Hindutva Watch (HW)

Location: Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra Date: August 11 The Sakal Hindu Samaj organised a Nished Morcha during the cremation of Dhiraj Pardeshi despite police denying permission. Far-right Hindu nationalists, including BJP MLAs Sangram Jagtap and Akshay Kardile and far-right influencer Sangram Bapu Bhandare, addressed the gathering. Jagtap claimed Pardeshi was targeted by Muslims for wearing a tilak, alleged that Hindu-majority areas were becoming Muslim-majority, and threatened Muslims while the crowd chanted, “Uthao dande, bhagao lande,” meaning “pick up sticks and drive away the Muslims.” Kardile compared Muslims to a pig’s tail and called them “children of pigs.” Bhandare called for a boycott of Muslims as a tribute to Pardeshi, referred to Muslims as “jihadis,” used the anti-Muslim slur “landiya,” and threatened Muslims in Mukundnagar.

Location: Haridwar, Uttarakhand Date: August 14 At the Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Divas event, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami highlighted his government’s measures to preserve the state’s “demographic balance” and “cultural composition.” He peddled the anti-Muslim conspiracy theories of “love jihad,” “land jihad,” and “thook jihad,” citing stringent anti-conversion laws, “Operation Kalnemi,” the dissolution of the Madrasa Board, and the closure of over 250 allegedly “illegal” madrasas. He also claimed that action against alleged illegal encroachments had “freed” thousands of acres of government land and led to the demolition of over 500 alleged “illegal” structures. He accused the Opposition of vote-bank politics and enabling “ghuspaith” (infiltration) through forged documents to secure a “special” votebank.

Location: Dudahi, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh Date: August 13 At an AHP–Rashtriya Bajrang Dal Akhand Bharat Sankalp Diwas meeting, a speaker peddled the anti-Muslim conspiracy theory of “love jihad” and announced plans to establish Hanuman Chalisa centres across wards as part of the “Hindu Hi Aage, Veer Hindu Vijeta Hindu” campaign to discuss “love jihad,” religious conversion, and cow slaughter.

Location: Bhadrak, Odisha Date: August 14 At an Akhand Bharat Sankalp Diwas event organised by VHP–Bajrang Dal, Pandit Birendra Panda urged Hindus to demonstrate their “shakti” (power) through “shastra” (weapons), invoking Vishnu’s Sudarshan Chakra and Shiva’s trident. He asserted that religious scriptures can only be discussed in a nation protected by weapons.

Location: Nimbahera, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan Date: August 13 At an “Akhand Bharat Sankalp Rally,” MLA and former BJP leader T. Raja Singh called on Hindus to carry out Karseva in Mathura on December 6, citing calls from Hindu saints to remove what he termed the “kalank” of the Shahi Idgah, and urged them to mobilise for the campaign. Invoking Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s statement that future Karsevaks would receive flowers instead of bullets, he called on Yogi to prepare for the mobilisation and claimed that Hindus made him Chief Minister not for development but to establish a “Hindu Rashtra.” He invoked the slogan, “Ayodhya is just a glimpse; Kashi and Mathura are yet to come,” and declared that after Mathura, Hindus would “remove” the alleged “kalank” in Kashi.

Location: Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra Date: August 9 Far-right Hindu nationalist groups led by BJP MLA Sangram Jagtap staged a roadblock protest following the killing of a Hindu man. Jagtap himself alleged that the man was killed by Muslims for wearing a saffron tilak. Other speakers used anti-Muslim slurs, called for violence against Muslims, and led anti-Muslim chants.

Location: Dhrangadhra, Surendranagar, Gujarat Date: August 13 At a Trishul Deeksha led by Praveen Togadia, president of the Antar-Rashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) and Rashtriya Bajrang Dal (RBD), Togadia fearmongered about Hindu population decline, claiming Hindus would become a minority and face violence if their population continued to fall. He called for a population-control law, the expulsion of Bangladeshis, an end to religious conversions, and an economic boycott of non-Hindus, including only buying from and employing Hindus. He also declared, “Kata hua Hindu hi sabko peetega” (“A divided Hindu will beat everyone”). Tridents were distributed to participants, who took an oath while holding the tridents to protect Hinduism, Hindus and India. They also pledged to worship weapons, conduct Shastra Pooja, keep iron rods and pipes at home for self-defence, and undergo self-defence training.

Location: Raipur, Chhattisgarh Date: August 7 At the Akhand Bharat Sankalp Diwas programme organised by the VHP-Bajrang Dal, a speaker promoted the anti-Muslim conspiracy theory of “love jihad”, claiming Hindu girls and women were being targeted by “jihadis.”

Location: Champawat, Uttarakhand Date: August 9 Geeta Dhami, founder of Seva Sankalp Foundation, speaking at a Sawan Utsav organised by the organisation, commended Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for taking action against alleged “land jihad” in Uttarakhand, claiming that over 10,000 acres of land had been illegally occupied. She claimed that ongoing verification drives had identified thousands of unidentified outsiders in the state’s mountainous areas who were allegedly occupying government land, concealing their identities under false Hindu names, and engaging in “love jihad” and “thook jihad.” She also praised the state government’s decision to shut down the Madarsa Board, claiming that “anti-national forces” were being nurtured there. She further praised the enactment of an anti-conversion law to protect local communities, claiming that in Khatima, indigenous Tharu people had allegedly converted to Christianity due to what she termed as “foreign-funded incentives.”

Location: Loni, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Date: August 7 BJP MLA Nandkishore Gurjar visited Muslim-operated restaurants on Eidgah Road, alleging that meat was being secretly sold during the Hindu holy month of Shravan despite a government order prohibiting its open sale, while an operator claimed they were selling vegetarian food. He threatened local police over their alleged inaction and, addressing a gathered crowd, claimed that Hadith states that Prophet Muhammad advocated for the protection of cows and prohibited cow meat consumption, asserting that those involved in cattle slaughter are not true Muslims. He urged locals to physically confront cow slaughterers, calling them “rakshas,” while also urging them to follow the law. Following his intervention, police inspected the restaurants, and Gurjar declared that those caught selling meat during Shravan would be detained and jailed.

Location: Patana, Chalisgaon, Maharashtra Date: August 12 Pranian Foundation cow vigilantes chased a cattle truck for 15 km before detaining its two Muslim drivers. The vigilantes interrogated the men on camera while carrying sticks and recorded a detailed vlog demanding that police investigate them and keep them in custody.

Location: Pandharpur, Solapur, Maharashtra Date: August 11 Pranian Foundation cow vigilantes chased a cattle truck and detained its Muslim driver and two other occupants. After the driver failed to provide his employer’s full name, the vigilantes beat him, with one using a stick. They then seized the truck and cattle and celebrated by chanting “Jai Shri Ram.”

Location: Dhaniakhali, Hooghly, West Bengal Date: August 8 At the Rashtra Bachao Padyatra organised by the Bangiya Hindu Suraksha Samiti, speaker Samrat Nirmal Pal called on the police to identify "jihadi infiltrators" within the force and government machinery. He alleged that Muslims had acquired Hindu-owned land through false identities and accused politicians and government officials of protecting them. Pal also claimed that changing religious demographics in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India demonstrated a threat to Hindus. Referring to Muslims as "cockroaches," he said they needed to be "eradicated with red hit," stated that they did not belong in India, and called for them to leave for Pakistan, Bangladesh, or America. He further urged Hindus to identify and punish "jihadis," claiming that they were already plundering resources, r*ping Hindu women, and carrying out "love jihad." He added that if they "eye at our women," Hindus would "gouge out their eyes."

Location: Tanakpur, Champawat, Uttarakhand Date: August 11 Geeta Dhami, founder of Seva Sankalp Foundation, speaking at a Sawan Utsav organised by the organisation, commended Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for enacting the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and taking action against alleged “land jihad”, claiming that thousands of unidentified outsiders from outside Uttarakhand have been living in the state’s mountainous regions and illegally occupying land. She criticised the operation of madrasas, alleging that they served as hubs for “anti-national forces” under the guise of education. She noted that several illegal madrasas had been shut down, while those remaining in operation would be required to adopt a new educational framework.

Location: Dharavi, Mumbai, Maharashtra Date: August 8 VHP and Bajrang Dal members held a demonstration against “love jihad,” raising anti-Muslim slogans, including calls to shoot those involved in “love jihad” and demanding an end to it.

Location: Sauri, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal Date: August 4 Members of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal held a rally ahead of Akhand Bharat Sankalp Diwas, raising slogans against alleged "jihadis," "anti-Hindu," and "anti-national" elements, each followed by chants of "Joota maaro" ("Beat them with shoes"). Participants also raised the slogan, "Desh ke gaddaron ko goli maaro saalon ko" ("Shoot the traitors of the nation").

Location: Dhaniakhali, Hooghly, West Bengal Date: August 6 During the Rashtra Bachao Padyatra in Hooghly, Samrat Nirmal Pak, a member of the Bangiya Hindu Suraksha Samiti, alleged that the recent nationwide student protests were not student-led but orchestrated by anti-national forces. He compared the protesters to “jihadis”, claiming they were fostering division in India, and further claimed that celebrations were held at mosques and dargahs following the resignation of the former Education Minister, which he alleged demonstrated an Islamic conspiracy behind the protests.

Location: Bhiwandi, Maharashtra Date: August 10 Cow vigilantes chased a truck transporting meat and a car accompanying it, damaging both vehicles before detaining three transporters from the truck, who appeared visibly injured.

Location: Vasai, Palghar, Maharashtra Date: August 9 Far-right Hindu nationalists cornered a Muslim man, questioned why he was visiting a Hindu-majority area, and accused him of endangering Hindu women. They also accused him of trying to entrap Hindu women and disguise himself as a Hindu before physically assaulting him.