Recently a video of journalist Pragya Mishra, recipient of eNBA award & a former journalist at Bharat Samachar, has been viral. In this video, Mishra complained about rampant ‘Thakurvad’ in UP. She claimed the Thakur community is discriminating against everyone even on roads, streets and public places. Mishra insists that the (the Kshatriya community is referred to as ‘Thakur’ in UP) Kshatriya community has evolved into a monster that is at the forefront of Dalit atrocities in UP. Previously, journalists like Priyanka Chaturvedi, Chitra Tripathi, Deepak Sharma and Brajesh Mishra, founder of Bharat Samachar TV, have complained about this alleged ‘Thakur terrorism’ since the encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey who shot 8 policemen in cold blood in Kanpur.
Post-independence, circulating a list of "Singh" last names has been a misleading act. ‘Singh’ has become as common a name as ‘Kumar’ due to rapid Rajputisation of most communities of North India.
Lastly, while Ambedkarite opposition to Brahminism targets Brahmin elites and their institutional monopoly, Mishra’s allegations target the Kshatriya (Thakur) commoners, who she accuses of terrorising the people of Uttar Pradesh.