Uttar Pradesh: The right-wing brigade in pursuit of a Hindu state

Yogi Adityanath, a controversial saffron-robed monk and the chief minister of India’s Uttar Pradesh state, created the Hindu Yuva Vahini in 2002.

In the years since, the right-wing vigilante group, whose members see themselves as warriors in the fight for a Hindu state, has moved from the fringe to finding mainstream acceptance.

Now with state elections underway, these foot soldiers are further emboldening the BJP's divisive Hindu nationalist agenda in a highly polarised campaign.

And they say they would go to "any extent" to defend the Hindu way of life.

Video by Rajini Vaidyanathan, Shalu Yadav and Sanjay Ganguly