Jalandhar: Five days after they were booked for ransacking a school bus over allegations of hitting a ‘Kanwar’, the religious pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva in Haryana’s Ratia town, a group of Hindu organisations on Saturday (August 3) held a protest demanding the cancellation of FIR against them. Ratia sub falls under Fatehabad district, Haryana.
Raising slogans like ‘Tandav Hoga’ and ‘Shiv Shankar ka yeh apmaan, nahi sahega Hindustan’, the Hindu organisations primarily led by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal under the banner of ‘Samast Shiv Bhakts’ also demanded a cross FIR against a local councillor Gurpreet Singh. They blamed the councillor of using derogatory language against the kanwariyas and instigating the crowd on July 30.
Earlier in the day, the Hindu outfits held a meeting at Grain Market, Ratia and handed over a complaint to Fatehabad Police in this case on Saturday evening. The Hindu outfit leaders blamed the police for one-sided action and demanded further probe against those involved from the other group. They also threatened that if the police failed to take any action, they would give a nationwide call to Hindu organisations.
What was the issue?
As per reports, a school bus of Akal Academy, Ratia carrying 37 school children and three women teachers was ransacked on Tohana Road in Haryana on July 30 morning, after it’s driver Swaran Singh accidentally hit a ‘Kanwar’ from the rear. The videos of the incident, where over 40 to 50 people ransacked the bus went viral on social media.
Akal Academy is a school run by The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh. The trust runs 130 schools, two universities and hospitals in five states across the country. It was learnt that initially the issue was sorted out between both the groups on the spot.
However, after some time, local youth allegedly led by Hindu organisation Bajrang Dal members Vikas Grover and Sanju Jangra reached the spot and started pelting stones and bricks on the bus.
The incident blew out of proportion after a Kanwar was accidentally hit by Akal Academy school bus. Locals led by Bajrang Dal members ransacked the school bus leading to panic in the area. Photo: Arranged by the author
The Ratia police have registered an FIR against Grover and Jangra along with 40 to 50 unknown persons under section 115, 126, 190, 191 (2), 324 (4), 351 (2) and 61 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 at Ratia City police station, Fatehabad district, Haryana.
Interestingly, Jangra who has been named in the FIR was present at the Ratia police station on Saturday evening when the Hindu organisations handed over the complaint to the police.
“The school bus driver had taken the kanwariya to a welding shop but within no time locals came and started ransacking the bus. They beat up the kanwariyas and termed them as goons and addicts. Since the kanwariyas were instigated, the matter became worse. The police should register an FIR against councillor Gurpreet for hurting the religious sentiments of the community, hence the shiv bhakts gathered today,” Jangra said.
Haryana police respond
Talking to The Wire, superintendent of police, Fatehabad Astha Modi said that an altercation took place between Kanwar devotees and Akal Academy, Ratia school bus driver, after the bus accidentally hit the Kanwar. The school bus was not that of the Akal Academy, it was on contract, she said.
The SP Fatehabad said: “This led to the desecration of kanwar. Later, some people vandalised the school bus while the bus drivers also blocked the state highway for around one hour. We have registered two FIRs in this case one for vandalising the school bus and other for blocking the highway.”
To a query that some Hindu organisations led by the two main accused held a meeting and protest march in Ratia on August 3, the SP Fatehabad said, “Yes, they had called a meeting and handed over a complaint against a local councillor in this case. We are looking through the video and other evidence and taking legal opinion in this case. We will ensure that this matter does not snowball into a major controversy.”
Not the first time the two accused named in FIRs: Locals
The Wire spoke to Akal academy, Ratia school management committee member Sukhdev Singh, who said that everything was sorted out till some locals instigated a mob and tried to make it a big issue.
“The school bus driver had accidentally hit a kanwar, which led to a dent in its frame. This led to an altercation between the driver and the kanwar devotees. The school bus driver apologised and took the kanwar devotees to a nearby welding shop for repair. The matter got worse after some members of Hindu organisation and locals reached the spot. They not just threatened the bus driver but beat him up and ransacked the bus,” he said.
Sukhdev Singh said that thankfully, the bus driver had shifted the children to another school bus and no child was hurt, else it would have led to a huge trouble. “Following this incident, the bus drivers held a protest and blocked the highway. The police registered an FIR on the statement of the drivers. We are not giving a religious colour to this incident. Students from every religion study at our school and such an incident was leading to unnecessary fuss,” he added.
The Akal Academy committee member also said that he was satisfied with the police investigation and demanded that the guilty should be punished and no innocent should be harassed.
Unfortunate, the accused was trying to make Hindu-Sikh issue once again: HSGMC member
The Wire also reached out to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) member Sukh Sagar Singh from Hisar, who shared that both the accused named in the FIR were known for fanning trouble quite often.
Sukh Sagar Singh had got an FIR registered against both the members of the Bajrang Dal in November 2023 after they stopped the construction of the terrace of a local gurdwara and entered the gurdwara premises hurling abuses and intimidating the management. The Wire accessed the copy of the FIR in the gurdwara case in which a case under section 295-A and 34 of the IPC was registered against the duo at Ratia police station.
“It is unfortunate that the duo was once again trying to convert the Akal Academy school bus and Kanwad incident into a Hindu-Sikh issue. Even in the gurdwara incident, they tried to snowball it into a major controversy. I had even sent a letter to the National Commission for Minorities chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura but no action was taken till date,” he said.
The HSGMC member also shared that last year, when communal clashes took place in Nuh, Mewat district the duo were involved in leading locals in jeeps to violence hit areas. “Their videos with mobs can be checked in a leading Hindi News Channel’s (Aaj Tak) footage online. It is sad that they were again involved in fanning trouble with the backing of the BJP government in the state,” he added.
Earlier, Mandeep Nathwan, the state president of Pagdi Sambhal Jatta Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Haryana also shared that the Bajrang Dal members from the group of the two main accused Grover and Jangra were notorious for threatening and intimidating people in the region.
“Earlier during Covid-19 pandemic, a group of youth from their group had threatened me for raising voice against poor upliftment of wheat in the state. I got an FIR registered against them but the police did not take any action. When I approached the police, I was informed that they could not trace the accused, hence the case was closed. It is sheer injustice and we are not expecting any strict action in this case as well,” he said.
