Islamophobic Remarks :
Kamal Gautam is the Himachal Pradesh state General Secretary of the Hindu extremist organization – Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM). HJM is notorious for running aggressive Ghar Wapsi ( forced conversion to Hinduism) campaigns and targeting Muslims and other religious minorities by manufacturing conspiracy theories.
Gautam is a government teacher by profession and seeks to purge the Himachal Pradesh state of its Muslim population.
Gautam has been vandalizing Muslim places of worship and promoting the anti-Muslim conspiracy theory of ‘land jihad,’ which accuses Muslims of land grabbing for ulterior purposes.
“Will liberate every nook and cranny of Devbhoomi. will exterminate Devbhoomi’s land jihad. Wherever you walk in Devbhoomi, you will find Shivaji standing against you, Aurangzeb’s illegitimate progeny, said Gautam in the description of the movie that showed images of the destruction of a Muslim site of worship by HJM in Himachal Pradesh in January 2022.
On July 4, 2023, journalist Zakir Ali Tyagi posted a video of Gautam threatening Muslims with death if they didn’t leave the state of Himachal Pradesh within thirty days. “Leave the state within thirty days or else you shall be responsible for whatever happens to you,” he warned the Muslim minorities. The Hindu community will use the stop-interrupt-kill (rokko-tokko-thokko) approach if you don’t do as instructed.
On July 7, 2023, he made an open threat to use violence against Muslims in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, during another hate speech. Gautam spoke in front of a throng that cheered while yelling aggressive phrases, “I warn the state administration to stop these Mullahs and Maulvies coming from outside and disturbing the peace in the state through their Jihadi activities.”
The crowd applauded, “Bharat me yadi rahna hoga to Jai Shri Ram kehna hoga, Islamic Mulle tere baap ka nam Jai Shri Ram,” as he continued, “If the administration fails to stop them (Muslims), we are determined to stop them by adequate means.” (Islamic Mullahs, if you wish to stay in India, you must thank Lord Ram! The name of your father is Lord Ram
In addition, he charged Muslims with planning a plot to convert Hindu girls to Islam in order to alter the demographics of the state. Gautam accused the state administration of giving land to members of the Islamic Jihad. In the state, he vowed to destroy mosques and Madrassas.
On July 7, 2023, the speech’s video came to light, and the following day, the education department apparently suspended him.
On July 9, 2023, he made a hate speech at Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, where he threatened to boycott Muslims. He remarked, “I would like to tell you all that we should not give in to these ‘jihadi’ ideology bearers from outside and let them stay here just for the sake of some small rent payments,” speaking to the Hindu community in the area. While they target our young daughters, we are willing to allow them access to our home or business.
“Mosques and madrasas receive 8–12 lakh rupees for every Hindu girl. It will be us, not some DC or SP, who decides who gets to enter my (our) lane, our neighborhood, or our district if these jihadis arrive from outside our country without panjikaran (registration) or pratyapan, he continued.
He called for a comprehensive economic boycott of Muslim hawkers and merchants entering Hindu communities, likening them to wild hogs and selling fruit and vegetables.
“Boycott these vendors of a particular kind” (referring to Muslims), he commanded. You don’t need me to explain what to do if a wild boar breaks into your farm and starts eating your crop.