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New Delhi: A local leader of India\u2019s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sparked outrage after issuing a death threat to Muslims in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, warning they would be \u201cchopped like carrots and radishes\u201d if accused of slaughtering cows.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, the remarks, made by Lavkush Ojha during a public event, were captured on video and widely circulated online. According to media reports, Ojha \u2014 a BJP block chief \u2014 told the crowd that party workers would carry out violence against Muslims even if cow slaughter \u201ccame to their mind.\u201d The video has since triggered alarm among residents and calls for legal action.<\/p>\n
Muslim families in the district say the speech has left them fearful of daily life. Shopkeepers and butchers describe avoiding late travel, staying in touch with relatives for safety, and urging police to patrol markets. \u201cWe are worried. When a leader says this from a stage, it makes us afraid to go about our work,\u201d one resident said.<\/p>\n
Legal experts note that the threat, if authenticated, could fall under India\u2019s Penal Code provisions on criminal intimidation and incitement to communal violence. Rights groups stress that public calls for bloodshed from political representatives carry greater weight, as they risk legitimizing vigilante action.<\/p>\n
Uttar Pradesh enforces one of India\u2019s strictest bans on cow slaughter, a law critics say has long been weaponized against Muslims. Independent reports have documented how accusations of cattle-related offences have repeatedly preceded mob lynchings, arrests, and harassment.<\/p>\n
Activists argue that Ojha\u2019s words show how state law and Hindutva rhetoric combine to create an atmosphere of intimidation.<\/p>\n
Civil society groups are demanding a transparent police inquiry, registration of a formal complaint, and protection for vulnerable families.<\/p>\n
Opposition figures have urged the BJP to disavow the remarks publicly, while community leaders have appealed for calm. \u201cThis is not rhetoric, it is a direct call to violence. We want protection, explanation and action,\u201d one organizer said.<\/p>\n
Observers warn that the episode is part of a broader trend in which hate speech has moved from the fringes into mainstream politics, leaving India\u2019s Muslim minority exposed not only to vigilante threats but also to hostility voiced by officials of the ruling party itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi: A local leader of India\u2019s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sparked outrage after issuing a death threat to Muslims in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, warning they would be \u201cchopped like carrots and radishes\u201d if accused of slaughtering cows. According to Kashmir Media Service, the remarks, made by Lavkush Ojha …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":184907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2025\/10\/BJP-leader-Lavkush-Ojha.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184906"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":184908,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184906\/revisions\/184908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}