In the state of Madhya Pradesh, Tannu Sharma is a local leader of the Hindu militant group Bajrang Dal. Overseeing the militant group’s operations in the area, Sharma holds the position of Chief Convenor for the Malwa division of Indore city.
His strong propagation of anti-Muslim emotions, misinformation, and conspiracy theories among the local community is indicative of his membership with the group. He has vigorously promoted the idea of “bulldozer justice” as a way to punish Muslims in Indore summarily.
In October 2022, during the Hindu celebration of Garba, he warned non-Hindus, especially Muslims, not to attend any Garba-related gatherings, even though the holiday is broadly observed by all Indians. In his warning, Sharma referred to Muslim men as “jihadis” and falsely claimed that they attended festivals in an attempt to seduce Hindu women into engaging in “love jihad” and becoming Muslims.
Sharma, his Bajrang Dal cronies, and the local police broke into the house of Mohd Rizwan, a Muslim, in February 2023 with the intent of intimidating and harassing Rizwan and his companions. The Muslim males were placed in preventive custody by the police at the request of the Bajrang Dal. Sharma, in the meantime, grabbed Rizwan’s phone by force and started calling him derogatory names and using foul language. Furthermore, he made up an accusation against Rizwan of planning the “love jihad” plot to seduce gullible Hindu ladies.
Sharma staged a protest at the Palasia police station in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, in July 2023, claiming that drug sales were going on all over the place. He asked that Belal Khan, a young Muslim, have his house demolished as punishment for his alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking.
When unrest broke out in Haryana in August 2023, a Hindu mob was responsible for the outbreak. Sharma and the local vigilantes put out protests, burning Muslim effigies and yelling anti-Muslim slogans like “kill the anti-national bastards.” False information about the deaths of Hindu men during the violence in Nuh stoked the protests.
He set up a program for Hindu females to learn how to carry firearms in September 2023, urging them to do so in case they feel threatened by “jihadis.” Additionally, he supported the conspiracy ideas of “demographic change” and “love jihad.”