At an event, far-right monk Madhuram Sharan Shiva, leader of the armed monks’ group Shiva Shakti Akhada, described Islam as “terrorism” and “darkness” and called for its elimination, claiming that under Mughal rule, Hindus could not pray or organise festivals without paying taxes. Invoking Chhatrapati Shivaji, he narrated an anecdote about punishing cow slaughter by “chopping off the butcher’s hand,” hoisted the saffron flag, and declared the land to belong to Hindus. He questioned whether parents teach their children to defend dharma, criticising them instead for encouraging their children to pursue money.