Islamophobic Remarks :
The leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Haryana, Acharya Azad Singh, identifies as a Hindu monk. As vice president of the Hindu militant group Haryana Gau Rakshak Dal, known for its cattle-related hate crimes against Muslims, he also leads the state’s cow vigilante unit.
He is referred to as the “Godfather” of the hundreds of far-right vigilantes that terrorize Muslims who are discovered moving cattle or eating meat in Haryana state and the surrounding areas.
In India, the practice of lynching Muslims under the guise of protecting cows has become the new standard. Two Muslim men, Junaid and Nasir, were brutally murdered in February 2023 by vigilantes working under the direction and support of Arya, who is also charged in the crime.
On his Facebook page, he appears in numerous videos and images alongside guys brandishing guns, including infamous Hindu militant leader Monu Manesar, who is also charged with the murder of two Muslim males. In one of the films, Arya proudly discharges a handgun, then several other weapons, as a crowd cheers and yells phrases around him.
After a successful “operation,” which often included high-speed chases and the capture of purported cow smugglers, Arya frequently updates his social media pages. He frequently appears in photos with team members brandishing sophisticated weaponry and rifles with great ease.
An article on Alt News by Shinjinee Majumder titled “Acharya Azad Singh Arya, the gun-wielding ‘guru’ who spearheads Haryana’s cow vigilantism” goes into further detail about the evil empire of cow vigilantism that this man has built.
While Monu Manesar refers to Arya as “the soul of Gau Raksha Dal Haryana” and “a mentor & guru,” cow vigilantes hold him in high regard as a spiritual leader and mentor. Manesar seems to be one of Arya’s favorite disciples, as seen in the pictures included in the report. Both adore eating birthday cakes, going swimming, and dressing alike in saffron turbans to events.
(Images are accessible on Arya and Manesar’s Facebook pages.)
Arya joined multiple rallies in support of the accused in the brutal lynching case of Junaid and Nasir, and she even started blaming the victims.
He declared, “It’s probable that the smugglers also killed Nasir and Junaid because of personal disputes. Due to the fact that both of the deceased were involved in criminal proceedings, a CBI investigation is required in this instance.
Majumdar added more context to his gloomy criminal realm in this Twitter discussion.
He presents himself as a mild-mannered Godman who rarely cares about earthly affairs on news programs and social media, but the reality is the complete reverse. He is the Godfather of the cow vigilantes and thugs that plunder, extort, lynch, and assault people on the state of Haryana’s highways in the guise of “protecting” cows.
He openly supports vigilantism relating to cattle and supports violence without hesitation.
He suggested using bulldozers to reduce the Muslims to dust in February 2023. I ask Manohar Lal Khattar, the chief minister of Haryana, to take a cue from Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, and send bulldozers to the homes of cow smugglers. Bulldoze through their residences, he said.
In favor of the alleged cow vigilantes who killed Junaid and Nasir, the Hindu Maha Panchayats (Hindu religious parliament) were where he made the statement.