Abhinav Bharat

Abhinav Bharat or "Young India" is the name of three different organizations or entities, the oldest of them, the Abhinav Bharat Society founded and led by Vinayak Savarkar but later defunct; the second a charitable trust; and a third, an attempt to revive the Sawarkarite entity, its agenda and program of ultra-Rightwing Hinduism more radical and extreme than that of the Sangh Parivar, which Sawarkarism rejects as compromised or watered down.

The 3rd, neo-Sawarkarite entity gained prominence when its members were arrested for allegedly perpetrating the Malegaon bombing. The 2nd Abhinav Bharat, a Public Charitable Trust, affirms that the two entities have no connection of any kind, and are antithetical in nature, with itself, the Trust being one that "works for a pluralist, peaceful, just and humane society," does not indulge in or condone acts of violence or illegal activities, and, in order to protect its own reputation, has filed a Public-Interest Litigation (PIL) Writ Petition (WP) #02 of 2009 in the Bombay High Court against the use of its name by the neo-Sawarkarite organization.

History

In its first iteration, the group, born before Independence, was founded and led by Vinayak Savarkar, initially as 'Mitramela' ("Friends' Circle") a secret organization of radical, armed Hindu Nationalist revolutionaries at Nashik in 1900, operating as a terrorist organization, and conducted armed strikes against the British and other targets; after the arrest and trial of Sawarkar as instigator and conspirator in the assassination of Gandhi, its fate is not known, but it is believed to have been outlawed and disbanded by the government. The Abhinav Bharat Charitable Trust was formed in January 2002. Abhinav Bharat as a reiteration of Savarkar's original and defunct Hindu nationalist organization was created in 2007 and is presided over and led by Savarkar's granddaughter, Himani Savarkar, also related to Nathuram Godse, M K Gandhi's assassin.

Following the investigation and arrests, the neo-Sawarkarite entity's website was mysteriously shut down.

Sangh Parivar Relationship

Sangh Parivar representatives have distanced themselves from the neo-Sawarkarite Abhinav Bharat, and reject it and similar other groups as operating on the fringes of Hindu nationalism. Dr. Praveen Togadia, head of the VHP, fears that the neo-Sawarkarite Abhinav Bharat is weaning away radicals from the VHP, from where much of the Abhinav Bharat membership originates. Amongst these included Sameer Kulkarni, the points-man for Abhinav Bharat in Madhya Pradesh, who was also expelled from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in June 2008 for not following protocol within the organization. Abhinav Bharat has also been accused of plotting to kill senior RSS leaders who they thought "weren’t doing enough for Hindutva." These plots include allegations from an arrested Abhinav Bharat member in June 2010 that members were involved in a plot to kill RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat.

A twist to this was added when a news portal The Caravan claimed to have conducted a sting operation on Swami Aseemanand in which he admitted that Abhinav Bharat was a terrorist front for the Sangh Parivar and that terror strikes were approved by Mohan Bhagwat, Dictator of the RSS[1]. Aseemanand, Bhagwat, the Sangh Parivar have vociferously denied these reports and threatened to sue the Caravan Magazine, while the Indian federal Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde stated that he was inclined to believe the reports [2].

Alleged activities and arrests

Following the arrest and investigation of several of its functionaries in connection with the Malegaon terrorist bombings, the group became the target of sustained investigations for its alleged role in several other terror attacks across the country. Several serving and retired army officers are also believed to have been recruited by Abhinav Bharat and to have helped with indoctrinations and arms and explosives training.

Disbelief

Claims by police and government of "Saffron Terrorism" as a counterpoint to Islamic terrorism have been met with a chorus of denunciation and rejection by Hindu nationalists, some of whom reject the claims and accusations of crimes and terrorist activities made against the neo-Sawarkarite Abhinav Bharat. E.g. Swapan Dasgupta notes that the group seemed little more "than a letterhead or part of a fantasy world"

See also

• 2006 Malegaon blasts
• 2007 Mecca Masjid bombing
• 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
• 2008 Malegaon & Modasa bombing
• Saffron Terror
• Terrorism