Former BJP MLA Surendra Nath Singh had given a call of Halla Bol (war cry)
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Police in Bhopal have arrested seventeen people, including a former MLA of the Bharatiya Janata Party, after they allegedly vandalised a hookah lounge and a restaurant, in two separate incidents, on Valentine’s Day.
A video has surfaced on social media showing men smashing window panes of a cafe while raising slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’. The hookah lounge – Junkyard Cafe – is located under Shyamla Hills police station limits in Bhopal.
Reports said they also misbehaved with the staff while they went on the rampage.
The vandals, according to the Indian express, belong to the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP.
“Some youngsters have vented their frustration and anger by damaging property, let me make it clear, this is just a start, much more action will follow if the hookah bars aren’t closed,” the BJYM leader Amit Rathore was quoted in the media as saying.
According to media reports, former BJP MLA Surendra Nath Singh had given a call of Halla Bol (war cry) to coincide with Valentine’s Day. He told the media that the attack on hookah lounges was an attempt to caution youth against ‘drug abuse and love jihad’. “Our teams embarked on Halla Bol on Sunday following a call by Surendra Nath Singh ‘Mamma’ (Uncle). Police have arrested the former MLA and six others for rioting and other charges of vandalism. They have been sent to judicial custody.
In the second incident, police arrested 10 Shiv Sena workers on accusations of vandalising a restaurant located under the jurisdiction of Habibganj police station. “We have arrested 10 persons for rioting and other charges in this connection,” he said.
Hindutva groups have often staged opposition, sometimes violent, against couples celebrating Valentine’s Day arguing that the practice goes against “Indian culture”. Now they are also latching on the bogey of “Love Jihad”. They have launched a witch hunt against couples involving Muslim men and Hindu women.
