(The Times of India
31 Jan, 2007)
Hindu Vahini emerges as a militant force
Rajesh N Singh
[ 31 Jan, 2007 2344hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
LUCKNOW: Jobless youths, some from affluent families, have emerged as the new faces of militant Hindutva in the communal violence that has gripped Gorakhpur and nearby areas, police and officials in the area say.
Controversial Gorakhpur BJP MP Yogi Adityanath's Hindu Vahini — fast emerging as an alternative to saffron outfits like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal — is gaining recognition as a militant arm of the Gorakshnath Peeth in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Considered to be the private army of the MP and a frontal outfit of the Peeth, the Hindu Vahini has been formed to counter Students' Islamic Movement of India (Simi) and it has considerable presence at the tehsil and block level.
No action has so far been taken against the Vahini, even though there have been intelligence inputs on its activities, sources said.
Authorities' reluctance to take action against the Vahini can be gauged from the fact that it has been functioning for five years without any registration.
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