Hindu Yuva Vahini

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The Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) is a Hindu youth group, founded by Yogi Adityanath, the leader of the Gorakhpur Mutt temple in Gorakhpur, India. The group has a high penetration among the largely unemployed youth of eastern Uttar Pradesh, where the collapse of the sugar industry and the closing down of a Fertilizer Corporation of India plant has led to increased unemployment in recent years.^[1]

By organizing various movements such as ‘Ram Prakostha’ for pavement dwellers and the ‘Bansfod Hindu Manch’ for woodcutters, Adityanath has provided a sense of identity for many of these frustrated youth, who have swelled the ranks of the Hindu Yuva Vahini. The HYV has many Dalit members in addition to traditional caste Hindus, and the group is united by opposition to Islamic Fundamentalists who have a history of dominating the region and engaging in the persecution of Hindus, especially low-caste Dalits who were rarely accorded protection from Islamic persecution by the caste Hindus because of traditional casteist prejudices.

The Hindu Yuva Vahini has been implicated by Islamist sympathizers in the Mau riots of October 2005, where they organized the Hindu forces in opposition to the militant Islamist politician Mukhtar Ansari, the alleged murderer of BJP state legislature member Krishnanand Rai.^[2] Charges of inciting riots, murder, and arson were brought against Hindu Yuva Vahini leaders Ajit Singh Chandel and Sujit Kumar Singh^[3], along Ansari and some others in the opposite camp. Eventually, a curfew was imposed on Mau for nearly a month.

The same groups accuse HYV of involvement in the Gorakhpur riots of January 26-31, 2007. After the arrest of Yogi Adityanath, the HYV launched retaliations. Two coaches of the Mumbai bound Mumbai-Gorakhpur Godan Express were set ablaze on January 30, 2007.^[4]

[edit] References

1. ^ Shikha Trivedi (May 2006). Between the grains: Purvanchal circumstances. Himal Southasian Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
2. ^ "Mukhtar Ansari appears in court in Mau riots case", The Hindu, 2006-06-14. Retrieved on 2007-05-01. 
3. ^ What Happened in Mau. "Prof. Rooprekha Verma, Vibhuti Narain Rai, and Nasiruddin Haider", The South Asian, November 27, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-05-13. 
4. ^ Shahira Naim. "Vahini activists set train ablaze", Tribune News Service, 2007-02-02. Retrieved on 2007-04-26.