Naresh Uniyal, a Bajrang Dal leader from Uttarakhand, is known for his vocal campaigns against Muslims and other religious minorities, using Uttarakhand’s identity as the “land of gods” to justify his hardline stance. His statements and actions frequently invoke fears of cultural encroachment and demographic shifts, while demanding the preservation of Hindu dominance in the region.

On March 22, 2025, Uniyal posted a video on Facebook questioning the legality of a mosque in Champa, Uttarakhand, where Muslims were offering namaz. He demanded proof of legal ownership for the land and warned of future conflicts if such structures were unauthorized. Claiming the area’s sanctity, he said, “This is the pure land of Uttarakhand,” suggesting that prayers should be confined to homes if legality could not be established.

Just days earlier, on March 17, he posted a provocative message calling for the uprooting of Aurangzeb’s grave in Maharashtra and accused the government of being complicit through its inaction. 

In another post, he criticized the rise of madrasas in Uttarakhand and urged Hindus to resist selling their lands, framing it as a defense against what he described as a threat to the region’s culture and traditions.

Unrest often follows Uniyal’s activities. On December 7, 2024, in Doiwala, Dehradun, he led Bajrang Dal members in disrupting a Christian religious procession, accusing participants of engaging in unauthorized religious conversions. The group verbally attacked the Christians, forcing them to stop after police stepped in.

Later that month, on December 20, 2024, in Raiwala, Dehradun, Uniyal confronted a Maulana over migrant workers praying at a mosque attached to a madrasa. He accused the Maulana of hiding the mosque from Hindus by using an Arabic name board and raised tensions by referencing the discovery of a calf’s head nearby, though police confirmed it had been unearthed by stray dogs.