In the days following the incident in which a Muslim-owned shop was ransacked by a Hindutva mob in Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan city, 16 Muslim traders fled the city after intimidation by Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Muslim leaders allege.
In a recent video, Nahan’s Muslim leaders interacted with the media where they warned ‘outsiders’ not to disturb the communal peace between Hindus and Muslims.
“It’s a matter of great shame, but these local leaders have no one to stop them. Outsiders came and looted goods from 4-5 shops. Out of fear, at least 16 people have left their work and moved away. And only one person was at fault,” said one of the Muslim leader.
On June 19, a video surfaced on social media where a textile shop owned by a Muslim was ransacked by a Hindutva mob in the presence of police personnel.
The incident occured after the shopowner named Javed, 24, shared an image of animal sacrifice on his WhatsApp status during Bakrid.
A complaint was filed against Javed for hurting religious sentiments. He was soon arrested by the local police. During investigations, police found out that the animal in the video was a buffalo and now a cow.
‘Won’t spare troublemakers’
Speaking to the media, the Muslim leader said that a meeting is scheduled to take place on June 26 and troublemakers will not be spared.
“On June 26th, we speculate that troublemakers would come and try to disturb the peace of Nahan. We are warning yet again that such outsiders will not leave Nahan. The reputation of our city is at stake. Both Hindus and Muslims of Nahan will stand together,” the Muslim leader added.
