'Lashkar-e-Shivba' Hindutva suicide squads a la Lashkar-e-Taiba

[A 2002 report from The Times of India on 'the formation of 'Laskar-e-Shivba' - Hindu suicide squads moddled on Laskar-e-Toiba should interest readers.]

The Times of India

First suicide squad was set up in Pune 2 years ago
TNN 18 November 2002, 12:59am IST
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PUNE: Retired lieutenant-colonel Jayant Chitale is not the first Puneite to think of establishing Hindu suicide squads to fight terrorism unleashed by Islamic fundamentalists. The Lashkar-e-Shivba was formed two years ago with similar intentions. It primarily aimed at countering Lashkar-e-Taiba.
While the organisation is in tatters today, its founder and self-proclaimed commander-in-chief Vilas Tupe is bitter about his failed venture. ‘‘My experience of raising Hindu militant squads and sending them to Jammu and Kashmir was so bitter that I would like to forget it,’’ he said, while speaking to The Times of India. A small-time city builder now, Tupe wishes to forewarn Chitale that his attempt is doomed without money and political patronage.
Incidentally, Tupe is know for attempting to attack Osho Rajneesh with a knife in the 1980s. Tupe says he undertook the attack ‘‘because Rajneesh was a CIA agent.’’ Talking about his anti-terrorism venture, he said he was inspired to form his outfit after the attack on innocent Amarnath pilgrims in 2000. ‘‘We decided to reach those places from where bullets were being fired against Hindus and give a befitting reply to the terrorists,’’ he said. While he was planning to counter terrorism in Punjab in a similar manner, then director-general of Punjab police Julieo Ribero had suggested arming villagers and creating Gram Suraksha Dals, Tupe said. ‘‘We went to Punjab, met Ribero and offered ourselves for these Dals.

We even received training for three months at the BSF camps,’’ he claimed. However, the initiative failed as the Union home secretary objected to it, Tupe said. Tupe said after he announced the forming of Lashkar-e-Shivba, he received an overwhelming response from nearly 2,500 youths from Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur and Ahmednagar districts. Of these, 150 were shortlisted and trained after which ‘‘we left for Jammu to visit terrorist-infested districts’’.

The plan, however, was aborted after a month as we had no money or political support. Meanwhile, Lt Col Chitale, who has established the Hindustan Atma Ghatki Pathak (Hindustan suicide squad) said on Thursday that his squad was not specifically a Hindu squad. ‘‘We are forming Hindustan suicide squads and over 10 per cent of our volunteers are Muslim and Christians,’’ he claimed.