Bhopal: Hindutva activist and former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur has ignited fresh controversy with remarks urging Hindu women to avoid Muslim men and calling for violent action against them. Speaking at a Durga Vahini Shastra Pujan event in Bhopal on Sunday, Thakur told women not to engage Muslim men for household tasks or allow them into their homes, while also declaring that “when the enemy comes, they should be cut in half.”
Thakur, who was acquitted earlier this year in the 2008 Malegaon blast case that killed six Muslim men and injured over 100 in a Muslim-majority area, has repeatedly drawn criticism for inflammatory statements. At the event, she described Muslims as incapable of respecting women, advising Hindu women to refuse any association with them. She also urged participants to boycott Muslim-run shops near temples and suggested identifying and handing such traders over to the police.
In her speech, Thakur invoked distress over cases of violence against Hindu women and positioned Muslims as the threat, reinforcing narratives tied to “love jihad” conspiracy theories. Her comments follow earlier calls for Hindus to keep weapons at home, declaring that knives sharp enough to cut vegetables should also be ready for “the enemy.”
The remarks drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders. Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Umang Singhar called her statements “objectionable” and accused the BJP of fueling communal divisions to distract from unemployment, inflation, and corruption scandals in the state. Rights groups warn that repeated hate speeches by political figures deepen hostility and endanger India’s social fabric.
