Atul Kumar Sabharwal alias Madhugiri Modi is a Hindu extremist leader from the southern state of Karnataka. He is associated with the militant group Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), which seeks to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra (nation).

The suffix Modi that he adds to his acquired name is a manifestation of his extreme penchant for the Hindu Nationalist Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, and the first half of the name, ‘Madhugiri’ is the name of the administrative subdivision Atul Kumar belongs to.

He and other members of the HJS are active on the ground spreading communal hatred and Hindu extremism. He regularly posts provocative feeds on social media under the banner of an organization named “No Compromise with Jihadis – an extreme Hindu organization.”

In 2020 he posted a video making disparaging comments about Prophet Mohammad intending to disturb communal harmony. Many cases were registered against him and the police booked him under sections 295, 295 A of the Indian Penal Code and also under the Information Technology Act. Madhugiri Modi was arrested in the matter only to be released on bail later.

In February 2022, Madhugiriand Puneet Karehalli, who belongs to the same militant organization, the HJS, barged into a room in a railway station and raised objections over Muslims offering prayers. Notably, the place has been designated as a prayer room for Muslim porters for a long time.

Madhugiri Modi openly threatened to kill a Congress legislator. He released a video saying, ‘Kill KPCC spokesperson Nataraj Gowda, I will handle it.’

He is too enamored of the idea of  ‘Bulldozer Justice’ that has become prevalent in the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states in India as means of inflicting summary punishment on the Muslims by bulldozing their homes in complete defiance of the rule of law.

Under the title of Hindu Samrat Sena, he wrote the following message and circulated the same on Hindu right-wing WhatsApp groups. The WhatsApp message  read, “Muslim Terrorist gangster Ansari’s house has been demolished by Yogiji; in a few years, the Prime Minister of Hindu Rashtra will demolish the houses of each and every supporter of Muslim Terrorists, Madrasa, and Masjids.”

He regularly attends the political meetings headed by prominent hate mongers like the terror accused and BJP Member of Parliament Pragya Thakur. He canvasses to forge a robust anti-Muslim front in the country.

Cases were also registered against him for spreading misinformation and hatred against a Muslim leader and legislator Zameer Ahmad Khan.