Hyderabad: A Ramnavami procession led by controversial former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA T Raja Singh on Friday, March 27, turned into a show of strength marked by incendiary songs, open brandishing of swords and a series of provocative speeches, as it moved through Hyderabad’s Old City under heavy police deployment.
From above, the scale of the procession was striking. A tightly packed crowd stretching deep into the street, with little room to move. Saffron flags cutting through hordes of people at regular intervals. DJ-mounted vehicles crawling forward, blasting music that the crowd responded to in unison. Chants of “Jai Shri Ram” rising repeatedly.
Among the songs played on loop were lines such as “Hindu Rashtra banega Hindustan. Jeete ji hume karna hai yeh kaam. Yeh saara bhagwa rang se sajega (India will become a Hindu nation. We will need to do this work while we are alive. The entire place will be draped in saffron)” explicitly invoking the idea of India as a Hindu Rashtra.
At multiple points, men in the crowd were seen holding swords aloft, waving them in the air as the procession moved forward, drawing cheers from sections of the gathering.
Addressing the crowd from a mounted stage, Singh’s speech was confrontational. “Hindu population is rapidly declining. Everywhere that has happened, that place has become an Islamic country. Now we have to take an oath that we have to make India a Hindu Rashtra,” he said.
He went on to caution the police. “Write this down. The time that is coming is a time for war. I want to tell the police officers too… When you all retire, you will remember Raja Singh. This Raja Singh used to speak about Hindus, then you filed first information reports (FIR). But when you retire and a mullah has taken away your daughter… you will regret it,” he said.
“Mullah” is a derogatory term used by right-wing organisations to refer to Muslims.
In remarks directed at All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owasi, Singh invoked historical references and said, “I will give you 15 months… 15 years… even 15 generations… when your Mughal kings couldn’t take us out… when your Nizam army couldn’t take us out… what will you be able to do?” using the kathmullah slur in reference to him.
Continuing his tirade, Singh turned to the ongoing Budget Session of the Telangana Assembly, claiming that AIMIM leaders had walked out when Vande Mataram was played. “They ran away as if they were getting double circumcised,” Singh said, warning that if they don’t sing the national song, they will be “kicked and shooed away.”
He also invoked the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. “We sat on the chest of Mughals and raised the saffron flags… we removed the grave of Babur and made a temple there,” he said. “Neither did the ‘puppies’ stop us then, and neither will they stop us making temples now.”
The Goshamahal MLA also told the crowd that he had received a threat to his family. “I got a call two days ago saying my son will be kidnapped. They said they will not leave my child,” he said, before calling his son onto the stage. “This is my son, my elder son. When I die, my son will take up the cause of Hindus. If you have the guts, take my son. If someone dares to even look at my family, I will show them what history I can create.”
The procession was part of a larger Sri Ram Navami Shobha Yatra that began at the Sitarambagh temple in Asifnagar and culminated at Hanuman Vyamshala in Sultan Bazaar, covering a distance of around seven kilometres. Singh’s tributary procession started from the Akashpuri Hanuman temple and merged with the main procession on Mangalhat Road.
Police had deployed around 1,500 personnel, drawn from the City Armed Reserve, Rapid Action Force, Task Force and mounted units, with additional deployment at what officials described as sensitive locations. As part of the arrangements, mosques, chillas and dargahs along the route were covered with cloth by the administration.
Senior officers, including Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar and Joint Commissioner Tafseeq Iqbal, had conducted route inspections ahead of the procession.
Officials said around two lakh people participated in the yatra.
There was no immediate word from police on whether any action would be taken in connection with the speeches, songs or the display of weapons during the procession.Singh, a controversial figure in Telangana politics known for his hardline Hindutva positions, has led similar Ramnavami processions in the past, several of which have drawn criticism over their rhetoric and messaging.
This post was last modified on March 28, 2026 11:14 am