The accused are charged with conspiring to incite riots, disrupting communal harmony, and damaging public property
NEW DELHI – Three individuals, including two women associated with the right-wing group Hindu Raksha Dal, were arrested in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly spray-painting anti-Muslim slogans on a wall along the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. The arrested individuals, identified as Sulekha, Shradda Singh, and Manav Kendra, all from Dehradun, targeted the highway with graffiti stating “Ye sadak Musalmano ke liye nahi hai” (This road is not for Muslims) in Hindi and English.
The arrests happened on Thursday evening.
The graffiti was painted on the intervening night of February 26–27, and a video of the incident was shared on social media, drawing widespread outrage. Later, some elements, claiming to be associated with the Hindu Raksha Dal, claimed responsibility for the act.
The accused face charges of conspiring to incite riots, officials said. The arrests and charges followed a complaint from a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) employee.
Media reports on Saturday quoted Station House Officer Akshay Sharma as saying that the three accused are aged between 25 and 30. They have been charged with conspiring to incite riots, disrupting communal harmony, and damaging public property.
Reports indicate that the women involved did not express regret and, in a video, stated that they would continue such actions, claiming the country belongs to Hindus and Muslims are merely “tenants”.
The incident prompted a local police probe and the removal of the graffiti, with officials assuring that such divisive acts aimed at causing tension would not be tolerated.
The police are continuing their investigation into the conspiracy and the involvement of the Hindu Raksha Dal organisation in the incident.
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, brazenly acknowledge their misdeeds with impunity and reiterate their determination to escalate such acts.
In an interview with the BBC, before their arrest, the two women from the Hindu Raksha Dal were not only unrepentant but declared their intention to engage in similar acts again, and on a larger scale.
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.
Shraddha Singh, the district chief of the Hindu Raksha Dal.
“Yes, we spray-painted that graffiti… Muslims do not pay taxes,” Shraddha Singh said. When informed that Muslims do pay taxes, including indirect ones like GST, she 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.
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.
