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, cited Keshav Baliram Hedgewar’s mother, claiming she wanted that “India must be free from the terrorism of Islam.” 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 nation, asserting that they take up weapons of the deity they worshipped. He alleged that Hindus are the original inhabitants of the land since the beginning, while those who came “1,500–2,000 years ago” expanded and created multiple nations as Hindus declined.