Islamophobic remarks :
A Hindu fundamentalist monk from Uttrakhand named Swami Darshan Bharti is well-known for leading aggressive operations against Muslims there. He seeks to rid the state of Uttrakhand of Muslims under the aegis of his organization, the “Uttrakhand Raksha Abhiyan,” since, in his view, the state is a “Devbhumi” (God’s territory) and only belongs to the Hindus.
He has intensified the push to expel Muslims from the state by fostering a sense of fear and insecurity among Hindus through persistent fear- and hate-mongering.
In 2019, members of Bharti’s organization, the Uttarakhand Raksha Abhiyan, distributed 1.5 lakh leaflets urging Hindus to protest what they claimed were changes in the state’s demography brought on by Muslims, according to a story by The Wire. After incidences of shop looting and shop burning involving members of the minority population were linked to Bharti’s Facebook comments, he was briefly imprisoned for inciting racial animosity against minorities.
Bharti embarked on a hunger strike in April 2021 to call for strict legislation to combat the myth of “Love Jihad.” After receiving assurances and promises from Tirath Singh Rawat, the former Chief Minister of Uttrakhand, he broke his fast.
He has been meeting with the Chief Ministers of Uttrakhand in order to have laws on the anti-Muslim conspiracy theories of “love jihad” and “land jihad” approved.
In December 2021, at the infamous Haridwar Dharma Sansad (Hindu Religious Parliament), when outright appeals for the murder of Muslims were made, Bharti and others spread the myth that Uttrakhand is experiencing a demographic shift and discussed how Muslims are infiltrating the “Devbhoomi.”
The Wire reported that Bharti discussed “Islamic activities in the Devbhoomi.” He said that no mosque had been permitted to be erected there since 2015 and that not even Aurangzeb had been able to conquer the Devbhoomi.
No mazar was permitted to be constructed. No madrasa was permitted to be constructed.also keep this in mindLearn from these helpless people.I want to make it clear to you all that we cannot discuss the existence of a Hindu nation until that Hindu shrine has been saved.This saint will undoubtedly impart this knowledge to India if it continues on the road outlined by Shankaracharya Ji, the man remarked.
Two young people—one Hindu and the other Muslim—were allegedly implicated in the attempted kidnapping of a young Hindu girl on May 26, 2023. On the girl’s family’s complaint, a FIR was filed against them under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and they were jailed the same day.
In May 2023, Bharti’s group gave an incident involving interfaith relations a communal spin and set a deadline for Muslim minorities to leave the town. In the Uttarkashi district of the state, posters were pasted and Muslim-owned businesses and homes were marked with crosses.
“I am speaking with folks all across town and pleading with them not to rent out their homes and businesses to members of the Muslim community. Nearly half of them concurred with me, according to Bharti.
In the state, Bharti has been spreading the myth of “vyapar jihad” (business jihad) and asking Hindus to engage in a total economic boycott against Muslims.