Man who complained against Bajrang Dal leader goes missing

(Indian Express
March 23, 2007)

Man who complained against Bajrangi missing
Express News Service

Mehsana’s Natubhai Acharya missing since March 17, family doesn’t suspect Bajrangi’s hand yet

Ahmedabad, March 22: A mere 39 days after filing a criminal complaint against Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi for not allowing the release of Parzania in Gujarat, Mehsana-based Natubhai K Acharya has been reported missing under mysterious circumstances. Acharya’s family saw him last on March 17.

A retired deputy Mamlatdar and social worker, Acharya (53) had on February 6 this year filed a criminal complaint against Bajrangi before a local court in Mehsana town. Acharya had alleged that “Bajrangi was running a parallel government in the state and threatening theatre owners not to show the film.”

A day after this, judicial magistrate G M Damodra ordered the police to conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter and submit a report within 15 days.

In the meantime, Acharya went missing from his Parsavnath Society residence under mysterious circumstances on March 17. “Acharya left his home around 9 am that day saying he had some work in the collectorate office. His family, however, never saw him after this,” Mehsana town police inspector, R R Pathak said.

The Acharyas, including his wife Ritha, two daughters and a son, who did not panic initially, called up all their relatives and searched for him at Kedarnath, Ambaji, Himmatnagar and Mehsana, and all other likely places where he could have gone. But there is no trace of him.

His son Yovan Acharya, a businessman, finally lodged a complaint with Mehsana Town Police. However, instead of registering it as a complaint, police have only made note of it as a missing entry. Nathubhai Acharya’s brother Mukundbhai who works at the district collector’s office in Patan, said, “We do not suspect Bajrangi’s hand in this yet. There could be some other reasons.’’

In his petition with a local court in Mehsana, Acharya blamed the state government for not taking any steps for the release of Parzania in cinemas and multiplexes in the state. “The atmosphere of peace and harmony prevails in the state and the film, based on a Parsi boy missing since the 2002 riots, will not disturb peace in the state. The boy’s family also wanted to see the film,’’

Acharya stated in his petition.

However, senior police officials including Mehsana SP S K Dave were unaware of this development.

Meanwhile, the otherwise garrulous Bajrangi has become incommunicado since his ‘ouster’ from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal.

Though the self styled messiah of the Patel community is still eluding media attention and refuses to make any comment, one of his close aid, on condition of anonymity, said yesterday that “Babubhai would continue to do his work of rescuing the straying Hindu girls in spite of what the VHP and Bajrang Dal does.”

“Let me make it clear that we do not abduct girls,” he said, adding that Babu only gets the girls return to the right path if they stray. “The parents of the girls come to us and then only we get them back,” he said.

Babu, however, chose to keep his distance from the media. “Babubhai would speak to the press after the matter with the Supreme Court is resolved,” he added.

It may be noted here that following the notice issued by the Apex Court on Babu and state governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra on Monday last following a petition filed by Ajay Nikam, Raju Medige and Abhijit Vijay Sonavane who have alleged that they are being harassed by Bajrangi at the behest of their Patel in-laws from Gujarat. Subsequently, VHP and Bajrang Dal had severed their ties with Bajrangi on Tuesday and issued a press release stating that they have nothing to do with Bajrangi, who is not even a member of either organisation.

One of the prime accused in the Naroda Patiya case, Bajrangi had surfaced as the most vigilant moral police of the state, who ‘rescued’ more than 500 Patel girls who dared to marry outside their community.

Only recently, he displayed his strength by beating up number of boys from minority community, on the pretext of eve teasing. Apart from number of riot-related cases, cases of abduction of girls who married in inter-caste or inter-religion, too, are pending against him. He has also forced a number of Patel girls to undergo abortion after he ‘rescued’ them from their lovers.