In Yogi’s Gorakhpur, Ghosts of ‘Hindu Vahini’ Past Haunt the UP CM

Saurabh Vishwakarma, 34, is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator from ward number 63 in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur. His ward, with nearly three thousand voters, abuts the Gorakhnath Math headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Vishwakarma was 15 when he joined the Hindu Yuva Vahini, Adityanath’s vigilante group or private army. He is a three-time BJP corporator and was re-elected in 2017, on a BJP ticket, even after he had a bitter falling out with Adityanath, who had declared a bounty of Rs 25,000 on his head. For more podcasts from The Quint, check out our Podcasts section. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices