Azam Khan slams Bajrang Dal, says its polarising society

Rampur (Uttar Pradesh): Strongly opposing Bajrang Dal’s move to organise ‘self-defence’ camp in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya city, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Thursday said such events led to the polarisation of the society, which is not the interest of the nation.

“There should not be any polarization. Some political parties can do it for their benefits, other than the BJP. This is not good politics.

The camp shouldn’t have been organized. There should be probe in the matter,” Khan told the reporters here.

He further stated that nobody should disturb the communal atmosphere of the country, adding that parties should not try to derive political mileage from the matter.

A Bajrang Dal leader, Mahesh Sharma, was arrested last night in connection with the camp conducted in Ayodhya.

The arrest comes after an FIR against unidentified Bajrang Dal workers was lodged at the Ayodhya police station late on Tuesday night.

Earlier on May 14, a ‘self-defence’ camp was organised at Karsevakpuram, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) workshop in Ayodhya.

In the video that went viral on Monday, volunteers wearing skull caps were reportedly seen brandishing firearm, swords and lathis.

In the annual self-defence camp, the Bajrang Dal cadres are trained to use rifles, swords and sticks so that they can ‘protect the Hindus’.

Similar camps would be held till June 5 in Sultanpur, Gorakhpur, Pilibhit, Noida and Fatehpur cities in the state.

The cadres can be seen killing men dressed as Muslims during the mock drill. (ANI)