Islamophobic Remarks :
In Western Uttar Pradesh, Balraj Dungar is a hardliner and militant local leader of the Hindu far-right (UP). He has ties to both the Bajrang Dal and the current government’s Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).
His Twitter profile reads, ‘Being a Hindu is luck, but being a radical Hindu is super luck.’
He was a primary organizer of the 2013 anti-Muslim pogroms in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, which resulted in at least 62 fatalities, primarily among Muslims, and forced 50,000 people from their homes.
Sangeet Som, a BJP leader and one of the organizers of the Muzaffarnagar Pogrom, is regarded as his close ally.
On October 6, 2013, a Kheda Mahapanchayat (Caste Parliament) was held in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, to protest the detention of Sangeet Som, a former BJP MLA, and the application of the National Security Act to him. Dungar, one of the primary organizers, was detained by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
He offered assistance to Yogesh Raj, one of the suspects in the savage killing of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, in 2018. Inspector Singh was attempting to preserve peace and order after a cow caracas was discovered, inciting Hindu cow vigilantes. Also, he set up free legal representation for him.
“A panel of ten lawyers from Bulandshahr would be providing legal assistance to Yogesh Raj,” Dungar said.
When Dungar was asked about the murder of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh on a television program, he began to talk about cows, to which the moderator Faye Dsouza retorted, “I’m asking you about humans & not cows. Are cows not humans, he retorted. They stand for 100 crore Hindus.
Dungar has promoted anti-Muslim hate crimes under the guise of protecting cows while serving as Jila Gau Raksha Pramukh (District Cow Protection Chief). It is noteworthy to note that anti-Muslim offenses involving cattle have been prevalent in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
He has organized armed training camps in Meerut, Noida, and Ayodhya to prepare Hindu youth against their supposed ‘enemies.’ In camps, terrorists were portrayed with visible Muslim symbols, wearing a head cap (Topi), kurta-Ppejama and sporting beards. When asked by a reporter on the issue, he said, ‘kya is desh ke atakwadi topi nahi pahante (Do the terrorists of this country not wear caps?).
The then Governor of the state of Uttar Pradesh Ram Nayak supported such training camps, saying, ‘there is nothing objectionable (in what is being done there)”. However, Dungar was somehow arrested but only to be released on bail.
He has stated out loud that Madrasas are where terrorists congregate and that the esteemed Islamic School of Study Darul Uloom Deoband is a “atankwad ka adda” (the hub of terrorism).
In a video, he could be seen requesting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shut down Madrasas to curb “terrorism” in the country. Dungar openly calls Hindus not to vote for Muslim candidates in elections.
His obstinate Islamophobia is obviously evident. He stated at a press conference that “only discontent would be found in Islam while advancing conspiracies. Terrorism, land jihad, and love jihad will not result in peace. They continue to look for the 72 Hurons (virgins), but they are nowhere to be found. You must enter Ram’s sanctuary if you seek serenity. The only way to find peace is to construct a massive temple.