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Hindu Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray
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By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
New
Delhi, November 16 (IslamOnline) - A retired army officer along with a
co-worker was arrested on Friday, November 15 on charge of forming a
Hindu suicide squad and using unlicensed pistols in the Thane district
of the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
The
man behind the suicide squad, Lt. Col. (retd.) Jayant Chitale, who is
the owner of Pune-based Maharashtra Military Force (MMF), an institute
imparting military training to young Hindus, was freed along with the
instructor of the institute Sanjeev Atre after each of the two
furnished a bond of Rs 15,000.
Maharashtra
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had ordered the police to investigate
the matter after media reports about a camp being run at Ambarnath
village in Thane district for training youngsters for suicide attacks.
At
the Ambarnath camp 45 young Hindus aged 16-29, underwent commando
training and signed bonds that they would lay their lives for the
country during a fortnight-long training programme.
Chitale
has said that these youths would be given super¯ commando training
after the first phase. They learn how to use rifles, machine guns and
bombs. "We will wait for a year to see the fate of terrorism, if
it does not decline, we will write to the Central Government to send
our boys to launch attacks," Chitale added. He is determined to
form more such squads.
Some
of the boys in the suicide squad are students and some are employed.
Bhusan Vaid, a first year B.A. student said that he was always
attracted to warfare and his family was supporting his decision to
join the squad.
Chitale
said that he trained and brainwashed¯ 1,500 youths and 600 of them
were serving in the armed forces. He wanted to use these people
against the enemy country.
After
a fortnight of training, the commandos get permission for setting up a
branch of MMF. Their credentials are checked in order to put a check
on the misuse of training given to them, says Gulabrao Jadhav, MMF's
chief commandant.
Shiv
Sena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray had given a similar call to his
cadres to form Hindu suicide squads to counter Muslim militancy in
October during Hindu festival Dussehra.
However,
Shiv Sena has denied any link with the Chitale. Sena leader Raj
Thackeray said, "They may be inspired by Balasaheb's (a nick
given to Bal Thackeray) speech, but neither this project nor the
people have any connection with the Shiv Sena."¯ Chitale has
also denied any link with Thackeray or Shiv Sena.
Some
people are terming the entire episode as a publicity stunt. A police
officer said that the entire issue was a result of media hype. He said
that the participants at the Badlapur camp were given combat training
to join Indian army and they were charged Rs 1,500 as fee by each of
them.
Chitale
has political ambitions. He has been twice defeated in civic polls. A
senior minister said that Chitale wanted to cash in on the
anti-Pakistan sentiment and was trying to be benefited from the call
given by Thackeray.
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