Hindu extremists attempt to perform religious ritual at mosque in India
Hindu Raksha Dal members marched toward mosque to recite Hindu hymn, fueling concerns over Hindutva targeting of Muslim places of worship
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Members of a Hindu extremist group attempted to march on a mosque in northern India to perform a Hindu religious ritual at the Muslim place of worship, in the latest confrontation involving Hindu extremists asserting Hindu religious claims around mosques.
Members of the Hindu Raksha Dal headed toward the Kesarganj mosque in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday with plans to recite the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu hymn, at the site. Police intercepted the group before it reached the mosque amid fears of communal violence.
The mobilization followed a dispute over construction work at the centuries-old mosque, which Hindu Raksha Dal goons used to announce plans for the religious gathering. Mosque representatives had approached authorities after videos publicizing the planned action circulated online.
Lalit Sharma, the Hindu Raksha Dal’s Uttarakhand state president, was among those involved in the mobilization, while the group’s national president, Pinky Chaudhary, had publicly announced the program.
Police deployed additional personnel around the mosque and stopped dozens of activists as they attempted to approach it. The Hindu extremists were later allowed to leave following discussions with police officials.
After being stopped, members of the group were filmed raising slogans declaring, “This country belongs neither to the mullah nor the qazi, but to the brave Shivaji,” invoking Muslim religious figures while asserting a Hindu nationalist vision of India.
The attempted action drew criticism because the extremists were not seeking merely to conduct Hindu worship in a public space, but to take a Hindu religious practice to a functioning Muslim place of worship.
The incident also renewed allegations of unequal policing of religious activity in Uttar Pradesh. Social media users contrasted the handling of the Hindu extremists with cases in which Muslims have faced police action over offering namaz in private premises in districts including Moradabad and Bareilly.
The Meerut episode comes amid broader Muslim concerns over Hindu extremist groups using religious rituals, processions and claims involving mosques as instruments of Hindutva mobilization around Muslim religious spaces.
In several disputes across India, Muslim places of worship have become targets of campaigns seeking Hindu religious access or asserting that mosques stand on sites connected to Hindu temples or deities.
Such campaigns have intensified fears among Muslims over the security of mosques and their ability to worship without organized Hindutva interference.
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