The organiser provides free food for everyone in response to the Hindutva leader snatching food away from a Muslim man
NEW DELHI — It’s tit-for-tat, albeit with a difference.
In a direct, compassionate response to a widely condemned act of communal hatred, a Muslim youth in Mumbai launched a free food distribution drive for people of all communities, aiming to promote inclusivity and unity.
The initiative followed a recent incident in which Hindu Raksha Dal leader Pinky Chaudhary was seen in a viral video snatching a food plate from a Muslim man during a public event in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, stating, “No Muslim should eat our food.”
Chaudhary sparked outrage when he openly declared that Muslims should not be allowed to eat at the Hindu religious event and insisted that only Hindus should be served.
In the video, Chaudhary said: “We will not give food to Mullahs, no matter who feels bad; no Muslim should eat.”
The remarks triggered sharp criticism on social media, with many accusing Chaudhary of openly promoting communal hatred and humiliating poor people based on religion.
In Mumbai, the Muslim youth organised the public food distribution drive with the message that food should be available to everyone regardless of faith. Snacks, fruits, and drinking water were distributed to poor people without asking about their religion or identity.
A widely shared video from the drive showed the organiser reassuring a man named Bhagwan that the food was being served in the spirit of humanity and brotherhood.
The counter-initiative has been praised by many as a positive, proactive response to hate, focusing on humanity over division.
The organiser emphasised the message of universal humanity by stating, “Mullah ka khaana sab ke liye hai” (The food from a Mullah is for everyone), directly contrasting the earlier act of exclusion.
The scene in Ghaziabad added another chapter to Chaudhary’s long, combustible record. He was a key figure in the August 2021 Jantar Mantar hate speech case, and has since used religious gatherings to brand Muslims as “jihadis,” peddle unverified claims about Muslim soldiers, and urged Hindus to block Muslims from buying property in Hindu-majority neighbourhoods.
In February 2026, his outfit made headlines again when Raksha Dal members scrawled “Road Not for Muslims” across an Uttar Pradesh highway. Chaudhary backed the act with the false assertion that “only Hindus pay taxes in the country.”
He wears his legal rap sheet like a badge of honour, boasting of more than 38 criminal cases against him. Yet the rallies continue. In August 2024, he allegedly led a mob that tore through a Muslim settlement in Ghaziabad — homes were set ablaze, residents assaulted, and religious slurs hurled through the chaos.
Hindu Raksha Dal members stand accused of fanning communal flames: distributing swords, chanting anti-Muslim slogans, and targeting minority communities. Critics argue that the group’s actions, and the tepid legal response to them, are widening India’s communal fault lines.
