Hindu priest calls for bombing Muslim universities in India

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Hindu extremist leader Yati Narsinghanand Giri has sparked outrage after calling for military action to bomb several Muslim educational institutions in India, including Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, Al-Falah University, and Darul Uloom Deoband — a statement rights groups have described as an open call for violence and genocide.

Narsinghanand, the head priest of the Dasna Devi Temple in Ghaziabad, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, made the incendiary remarks in a video message posted online earlier this week.

He declared that “terrorist dens like Al-Falah University, AMU, Jamia Millia, and Darul Uloom Deoband should be blown up with cannons by sending in the army,” echoing a pattern of violent rhetoric he has long directed at India’s Muslim minority.

The comments came days after three doctors associated with Al-Falah University were detained by Indian investigating agencies in connection with a suspected terror module and a recent blast in Delhi — claims that remain under investigation. 

In the video, Narsinghanand alleged that the university “held mourning for terrorists,” using the unverified claim to justify his call for state violence against Muslim institutions.

Analysts say the incident reflects an alarming normalization of hate speech under India’s current political climate, where extremist leaders routinely issue threats against Muslims with little legal consequence. 

Despite multiple previous cases against him — including charges for inciting genocide — Narsinghanand continues to operate freely, often amplified by far-right networks aligned with Hindutva ideology.

His latest remarks targeted some of the subcontinent’s oldest and most respected centers of Islamic learning. Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University are public universities with thousands of students from diverse backgrounds, while Darul Uloom Deoband is one of South Asia’s leading Islamic seminaries with a global academic influence.

Observers warn that the language used by figures like Narsinghanand mirrors genocidal propaganda — portraying educational and religious institutions as “terrorist hubs” to justify violence. 

Human rights advocates have repeatedly urged Indian authorities to curb such speech and hold perpetrators accountable, citing its role in fueling mob attacks and communal polarization.

The video has circulated widely on social media, coinciding with a surge of Islamophobic rhetoric from right-wing influencers and even mainstream journalists following the Delhi blast. 

As calls for accountability grow louder, civil society groups say the continued impunity of figures like Narsinghanand signals a deeper erosion of democratic norms and minority rights in the world’s largest democracy.