During Virat Hindu Sammelan, marking the centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), far-right monk Madhuram Sharan Shiva, leader of the armed monks’ group Shiva Shakti Akhada, stated that “darkness and terrorism must end,” saying, “We must live for the nation, and for dharm, we must not just die, we must kill,” and asserted that children must be raised with this mindset for the “darkness” to disappear. He alleged this would pave the way to hoist the saffron flag, declare the land as belonging to Hindus, and establish Hindu Swaraj. He accused Muslims of setting up stalls, alleged they vandalise and harass Hindus at festivals due to lower Hindu participation, and urged Hindus to arm themselves to protect their religion and form groups during festivals to identify and assault “non-Hindus.”