Hindus in Bathinda took to the streets on Janmashtami to protest against the remarks of Congress councilor Sukhraj Aulakh. The Congress leader is alleged to have passed despicable remarks against Hindu women, Hindu Dharma, and its rituals.
As per reports, Hindus assembled at Bathinda’s Hanuman Chowk and undertook a peaceful protest against the Congress councilor who is alleged to have mocked Hindu rituals such as performing havan (yagna) and customs such as sporting the tilak on one’s forehead. The protestors carried placards and posters in addition to singing bhajans (devotional songs) as a novel form of protest against the Congress leader.
The Congress councilor is said to have used his social media to pass the uncharitable comments. The protestors demanded that the Congress leader be booked for hurting Hindu religious sentiments. There were also protests against the Punjab police and Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal who is said to be shielding the Congress councilor.
“Meanwhile, members of the Shiv Sena Hindustan, Shiv Sena Bal Thackeray party, and Shiv Sena HID, on Saturday, August 29, sent three different demand letters to Surinderpal Singh, the Superintendant of Police (Headquarters), Bathinda, requesting him to register a case under IPC section 295(A) [Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs], against Congress leader Sukhraj Aulakh” reported OpIndia.
According to available information, when Hindu organizations undertook a protest march on Friday 28 August, SSP Ajay Maluja had assured them that Congress councilor Aulakh would be asked to issue an apology. However, the Hindus were extremely agitated at the despicable remarks of the councilor and said that a mere apology wouldn’t suffice.
Angered by the Punjab Finance Minister’s protecting the Congress leader, Hindus vowed that if he did not take action against his colleague, they would not allow Manpreet Badal to visit any temple on Janmashtami. Protestors led by BJP Punjab secretary Sukhpal Singh Saran burnt effigies of Badal and also accused the Punjab government of dividing the people on religious lines by shielding the likes of Aulakh.
Sandip Pathak of All India Hindu Federation and Shri Hindu Takht, Sushil Jindal of Shiv Sena Hindustan, and Sandeep Aggarwal from Bajrang Dal were told by the Bathinda SSP that at the most the Congress leader would be asked to issue an apology and nothing more could be done.
OpIndia quotes a Bhaskar report as saying “the SSP reportedly said that the police could not take any arbitrary action against the leader. Angered by the SSP’s response, advocate Sandeep Pathak asserted that police officials are extremely powerless in the face of the ruling elites in Punjab”.
The Congress leader issued an apology in view of the protests. However, Hindus have stated that a mere apology isn’t enough and that the Congress councilor needs to be dealt with strictly. They have even vowed to go to court to get the Congress leader punished for demonizing Hindu Dharma and Hindus.
(Featured Image Source: OpIndia)
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