A day after a controversial video surfaced showing Bhopal sub-inspector Dinesh Sharma instructing a gym owner to bar Muslim trainers and trainees, BJP MP Alok Sharma defended the remarks, claiming a list of gyms with Muslim trainers was being prepared to prevent “love jihad” and “land jihad,” asserting that legal action would follow.
Police were called in to defuse tensions after members of the Bajrang Dal visited a gym in Bhopal’s Ayodhya Nagar area, questioning the presence of Muslim trainers; among the responding officers was Sub-Inspector Dinesh Sharma, who made the controversial remark instructing that no Muslim should be allowed to give or take training at the facility.
In the video that went viral, Sub-Inspector Dinesh Sharma can be heard saying: “No Muslim will come here to give or take training. I have made it clear to you.”
Following the video’s circulation, senior police officials took note of the incident and initiated an internal inquiry against the officer.
The MP’s remark comes after the video went viral on social media and sparked outrage.
BJP MP Alok Sharma, defending the sub-inspector’s remarks, said, “There are a lot of gyms in Bhopal we are enlisting, in which the trainers are Muslims,” adding that “even women should be gym trainers.”
He claimed a list would be given to the police soon and warned, “Nobody will be permitted for love jihad now… Even land jihad is going on… This will not work. The law will do its work and take action on such matters.”
In response, Congress MLA Arif Masood criticised the MP’s comments, stating, “Opening a gym or providing training is not a crime. If someone is trained, they will provide training. If there’s any suspicion, then investigate it. People choose their gyms and trainers, not MPs or MLAs.”
Urging Sharma to act more responsibly, Masood added, “He is the MP of Bhopal, a Bhopali and our friend. He should work on the major development tasks he has been entrusted with.”
“Is it a crime for Muslims to work as gym trainers? What kind of dog whistling this is by an MP,” asked journalist Kaushik Raj.
Journalist Rohini Singh alleged that while “groups of MPs are roaming around in Muslim nations to showcase India’s unity,” BJP MPs at home are “busy showcasing bigotry and targeting of minorities,” adding, “You need an @asadowaisi to speak for India while you target ordinary citizens.”
Right-wing campaigns for the economic boycott of Muslims in India have been reported in India, often tied to communal tensions and propagated by Hindu nationalist groups, an attempt to marginalise the community economically.
Right-wing outlet The HinduPost had earlier published a propaganda-laden article titled “Non-Islamic girls sexually abused by Islamic gym trainers: a disturbing trend of assaults, tactics and exploitation,” claiming that “the repeated sexual exploitation of non-Islamic women by Islamic gym trainers across Bharat highlights a grave concern that demands urgent attention.”
