Muslims face relentless ‘Jehad’ by Hindutva forces in Uttarakhand

Muslims face relentless ‘Jehad’ by Hindutva forces in Uttarakhand

S.M.A. KAZMI

Dehradun, Dec 19

A relentless anti- Muslim ‘Jehad’ has been unleashed by the Hindu right wing groups having the patronage of ruling BJP and RSS dispensation on the minority population. Although, the Muslim community has been at the receiving end of the ire of the right wing groups affiliated to ‘Sangh Parivar’ and the state government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for the past more than four years, the targeting of the minority community has become more pronounced. The cases of targeting of minority community and their places of worships, their personal vilification has increased manifold in Uttarakhand as well as in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh within an aim to polarisation ahead of as state assembly elections are to be held in 2027 in both these states.

Across the state, the Muslims are being targeted without any rhyme or reason as the police look the other way. In many cases, the right-wing groups show their muscle accompanied by police while targeting the Muslims. The members of the minority community are being confronted while offering prayers with in four walls of their homes. As part of economic ‘Jehad’ against Muslims, they are asked their names and threatened. The videos of such encounters in the past fortnight galore in the social media.

Most Interestingly, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh who was instrumental in coining and starting campaigns against so called ‘Love Jehad’, ‘Land jehad’, ‘Madrassa jehad’, ‘Mazar Jehad’, ‘Thook (Spit) Jehad’ and even ‘Nakal (copying) Jehad’ and bringing in many anti-Muslim legislations, hailed his government’s effort in uplifting the status of minorities on the occasion of World Minority Day Function held in Dehradun on December 21, 2025. He gave a long speech highlighting the achievements of his BJP government in emancipation of minorities by doing ‘path breaking’ works.

In the backdrop of his claims, right wing groups threatened Muslims who had gathered to pray in a house in Mianwala village on last Friday. Accompanied by police, they created a ruckus accusing the Muslims of turning their house into a mosque. All pleas by the Muslims fell on deaf ears and the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) sealed the building for alleged violations of building by laws. Members of Muslim Sewa Sangathan, a body of minority community held a dharna in front of the office of MDDA but to no avail.

A saloon being run by a Muslim was shut down on the allegations that he has been running his business on a Hindu name.  A woman right wing member notorious for her attacks on Muslims was also seen confronting a Muslim youth employed in a dairy owned by a Hindu. She as the Hindu owner to sack his Muslim employee who refused to oblige her. She kept on shouting at him for being ‘Un-Hindu’ and favouring Muslims.

In Rudrapur town, the Muslim community was agitated following a move by the local authorities to seize the local ‘Idgah’ which they claimed as government land. A court stayed the proceedings on a plea by the Muslims. Interestingly, throughout the state there has been none to espouse the grievances of the Muslim community. The media particularly the national English Media and the main opposition Congress party has completely failed the Muslims in highlighting the villification and targeting of Muslims in Uttarakhand.

The six Muslim corporators of Rudrapur Municipal Corporation appealed to their local, state and national level leaders to intervene and even threatened to boycott the ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod Rally’ held in New Delhi last Sunday but without any success.

Even the Van Gujjar, a pastoral Muslim tribe living in the forest have been targeted. In recent incident, sone Van Gujjar families staying in a makeshift hut on a private land were evicted in Sahaspur area of Dehradun district. Their hut was demolished with a bull dozer.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami spearheaded the campaign against ‘Madrassas’ and closed several of them. The state government also demolished more than 250 religious structures including ‘Mazars’ as part of campaign against ‘Mazar Jehad’. Many of the Muslims doing small time work or shops in the hilly areas have been kicked out and force to leave in the past three years. The state government also claim to have  brought in Uniform CivIl Code (UCC) and Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill, 2025, basically aimed at Muslims. In February 2024, six persons were killed in violence that followed demolition of a mosque in Banphoolpura area of Haldwani city. The predominant Muslim area also saw police atrocities reported by many independent human rights groups and bodies. The people of the area who are living in Banphoolpura area are scared and await their fate as Supreme Court has to give it’s verdict on their alleged illegal encroachment on railway land.