Ahead of the Ram Navami festival, members of the Bajrang Dal, a militant Hindutva group, were spotted selling swords, knives, and canes in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
In a video, which sparked outrage on social media platforms, a man is seen selling weapons in a tent along the roadside. Wearing saffron scarf, the purported Bajrang Dal member is seen selling baseball bats, swords and knives, and calling on passers-by to buy the “original weapons” in preparation for the Ram Navami celebration.
“Dasmi ke din log nikle gey aur agar tuhmare pass shastra nahi hai toh lene ke liyai ap ko anna padega Bajrang Ashtra Bhandar peh (The procession will begin on Dasmi. If you don’t have weapons for that, you have to come to Bajrang Ashtra Bhandar,” the man can be heard saying in the video.
“Bajrang Dal is providing you these weapons at less price. There is no Ram Navmi without branding swords in Hazaribagh,” he said.
In another clip, he is seen holding a sword and cryptically saying: “This sword can be used for decoration or another thing.”
The 2024 Ram Navami will fall on April 17. In recent years, there has been an alarming trend of violence against Muslims on Ram Navmi.
In 2023 year, seven states in India witnessed clashes between Hindus and Muslims during the Ram Navami festival, which marks the birth of Lord Rama. Extremist groups, including the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have been found involved in the violence.
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