375 Hindu monks were killed in front of Parliament, demanding anti-Cow Slaughter Law (07/11/1966)

Nov 7, 1966

On November 7, 1966, thousands of people led by naked Naga sadhus and other Hindu religious leaders gathered in the Capital and marched to Parliament House demanding a ban on cow slaughter.

The Guardian reported the incident as below:

Holy men stire up riot in Delhi

INDER MALHOTRA

New Delhi, November 7

Five people were killed when the police opened fire in an attempt to quell unprecedented violence in New Delhi by mobs protesting over delays in imposing a complete ban in India on the slaughter of cows, sacred to Hindus. At least a hundred thousand people, led by sadhus (holy men), ran not, grappling with the police, burning buildings, and trying to storm Parliament. There was absolutely no warning by the intelligence services that today’s procession to press for the total ban would lead to trouble. It may well be that disorder in Parliament contributed to the violence. A saffron-robed member of the Lower House who is a passionate devotee of cows but no stickler for parliamentary decorum, Swami Ramaeshwaranand, created so much noise and disorder in the House that he was named and expelled for 10 days.

Frenzied Later he turned up at the demonstration, took the microphone, and declared What are you doing here? They have turned me out of the House. Go in and teach them a lesson.” A frenzied mob, led by holy men, thereupon stormed the approaches to the Parliament building. Foiled in this attempt, the mob started throwing stones at the police and burning public buildings -joined by the holy men, some naked and smeared in ashes and mud. Nineteen policemen and 22 demonstrators were taken to hospital.

Nothing during the recent country-wide wave of violence has shocked India’s rulers so much as today’s riots under the nose of Parliament, itself. Congress and Opposition members of Parliament said that the entire Structure of India was being endangered. Minister blamed Prominent members of the Executive Committee of the Congress parliamentary party are reported tonight to have demanded the dismissal of Mr Nanda, the Minister for Home Affairs, over his alleged failure to deal with the situation. The authorities -have imposed a 48-hour curfew throughout the city and banned meetings and processions for an indefinite period. Tonight the turmoil appeared to have subsided.

PM Indira Gandhi actually ordered the slaughter of Naga Sadhus in 1966 on the day of Gopastami

I was then a young man, a student of BSc, and was there when the firing happened. I remember Atal Bihari Vajpayee was addressing the gathering. Several people died. Home Minister Gulzarilal Nanda was a conscientious person and so he resigned, in reaction to what Indira Gandhi had committed.

VHP leader Champat Rai

On November 7, 1966, hundreds of sadhus and Gau Rakshaks, who were part of the anti-cow slaughter agitation, were killed in police firing in Delhi at the behest of the Indira Gandhi government. The parties who organised the demonstration, the number of participants which was estimated between 3 lakhs and 7 lakhs, were the Jan Sangh, the Hindu Mahasabha, the Arya Samaj, and the Sanatan Dharma Sabha apart from Naga Sadhus of Juna Akhada.

On 25 September 1966, SGMS (Sarvadaliya Gauraksha Mahabhiyan Samiti) was formed under the leadership of Prabhudutt Brahmachari and it included RSS, the Hindu Mahasabha, Ramrajya Parishad, Arya Samaj and Sadhu Samaj along with traditionalist Congress leaders like then Home Minister Gulzarilal Nanda. Under the leadership of Prabhudutt Brahmachari, more than a lac Sadhus tried to storm the Indian Parliament on 7 November 1966. They demanded a legislation banning cow slaughter in India under Directive Principles. [Ascetic Games: Sadhus, Akharas and the Making of the Hindu Vote Hardcover – 30 April 2019 by Dhirendra K Jha]. The Protest Rally of 7th Nov 1966 was started from the Arya Samaj Temple at Chandni Chowk under the leadership of Swami Karpartri Ji Majaraj under the banner of “Gauraksha Mahaabhiyan Samiti”.

After the massacre, the dead sadhus were loaded in trucks and transported in the dark of night to the ridge area outside Delhi. The Shankaracharya Niranjandev Tirth (Puri), Swami Karpatri (Hariharananda), and Mahatma Ramchandra Veer observed fast in protest. PM Indira Gandhi washed off her hands by accusing Home Minister, Gulzarilal Nanda, who resigned immediately taking responsibility for the administration’s failure to maintain law and order. Previously on June 29, Indira Gandhi set up a high-power committee to examine the entire issue of a national law to ban cow slaughter. It was headed by AK Sarkar, a former Chief Justice of India, and had as its members experts like Dr V Kurien.

इतना सुनना था कि नौजवान संसद भवन की दीवार फांद-फांद कर अंदर घुसने लगे। लोगों ने संसद भवन को घेर लिया और दरवाजा तोड़ने के लिए आगे बढ़े। पुलिसकर्मी पहले से ही लाठी, बंदूक के साथ तैनात थे। पुलिस ने लाठी और अश्रुगैस चलाना शुरू कर दिया। भीड़ और आक्रामक हो गई। इतने में अंदर से गोली चलाने का आदेश हुआ और पुलिस ने भीड़ पर अंधाधुंध फायरिंग शुरू कर दी। संसद के सामने की पूरी सड़क खून से लाल हो गई। लोग मर रहे थेए एक दूसरे के शरीर पर गिर रहे थे और पुलिस की गोलीबारी जारी थी। नहीं भी तो कम से कमए पांच हजार लोग उस गोलीबारी में मारे गए थे।

बड़ी त्रासदी हो गई थी और सरकार के लिए इसे दबाना जरूरी था। ट्रक बुलाकर मृतए घायलए जिंदा सभी को उसमें ठूंसा जाने लगा। जिन घायलों के बचने की संभावना थीए उनकी भी ट्रक में लाशों के नीचे दबकर मौत हो गई। हमें आखिरी समय तक पता ही नहीं चला कि सरकार ने उन लाशों को कहां ले जाकर फूंक डाला या जमीन में दबा डाला। पूरे शहर में कफ्र्यू लागू कर दिया गया और संतों को तिहाड़ जेल में ठूंस दिया गया। केवल शंकराचार्य को छोड़ कर अन्य सभी संतों को तिहाड़ जेल में डाल दिया गया। करपात्री जी महाराज ने जेल से ही सत्याग्रह शुरू कर दिया। जेल उनके ओजस्वी भाषणों से गूंजने लगा। उस समय जेल में करीब 50 हजार लोगों को ठूंसा गया था।

Rajya Sabha Debate dated 7th Nov1966