Varun Upadhyay alias Varun Bahar is a Hindu nationalist from Uttar Pradesh who uses music as a medium to promote hate against Muslims and Christians in India.
Bahar is a YouTube singer and has often been in the news for composing songs that provoke Hindus against Muslims.
In 2019, he composed a song threatening to send Muslims to the graveyard if they refused to chant Jai Shri Ram. Killing Muslims after forcing them to chant Jai Shri Ram has become a new fashion of Hindutva zealots in India.
“Jo na bole Jai Shri Ram, bhej do usko kabristan. Jitne bhi hain ab Ram virodhi, unko ab dafnayenge. Poore Hindustan ke andar Ram Rajya phir layenge. (Those who do not say Jai Shri Ram, send them to Kabristan. Let’s bury those who oppose Ram. We will get Ram Rajya in Hindustan again),” the lyrics read.
Kabristan, in common parlance, refers to a graveyard used by Muslims and Christians. An image of a cemetery with crosses appears in the video. The police later arrested him.
When he is not championing “Hindutva” in his songs, this “Ram bhakt” makes misogynistic and raunchy music videos.
One track, Mummy, Mummy Chillaogi (You will scream Mummy, Mummy), features a woman getting harassed by a group of men as he sings, “Jab UP, Bihar aaogi, Mummy Mummy chillaogi. (When you come to UP, Bihar, you will scream Mummy Mummy).