Speaking at the ‘Universal Oneness Celebration’ event at the Madison Square Garden in New York on August 29, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said that “diversity has to be celebrated, respected, and accepted”, and asserted that a Hindu who believed Muslims had no place in India ceased to be a Hindu. The event was organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD).
“In 2018, during my lecture series, Muslim brothers asked me that I talk about Hindu Rashtra and if that meant Muslims would be driven out. I said no, that is not Hindutva. If any Hindu thinks there should be no Muslims in India, he will not remain Hindu. If you want to call yourself a Hindu you have to believe that all paths are leading to the same Goal. And every human has dignity. There is no difference between human beings,” the RSS chief said in his 40-minute-long speech.
This speech garnered significant attention, with citizens lauding Bhagwat for upholding India’s diverse character, highlighting the importance of unity and tolerance. Appreciating the statement, former chief election commissioner SY Quraishi said in an interview with ANI, “…[Mohan Bhagwat] has been very consistent in saying that we already have Hindu Rashtra and they cannot visualise the Hindu Rashtra without the Muslim. I wish this message percolates to the people across the country, particularly to his own cadre. He said that we cannot even imagine a Hindu Rashtra without Muslims. This is a very good statement by him.”
However, in the 10 days since Bhagwat’s speech, a series of incidents involving Muslims has exposed the gap between his public message of “diversity” and developments on the ground. In Jharkhand, a BJP polling booth agent was found allegedly involved in attempts to delete Muslim voters from the electoral rolls. In Uttar Pradesh, an FIR was filed over offering namaz in a public place, while a mosque was razed. In Bhopal, a BJP MLA spoke about firing a missile at a Muslim colony, and in Maharashtra, the Vishva Hindu Parishad issued a diktat against Muslims participating in Garba and Dandiya.
September 3: BLA Held For ‘Deliberate Removal’ Of Muslim Names From SIR
Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, requests for mass deletion of Muslim voters have been reported in at least three states.
While this forms part of a much larger nationwide issue, in Pachrukhi village of Jharkhand’s Godda district, a BJP Booth Level Agent (BLA), Vinay Kumar Mandal, was arrested on September 3 on charges of submitting 200 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of names of genuine voters belonging to the Muslim community. He was released on bail a few hours after he was arrested.
The complainant, Mukarram Ansari, told The Indian Express that after the pattern of deliberate exclusion came to light among voters at the booth, Mandal was asked to return to the village and confronted about the forms. The BLA then admitted that the forms had been given to him following a meeting with BJP functionaries and leaders.
In Odisha’s Bhadrak town, thousands of Form 7 applications were allegedly submitted to the electoral administration by locally known BJP workers, BLAs, and others assisting them in the process, The Reporters Collective revealed in a report published on August 30.
Similarly, Newslaundry had published a detailed report flagging bulk-applications for voter deletion in several constituencies across Uttarakhand, like Kichha, Gadarpur, Khatima, Nanakmatta, Rudrapur and others. It found that these were filed mainly by BJP workers and office-holders, specifically in constituencies that have high proportion of Muslim residents.
September 4: FIR For Praying On The Road
On September 4, an FIR was registered in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad against Samajwadi Party (SP) district vice-president Haji Mohammad Usman for allegedly offering namaz on the road leading to the Circuit House.
An FIR has been registered against Samajwadi party district vice president Haji Mohammad Usman, uncle of Bilari MLA Mohammad Faheem Irfan, for offering namaz on a road in Circuit House in UP’s Moradabad. FIR was registered under 285 (Danger or obstruction in public way or line of… pic.twitter.com/OtiW1UNhkY
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) September 5, 2026
The FIR was filed under Sections 285 (danger or obstruction in a public way) and 292 (punishment for public nuisance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In response, Usman maintained that he had offered prayers behind a parked vehicle in the parking lot, without causing disturbance to anyone. Demanding an impartial investigation in the matter, he said, “Saraswati Vandana is performed in schools, and Bhoomi Pujan is conducted before government construction projects. In such a situation, filing an FIR or raising questions only about namaz is discrimination.”
September 5: Century-old Mosque Bulldozed
On September 5 morning, a 115-year-old mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur was razed to the ground by a fleet of bulldozers. In July, the city magistrate had declared the structure an “unauthorised” occupation, following an official complaint by a Bajrang Dal functionary.
After a district court ruling on September 2, which maintained that the structure was unsanctioned since it stood on government land, the structure was demolished by around six bulldozers, around 5 am, just three days later.
यूपी : सहारनपुर के कलक्ट्रेट परिसर में बनी मस्जिद आज सुबह 5 बजे ढहा दी गई। कल रात भी इसे तोड़ने की सूचनाएं फैली तो DM ने भीड़ को ऐसा कहकर शांत किया कि मस्जिद सिर्फ सील की जाएगी। आज सुबह लोग नींद से उठे तो मस्जिद जमींदोज हो चुकी थी। 16 जुलाई को जिला प्रशासन ने इस मस्जिद का निर्माण… https://t.co/gii3i2xx1T pic.twitter.com/jkRM4XqxEf
— Sachin Gupta (@Sachingupta) September 5, 2026
Members of the mosque committee raised concerns regarding the transparency of the mandate that demolished the mosque, claiming that they were not given enough time to approach a higher court to challenge the magistrate’s order. Moreover, they maintained that the mosque was not “unsanctioned” since it dates back to over a a century, having been established in 1911.
Further, Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan alleged that heavy police forces had been deployed outsider her residence overnight, to keep her from visiting the site where the mosque stood.
September 6: Muslims Barred From Entry Into Hindu Festivals
On September 6, India Today reported that the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) functionaries in Maharashtra called for prohibiting Muslims from participating in Garba and Dandiya events, arguing that the Navratri festival — set to begin on October 11 this year — is centered on worshipping the Hindu goddess.
As part of this, the VHP issued guidelines to check the Aadhaar Card of attendees, and to make sure they are wearing a tilak on their foreheads, in order to verify their Hindu identities.
The report quoted VHP spokesperson and joint secretary Shriraj Nair as asking: “Why should we relax our guidelines for Muslims who don’t subscribe to our religious beliefs and style of worship?”
BJP MLA from Maharashtra, Nitesh Rane, supported VHP’s demands. In an interview with PTI on September 7, claiming that Muslims enter these events to engage in “Love Jihad” with Hindu women, he opined that a recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa should also be made mandatory to gain access to these events. “Idol worship is not permitted in Islam. If you do not even practise our faith, then what authority do you have to participate in Navratri festival and Garba events?” he questioned.
The move was slammed by several opposition leaders including Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, and former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar.
A similar story played out earlier this month in Kolkata’s Mominpore area, where a local Janmashtami event, known for its multicultural involvement and dating back more than 50 years, underwent an organisational overhaul to exclude all 16 Muslim members on the committee.
Rakesh Singh, the BJP’s losing candidate from the area, told Economic Times that since Janmashtami was a Hindu festival, it should be performed by Hindus only.
Speaking to ANI, Singh also declared: “This is my faith, my festival, and my celebration…not an event for outsiders…which is why people of the Muslim faith are not permitted to enter our worship area. In my area, wherever we are celebrating Janmashtami, Muslims are not allowed.”
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: BJP leader Rakesh Singh says, “…Regarding Janmashtami, these people (the Muslim community) had established a sort of monopoly; they would infiltrate everything and run things according to their own whims. They show disrespect towards our rituals.… pic.twitter.com/IlIhW9Qc2Z
— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2026
September 7: BJP MLA Rameshwar Singh’s Missile Talk
Speaking at a Matki Phod (pot-breaking) competition in Bhopal’s Karond on September 7, the BJP MLA of Huzur constituency, Rameshwar Sharma said: “If you fire a missile from Karond Square, it should land in Qazi Camp.”
“Launch a missile from Karond Square and drop it on Kazicamp (a Muslim-majority area).”
BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma spoke of dropping a missile on a Muslim-majority area in Bhopal, whereas, according to Google, there is no place named Kazicamp in Islamabad, Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/5qMCNbBVl5
— The Muslim (@TheMuslim786) September 7, 2026
Qazi Camp is a Muslim-majority area in Bhopal. As his remarks began attracting outrage from opposition leaders, Sharma clarified: “I did not refer to Qazi Camp here; I referred to the one in Islamabad,” Sharma said, reportedly speaking about “India’s military strength and surgical strikes in the context of strong action against terrorism”. However, netizens pointed out that no such place exists in Islamabad.
Madhya Pradesh Congress state spokesperson Rahul Raj condemned Sharma’s remarks in a tweet and highlighted its stark contrast with Bhagwat’s statements. “On one side, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat ji says, “A Hindu who hates Muslims cannot be a Hindu at all,” while on the other side, BJP MLA from Bhopal talks about firing missiles at Qazi Camp…This is the true double character of the BJP and RSS…there is no place called Qazi Camp in Islamabad, so your mentality of spoiling communal harmony in Bhopal city has become crystal clear. Now, Narendra Modi ji and Mohan Yadav ji, please tell us: will there be any action against this inflammatory speech?” he wrote.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.