Two weeks after communal violence in Haryana’s Nuh and Gurugram districts, Hindutva groups held a mahapanchayat in neighbouring Palwal and demanded gun licences to defend the community. The conclave, organised under the banner of the Sarv Hindu Samaj, was held in Pondri village of Palwal, which borders Nuh, The Tribune reported.
After denying permission for the event in Nuh, the police had allowed for the event to be held in Palwal on the condition that those attending would not carry weapons and make hateful speech. However, some of the speakers challenged the administration to “stop them” and raised the demand for gun licences, according to The Indian Express.
Azad Singh Arya, the chief of cow vigilante group, Haryana Gau Rakshak Dal, demanded “100 arms for each Hindu village” in the region.
“Everyone should get a rifle, not a revolver, because revolvers do not shoot far,” he can be seen saying in a video from the event. “I request the youth to keep their blood warm. I ask the Prime Minister: why are you not giving us a chief minister like Yogi Adityanath by removing [Manohar Lal] Khattar.”
Arya also said that he salutes the cow vigilantes who have been jailed for killings two Muslim men, Junaid and Nasir, in February.
“Junaid and Nasir were cow killers, and as soon as they were killed, the Rajasthan government stood up for them,” he said.
Another speaker was heard saying about Muslims: “If you raise a finger, we will cut off your hands.”
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