Abhinav Bharat

Last updated

Abhinav Bharat is a Hindutva militant [1] organization [2] [3] founded by retired Indian Army Major Ramesh Upadhyay [4] [5] [6] in 2006 in Pune, India. It has a large base in Madhya Pradesh. The organization is believed to be the revived form of the pre-Independence era Abhinav Bharat Society. [7] [8] [9] The activities of the organisations received widespread attention after Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested its member for the 2006 Malegaon bombings case. [10] It has no relationship to the Mumbai-based charitable trust of the same name. [11]

Contents

History

Abhinav Bharat was named after the Abhinav Bharat Society, an organisation founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1904. The original organization believed in armed revolution, and was responsible for the assassinations of some officers[ which? ] of the ruling British government before being disbanded in 1952. [12]

The current Abhinav Bharat was founded in 2006 by Ramesh Upadhyay [4] [5] and lieutenant-colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit. [6] [13] The first few meetings of the new group took place in 2007. [12] Himani Savarkar, the niece of Nathuram Godse and the wife of Vinayak Savarkar's nephew, was elected president of the group in 2008. [12] During the first few meetings of the organisation, the members discussed the idea that Hinduism was in danger, and needed to be defended. [12] In 2008, several of its members were arrested on the suspicion of being involved in the 2006 Malegaon bombings, and its official website was closed down. [14]

Relationship with Sangh Parivar groups

Sangh Parivar representatives have distanced themselves from Abhinav Bharat (AB). [15] Praveen Togadia, the former head of the VHP, fears that Abhinav Bharat is diverting radicals from the VHP, from where much of the Abhinav Bharat membership originates. [16] Abhinav Bharat has also been accused of plotting to kill senior RSS leaders, including RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, who the Sangh Parivar thought wasn't doing enough for Hindutva. [17] [18]

The Caravan conducted interviews of Swami Aseemanand to publish an exclusive profile, [19] in which he named Bhagwat in relation to 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings, Ajmer Dargah attack and Mecca Masjid bombing. Later, Aseemanand called the magazine article "fabricated" and threatened to launch legal action against the article's author. However, the Caravan defended its report and released tape recordings and transcripts of the interviews. [20] [21] The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which investigating Aseemanand, said that he never named any RSS leader during questioning. The RSS, too, has denied the allegations.[ citation needed ] Aseemanand has been acquitted of all charges. [22]

Allegations of involvement in bombings

Following the arrest and investigation of Abhinav Bharat members Swami Aseemanand, Shrikant Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan, Sunil Joshi, and Rajendra Choudhary in connection with the 2006 Malegaon blasts, [23] the organization has been investigated for its alleged role in 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings, Malegaon blasts, Mecca Masjid bombing, Ajmer Sharif Dargah blast and Jalna mosque bomb attack. In all these bombings 147 people were killed. [8] [24] Anti-Terrorism Squad Investigations have revealed that serving and retired army officers associated with Abhinav Bharat hijacked the organisation and motivated the youth to take up armed struggle against Muslims. [25] Swapan Dasgupta notes that the group seemed little more "than a letterhead or part of a fantasy world". [26]

Praveen Mutalik, who was arrested for his alleged role in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, is alleged to have received more than ₹3 lakh (US$3,600) from Prasad Shrikant Purohit, a co-founder of the Abhinav Bharat. [6] Furthermore, the Anti Terrorist Squad has claimed that Ajay Rahirkar, the treasurer of Abhinav Bharat, received ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) from various hawaladars . [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathuram Godse</span> Assassin of Mahatma Gandhi

Nathuram Vinayak Godse was the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a Hindu nationalist from Maharashtra who shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point blank range at a multi-faith prayer meeting in Birla House in New Delhi on 30 January 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh</span> Hindu nationalist organisation in India

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist volunteer paramilitary organisation. It is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar, which has developed a presence in all facets of Indian society and includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling political party under Narendra Modi, the 14th prime minister of India. Mohan Bhagwat has served as the Sarsanghchalak of the RSS since March 2009.

Hindutva is a political ideology encompassing the cultural justification of Hindu nationalism and the belief in establishing Hindu hegemony within India. The political ideology was formulated by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1922. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the current ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other organisations, collectively called the Sangh Parivar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bharatiya Jana Sangh</span> Former Indian political party

The Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh (abbreviated asBJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, was an Indian nationalist political party. This party was established on 21 October 1951 in Delhi, that existed from 1951 to 1977. Its three founding members were Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Balraj Madhok and Deendayal Upadhyaya. Jan Sangh was the political arm of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. In 1977, it merged with several other left, centre and right parties opposed to the Indian National Congress and formed the Janata Party. In 1980, the members of erstwhile Jan Sangh quit the Janata party after the defeat in the 1980 general elections and formed the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the direct political successor to the Jan Sangh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindu Mahasabha</span> Hindu nationalist political party in India

Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha is a Hindu nationalist political party in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pravin Togadia</span> Indian oncologist, activist

Pravin Togadia is an Indian doctor, cancer surgeon and an advocate for Hindu nationalism, coming from the state of Gujarat. He was the former International Working President of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and a cancer surgeon by qualification. He is Founder and Current President of Antarashtriya Hindu Parishad. He had a falling out with the Sangh Parivar and is a vocal critic of Narendra Modi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. S. Golwalkar</span> 2nd head of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (1906–1973)

Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar, popularly known as Guruji, was the second Sarsanghchalak ("Chief") of the Hindutva organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Golwalkar is considered one of the most influential and prominent figures among Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Nationalists by his followers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malegaon</span> City in Maharashtra, India

Malegaon is a city and a municipal corporation in Nashik District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Malegaon is one of the biggest city after Nashik city in North Maharashtra.It is situated on the bank of the Girna river with Mosam River river flowing through middle of the city dividing it in two parts. Malegaon is famous for its loom industries.

<i>Samjhauta Express</i> International train between India and Pakistan

The Samjhauta Express was a twice-weekly train, Thursday and Monday, that ran between Delhi and Attari in India and Lahore in Pakistan. In Hindi–Urdu language. the word Samjhauta means an "agreement" or an "accord", especially one arising out of a compromise.

The 2008 Malegaon bombings took place on 8 September 2008 in Malegaon, a town in the Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra, 290 km northeast of Mumbai. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) initially blamed the bombings on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), but in a chargesheet filed in 2013 the NIA and ATS joint investigation and involved evidences pointed towards involvement of an extremist group Abhinav Bharat and Pragya Thakur, who were later released from charges due to lack of evidence.

The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred around midnight on 18 February 2007 on the Samjhauta Express, a twice-weekly train service connecting Delhi, India, and Lahore, Pakistan. Bombs were set off in two carriages, both filled with passengers, just after the train passed Diwana near the Indian city of Panipat, 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of New Delhi. 70 people were killed in the ensuing fire and dozens more were injured. Of the 70 fatalities, most were Pakistani civilians. The victims also included some Indian civilians and three railway policemen.

The Mecca Masjid blast occurred on 18 May 2007 inside the Mecca Masjid, a mosque located in the old city area of Hyderabad, capital of the Indian state of Telangana located very close to Charminar. The blast was caused by a cellphone-triggered pipe bomb placed near the site designated for ablution. Two further live IEDs were found and defused by the police. Sixteen people were reported dead in the immediate aftermath, of whom five were killed by the police firing after the incident while trying to quell the mob angered by what they considered police failure to protect the Muslims during their worship.

On 29 September 2008 three bombs exploded in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra of India killing 10 people and injuring 80. Two bombs went off in Malegaon, Maharashtra, which killed nine people while another blast in Modasa, Gujarat resulted in the death of one person.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemant Karkare</span> Indian police officer and Ashoka Chakra recipient (1954–2008)

Hemant Kamlakar Karkare, was the chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). He was killed in action during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. In 2009, he was posthumously given the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry decoration.

Hindu terrorism, sometimes called Hindutva terror or, metonymically, saffron terror, refer to terrorist acts carried out on the basis of motivations in broad association with Hindu nationalism or Hindutva.

Hindu Revolution is a term in Hindu nationalism referring to a sociopolitical movement aiming to overthrow untouchability and casteism to unified social and political community to create the foundations of a modern nation.

Swami Aseemanand is an accused of masterminding the Ajmer Dargah bombing, Mecca Masjid blast, and the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings— before being acquitted of all charges.

The Ajmer Dargah bombing occurred on 11 October 2007, in the courtyard of Sufi maulana Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, after the Iftar period had started. On 22 March 2017 a Special NIA Court convicted three Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharaks Devendra Gupta, Bhavesh Patel and Sunil Joshi. Sunil Joshi and Devendra Gupta were found guilty on charges of conspiracy and Bhavesh Bhai Patel was found guilty of planting the explosive on the blast site. Gupta and Patel were awarded life imprisonment. Sunil Joshi had been found shot dead in mysterious circumstances soon after the blast in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh.

Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" is a simplistic translation of हिन्दू राष्ट्रवाद. It is better described as "Hindu polity".

Pragya Singh Thakur, better known as SadhviPragya, is an Indian politician and former Member of Parliament who represented Bhopal and belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party. During her college days, she was an active member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and later joined various affiliate organisations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

References

  1. ↑ "Abhinav Bharat, the Malegaon Blast and Hindu Nationalism: Resisting and Emulating Islamist Terrorism". 4 September 2010.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ↑ "The Mirror Explodes: Hindu is a reality, yet India refuses to utter its name". Outlook . 19 July 2010. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Ashraf, Ajaz (2 August 2015). "Dear Rajnath, 'Hindu terror' is exactly the word for Abhinav Bharat extremists". Firstpost.
  4. 1 2 "History of LT COL involved in Bomb Blasts". 2 November 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Who is Shrikant Purohit?". NDTV.com.
  6. 1 2 3 "Mutalik used Abhinav Bharat funds for business". The Times of India . 4 February 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Mahan, Rajan (14 April 2009). "Abhinav Bharat under ATS scanner for '07 Ajmer blast". NDTV . Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  8. 1 2 Jain, Bharti (27 February 2013). "Maharashtra government moves to ban Abhinav Bharat". The Times of India . Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Home ministry turns down Maharashtra's plea to ban Abhinav Bharat". The Times of India . 22 August 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  10. ↑ Naveen, P. (27 October 2008). "Malegaon blast: Focus on new outfits". The Hindustan Times . Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Mumbai trust wants Abhinav Bharat to change name". 25 April 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Jaffrelot, C. (2010). "Abhinav Bharat, the Malegaon Blast and Hindu Nationalism: Resisting and Emulating Islamist Terrorism". Economic and Political Weekly. 45 (36): 51–58. JSTOR   25742046.
  13. ↑ "10 Facts About Lt Col Purohit, Main Accused In 2008 Malegaon Blast Case". NDTV.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  14. ↑ Haygunde, Chandan (28 October 2008). "Abhinav Bharat's site shut". The Indian Express . Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Sangh distances itself from Malegaon episode - The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 8 November 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "Togadia alarmed by Lt-Col's rise? - The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 7 November 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  17. ↑ "Blast accused wanted to kill saffron leaders". Hindustan Times. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "Did Abhinav Bharat plan to kill RSS chief? - The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  19. ↑ Leena Gita Reghunath (1 February 2014). "The Believer: Swami Aseemanand's radical service to the Sangh". Caravan. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  20. ↑ "Aseemanand threatens to launch legal action against The Caravan". The Hindu . 8 February 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  21. ↑ Leena Gita Reghunath (8 February 2014). "Swami Aseemanand interviews". Outlook. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  22. ↑ "Swami Aseemanand, 3 others acquitted in 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing case". Hindustan Times. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  23. ↑ "ATS may arrest Abhinav Bharat leader today". The Times of India . Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  24. ↑ "Narco test to be carried on Abhinav Bharat activist". The Times Of India. 10 November 2008.
  25. ↑ "Abhinav Bharat was 'hijacked' by hardliners: probe". Indian Express . 2 November 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  26. ↑ "Malegaon to Mangalore". Indian Express. 28 January 2009.
  27. ↑ "Abhinav Bharat treasurer may have received hawala money". The Times of India . 10 November 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.