Vinod Bansal, national spokesperson of the VHP. Twitter/@vinod_bansal

By Ishita Mishra / The Hindu

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday issued helpline numbers of the Bajrang Dal “to save Hindus from jihadi threats”.

The numbers were initially issued for 35 regions in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

“Efforts are being made to create an atmosphere of terror in the country. The ‘jihadi forces’ are brutally killing people to create panic. The killings of Umesh Kolhe in Amravati and Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur are examples of the same. Even the system and the police are not supporting these victims. The VHP’s Bajrang Dal front will ensure that such people do get justice and help. They will become a bridge between people and the system. All this will be done in a democratic way,” Vinod Bansal, national spokesperson of the VHP, said.

“The Vishwa Hindu Parishad divides India into 44 regions. We had prepared a list of 20 such regions initially, but started getting calls from people of other regions as well. They also demanded helplines. A fresh list was issued later in the day.”

Mr. Bansal said that in the recent past, Hindus had been threatened for practising their religion and religious customs and speaking the truth. People who supported their religion or criticised those who attacked it were being trolled, bullied, thrashed and even killed in broad daylight.

He urged Hindus to come out in the open against those who tried to threaten them for practising their religion and approach the police.

This article first appeared in thehindu.com