Srinagar: A group of Hindutva workers harassed and forced a Kashmiri Muslim man to say Bharat Mata Ki Jai while on their pilgrimage to the Baba Budha Amarnath and Shiv Khori temples in Jammu and Kashmir.
A video surfaced on social media on Sunday, September 6, wherein the Muslim man, working as a horse rider, refused to say the slogan, which the group, including Nakul Chaudhary, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak (RSS) worker, and Vibhag Sangathan Mantri, Bajrang Dal’s divisional organisational secretary, was forcing upon him.
When asked to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai,’ the man said, “Main Musalman hoon, theek hai, main nahi bol sakta (I am a Muslim; I cannot say it).”
The group objected to his response, saying, “Toh Musalmaan ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ nahi bolega (so a Muslim won’t say Long Live Mother India)?”
A police officer intervened and tried to defuse the situation, while another onlooker was heard saying, “Yaar, jo maksad le liye aaye ho woh pura karo yaar. Kis maksad ke liye aaye ho (Look, fulfil the purpose for which you came here. What purpose did you come for?)”
“Bharat Mata ki Jai’ bolne (To say Bharat Mata ki Jai),” a few pilgrims replied.
In another video, the same group targeted him again and said, “Hinduo se paisa kama raha hai aur Bharat Mata ki Jai bolne se dartha hai (He is making money from Hindus, yet he is afraid to say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’)?”
The Kashmiri worker repeatedly asked the group to stop interrupting his work and refused to comply with their demands.
