The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal on Wednesday held protests across Uttar Pradesh against the recent communal violence in Haryana, which they termed “planned and sponsored attacks. They demanded that the Haryana and Union governments take strict action against the perpetrators, urging “bulldozer” action similar to what U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had done to “silence the rebels” in the State.
Read live updates of the communal violence in Haryana, as it unfolded on August 2, 2023.
The protests by the Hindu right-wing outfits were held across U.P., including in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Unnao, Agra, Azamgarh, Moradabad, Bareilly, Prayagraj, and Kanpur.
VHP members burnt effigies and raised slogans outside District Magistrate offices, demanding action against the perpetrators of the Haryana violence. “We demand in-depth probe by the National Investigation Agency over the violence in Nuh. The riots points towards failure of intelligence system about how they were unaware of weapons accumulated by anti-social elements. We have burnt effigies of Islamic terrorism and send a message that an attack will not be tolerated,” said Vinod Aggarwal, a senior office bearer of the VHP in Prayagraj.
“The way Yogi Ji silenced the rebels, the same way bulldozer action needs to be taken in Haryana,” he added, while leading the protest in Prayagraj.
The protesters also submitted memoranda to the authorities addressed to the Prime Minister and the President, seeking effective action.