‘Muslims are tenants; they should live like that. They should not be allowed to do anything,’ a Hindu Raksha Dal worker states
NEW DELHI – Official apathy, clear attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership to polarise society, anti-Muslim prejudice, and inherent bias have all emboldened Hindutva forces. These groups, who cannot simply be dismissed as fringe elements, now brazenly acknowledge their misdeeds with impunity and reiterate their determination to escalate such acts.
Two women from the Hindu Raksha Dal, seen in a viral video last week painting anti-Muslim graffiti on the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, were not only unrepentant but declared their intention to engage in similar acts again, and on a larger scale.
The women, wearing saffron scarves, were captured spray-painting “This road is not for Muslims” on the expressway fence. The Hindu Raksha Dal leader, Bhupendra Chaudhary, claimed the women wrote what he considered the “right thing,” asserting that roads are built with Hindu taxes and Muslims should not be permitted to travel on national highways if they don’t pay taxes.
In a conversation with BBC reporter Dilnawaz Pasha, the women brazenly admitted their actions. “This country is ours. We can do anything. Muslims can do nothing. If they don’t like it, they should go to Pakistan. Next, we will write on mosques too,” they stated.
One woman identified herself as Shraddha Singh, the district chief of the Hindu Raksha Dal.
“Yes, we spray-painted that graffiti… Muslims do not pay taxes,” Shraddha said. When informed that Muslims do pay taxes, including indirect ones like GST, Shraddha countered, “Hindus also do it. They work hard, pay taxes… Muslims do not pay taxes.” Shraddha reiterated that she was unafraid of disrupting communal harmony and believed they could do whatever they wished because the country was “theirs” — adding, “Whoever doesn’t like it can go to Pakistan…”
“Muslims are tenants; they should live like that. They should not be allowed to do anything,” said the other woman. Stressing that she wasn’t scared of FIRs, she vowed to continue doing the ‘right thing’ and affirmed that the Hindu Raksha Dal would back them up. “This country is ours, we can do whatever we want,” she declared.
When the journalist, who is himself a Muslim, pointed out that he would have to use the same highway to return home, she replied, “You can go from below. Make your own road.”
The 57-second video of the graffiti act was widely shared on X, with several users flagging it as inflammatory content allegedly aimed at inciting communal tension.
According to reports, Saharanpur Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Shailendra Kumar Srivastava said a case has been registered based on the video, and the markings have since been removed.
The police have registered a case and are investigating. “What is there to investigate? The women are clearly visible and identified in the video. Why have they not been arrested yet?” a social media user tweeted.
