The Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal banned the firebrand Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia from entering the state on Wednesday.
A government release issued by the state’s home department said the ban has been enforced “to ensure the social and secular fabric of the state”. “He will be arrested if he enters West Bengal,” the statement said.
Says party MP Sougata Roy, “Togadia’s utterances and activities could disturb the communal harmony of Bengal. We have a large Muslim population and we have to be careful about maintaining peace among all communities”. West Bengal goes to the hustings for civic polls on April 15.
It is known that all district magistrates have been asked to implement the order immediately. In January, Togadia had addressed a rally in Bengal’s Birbhum district. After the rally, the VHP held a ‘suddhikaran’ ceremony where as many as 20 people – Christians and Muslims – were “reconverted” to Hinduism. An FIR was later filed against Togadia for his inflammatory speech.
West Bengal is the third state to ban the entry of the controversial international working president of the VHP, one of the right-wing organisations affiliated to the BJP. Karnataka and Assam had banned his entry earlier this year.
A government release issued by the state’s home department said the ban has been enforced “to ensure the social and secular fabric of the state”. “He will be arrested if he enters West Bengal,” the statement said.
Says party MP Sougata Roy, “Togadia’s utterances and activities could disturb the communal harmony of Bengal. We have a large Muslim population and we have to be careful about maintaining peace among all communities”. West Bengal goes to the hustings for civic polls on April 15.
It is known that all district magistrates have been asked to implement the order immediately. In January, Togadia had addressed a rally in Bengal’s Birbhum district. After the rally, the VHP held a ‘suddhikaran’ ceremony where as many as 20 people – Christians and Muslims – were “reconverted” to Hinduism. An FIR was later filed against Togadia for his inflammatory speech.
West Bengal is the third state to ban the entry of the controversial international working president of the VHP, one of the right-wing organisations affiliated to the BJP. Karnataka and Assam had banned his entry earlier this year.