Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pankaj Bharti targeted local Muslims during a protest against the killing of tourists in Pahalgam. He urged people to form committees to identify and drive Muslims out of the region. Dismissing the idea of communal harmony, he peddled a false conspiracy theory, claiming that Muslims pretend to support Hindus, protest the killings for sympathy, and live peacefully for years, but are only waiting for a chance to kill them.