Lucknow: Known for his controversial statements, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Sangeet Som is again in the news for his remarks on Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
Som targeted Khan after his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), picked a Bangladeshi player at a time when there have been increasing reports of atrocities against Hindus in the neighbouring country.
The former Uttar Pradesh MLA went on to label Khan a “traitor” for signing Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.
“On one hand, Hindus are being killed in Bangladesh and on the other hand, cricketers are being bought in the IPL. The traitor film actor Shah Rukh Khan has bought Bangladeshi cricketer Rahman for Rs 9 crore. Such traitors have no right to live in this country,” Som said Wednesday at a public event in Meerut.
Later, KKR released Rahman without playing a single match in IPL 2026 after directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The two-time BJP MLA has a controversial background. He was one of the accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, as well as known for his statements against the Muslims.
He also grabbed eyeballs during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for supporting the Rajputs in western Uttar Pradesh, a move that is believed to have contributed to the BJP’s defeat in key seats such as Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, and Saharanpur.
Born in an affluent Rajput family in Meerut’s Alamgir village, Sangeet Som was MLA of Sardhana constituency from 2012 to 2022. In 2022, he was defeated by Samajwadi Party candidate Atul Pradhan.
Som has been honoured by several Hindu religious groups with titles such as ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat’ and ‘Mahathakur Sangharshveer’.
He was booked for his alleged role in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and was also detained under the National Security Act in September that year. A report by the Justice Vishnu Sahai Commission named him among the key individuals accused of instigating the riots.
In September 2015, he accused the Samajwadi Party government of religious bias while probing the Janmashtami clashes. In January 2017, Som was booked for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct during his election campaign by screening a documentary that had riot-related video clips. He, however, got a clean chit later.
That year Som’s face was all over television news channels after he described the Taj Mahal as a “blot on Indian culture and history”, a remark that came after the Uttar Pradesh government removed the monument from its tourism booklet.
The BJP leader ironically mixed up Mughal emperor Shah Jahan with Aurangzeb when he said that the monument was built by a ruler who imprisoned his father.
Muzaffarnagar was again in news in November 2018, when Som demanded that it be renamed Lakshminagar. His justification at that time was that the present name was given by a nawab, Muzaffar Ali.
“Mughals during their rule have eradicated Indian culture. Hindutva was their main target. The BJP is trying to safeguard our culture,” he had said.
A vocal anti-beef campaigner, Som was left red-faced in 2015 after a report in The Hindu mentioned that he co-founded Al Dua, a halal meat export company, in 2005-06 and was associated with it till around 2008 as director.
It is not just the Hindutva pet themes such as masjid (mosque), Muslims and beef that bring the controversial side of the BJP leader. A case in point being his defence of India-made Covid vaccine in 2021. “Those who do not trust Indian vaccines can go to another country. Such people do not deserve to be here,” he said.
In June 2025, during a Muzaffarnagar event organised by the United Hindu Front, Som targeted Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, describing him as a descendant of a Mughal ruler. He also commented on the burqa worn by Muslim women, alleging that terrorism and fraud are being carried out in the country under its cover.
Twice, in 2019 and 2025, Som urged the Election Commission to curb what he termed fraudulent voting conducted under the use of burqa. Women, he said, should be allowed to vote only after their faces are clearly verified.
Som also came into the spotlight when his relationship with former Muzzaffarnagar MP Sanjeev Balyan deteriorated badly. So much so that Balyan alleged that Som “sabotaged” his re-election bid in 2024 by “supporting” the rival candidate from the Samajwadi Party.
Balyan, a Jat, had said that the atmosphere in western UP was spoiled through panchayats by the Rajput community and that Som had facilitated these panchayats.
The theme played out again in August last year when Balyan lost to BJP colleague Rajiv Pratap Rudy in the election to the post of secretary (administration) at Delhi’s Constitution Club. Later, Som openly admitted that he had campaigned extensively in Rudy’s favour.
“The party is aware of Som’s statements and past controversies, but for one section of the party he is considered an asset in western UP,” a senior BJP functionary in Uttar Pradesh told ThePrint.
“He has never spoken against the central or state leadership. He has a local team that focuses on sharpening the Hindutva agenda. So leaders like him are sometimes seen as assets, even though they are often in the news for negative reasons,” the BJP functionary added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)