MP: Alleged Bajrang Dal Men Attack Congress Office in Jabalpur Over Karnataka Ban Issue

Bhopal: Reacting to Congress party’s announcement to ban the Bajrang Dal in Karnataka if it comes to power in Karnataka, alleged members of the Hindutva outfit in Jabalpur attacked Congress district office and adjacent Patrakar Bhawan on Thursday afternoon.

The saffron outfit was taking out a rally, with police security, to oppose the Congress' announcement made during the Karnataka Assembly election campaign, when a group of men entered the party’s office and vandalised it, Prabhat Shukla, a top Jabalpur police officer, told reporters after visiting the spot.

"Police were deployed at Baldev Bagh square when they suddenly barged inside the office. Action will be taken accordingly," Shukla said. He, however, did not elaborate when asked what action the police would take.

According to videos of the incident circulating on social media platforms, saffron clad men, armed with sticks and rods, chanting Jai Shree Ram can be seen barging inside the building and vandalising it. In the video, the men can be seen breaking windows, electric metres, flower pots and others amid sloganeering.

Interestingly, soon after the attack, Bajrang Dal leaders claimed they were protesting peacefully when some saffron-clad men attacked the building.

Speaking to reporters after the incident, Bajrang Dal leader Sumit Thakur said: "We have registered our peaceful disagreement. While we were protesting, Congress members donning saffron attire carried out an attack. We did not indulge in any kind of vandalism."

Condemning the attack, Jabalpur Congress leader Dinesh Yadav said in the garb of protest, ‘they’ (Bajrang Dal) attacked the Congress office and adjacent Patrakar Bhawan. He also alleged that the police were ‘hand-in-glove’ with the Bajrang Dal as all this happened in presence of police.

Levelling allegations on the police, Yadav said, "When a Congress member tries to protest or announces a protest in  wake of BJP leaders' visit, police either house arrests them or detains them under the CrPc 151. But Bajrang Dal men attacked the office of a national party and they did nothing."

Taking a dig at the Prime Minister's Karnataka speech in which he drew parallel between Bajrang Dal with Bajrang Bali (Hanuman) Yadav told reporters, "If Bajrang Dal men are deities for BJP, they should build their temples and worship them, don't leave them on the streets to create unrest."

Despite repeated attempts, Tusharkant Vidhyarthi, Superintendent of Police, Jabalpur, did not respond to calls.

Like Jabalpur, rallies were also taken out in Raipur, state capital of poll-bound Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. Effigies of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel were burnt in a bid to register their disagreement over the announcement of Bajrang Dal ban.

After the protest, Baghel rtold reporters, "The commitment was made to ban Bajrang Dal who are creating unrest in the society, not lord Bajrang Bali. He is our deity and BJP and Bajrang Dal are using it to create tension, which is unacceptable."

The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister also shared a video of a teenager who can be heard using abusive words against Chief Minister Baghel stating, "The kid abusing me is associated with Bajrang Dal. It is an example that in the garb of religion how (Bajrang Dal) is ruining the future of children. I pray for this future."