The Hindu, Monday, 20 October 2008:
SHIMANTHOOR (DAKSHINA KANNADA): President of the World Council of Arya Samaj Swami Agnivesh said on Sunday that the Union Government should ban the Vishwa Hindu Parishat (VHP) and Bajrang Dal.
Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a conference of the samaj here, he alleged that the VHP and Bajrang Dal resorted to communal violence in the country. They preached to hate other communities.
“They have been breaking law and taking law into their hands,” he said.
Referring to the recent attacks on Christian prayer halls in the State, he said: “I condemn the attacks on the prayer halls and Christians. They were the handiwork of those minds which want to divide society. Some people are having a political agenda. I denounce such efforts.”
“Whoever disturbs communal harmony should be arrested. Organisations responsible for it should be banned,” he said.
Swami Agnivesh lauded the police action against Bajrang Dal’s the State unit chief in connection with the attacks on Christian prayer halls in parts of the State.
“The Government has sent the right message to this extent,” he said.
He claimed that he had raised the issue of banning the VHP and Bajrang Dal at the National Integration Council meeting in New Delhi in the presence of some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.
Though the judge of the Special Tribunal found no evidence to ban Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), the apex court extended the ban on it, he said.
The Arya Samaj leader said that he was against forcible conversion.
“This must be stopped. However, one has to have evidence to prove this. It should be decided by the court. One should not act as self-appointed judge. It is wrong to punish someone by taking law into hands,” he added.
