Key Takeaways
- The Calcutta High Court granted permission for the VHP and Bajrang Dal protest rally across West Bengal.
- VHP and Bajrang Dal plan to march from October 4‑8, highlighting Hindu cultural issues and honoring freedom fighters.
- The rally will involve about 200 participants, three trucks and twenty motorbikes, with a pledge of no weapons.
Kolkata: Calcutta High Court has okayed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal‘s proposed protest rally across West Bengal, court sources said on Thursday.
The two Hindu outfits proposed a nationwide rally, which is planned to pass through West Bengal between October 4-8.
As many as three separate petitions were filed by members of VHP and Bajrang Dal, after the West Bengal Police denied them permission to proceed with the rally in certain districts of the state.
Calcutta High Court judge Justice Jay Sengupta while hearing the contestant advocates on the issue on Wednesday allowed the three separate petitions filed by members of the two
saffron outfits.
“This Yatra is intended to spread awareness about the various issues relating to ‘Hinduism’. It also intends to honour various freedom fighters, who laid their lives for the country, protecting Hindu religion and Hindu culture. It will pass through various sites which have religious and historical importance,” the petitioners said.
They assured the court that no arms or weapons would be carried by the members of VHP and Bajrang Dal.
The petitioners also underlined the need to inspire nationalism among citizens. The petitions were filed by three members of VHP and Bajrang Dal, Chandan Kaity, Amit Pramanik and Debjit Bhar, through their counsels Anamika Pandey and Phiroze Edulji.
“It is important to remind people that behind the August 15, 1947 independence, there lies a chaotic history of battles, uprisings and movements, which should not be forgotten. British Colonialism in the country was a human tragedy with few parallels in the recorded
history,” the petitions stated.
The petitions pointed to the grave injuries inflicted upon Bharat by British colonialism and said that the yatra is thereby very important to remember and honour freedom fighters. “It is for their sacrifices that we not only attained our independence but reclaimed our prosperity and are gradually becoming the fastest growing economy in the world.”
The petitioners also assured that a maximum of 200 members of VHP and Bajrang Dal are likely to participate in the yatra and that only 3 trucks and 20 motorbikes would be plied.
The VHP inaugurated the yatra from Jaigaon of Alipurduar district of north Bengal, a border area with Bhutan.
