Looks like hindu extremism spread inside Bangladesh now.
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Rise of Hindu extremism rattles world's largest democracy
With key state elections approaching, concerns have risen anew over the rise of Hindu extremism in India, where at least two groups are believed linked to the country's main opposition party.
Numerous incidents of violence in 2011 were attributed to Bajrang Dal and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), two groups which are considered close to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The groups share an overarching ideology of "Hindutva" -- or cultural nationalism -- that at its most violent espouses the expulsion of all non-Hindus from India and strict adherence to Hindu ideals by all Indian citizens.
According to Ravindra Singh, who heads the Jharkand chapter of the National Human Rights Commission, the phenomenon threatens the fabric of India's multiethnic democracy.
"While India has always been subject to Islamic onslaughts, the rise of Hindu fundamentalists have wrecked the country further, shredding the social fabric and devastating the economy," he told Khabar South Asia.
A spate of incidents occurred during 2011, including the December 18th assault on a Christian pastor in Pillanna Garden, near Lingarajpuram, Bangalore. He was beaten by Hindus, then arrested and charged with "promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings."
Such incidents tend to pick up around the Christian holy day of Christmas. In one such case, Hindu extremists entered a church in Kadaloor district (Tamil Nadu) on December 22nd and threatened the congregation and pastor before burning the church to the ground,
In 2010, a former RSS activist, Swami Aseemanand, came forward and publicly acknowledged that he had knowledge of several Hindutva-oriented groups in India that continue to carry out carefully planned attacks on Muslim-dominated area. He said these included the bombing of the Samjhauta Express in 2007 that killed 68 mostly-Pakistani Muslims traveling in India and the bombing of a mosque-adjacent Muslim cemetery that killed 37 people and injured 125.
The revelations, published in the Indian magazine Outlook, rocked the country, especially since he also claimed military leaders in these areas had knowledge of and even encouraged many of these attacks.
Rumors have also surfaced in Norway that Oslo massacre mastermind Anders Behring Breivik had contact with Hindu nationalist groups in India that also sought to "contain Islam," the Christian Science Monitor reported.
The Sangh Parivar, an umbrella group that advocates Hindutva, “is a major threat to the country's democracy and secularism," said Abhishek Manu Singhvi, spokesman of the ruling Indian National Congress party.
The BJP's political connections to the RSS, and shadier connections to the Bajrang Dal and other groups have caused worries in recent years as locals have seen Hindutva policies gain prominence in BJP -dominated areas of India.
However, a spokesman for the RSS, Ram Madhav, rejects the allegations against his group as "wild and false".
"All such reports imply a sinister conspiracy to slander Hindu organizations and we strongly protest against the hoopla launched by individuals and organizations that is against the RSS and organizations associated with it." Madhav said from New Delhi.
Others pin the rise of Hindu fundamentalism directly on the group.
"Hindus have always been proud of their tolerance towards other religions, but now things are changing, thanks to the RSS and its allies" countered Peoples' Union for Civil Liberties secretary Akhilesh.
India is no stranger to intracommunal violence, which often flares up around election time. Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Goa are scheduled to cast votes in legislative elections between January 28th and March 3rd.
Rise of Hindu extremism rattles world's largest democracy - khabarsouthasia.com
