Author: Indo-Asian News Service
Publication: Hindustan Times
Date: November 15, 2008
URL: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=27ba94c5-4236-419f-9341-ef80a0a41303
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday
said it would launch a campaign to counter what it termed as the government's
conspiracy against 'sadhus, sadhvis and sena' (mendicants and military) and
to express solidarity with those arrested for the Malegaon blast.
VHP joint secretary V. Abdeo said here that
besides sit-in and demonstrations across the country, the VHP activists would
send SMSes and e-mails abroad too to air solidarity with the people nabbed
for their suspected involvement in the Sep 29 Malegaon blast that killed six.
Cautioning the state and the central governments
against hurting the sentiments of the monks and the military, Abdeo told mediapersons
here that the investigations into the Malegaon blast are nothing but "appeasement
of the Muslim community".
On the arrests of Sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur,
alias 'Purnachetanandagiri', Lt. Col. Prasad S. Purohit and Swami Amritanand
alias Sudhakar Dwivedi and others, Abdeo alleged the arrests were "part
of a well-thought out campaign to appease the Muslims prior to the elections".
He also accused the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist
Squad (ATS) of going allout to "please" the Congress-led governments
at the state and the centre.
Abdeo claimed that Sadhvi Pragnya was picked
up from her home Oct 10 but her arrest was shown as Oct 24. Similarly, Shivnarayan
Kalsangra was picked up Oct 18 but shown as arrested Oct 24, Ajay Rahirkar
was caught Oct 26 and arrested only Nov 3.
He said that after the Sadhvi, the ATS has
now trained its guns on Swami Asimananda of Dangs region in Gujarat. "What
is his fault? He has only prevented conversion of Hindus," he said.
Abdeo alleged that the accused are being "physically
and mentally tortured in custody and the rights due to an accused in custody
are not bestowed on them by the ATS".
