Over 200 VHP Women Booked For Firing Air Guns During Procession

Saffron brigade Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s women functionaries have been booked by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police for allegedly firing air guns and brandishing swords while carrying out a procession on the streets on Sunday. Police have registered complaints against almost 200 girls and women for the dastardly act.

VHP’s women’s wing ‘Durga Vahini’ had organised the procession and while they had asked for police permission for air firing etc., they had been denied. Despite that, they held a “Shobha Yatra” between Ankush Chowk and Thackrey maidan in Pune.

A police official, Vikas N. Dudhe, has registered a complaint against VHP activists including local unit President Sharad Inamdar, district chief Dhanaji Shinde, Nitin Vatkar and the other 200 odd unidentified persons. The complaint says that at least four girls very seen illegally holding air guns and there were a few who held swords in their hands.

Police officer Dudhe said that to maintain law and order in the city, the police had banned carrying all types of dangerous weapons from May 21-June 3 and the VHP procession had broken the police orders.

“At the time of the rally, Sharad Inamdar, Dhanaji Shinde, and Nitin Vatkar and over 250 others of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad took out a rally without prior permission. In the rally, four girls were seen holding air rifles, and when they were pressing the triggers, a sound was coming from it. Five girls were seen brandishing swords and chanting slogans.

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“At the time of the rally, Sharad Inamdar, Dhanaji Shinde, and Nitin Vatkar and over 250 others of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad took out a rally without prior permission. In the rally, four girls were seen holding air rifles, and when they were pressing the triggers, a sound was coming from it. Five girls were seen brandishing swords and chanting slogans. These actions were in violation of the Arms Act and that of the prohibitory orders put in place for maintenance of law and order. This offense has been registered,” states the FIR, Indian Express reported.

Inspector SB Pawar of Nigdi police station said, “We have launched a probe into various aspects including how these arms were procured and if any more people were involved in the organisation. Arrests are likely in the case.”

Earlier in a similar incident, kids were given training in weapon handling in a private school in Thane, run by a Bharatiya Janata Party legislator. This led to a minor protest against the school. The police claimed however that the weapons used were mock items while the activists say that the matter is being diluted because the case involved an influential ruling party legislator from Mira Road town, Narendra Mehta, National Herald reported.

Recently the Bajrang Dal also came under fire for holding a weapons training camp in the Seven Square Academy, a CBSE-affiliated school between May 25 and June 1. It was disclosed after a student Prashant Gupta posted some pictures of the camp activity.

The Democratic Youth Federation of India has filed a memorandum with the Assistant Superintendent of Police Atul Kulkarni last week demanding a thorough probe into the incident, seizure of the arms and their forensic analysis and the booking of Mehta and others.

Picture credit: Outlook India

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