Muslims targeted at Gauchar market in Chamoli
Muslims targeted at Gauchar market in Chamoli
S.M.A.KAZMI
Dehradun , Oct 15
Communal violence and targeting of Muslim community remain unabated in Garhwal hills as Gauchar town of Chamoli district under Karanprayag police station witnessed trouble following a quarrel between two persons belonging to different communities.
After the incident, Hindutva groups took out a procession in the main market targeting shops and kiosks belonging to Muslims were ransacked and attacked. The video of the irate mob showed them attacking the shops in the presence of police personnel who accompanied the procession. Later, Santosh Kumar pandey, Pargana Magistrate imposed section 163 Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 banning any procession and gathering of five or more persons in the area till November 10, 2024.
As per the locals, the trouble started following an argument between Kailash Bisht, a resident of Narayanbagar who runs a garment shop in Gauchar market with Sharif and his son Salman who used to put up their cart selling spices on the issue of parking of his scooter. The arguments turned into fistfight as both the parties got injured and went to hospital where again they fought. The police reached the hospital to control the situation. As the news spread in the town , Hindutva organisations affiliated with the ruling BJP gathered and forced a closure of the market seeking action against the allaged culprits . They took out a procession raising slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bol Pahari halla Bol” attacking carts and shops owned by minority Muslims. The police has registered cases under various sections against Rizwan, Salman, Asif and other unknown persons.
There had been score of incidents throughout the length and breadth of state where minuscule minority Muslim community members doing small time businesses were targeting and made to flee from the hills.
Earlier on September 1, 2024, a violent mob of Hindutva forces had attacked,ransacked and looted the shops owned by Muslims at Nandghat on the allegations that the Muslim youth working at a barber shop had made indecent gestures to a minor girl. Shops, houses and three mosques of Nandghat and Gopeshwar were ransacked by an irate right wing mob. In July end this year, a dozen Muslim families were forced to shut their businesses and made to flee from Chauras area of Pratapnagar block of Tehri district on the false charges of ‘Love Jehad’.
Following the two reported cases of spitting by media Uttarakhand Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had been publicly claiming that any kind of ‘jehad’ including “Thook (Spiting) jehad or ‘Land jehad’ would not be allowed in “Devbhoomi” ( Land of Gods). Interestingly, while a hype is being created on “Thook Jehad” taking help of the plaint media, nobody has checked the veracity of these allegations.
Two Muslim youth running a tea kiosk at Mussoorie were arrested and sent to jail on the charges of allegedly spitting in tea being served to customers. In another case, a video of a known restaurant owned by Muslim near Inamaullah building in Dehradun went viral in which a worker making ‘Rumali Roti’ was allegedly charged with spitting on the Roti while preparing it. The Dehradun police investigated the matter and found the charges untrue.
Jamshed Quraishi owner of the restaurant alleged that due to whatever reasons his shop was falsely targeted and the incident is being used for ulterior political motives. He said that the worker who was accused of spitting had been working in his restaurant for the past more than 15 years. He charged that the said video was shot from a nearby building to defame his restaurant.
