Commander (Retd.) Bhushan Dewan, a former Indian Air Force officer, has become a regular face at Hindutva events and on Indian television, where he frequently espouses extremist views.

At a Vishwa Hindu Parishad-Bajrang Dal Shaurya Sanchalan event held in Mumbai on December 15, 2024, Dewan called for the “reclamation” of every mosque in India that was once a temple, declaring Kashi and Mathura only the beginning. 

“We must reclaim all 30,000 temples that were demolished,” he proclaimed, asserting that India is a Hindu Rashtra and that “invaders and infiltrators will not be allowed to remain.” As he spoke, the crowd chanted, “Desh ke gaddaron ko goli maro saalon ko,” a violent slogan that has become synonymous with hate speech in India.

On September 1, 2023, at an event in Jogeshwari marking 60 years of the VHP, Dewan posted on Facebook laced with communal warnings, citing the treatment of Hindus in Bangladesh as a cautionary tale. 

He urged Hindus in India to rise above caste identities and unite against what he called an existential threat. “They don’t see us as Brahmins, Marathas, or Jats. They see only Hindus. We must respond as one Hindu samaj,”he said. Presenting Hindus as eternally peaceful but under siege, he added, “We don’t attack anyone. But if someone teases us, we won’t leave them.