BHOPAL, India— A state government in North India known for its Hindu-first moves is increasing its number of “anti-terrorism squads” in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, including in a town known for its Islamic seminary, Deoband.

The move comes as Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, ruled by Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath of the Bharatiya Janata Party, heads toward a crucial assembly election early next year. The state endured one of India’s deadliest Hindu-Muslim riots — it killed more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims — after Hindu nationalists illegally demolished a 16th-century mosque in 1992. The current ruler is known for Hindu nationalist views and Hindu-first policies, including banning the sale of beef, which many Muslims eat while Hindus consider cows sacred and eat vegetarian diets.

In 2007, Adityanath said, “If they (Muslims) kill one Hindu, then we will kill 100 Muslims.” About 80% of Indians are Hindu, and 14% are Muslim, according to a 2011 census.

“The government wants to create hatred and suspicion towards Muslims ahead of the elections,” said Shoaib Khan, president of a group of lawyers and human rights activists known as Rihai Manch. The group has called the decision to set up anti-terrorism squads “malicious.”

“It is wrong to link the Taliban crisis in Afghanistan with the Muslims of India, but it is being done to derive political mileage out of the situation,” Khan said.

The commando center of Deoband will cover the area up to the cities Saharanpur and Meerut. Squads are already deployed in Meerut and Noida — near the national capital, Delhi — so the entire area of western Uttar Pradesh will soon be covered. The state government has said this expansion will make it easier for the anti-terrorism squads to monitor and investigate suspected terrorists, especially in the western region.

Adityanath’s media advisor, Shalabh Mani Tripathi, linked the decision to the Taliban in a tweet that said, “Amid the Taliban’s savagery, here is a piece of news from UP. Yogi Ji (Adityanath) has decided to open a commando training centre in Deoband.”

Since 2017, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government came to power in Uttar Pradesh, police have shot at and injured more than 3,300 suspects, the Indian Express reported. And while Muslims in the state make up 19% of the population, 37% of those killed in police encounters were Muslim, according to national crime data. Critics of Adityanath have accused his government of using police powers to suppress dissent and minority voices.

However, it is true that some of India’s Muslim leaders have appeared to support the Taliban. Shafiqur Rahman Barq, Member of Parliament for the Samajwadi Party, compared the Taliban's occupation of Afghanistan to India's freedom movement.

"When India was under British rule, our country fought for freedom,” Barq was quoted as saying in Indian media reports. “Now the Taliban wants to free their country and run it. Taliban is a force that does not allow even strong countries like Russia and the U.S. to settle in their country.”

Barq has been charged with criminal sedition under a British-era law in India based on a complaint by a Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

Barq has since told the media that he was quoted out of context, that the Taliban’s takeover is an internal matter in Afghanistan, and he stands with the policies of India.

The comments have fueled a surge in online harassment against Indian Muslims, with posts asking them to apologize for the Taliban’s rise and to organize protests against the Taliban. A person whose Twitter handle is named after the Hindu nationalist ideologist Veer Savarkar said that Hindus must fight this “onslaught” of Islamism by voting for Hindu-first leaders like Adityanath. 

“Taliban marches into Kabul and a certain community starts celebrating in India,” the account tweeted. “This is what Muslim brotherhood is all about. Hindus need to consolidate the political power with them if they intend to survive this onslaught. Unite and vote as a block.”

Shuriah Niazi is a journalist based in India. He reports for a variety of Indian and Western media, including Reuters, and specializes in social, religious, environmental and health issues, especially as they relate to women. Follow him on Twitter @shuriahn.