Ghaziabad: Communal tension related to the murder of Class 11 student Surya Chauhan in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad seems to have spread to neighbouring Uttarakhand, where Hindutva forces have demanded a complete ban on namaz.
Seventeen-year-old Surya Chauhan was allegedly murdered by a Muslim youth, Asad, on May 28, the day India celebrated Bakrid.
The Ghaziabad Police took quick action, and by May 31, Asad was killed in an encounter.
A video of Uttarakhand state president of Hindu Raksha Dal, Lalit Sharma, leading an intense protest by young men surfaced on social media platforms. He threatened that he would not allow jummah (Friday) prayers or any namaz in his locality.
Speaking to reporters, Sharma used explicit words against Asad’s family. He opined that, along with Asad, the Ghaziabad Police should have encountered his entire family.
“Jis maa ne paida kiya, uska bhi encounter hona chahiye (Asad’s mother should also be encountered),” he said.
“Agar musalmaan bhai-chaara nibhana chahtha hai, karo masjido ka bhahishkar. Inka yehi ilaaj hai (If Muslims truly want to uphold brotherhood, they should boycott mosques. That’s the only remedy for them),” he adds.
In March this year, when Delhi’s Uttam Nagar was still recovering from the aftermath of the murder of a 26-year-old Hindu man, Tarun Kumar, a dispute between two neighbouring families turned fatal, reportedly triggered by a Holi water balloon on a Muslim woman.
What followed were intense protests from the Hindu community demanding immediate justice. Lalit Sharma had visited Uttam Nagar and issued a similar threat, declaring that Eid (Bakrid) would not be allowed to take place. “Holi will be played with blood if necessary,” he had said.
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