The episode adds another chapter to Hindu Raksha Dal chief Pinky Chaudhary’s long, combustible record of spreading hate against Muslims
NEW DELHI — The saffron brigade’s push to polarise communities was on full display Saturday, when Hindu Raksha Dal chief Bhupendra Tomar — better known as Pinky Chaudhary — turned a food distribution line in Ghaziabad into a flashpoint.
In a video now ricocheting across social media, Chaudhary is seen yanking a plate of food from the hands of a poor man waiting in line. Looking into the camera, he declares: “We will not give food to Mullahs, no matter who feels bad; no Muslim should eat.” He then doubles down: “Mullah na aaye, sirf Hindu aaye” — making it clear the aid was for Hindus only.
The scene 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 in Ghaziabad to brand Muslims as “jihadis,” peddle unverified claims about Muslim soldiers, and urge 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.
The latest video has once again lit up demands for a crackdown on hate speech and religious discrimination — and for an end to what many call a culture of impunity shielding Hindutva vigilante groups.
