Are Hindu Leaders in Punjab Being Targeted Ahead of 2017 Polls?

The attack on Gagneja has brought back memories of 2009 when many Hindutva leaders in the state had been attacked.

Rising number of attacks against Hindu leaders in the run up to the assembly elections in 2017 have got the state authorities worried. (Photo: Reuters)

Saturday’s attack on RSS’ Punjab vice president, Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja, who was targeted in Jalandhar on 6 August has raised fresh concerns about the rising number of attacks on Hindutva leaders in Punjab.

The attack on Gagneja has brought back memories of 2009, when many Hindutva leaders in the state were forced to go underground following the assassination of an RSS leader in Patiala.

The RSS in a defiant tone has said that it is unfazed by such incidents that are aimed at raising tempers the state. However, the rising number of attacks against Hindu leaders in the run-up to the assembly elections next year have got the state authorities worried.

Attacks Aimed at Raising Tempers Ahead of 2017 Polls

Punjab in 2016 has seen four attacks on Hindutva leaders. Earlier in February, Punjab police after multiple attacks had hinted that they were analysing if a pattern of attacks against Hindu leader was emerging in Punjab.

On 16 January, two motorcycle-borne men attacked RSS leader Naresh Kumar in Ludhiana. Then on 4 February, two motorcycle riders shot at Shiv Sena leader Amit Arora. The third incident took place later in the month when Deepak Kamboj, leader of an outfit of the Shiv Sena was shot at in Jalandhar, reported The Tribune.

Police officials studying the cases said that that the attackers chose soft but selective targets across the state in the hope that flaying tempers may lead to an escalation of the law and order problem in the state.

A suggestion that media in-charge for RSS, Punjab, Ram Gopal Sharma, has also backed in his statements on Tuesday.

The RSS leader added that the attack on Gagneja seemed to have been planned especially by some radical group to break the BJP-SAD coalition in the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state.

They could have shot Gagneja anywhere, even at his home as he is without any security. The reason to kill him in a busy area during the daytime was to glorify the act and to create panic amongst the area residents. Nothing will happen and the coalition will go on.

Ram Gopal Sharma, Media In-Charge for RSS, Punjab

Volunteers of the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)(Photo: Reuters)

Opposition Against Growing RSS Presence in Punjab

The growing presence of RSS and its Hindutva-centric agenda in Punjab is said to be a another reason behind the increasing number of attacks against RSS leaders in the state.

The BJP in Punjab enjoys a majority in urban areas, however it faces strong opposition in rural areas where until recently it had an almost negligible presence compared to other political parties, including the Congress, AAP and even its alliance partner SAD.

For quite some time the RSS has been trying to spread its wings in Punjab...The fear that the RSS will dilute the Sikh religious identity is rapidly gaining ground. The aggressive response this fear is generating among some radical Sikh elements has now become a serious threat for the state.

Senior Police Officer based in Chandigarh to <i>Scroll</i>

Sources: The Tribune, Scroll.in