Uttarakhand CM named most prolific purveyor of religious hate against Muslims
text_fields
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who was identified as the most prolific purveyor of religious hate against the Muslim community in an annual report released by the India Hate Lab (IHL), once again reiterated his malicious and vituperative rhetoric by invoking religious conversion, riots, “love jihad,” “land jihad,” and “thook jihad” to target Muslims.
His latest remarks, delivered during a public address, came despite repeated Supreme Court directions mandating strict action, including suo motu proceedings, against religious hate-mongering and violations of the constitutional oath by public functionaries.
Addressing a flag hoisting ceremony organised by Dev Sanskriti University in Haridwar on Saturday, Dhami asserted that his government had adopted a hardline approach against what he described as divisive activities, while claiming that more than 10,000 acres of government land had been freed from alleged encroachments, a formulation that opposition leaders argue is routinely deployed to legitimise coercive administrative action against Muslim communities.
He maintained that the state administration was acting firmly to counter what he termed a divisive mentality, even as civil rights groups contend that such language deepens social polarisation rather than addressing governance concerns.
The chief minister also sought to justify his government’s decision to dissolve the Uttarakhand Madrasa Board, restrict the prescribed curriculum, and shut down around 250 madrasas deemed “illegal” by the authorities, arguing that these measures were necessary to prevent the emergence of separatist tendencies, a claim that critics say stigmatises religious education and paints an entire community as suspect.
By framing these institutions as threats to social cohesion, Dhami linked state policy to an ideological narrative that has increasingly conflated Muslim identity with disloyalty to the nation.
In the same address, Dhami referred to an initiative branded as “Operation Kalnemi,” which he described as a campaign against individuals and groups allegedly working to undermine Sanatan Sanskriti, a characterisation that activists argue effectively places Muslims and other minorities under a permanent lens of suspicion while offering ideological cover for vigilantism.
These remarks have come amid sustained criticism from opposition parties and civil liberties organisations, which accuse the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government of pursuing communal and discriminatory policies that disproportionately target Muslim religious institutions and practices, while normalising majoritarian hostility in public discourse.
The controversy has been further sharpened by the IHL report released last week, which documented 71 hate speeches attributed to Dhami, placing him at the top of the list nationally and raising fresh questions about accountability.