Muslim group seeks ban on Bajrang Dal

Lucknow: Several Muslim organisations have demanded a ban on the Hindu nationalist organisation Bajrang Dal and a judicial probe into bomb blasts in different parts of the country over the last five years.

Two Bajrang Dal activists were killed in an explosion in Kanpur recently and it came to light that they had been making bombs. Explosive materials were later recovered from the house where the blast took place.

The Movement Against Terrorism, an organisation bringing together Muslim intellectuals and scholars, alleged that Bajrang Dal activists were linked to the blast and other similarincidents that betrayed a conspiracy to incite communal passions.

Addressing a joint press conference in Lucknow, Muslim leaders expressed concern over what they called the unfair role of the media. Leading lawyer and convener of the All-India Babri Masjid Action Committee, Zafaryab Jilani, demanded an explanation on why the entire community came to be scrutinised after each terrorist incident.

Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, a member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, said the Kanpur blast had provided ample proof of a "conspiracy to incite communal passions".