Islamophobic Remarks :
Hindu monk Ashutosh Pandey, a history-sheeter, is well-known in the area for his anti-Muslim hate activities. He is from Shamli, Uttar Pradesh (UP). He formed a trust called “Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nirman” after being expelled from the Hindu militant group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in order to rally Hindus against Muslims on the topic of reclaiming mosques, which he believes were built on temples.
He is also connected to the racist Rashtriya Brahman Yuvjan Sabha, which represents the Brahman caste, which is thought to be at the top of the caste structure.
He has been profiting from the Shahi Idgah mosque-Krishna Janmabhoomi temple conflict in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Notably, the problem has long plagued the state of Uttar Pradesh and has been on the political agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party for many years.
Panday organizes the “Jan Jagran Yatras” (rallies) and “Jan Sammelans” (public gatherings), ostensibly to disseminate information on the allegedly unlawful acts of the mosques. These incidents openly incite Hindus against the Muslim minority and beg them to free the “Krishna Janm Bhumi,” which they allege is the location of the Idgah mosque in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. However, the case is still ongoing in court.
Despite the legal repercussions of his malevolent initiatives, Pandey persists in inciting anti-Muslim sentiment among Hindus by actively militarizing Hindu youngsters through his organization’s “Krishna Sena” and “Radha Vahini” wings. Pandey aims to indoctrinate and train a “ground army” of Hindu youngsters so that they are prepared to respond in difficult circumstances.
With the backing of other Hindu far-right groups, Panday boldly goes about spewing hate against Muslims. Sadhvi Prachi Acharya, the notorious hate-monger in charge of Radha Vahini’s women’s cell, is one of her closest allies.
Numerous courts in UP are now hearing a number of criminal cases against him. He has also been detained on numerous occasions and has spent time in jail on account of gang rape, hate speech, cheating, threats to kill, extortion, election fraud, hurting religious feelings, and having counterfeit currency. Additionally, he has been detained under the Goonda Act of UP at least four times.
His other obsession has been to intimidate Muslim farmers and traders in the area under the pretext of protecting the cows. However, Pandey was himself seen on tape attempting to pay off a policeman in order to free a truck carrying 50 oxen who were reportedly being smuggled.
A reward of 25,000 rupees was offered by Shamli police in 2019 to anyone who could provide information about Pandey’s whereabouts. Pandey was wanted for a number of major charges, including an attempt at murder, an attempt at rape, extortion, cheating, fraud, etc.
More than a dozen businessmen complained to the police in January 2022 about the trouble Ashutosh Panday was causing them.
He is acclaimed as a famous monk by the local media and is seen as the face of the conflict between the mosque and the temple in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. As the cases against him seem to have been put on hold, the Hindu right obtains a new spokesperson in Uttar Pradesh.