It’s been about 40 days into this year and there have been at least 7 reported events of ‘Trishul diksha’ or trident distribution in various parts of the country. The significance of the Trishul for right wing fringe groups is that it has religious significance, it allows them to arm people to incite violence and it is sort of a loophole that they have circumvented. The trishuls that they distribute are not the long handle ones that we often see wielded by deities but are actually, one centimetre smaller than the prohibited weapons; which saves them from being booked for any offence under the Arms Act.
This trishul diksha is accompanied with hate speech from the speakers at the events and many a times the speakers are either known hate offenders or prominent figures of the ruling party such as MPs or MLAs or State heads of the party. Many times, an oath to establish ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is also administered to those present.
Here is a run down of some of the trishul distribution events that have been organized this year, till date
On February 5 in Vidyadhar, Jaipur Bajrang Dal distributed trishuls among 1,110 young Hindu men and released a drone shot video of the men wielding those trishuls
This is from #Vidyadhar, #Jaipur, #Rajasthan.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (#VHP) & #BajrangDal distributed trishuls (tridents) among 1100 young #Hindu men and called for turning India into a #HinduRashtra.#HateSpeech pic.twitter.com/ELdvVH68AB
— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) February 7, 2023
At another event in Jaipur, a video surfaced on February 5 of VHP and Bajrang Dal administering an oath with around 800 men wielding trishuls in their hands
This is from #Jaipur, #Rajasthan.#Hindutva groups #BajrangDal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (#VHP) distributed trishuls (tridents) among 800 people and administered an to turn India into a #HinduRashtra.#HateSpeech #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/nmCpAV30wP
— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) February 5, 2023
A day prior to that Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal while celebrating Hindu Sammelan, distributed trishuls among hindu men Satish Mahana, the current Speaker of the UP Legislative Assembly was the main speaker at the event. This was held in Kanpur Nagar in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of the police.
Location: Kanpur Nagar, Uttar Pradesh
Vishwa Hindu Parishad & Bajrang Dal distributed trishuls (tridents) among hundreds of people and called for turning India into a Hindu Rashtra.
Satish Mahana, the current Speaker of the UP Legislative Assembly was main speaker at the event. pic.twitter.com/Vh6E3Jgahp
— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) February 4, 2023
In January, RSS Pracharak, Ishwar Lal was spewing venom at a Trishul Deeksha event, held in Lohwat, Rajasthan. Through this speech, Lal had dehumanised Muslims, made misleading and provocative statements, and also made unlawful and provocative calls for converting 30,000 mosques into temples, all with the aim of pushing the exclusionary agenda of Hindutva outfits. The details of the speech may be read here.
Location: Lohawat, Rajasthan
Event: Trishul Deeksha
Organizer: Vishwa Hindu Parishad & Bajrang DalRSS Pracharak & VHP Sangathan Mantri Ishwar Lal delivers hate speech; dehumanizes Muslims, calls for converting 30,000 mosques into temples & boycott of Halal products. pic.twitter.com/4puOYifpMp
— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) January 21, 2023
In Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, on January 10, VHP administered an oath among men to use the trishuls distributed at the event to protect Hindu women as well as the religion.
This is from #Shivpuri, #MadhyaPradesh (January 10, 2023).
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (#VHP) distributed #Trishul‘s (tridents) among 150 young men and administered an oath to use them to protect the #Hindu women and religion.#Hinduva #HateSpeech #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/kh67Qjuf8I
— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) January 20, 2023
In Sirohi, Rajasthan at Shri Shri Maha Mandaleshwar Swami Kushalgiriji Maharaj’s event, trishuls were distributed amongst thousands in the crowd. In the video it appears that thousands of people, men and women, were attending the event.
This is from #Sirohi, #Rajasthan.
Trishuls (tridents) distributed at Shri Shri 1008 Maha Mandaleshwar Swami Kushalgiriji Maharaj’s event in Sirohi.#Hindutva #HateSpeech #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/dgzL0Jt5vj
— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) January 20, 2023
IN early January, Praving Togadia, while speaking to the media, in Gaddarpur, Uttarakhand said that he wishes to arm 2 crore youth with trishuls. In May last year, CJP had complained to the National Commission for Minorities against Togadia as he had encouraged youth, at a trishul diksha event in Assam, to bear arms to deport “Bangladeshi Muslims”
Location: Gadarpur, Uttarakhand
Hindutva leader Pravin Togadia announces distribution of Trishuls (tridents) among 20 million (2 crore) Hindus. pic.twitter.com/hyRT50W0uB
— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) January 12, 2023
A video surfaced on January 2, from Shastri Nagar in Jaipur Rajasthan where Bajrang Dal members were seen administering an oath to hundreds of men, wielding trishuls. They took an oath to protect Hindus, their culture and their religion. They also vowed to use the Trishul to protect Hindu religion.
This is from #ShastriNagar, #Jaipur, #Rajasthan.
Leaders of the far-right extremist #Hindutva group #BajrangDal distributed #Trishuls (tridents) among hundreds of locals & made them take a public oath to use them to protect the religion and #HinduNation (#HinduRashtra). pic.twitter.com/09Qk0Cqzzk
— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) January 2, 2023
What is happening in Rajasthan, governed by the Congress party with Ashok Gehlot at the helm, seems to be a repeat of 2001 and 2003. The November 2001 edition of Communalism Combat reported about the many trishul deeksha events in Rajasthan, “Of immediate concern is the systematic distribution of a few hundred thousand ‘trishuls’ — cleverly disguised Rampuri knives, six–eight inches long and sharp enough to kill —, delivering the lethal instrument to ‘every Hindu household’ in villages where the Trishul Diksha Samaroh is conducted. As we go to press, over seven districts in Rajasthan have had active ‘trishul’ distribution programmes. Raipur, Kota, Jaipur and Asind are only some of the places around which the campaign was being carried out. Most others have also been covered in this brazen attempt to militarise society in the garb of a religious programme”.
At that time, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had revealed that nearly 40 lakh trishuls had been distributed nationwide by then.
Similar Trishul Diksha events were held across Rajasthan in early 2003, in the run up to assembly elections in the state. Rajasthan is set to go to polls at the end of this year. In April 2003, the Rajasthan government had issued a notification prohibiting people from distributing, acquiring, possessing or carrying double or multi-bladed sharp pointed weapons.
It is probably time to remind the Ashok Gehlot government of its own notification that it seems to have forgotten. The fact that most of these trishul distribution events have been reported in Congress governed and poll bound Rajasthan is a matter of grave concern. It shows the growing influence of prominent right wing organizations and their ideology deeply seeping into a communally harmonious state and this also displays the inaction on the part of the ruling government under Gehlot which is allowing such extremist ideology to be disseminated.
Related:
CJP MOVES NCM OVER PRAVIN TOGADIA’S COMMUNAL OATH AT TRISHUL DIKSHA EVENT
HATE WATCH: ISHWAR LAL, RSS PRACHARAK DELIVERS ANTI-MINORITY HATE SPEECH, AGAIN