Hindu Raksha Dal members arrested for communal graffiti on NH. When will law catch up with their leaders?

by Ankita Mahalanobish

Two women linked to the Hindu Raksha Dal who spray-painted “मुसलमान के लिए रोड नहीं है” (“This road is not for Muslims”) on the Delhi–Dehradun highway were arrested on March 12 — almost a fortnight after the incident —  along with a third person who was with them.

After the arrest, Saharanpur SP Sagar Jain said, “Police identified and arrested the three individuals involved in the case. A challan under BNSS Section 170 had been filed on March 12. All of the accused have been presented in court, and appropriate legal actions will be taken.”

The three individuals arrested in Saharanpur on March 13 for writing communal graffiti on the Delhi-Dehradun national highway. Photo: X/Saharanpur Police

On March 9, Jain had told Alt News said that accused had been already identified, but there was some delay in proceedings because of Holi. “Their names are already in the public domain. One of them is Shraddha. A police team has travelled to Dehradun to verify their location and address. They will be arrested soon,” Jain had said, adding that action was delayed due to Holi festivities, but arrests would be made shortly. “No notice will be served. We will proceed directly with arrests,” the SP had stated.

A case was registered 13 days ago at the Biharigarh police station in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, in this regard. Speaking to Alt News, the SHO of Biharigarh police station had identified the three accused in the case as Shraddha Singh, Sulekha and Jitendra Raghav.

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On the intervening night of February 26–27, two women associated with the Hindu Raksha Dal spray-painted the communal slogans on the crash barrier of the Delhi–Dehradun highway in Uttar Pradesh. The act was filmed and shared online. In the video, a woman dressed in green writes “मुसलमान के लिए रोड नहीं है” (“This road is not for Muslims”) in Hindi. Another woman, wearing beige with an orange scarf, writes “This Road Not Allow Muslim” in English while chanting “Jai Shri Ram”. A man in a white shirt is also seen with them near a red Maruti Swift with a UP number plate.

Days after the incident, the women defended their actions in an interview with BBC journalist Dilnawaz Pasha. They claimed that India “belongs to Hindus” and that Muslims are merely “tenants” who must either accept the situation or move to Pakistan.

In the February 28 interview, one of the women identified herself as Shraddha Singh, district chief of the Hindu Raksha Dal. Singh openly admitted that she and her associates had painted the inflammatory graffiti on the highway crash barriers. She also alleged, without offering any evidence, that Muslims do not pay taxes.

“Yes, I wrote ‘मुसलमान के लिए रोड नहीं है’ (‘This road is not for Muslims’), and it is true, as Muslims don’t pay taxes,” Singh said.

When Pasha pointed out that Muslims, like other citizens, pay taxes, including GST, Singh repeated the claim. “Hindus also pay these taxes. They work hard, pay taxes, but Muslims don’t pay taxes,” she said.

Asked whether such actions could disrupt communal harmony, Singh said she was neither afraid of doing so nor hesitant to repeat it. “If we want, we can write it on a Masjid,” she added.

Despite this, Singh described herself as a responsible citizen who believes in maintaining peace and harmony, while accusing Muslims of spreading violence and disharmony. When Pasha pointed out that she herself had written the divisive message, Singh replied, “We can write because it is our country. Whoever has a problem can go to Pakistan… whichever Muslim feels bad can move to Pakistan.”

The second woman was equally unapologetic. When asked if they would repeat the act, she replied, “Yes, we will write it again. Anytime there is a need, we will write.” She added that they were not afraid of legal consequences. “We are not afraid of FIRs, ready to go to jail for the ‘right thing’.”

When asked how they would react if someone wrote “This road is not for Hindus,” she said the Hindu Raksha Dal would “take care of that person.”

“This country is ours, we can do anything, but Muslims can’t. They are just tenants and should live like that,” she said, adding that if Pasha felt offended, he could build his own road and use that instead.

 

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Multiple FIRs on HRD Chief Pinky Chaudhary 

Hindu Raksha Dal (HRD), of which the two accused women are members, is a fringe Hindutva outfit led by Pinky Chaudhary.

Pinky Chaudhary, alias Bhupendra Chaudhary, has around 25 cases registered against him across police stations in the Delhi NCR and Ghaziabad regions. These cases relate to allegations of communal speeches, violence, intimidation and obstruction of authorities. He is currently out on bail.

In December 2025, Ghaziabad police registered an FIR against Chaudhary and several other HRD members for allegedly distributing around 250 swords and other weapons in the Shalimar Garden area while claiming that Hindus should arm themselves for “self-defence”.

According to reports dated December 31, police took cognisance after a video circulating online showed Chaudhary along with Harsh Chaudhary, Annu, Shyam Yadav, Amit Singh, Mohit Kumar, Arun Jain, Ujjala Singh, Amit Kumar, Mahendra Pratap, Rampal, Mohit, Radheyshyam, Amit Prajapati, Shravan Chandel, Kapil and 25–30 unidentified individuals distributing swords and other weapons from the HRD office in Shalimar Garden.

Chaudhary justified the distribution of weapons by invoking the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh, claiming that a similar incident could occur in India. Hindus, he said, must therefore “be strong” and ensure their own security.

ALSO READ: Form suicide squads & ISIS-like outfits, Yati Narsinghanand urges Hindus amid sword distribution in Delhi, Ghaziabad

On January 6, 2026, Ghaziabad police arrested Pinky Chaudhary and his son Harsh in connection with the case. Nine days later, on January 15, Chaudhary was granted bail.

Chaudhary has faced multiple FIRs over the years. In 2024 alone, several cases were registered against him, including allegations of assault and criminal intimidation in May and obstruction of government work in July.

In August 2024, Chaudhary, accompanied by 15–20 men, allegedly entered a Muslim slum settlement, accused residents of being Bangladeshis, vandalised their huts and set them on fire. A case was registered on August 10, 2024, at Madhuban Bapudham police station under multiple IPC sections. A chargesheet has since been filed, and the last hearing in the case took place on February 9, 2026.

On September 29, 2023, a case was registered under Sections 153-A and 505 of the IPC at the Loni police station in Ghaziabad against Chaudhary for allegedly making derogatory and inflammatory remarks against the Muslim community in a Ganesh Chaturthi event. A video shows Chaudhary openly calling for a boycott of individuals he refers to as “jihadis.” He urges Hindus to stop associating with these “jihadis” and to prevent them from residing in their neighbourhoods. He advises against selling or renting Hindu properties to “jihadis,” warning against the mistakes made by previous generations. He stated, “We don’t need any ‘mullah’ to vote for us; we (Hindus) are enough.” Additionally, he encourages people to have their daughters wear pendants made from pigs’ teeth to protect them from what he describes as the “evil eyes” of Muslims.

Again, in October 2023, two additional cases were registered against him in Ghaziabad. One, at Nandagram police station, involved allegations of threats, misbehaviour with police personnel and obstruction of their duties. Another was filed at Shalimar Garden police station after videos surfaced showing Chaudhary and his associates allegedly making derogatory communal remarks during a protest over cattle remains found in a drain.

In a detailed report, Newslaundry recently documented at least 30 FIRs against Chaudhary since 2011.

After Chaudhary was granted bail on January 15, a video of his associates celebrating his release featured phrases like, Aaj jail, kaal bail, aur phir wahi khel (“Today jail, tomorrow bail, and then the same game”). This suggests that they intend to continue their previous actions without change.

Lalit Sharma: HRD’s Uttarakhand Chief

In the recent past, Hindu Raksha Dal’s Uttarakhand chief Lalit Sharma has risen to prominence with repeated calls for violence against Muslims. In February, he issue a death threat and announced ₹5 Lakh bounty against ‘Mohammad’ Deepak who had stood up to Bajrang Dal activists heckling a Muslim trader in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand. 

After this, an FIR was registered against Sharma and two others, Mahant Anupam Giri and Shivmohan Baba, under sections 196(1), 351(2) and 352 of the BNS at the Rishikesh police station on the complaint of sub-inspector Manish Panwar.

On March 9, 2026, Sharma incited violence against Muslims, openly declaring on camera, “This Eid, we will play Holi with blood, by shooting Muslims.”

In Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, amid the tension over the alleged killing of Tarun Kumar, Sharma announced, “Iss bar na Eid manegi, na Eid meh namaz padhengi, na inhe padhne denge… Iss bar Eid meh Holi khelni hai, khoon ki holi kiyu na khelni pade” (“This time there will be no Eid celebrations; no Eid prayers will be offered, and we will not allow them to offer them. This time, during Eid, we will play Holi — even if it means playing Holi with blood.”)

Later, in a media byte, Sharma minced no words in stating: “If Holi was not celebrated in our homes, then this time we will not allow Eid to be celebrated. If bullets do not pierce everyone’s chests, then no ‘mullah’ will be able to celebrate Eid in this area. The Hindu Raksha Dal has now entered the field—we will ‘set their minds right’.”

ALSO READ: With call for ‘Mohammad’ Deepak’s killing, Hindu Raksha Dal’s Lalit Sharma stakes claim in hardline Hindutva ranks

After the Pahalgham terror attack on April 25, 2025, Sharma had released a video warning Kashmiri Muslim students to leave Uttarakhand by 10 am or be prepared to face dire consequences. “We will not wait for the government to work… Kashmiri Muslims, you have time until 10 am tomorrow to leave from here, or else there will be action taken against you that you can’t even imagine,” Sharma said. The video was uploaded from his official account and was later deleted.

Soon after this, Uttarakhand Police registered an FIR against Sharma in April 2025 for inciting communal tension through inflammatory speeches. The charges included promoting enmity between groups under BNS section 196(1), criminal intimidation under section 352, and intentional insult to provoke a breach of peace under section 353(2).

Despite multiple FIRs being registered against him in recent years, Lalit Sharma has continues to publicly deliver inflammatory speeches and issue open threats against Muslims, including calls for violence, just like the Hindu Raksha Dal chief Pinky Chaudhary. Videos of such speeches have repeatedly surfaced on social media, yet thre seems to be no significant legal consequences. This raises serious questions about the effectiveness and consistency of law enforcement when it comes to prosecuting hate speech and incitement. This is despite the fact that the Supreme Court has ordered law enforcement agencies to register FIRs in cases of hate speech and take prompt action, even if no complaint is filed. The court has also cautioned that failure to enforce these directions could invite contempt proceedings.

 

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