VHP, Bajrang Dal disown Bittu Bajrangi after his arrest

The Vishva Hindu Parishad, on 16th August, posted a note on X (formerly Twitter) to 'clarify' that Raj Kumar, aka Bittu Bajrangi, is not and has never been associated with the Bajrang Dal.

The Hindutva advocacy organisation went on to say that the Vishva Hindu Parishad does not condone the things he has shared by way of videos. Ostensibly this a reference to his viral message to Muslims of Haryana to "keep the garlands ready, for your brothers-in-law are coming in some 150 vehicles".

It should be noted that Bajrangi has not only adopted the Bajrang Dal's name in his popular moniker but runs a cow vigilante group that also references the Dal—the Gau Raksha Bajrang Force.

It is also noteworthy that while allegations Bajrangi of fomenting communal unrest have been lingering for months, and been particularly widely discussed in the media since the Nuh (formerly Mewat) violence began at the end of July, it is only after the 'activist' was rather dramatically apprehended by the police yesterday, 15 August, that the VHP (and the Dal, its militant arm) felt the need to set the record straight.

Nuh Police spokesperson Krishna Kumar said that following the violence in Nuh on July 31, a case was also registered against Bittu Bajrangi and others at the Sadar police station in Nuh under relevant sections of the IPC and the Arms Act on the complaint of ASP Usha Kundu.

After this, the police teams also investigated the video related to the violence. It was based on this FIR that Bittu was arrested again on Tuesday by the Nuh Police.

"On July 31, Bittu Bajrangi and 15-20 other people shouted slogans and brandished swords in front of ACP Usha Kundu of Nuh police. She told them not to brandish swords but they became furious and obstructed the police instructions and misbehaved with the police. The associates of Bittu Bajrangi are being identified from the video available with the police. Others who were with Bittu Bajrangi in this incident will also be arrested," Kumar told IANS.

(With inputs from IANS)