009020657590100.htm.
- ^ "Sri Ram Sene is a threat to the country: Chidambaram". The Times Of India. 9 February 2009. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Sri_Ram_Sene_is_a_threat_to_the_country_Chidambaram/articleshow/4099436.cms.
- ^ "Police crackdown: Muthalik, 140 others held ahead of Valentine's Day". The Times Of India. 14 February 2009. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Muthalik-140-others-held-ahead-of-Valentines-Day/articleshow/4125413.cms.
- ^ http://www.dailypioneer.com/155516/Ban-Sri-Ram-Sena-RSS.html
- ^ http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sri-ram-sene-behind-my-assault-bhushan/192537-3.html
- ^ a b c Pradeepkumar Kadkol (11 January 2012). "Pakistani flag hoisting was a Hindutva plot to foment strife, police say". The Hindu (Chennai, India). http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2790960.ece. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ Habib Beary (5 January 2012). "Hindu group 'flew Pakistan flag to create tension'". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16424473. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
