Bittu Bajrangi, a cow vigilante notorious for his contentious speeches, took part in the annual Braj Mandal Yatra of the Vishva Hindu Parishad in Nuh, Haryana. Bittu Bajrangi provided his account of what happened on Monday when violence erupted in the neighbourhood and six individuals lost their lives in an interview with India Today.
“Like every year, this year we also organised shobha yatra. The yatra was scheduled to go to Nuh’s Nalhar Mahadev Mandir and go to other areas from there. Several women, children, and elderly people from across the district joined us. We offered puja at the mandir, organised kirtan…There was only one way back from there. As the cars started to leave, we had barely travelled some 500 metres, when we saw that the cars in front were set on fire by miscreants,” Bittu Bajrangi said.
“We saw that there was a small mosque on the side of the road and 200-250 people were there. They were armed and opened fire,” he added.
Bittu Bajrangi said he was afraid for the ladies and kids in the yatra, alluding to the May 4 Manipur event in which two women were displayed naked by a mob.
“When the other side opened fire, we took a U-turn and decided to go back to the temple. We thought it would be safe for us. I was not afraid. I was worried about the women and children. We did not want any unfortunate incident like the Manipur one. We were scared for our mothers,” Bittu Bajrangi said.
When questioned about why the yatris might be seen using firearms in the viral videos on social media, Bittu Bajrangi said, “A few people were carrying weapons, but they were all licensed. And swords that we carry are used for puja, for weddings, for rituals; they are not used for murders.”
When asked about his widespread video, Bittu Bajrangi said, “I had just answered to those who had threatened me.”
Bittu Bajrangi had previously posted a slow-motion video footage of himself strolling while wearing saffron clothing. The soundtrack for the video included the lines “Goli pe goli chalengi, baap toh baap rahega” (gunshots will be dealt with, the father will stay the father).
