Hindu nationalist groups intensify campaign to criminalize Muslim sacrifice rituals ahead of Eid

VHP leader calls Bakra Eid sacrifice a “sin,” as Hindutva-backed bans and rhetoric escalate against Islamic traditions

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — As Muslims across India prepare for Eid al-Adha, Hindu nationalist leaders have launched a fresh wave of hostility targeting the centuries-old Islamic practice of animal sacrifice, exposing the growing criminalization of Muslim identity under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule.

Dr. Rajkamal Gupta, a senior member of the far-right Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), demanded a nationwide ban on the religious sacrifice of animals during Bakra Eid, labeling it a “grave sin” and accusing Muslims of trying to “show one billion Hindus how much blood can be spilled.”

Echoing the language of dominance and religious supremacy, Gupta insisted that sacrifice should not involve slaughter and that Muslims should instead “sacrifice eating meat”—a deliberate distortion of Islamic scripture. He further accused the festival of being unhygienic and environmentally harmful, while questioning why environmentalists and courts remain “silent” about Muslim practices.

Gupta warned that if the state does not intervene, Hindu groups would take to the streets—a thinly veiled threat of mob action. Both the VHP and Bajrang Dal, outfits closely aligned with the ruling BJP, have historically used such rhetoric to justify violence, boycotts, and legal harassment of Muslims.

This attack is not isolated. In Maharashtra, a government cattle welfare body issued a circular ahead of Eid, banning livestock markets from June 3 to 8—effectively blocking Muslims from purchasing animals for sacrifice. Though the order was later withdrawn following public opposition, the intent was clear: to curb a core Islamic ritual by state decree.

Muslim rights advocates see these actions as part of a broader campaign by Hindu nationalist forces to erase public expressions of Islamic faith—from prayers in public spaces to calls to prayer on loudspeakers—while institutionalizing Hindu rituals in the public sphere.

Eid al-Adha is one of Islam’s most sacred festivals, commemorating Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice in submission to God. The act of Qurbani (sacrifice) is not merely symbolic—it is a deeply spiritual and communal obligation. But under the current political climate, it is increasingly treated as a threat.

In India today, Muslims are not just defending religious practices—they are resisting a systematic assault on their existence, livelihoods, and dignity under an emboldened Hindutva regime.