Dangers of vigilante politics: How Adityanath on becoming UP chief minister legitimized violence in public life

By Pushkar Raj*
The country is experiencing a spate of violence with cases of lynching in different parts of India. The citizen is hapless and government is unresponsive betraying its authoritarian tendencies rooted in its ideology.
Over a couple of decades , BJP has grown on vigilante politics rooted in ideology of RSS and Hindutva, a distorted interpretation of Hinduism which is based on Vedic philosophy priding in its diversity than dogma and exclusion that the former advocates.
The major vigilante act by the Hindutva affiliates was the demolition of Babri mosque in 1992, carried out by outfits sympathetic to BJP; some of those are currently being prosecuted for that crime. The BJP formed a coalition government in 1998.
Yogi Adityanath, a BJP member of parliament, founded a vigilante group Hindu Yuva Vahini in Uttar Pradesh in 2002 to confront Muslims onlove jihad, beef and conversion. The organization terrorized and persecuted Muslims and polarized Hindus helping BJP get 71 parliamentary seats in 2014 elections paving way for Narender Modi to become the Prime Minister. Modi faced allegations of collusion in 2002 Gujarat riots while being the chief minister of the state.
Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister of the UP in March 2017 when BJP secured three fourth of majority in the state assembly elections. He continues to be the chief patron of the Hindu Yuva Vahini that has criminal charges against it related to Gorakhpur, 2007 and Mau, 2005 riots; in the latter nine people were killed.
The minority vigilante groups may have several motivations, but the vigilante of majority is undoubtedly for the subjugation of minorities; it is clear in Yogi Adityanath becoming the chief minister of UP legitimizing violence in public life as a means to political end.

Vigilant Politics and Authoritarianism

The political leaders emerging out of majoritarian vigilante politics tend to be authoritarian because they are the product of emotions of fear and anger hence need to appear tough and decisive. They realize that they are in power despite the law and therefore need not care for it more than it suits them.
Beginning with Uttar Pradesh people across the country are unable to enjoy their personal freedoms with which they have grown up, such as where to go, whom to befriend and marry, or what to eat and say. In short, people are being prevented to be normal adults.
In a press briefing, Uttar Pradesh police claimed that under the anit-Romeo campaign they questioned nearly 700 people and issued warning to nearly half the number. Eleven students of Lucknow University spent 20 days in jail forprotesting against a programme in which Yogi was participating.
The new chief minister closed slaughter houses causing a domino effect across the Hindi heartland leading to issuing of new rules by the central government (since stayed by the Supreme Court) effectively wiping out the meat industry, and rendering millions of people without means of livelihood and cheap source of food.
One major difference between the authoritarian and totalitarian regime is that in the former some institutions are out of control of the government. Economic institution, judiciary and media have largely been out of control of the government in the country but now they have also come under pressure.
In November 2016, without consulting the Reserve Bank of India, the prime minister declared 86 percent of country’s currency frozen, causing hardship, chaos and deaths of over 150 people across the country whatAmartya Sen called a “despotic action”.
The government rejected 43 names out of 77 names that the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended for appointment to various high courts as it locked in a battle over control of appointment of judges after the Supreme Court struck down National Judicial Appointment Commission Act asserting its independence under the constitution.
The government raided the owners of a prominent news channel, in the backdrop of ruling party’s spokesperson accusing the media house of bias and agenda on a live programme. The raids were described by the noted constitutional expert, Fali Nariman as an attempt to de-legitimize media.
In a society where violence is legitimized to achieve political ends, authortarian tendencies emerge at the expense of rule of law, order and civility. However, given India’s long tradition of plurality, Gandhian legacy and a cosmopolitan middle class these aberrations are likely to be fiercely challenged drawing additional battlelines in the country.
---
Melbourne-based researcher and author

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria* Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan* The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor* Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

Search This Blog