On the day following Valentine’s day, a day to celebrate love, many videos have been circulating on social media wherein members of the Hindu right-wing organization, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena can be seen harassing couples. News from various parts of India is being reported.

A herd of Shiv Sena men barged inside a restaurant to target couples on Valentine’s Day, as has been reported from Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. Slogans such as “Babu Ho Ya Sona, Tod Denge Kona Kona” and “Jai Shree Ram” were also being raised by the angry mob. They were armed with sticks and rods. A day before Valentine’s Day, they issued an open threat through the media. A few young people can be seen fleeing the restaurant as the mob wearing the orange muffler shouted slogans.

The video can be viewed here:
 

This is from #Sagar, #MadhyaPradesh.

Amid the slogans “Babu Ho Ya Sona, Tod Denge Kona Kona,” a hurd of #ShivSena men barged inside a restaurant to target couples on #ValentinesDay.

They were armed with sticks & rods.

They issued an open threat through the media Yesterday. pic.twitter.com/nBB0aKNeWR

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) February 14, 2023

In another instance, the Gujarat Bajrang Dal staged a protest in Central Vista garden in Gandhinagar against Valentine’s Day celebrations and drove away couples sitting in the park. It has been reported that the police had briefly detained some of the Bajrang Dal members. As reported by the Indian Express, the actions of the members were defended by the Bajrang dal Gandhinagar wing president Shaktisinh Zala, wherein he said that their protest was against the western culture, celebration of Valentine’s Day and the indecent and vulgar behaviour of the couples in a public place. He further said that he had nothing against the individuals, and as usual ended by saying that “We have always promoted Hindutva, and will keep doing that.”

The president of Gujarat Bajrang Dal, Jwalit Mehta, further defending the video of Bajrang Dal members where they can be seen wielding sticks, and said that the members had the sticks with them just to frighten the youth and stop them from doing anything wrong; it was not meant to beat anyone, nor did we do anything like that, as was provided by the Indian Express.

In a separate incident reported from Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district, members of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal made couples sitting in a park tie rakhi to each other on Valentine’s Day. The police at the park later asked them to leave the area.

Speaking to the India Today, the members of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal defended themselves by saying that they made the couples tie rakhi to each other as if these people are not married, they must be siblings and the woman should tie a rakhi to her “brother”. Rohan Saxena, the state president of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal further said that “in Indian culture, apart from husband and wife, all women are like mother and sister to us. In India, except for your wife, a man is supposed to treat every woman like your sister,” as was reported by India Today.

In an instance of beating gone bad, reported from Faridabad, Haryana, a group of 20 members of Bajrang Dal entered a park and started beating him with sticks. Thinking of them as lovers romancing on Valentine’s Day assaulted a youth, they beat up the couple without giving any heed to the fact that they were a married couple. A crowd had gathered to around the couple to see this. As the truth came out that these two were husband-wife, the same crowd then thrashed the members of Bajrang Dal.

The video can be viewed here:
 

On #ValentinesDay, Members of #BajrangDal beat Up husband-wife assuming they were lovers.

A crowd gathered to see this.

And when the truth came to know that these two are husband-wife, then the same crowd Thrashed the members of Bajrang Dal badly.#Haryana #Faridabad #HateCrime pic.twitter.com/xFqBqkbcfi

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) February 15, 2023

According to the Print, Bajrang Dal members protested Valentine’s Day by holding a rally in Nagpur, Maharashtra, and organizing a mass recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa at the Durga Mata Temple in the Sadar area. To prevent untoward incidents, a large number of police officers were stationed along the rally route. The rally ended at Samvidhan Square, where tributes were paid to the CRPF personnel killed in a terror attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, on February 14, 2019. Aside from Bajrang Dal members, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) functionaries were also present, as reported by the Print.

Even though falling in love is no crime according to the laws governing our country, these Hindutva goons have a different set of laws altogether. Today it was about two people of the opposite sex sitting together, tomorrow it might be about two people of the same sex sitting together, the list of objections put forth by the extremist Hindu groups is non-exhaustive. The extremist Hindu groups even tried to give this day of celebrating love a communal agenda, by invoking the issue of Love-Jihad. As the threats and havoc caused over Valentine’s Day comes to an end, the saffron gang will not start gearing up for the upcoming Navratri to spread their communal and divisive agenda.

Related:

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#LOVEAZAAD CELEBRATE LOVE, NOT HATE

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The post Love in times of Bhagwa: Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena causes disruptions in many parts of the country, harass couples on Valentine’s Day appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The celebration was held at the Kanakia division office of the BJP located in the Bhairav Residency area in Mira Road. The video caught on from Wednesday and finally the Bhayander BJP MLA Narendra Mehta has sought resignations of the eight members seen in the clip and also ordered that the Mira Road office be shut down.

“This is not the first time that a party member’s birthday has been celebrated in the office, but dancing to film songs is an act of indiscipline and we have decided to take strict action as the party will not tolerate such acts. I have asked the 8 members to submit their resignations and we will present the same to my senior leaders to take action. I have also ordered for the closure of the Mira Road office,” said Mehta.

The members were seen dancing and they later cut the a birthday cake for to celebrate Nayak’s birthday in the office, which coincided with Valentine’s Day. Some of the party members shot the video on their mobile phones and later uploaded it on social media.

The workers seen in the video are Kajal Saxsena, Sonia Nayak,Prem Phoolchand, Raj Pathak, Swati Bhansali, and others. The video, which went viral, was shot by Rajni Nagpal, using her mobile phone.

The post BJP Cracks the Whip: 8 Youngsters asked to Quit over Valentine’s Day Video appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A video – purportedly shot in the saffron party’s office at Mira-Bhayander in Thane district of Maharashtra – is doing the round on the social, showing men and women shaking legs on a music tune in a decorated hall that have a big BJP banner in the background.

The camera is initially focussed on a woman in saffron colour dress who is dancing with a man wearing jeans and shirt, with another saffron-clad woman holding mike. Soon, they were joined by many.

The video clip – whose authenticity could not be independently verified by Janta Ka Reporter – has been shared by one Jitu Bhai on Facebook.

Activists of Bajrang Dal activists and other fringe groups directly or indirectly associated with the BJP attacking love birds on Valentine’s Day is nothing new. Many senior leaders of the BJP, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have voiced their opposition to Valentine’s Day by terming it as “western culture”, which – according to them – is dangerous like an “epidemic”.

Several right wing leaders have often suggested that February 14 should be celebrated as ‘Matru-Pitru Diwas’ – a day when parents are worshipped – instead of a romantic holiday. Even Chhindwara district collector in Madhya Pradesh issued a notice asking people to do so.

Several incidents of violence were reported on this year’s Valentine’s Day as well.

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter
 

The post Unbelievable? Watch BJP Workers Celebrating Valentine’s Day: Maharashtra appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Islamabad High Court on Monday banned Valentine’s Day celebrations “with immediate effect.”

Justice Shaukat Aziz has ruled, “No event shall be held at official level and at any public place”.

While it is not clear whether any Valentine’s Day was ever observed in Pakistan at the “official level”, the court order clearly prohibits lovers from any show of romance in any public place.

The ruling was based on a petition filed by one Abdul Wahid who asked for the Valentine’s Day to be declared “un-Islamic”.

The court has directed Pakistan's Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to monitor social media platforms and share any information that shows that the ban has been flouted.

Pakistan’s conservatives view the observance of the day as a sign of Western vulgarity and indecency.

President Mamnoon Hussain made a statement in last February, saying Valentine’s Day was "not a part of Muslim tradition, but of the West”. The Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist parties hold campaigns every year asking people to stay away from participating in the day’s festivities.

Not every Pakistani however subscribes to such a view and the ruling has triggered a virtual war on Twitter.

“I salute Islamabad High-court for decision against Valentine's Day,” wrote a pro-ban Pakistani, while another responded with “To hell with Islamabad high court happy #valentinesday.”

 “Wow! As is #ValentinesDay will hurt anyone. Am not a fan myself but why deny society a harmless fun-fest. It’s not like we don’t have bigger probz,” tweeted Pakistan People’s Party leader and former information minister, Sherry Rehman.

One Amira Yunis put it best: “We #Ban expression of #Love (in public places) but all such places are open for expression of #Hate#Violence then V complain.”

Meanwhile businessmen and shopkeepers who had invested substantial sums in Valentine’s Day goodies are lamenting the losses they now have to absorb.

It may be recalled that right wing Hindu organisations in India too have also consistently agitated and campaigned against observance of Valentine's Day in the country.

Happy Valentine’s Day!
 

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