Overview
- At a JUH meeting in Bhopal, Maulana Mahmood Madani said “if there is oppression, there will be jihad” and alleged recent rulings show courts operate under government pressure.
- BJP leaders including Sambit Patra and Rameshwar Sharma urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance and called for legal action over his remarks.
- VHP and Bajrang Dal activists demonstrated in Bhopal, burned an effigy and demanded an apology and action, citing insult to national institutions and symbols.
- Madani framed jihad as a non‑violent struggle against injustice within India’s constitutional order and drew criticism for comments about Vande Mataram.
- Muslim community responses were split, with some leaders condemning his statements as provocative while figures like Bihar governor Arif Mohammad Khan contextualised jihad as speaking against oppression.