The dubious activities of the Bajrang Dal, an armed youth wing of the VHP needs to be put under the scanner. A range of violent activities across the country and especially against Christians in Orissa has provided enough evidence of its appetite for bloodletting.

To seek a ban on Bajrang Dal and the VHP for engineering violent attacks against Christians in Orissa, the organization has written a letter to Union Home Minister Shivraj V Patil on Sep 16, 2008.

Dear Home Minister:

We all are aware of the widespread violent attacks on Christians in Orissa. We express our deep concern over the bloodshed including the killing of Hindu religious leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati that sparked the bloody cycle of retribution.

What Orissa is witnessing is not riots, as being reported in the media. It's an organized violence perpetrated by the activists of Hindu organizations namely Bajrang Dal and the VHP. The recent events highlighted the use of violence by these two organizations against Christians. Scores of churches have been either burnt or razed, several pastors including 62-year old father Eddy have been injured beside a dozen persons have lost their lives in the hands of frenzy mobs led by activists of these two organizations.

The National dailies have widely reported that the son of a BJP leader and his accomplice associated with one of these organizations were arrested when the bomb they were making exploded in Bhubaneswar. Recently in Kanpur two Bajrang Dal activists were killed while making bombs.

We remind you the Home Minister that as many as 34 organizations representing different minority communities are currently banned under UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) ACT, 1967 on the pretext that their actions either seriously undermines national security or are threat to communal harmony.

The moot question is why the above said Act has not been invoked against these groups that were responsible for torching of churches, molesting of nuns, burning Rajani Majhi alive and killing dozens of innocent Christians? The government's conspicuous silence to ban such groups reflects its double standards on "terrorism".

The bloody incidents had brought back memories of Delhi 1984 carnage and 2002 Gujarat genocide. It reminds us that the minorities in India are sons of the lesser gods. The politics of genocide has become the permanent feature of the Indian psyche and revenge has become an instrument of state policy.

While the perpetrators of Orissa violence targeting innocent Christians must be severely punished, we, the activists of the Dal Khalsa, a religio-political party in Punjab, urge you to place the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on the watch list of organizations indulging in violent and terrorist acts.

With Regards

H S Dhami (President)