Hindu extremist calls for ‘annihilation’ of Muslims at India rally
Speech urging violence against Muslim community renews concerns over rising extremist rhetoric and religious incitement in world's largest democracy
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A close aide to Hindu extremist preacher Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati called for the “annihilation” of Muslims during a religious gathering in northern India, escalating concerns over public incitement against the country’s largest religious minority.
The remarks were made by Anil Yadav, popularly known as “Chote Narsinghanand,” at a large Hindu religious assembly organized by Narsinghanand in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, on June 21, according to Indian fact-checking outlet Alt News.
Yadav, who described himself as Narsinghanand’s “shadow,” repeatedly endorsed the priest’s views while addressing the gathering.
During his speech, Yadav alleged that Hindus were under attack and argued that increasing the Hindu population was necessary to strengthen the community. He then called for “sanghar,” or the “annihilation” of Muslims, telling the audience that “whoever does it first will win this battle” before reciting a poem calling for the death of those he described as “traitors.”
To justify his remarks, Yadav referred to the killing of a Hindu teenager in Ghaziabad earlier this year and the subsequent police killing of the prime accused.
He also repeated unsubstantiated claims that Muslims were seeking revenge and alleged that Hindus faced an existential threat. The speech further included remarks opposing interfaith relationships involving Hindu men and Muslim women.
The gathering was held days after Narsinghanand released a video accusing two Muslim clerics linked to the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary and a lawmaker from the opposition Samajwadi Party of promoting “jihad” and “ghazwa-e-hind.”
The terms are frequently invoked by Hindu nationalist groups to allege an Islamic conspiracy to take over India despite the absence of evidence supporting such claims.
Addressing supporters at the event, Narsinghanand urged Hindus to “stand up for themselves” against what he described as an imminent threat from Muslims, saying the meeting had been convened to discuss how the community should protect itself and its families.
After videos of Yadav’s speech circulated online and drew criticism, Narsinghanand released another video expressing support for the remarks.
In the video, he praised Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, claiming Israel and China had found what he described as an effective response to “jihadis” and Islam, while asserting that India lacked the courage to take similar action.
Narsinghanand has faced multiple criminal cases over alleged hate speech in recent years. He was arrested in 2022 over speeches delivered at the Haridwar Dharma Sansad (religious assembly), where he openly called for violence against Muslims.
In 2024, both he and Yadav were again arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police over alleged inflammatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Yadav had also threatened to burn effigies of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Hazrat Ali during protests over Narsinghanand’s statements.
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