Uttarakhand: Posters threatening Muslim traders to shut shops by June 15 surfaced in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi town on Monday.
According to people aware of the matter, the Purola main market roughly consists of 650-700 shops, and of these, around 30-40 are run by Muslims. This happened amid ongoing tensions over an alleged abduction attempt on a 14-year-old girl by two men, including one from the minority community, last month police said.
Both men – Ubed Khan (24), a local shopkeeper, and Jitender Saini (23), a motorcycle mechanic – were arrested on May 27 for the alleged abduction attempt. Local residents alleged it was a case of ‘love jihad’ – a term used by right-wing groups to describe an alleged conspiracy by Muslim men to woo and seduce Hindu women, although courts and the Union government have not officially recognized it.
The posters, in Uttarkashi’s Purola main market, asked Muslim traders to vacate their shops before a maha panchayat on June 15.
The ongoing tension has prompted muslims to keep their shops shut and, in some cases, even flee the district.
“We are living in constant fear and cannot return to Purola in such an atmosphere. If they want us to leave the hills, authorities should compensate us for the property owned by us,” Saleem (35), who runs a garment shop in Purola and has fled to his brother’s house in Dehradun in the wake of the tension said.
Another 40-year-old Muslim shopkeeper in the market, who did not wish to be identified, said: “We condemn the abduction bid and demand strict action against the culprits. We don’t support people who indulge in criminal and illegal activities.”
On Monday, a few Muslim families handed over a memorandum to Purolo sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), highlighting the financial crisis they are facing and seeking security to reopen businesses. The memorandum, seen by HT, also said the administration will be held responsible if anything untoward happens to the Muslims.
