Muslims in the northern state of Uttarakhand are facing threats from Hindutva groups who have pledged to expel Muslim residents and businessmen from a town in the area.
Issuing an ultimatum in an internal meeting of the “Vyapar Mandal” business group on October 16, local Hindu nationalists in the Khansar town of district Chamoli passed a resolution to Muslims to “evacuate” the region by December 31, 2024.
The first proposal in the resolution said that the members discussed the expulsion of the “heretic” population of Khansar, and Muslims need to leave the area by December 31 otherwise the “resident and his landlord” both would be subjected to legal actions and a financial punishment of around 10,000 rupees.
The second resolution proposed to ban Muslim vendors and local businessmen in the entire Khansar area otherwise a financial punishment of 10,000 rupees would be imposed and legal action would be taken against them.
The resolution followed communal disturbances in the oprevious few weeks in the areas of Gauchar, Nandghat and Tharali.
The “Vyapar Mandal” organised a “Hindu Chetna Rally” within Khansar on October 16 which seemed to be a show-of-force to convey their message.
“None of us were ever involved in any criminal incident in the town in the past. The action by the trader’s body is not just an attempt to disturb communal harmony but also to limit us due to vested business interests. We hope the administration will take action,” a Muslim man told The Observer Post.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
Meanwhile, Chamoli’s police chief Sarvesh Panwar said police were “not aware” of any such incident and they will “investigate the matter and take appropriate legal action.”
Muslims compelled to change names
Uttarakhand is a Hindu dominated state where Muslims are commonly addressed as “outsiders” and are often compelled to change their names to keep safe.
Muslims in the area are mostly economically-deprived and work as blacksmiths, barbers, scrap dealers, and clothes and bangle sellers who roam door to door to sell their goods.
“There was a Raja tailor who was brutally beaten by the people of Gairsan and then he found shelter here. We need to beat, thrash and shove such people out of the area,” Pusharaj Singh, who is a member of the Vyapar Mandal, said.
Editorial credit: arindambanerjee / Shutterstock.com
Muslims who live in Chamoli often change their names and hide their religious identity outside their homes in order to live and work safely. They often struggle to find a place to rent due to religious discrimination by landlords and the Islamophobic mentality of locals.
“Many people change their names to live here. A Muslim man here identifies as ‘Sunil’, I oppose it” said Pushpendra Singh without shedding light on the fears that compel a Muslim man to hide his identity.
Talking about a Muslim barber who was among earliest “outsiders,” Pushparaj Singh said that he was given permission to open a shop on the promise of vacating the place within one year.
“We asked him to get away within a year, whether he accepts it or not,” he said.
Hate incidents
On September 1, some Muslim shopkeepers were attacked and shops were looted by Hindutva groups after a Muslim barber allegedly teased a Hindu girl.
In order to take revenge, right-wing thugs attacked Muslim residents in the Chauras, Gauchar and Gopeshwar areas. Amid sectarian slogans and Islamophobic narratives, boards and pamphlets were also glued around public places to “ban the entry of Muslims.” However, after criticisms they were removed.
Nevertheless, Muslims were attacked openly and no preventive or immediate action was taken to safeguard them. The police department was already deployed on the site when the incident took place.
Muslim vendors and shopkeepers who have been working in Uttarakhand often face the allegations of “love jihad”, “thook jihad”, “land jihad” and much more which provokes the majoritarian masses to target, beat, harass and lynch Muslims openly.
“Love Jihad” is a conspiracy theory when a Muslim man supposedly manipulates a Hindu girl through a love-affair to misuse her and convert her to Islam.
“Thook Jihad” is when fruit or vegetable vendors spit on goods before selling them, and “Land Jihad” is described as an attempt to encroach on lands belonging to the Hindu community.
In June 2023, several shops and houses of the Muslim community were vandalised, closed and looted in Purola, Uttarakhand after allegations of “love-jihad” against a Muslim man, Uvaid Khan, incited the Hindu masses.
After the incident, provocative rallies by far right-wing organisations marched in the area and threatened Muslim families to vacate their homes and shops. Many were forced to flee from the town and others remained an lived in fear.
Hate speeches are rife in Uttarakhand and police have also been accused of polarised action and religious prejudice against Muslims whenever such incidents happen.
In recent years, addressing a “Dharm Sansad” (religious parliament) which was organised in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, a religious leader delivered a hate-speech and incited the Hindu community to “keep weapons” to “target and kill Muslims.”
A perfect spot for saffron communalism
Under its political agenda, right-wing organisations like RSS and Bharatiya Janata Party, target the Muslim community across India with fake narratives and conspiracy theories to instigate the majoritarian population and incite violence for their political benefit.
Uttarakhand, being a Hindu-populated area with a Hindu-shrine in Haridwar, tops the list.
Only 13 % of the population hails from the Muslim community out of an overall 10 million population as per the census of 2011, which makes it the perfect spot for saffron hate.
Hindutva thugs inflame hate and violence against minorities to maintain the alleged purity of the land.
After the recent 2024 parliamentary elections when Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP to power for the third time, Muslims across India are extremely afraid of Hindutva inc incitement.
They are struggling to live with dignity and safeguard their rights as Hindutva politics intends to “systematically eradicate” them to establish the autocracy of fascist rule.
