Hindutva Influencers Khushbu Pandey and Riddhi Sharma Call for Massacre of Muslims at Raebareli Hate Speech Event—FIR Filed, No Arrests

Key Points

The Virat Hindu Conference – a right-wing gathering held in Shivgarh, Raebareli district of Uttar Pradesh, on 21 January 2026 – featured Hindutva figures like Riddhi Sharma and Khushbu Pandey delivering hate speeches targeting Muslims and Christians and openly calling for their massacre.

Videos of the event went viral on social media, prompting backlash from netizens and a complaint filed with UP Police. Five days after the event, an FIR was registered at Shivgarh police station. No arrests have been made so far.

At the event, Riddhima Sharma, A Hindutva influencer commonly known as ‘SanataniRiddhi’, referred to the December 2025 lynching of Bangladeshi Hindu Dipu Chandra Das and said, “If they kill two of yours, you kill 100 people in retaliation for peace.” She added, in reference to the “love jihad” conspiracy theory, “If they run away with one Hindu woman, you run away with 100 of theirs.”

Sharma allegedly insinuated that since the Muslim community “already has a large population,” a reduction in their numbers would not be a concern. Her remarks have been cited in a complaint as amounting to open calls for mass violence.

Khushbu Pandey, another Hindutva influencer better known as ‘Hindu Sherni’, reportedly reiterated the “gobi farming” reference. The phrase is associated with the 1989 Bhagalpur violence in Bihar, where at least 116 Muslim men were killed in Logain village and their bodies were buried in fields with cauliflower saplings planted over them. The reference has often and increasingly been used as a dog whistle signaling the massacre of Muslims.

Speaking at the event she began by saying that in Bhagalpur, Bihar, “The police once stepped away for 15 minutes – and not a single body flowing in the Ganga was of a Hindu.” She laughed at this and the crowd cheered. She also made a joke about planting “organic Gobi” on the graves of Muslims.

Another speaker, Thakur Ram Singh, accused Christians of engaging in illegal forced conversions and described them as a community taking over Hindu groups across India. At the same event, an unidentified man was heard urging people to remain vigilant in their neighbourhoods and not allow Hindu women or girls to be taken away by “jihadis.”

Several speakers repeatedly stressed what they described as the need to protect Hindu women from “love jihad,” warning of severe consequences if Muslim men were found involved in such relationships.

See Also: 1,318 Hate Speech Events Across India in 2025: India Hate Lab Report Highlights Increase and Normalisation of Hate Speech Targeting Muslims and Christians

Hindutva Influencers Khushbu Pandey and Riddhi Sharma

The complaint based on the event directly names Riddhima Sharma, demanding she be charged for inciting violence, disturbing communal harmony and threatening peace. Her open call for a massacre, it continues, violates constitutional principles.

Sharma is a popular face in far-right circles, boasting over 1.7 million followers on Facebook and frequently seen in the company of other Hindutva figures like Daksh Chaudhary and politicians like Brij Bhushan Singh. Both she and Khushbu Pandey frequently harass Muslims and engage in hate speech, later uploading videos of the incidents to social media.

Earlier on 26 January 2026, Sharma uploaded a video of her harassing a Muslim employee at a temple. She can be seen asking the temple caretaker why he had employed a Muslim, and then shouting at him when he objected to her communal remarks.

Similarly, earlier in January 2026, Pandey could be seen leading a rally in Delhi, calling for violence against Muslims. In interviews with the media, she firmly states, “We have the right to bear arms. This is our country – this is the country of Sanatanis.” The rally was being escorted by Delhi Police officials. No case has been lodged in the matter.

Pandey's social media intersperses such remarks and clips with photos of her beside prominent politicians like Manoj Tiwari and Chirag Paswan.

See Also: “We Will Continue to Disturb 'Miyas'”: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Threatens Bengali-Speaking Muslims with Eviction Drives Ahead of Polls, Warns of 'Demographic Threat'

Call for Muslim Massacre Prompts FIR

Former journalist Prashant Kanojia submitted a formal complaint to the Raebareli Superintendent of Police against Sharma over the 21 January incident. In his complaint, he alleged that she had “openly called for the massacre of Muslims” and said, “Hate speech and calls for genocide cannot be normalised in a constitutional democracy.”

The complaint sought registration of a case and legal action against those responsible for the speeches. It argues that such public statements risk encouraging violence and deepening communal tensions. The complaint was made to UP Police on 23 January, along with four follow-ups afterwards. An FIR was finally registered three days later – and five days after the event itself. No arrests have been made.

This incident is the latest to underscore how communal rhetoric is becoming increasingly normalised in public spaces and on larger scale. The delay in police response is also telling of the unstated sanction given to such rhetoric and actors by the state.

[DS]

Suggested Reading: