We are scared of them Women residents protest Muslim shop outside temple
Udham Singh Nagar: “Band karo, band karo. Yeh dukaan band karo!” slogans rang through the city of Khatima in Uttarakhand‘s Udham Singh Nagar as women residents staged a dharna strongly objecting to the opening of a Muslim-owned shop opposite a temple.
One resident reasoned that “these people” litter the area by dumping their leftover food and garbage.
“Mandir ke aage bilkul dukaan nai khulni chahiye. Ye log mandir ke saamne thookhte hai, khaa-peekar sab jhooota yehi daal dethe hai. Hamare dharam me aisa nahi hota (Absolutely no shops should be allowed to pen right in front of the temple. These people spit right in front of the temple, and after eating and drinking, they dump all their leftovers and trash right here. Such things do not happen in our faith),” she said.
“Hame inse darr hai (We are afraid of them),” another said. “Puri colony khaali ho gayi hai inke chakkar me (The entire colony has been vacated because of them).”
Other residents raised concerns about disturbances that can affect the neighbouring Saraswati Mata school near the temple.
The issue pertains to Bandra Colony, where the establishment of Maham Tools Hardware Store, situated opposite the temple, has triggered a wave of objections.
“Aisa nahi hai ki iss shetr mai kisi aur dharam ke insaan ki dukaan nai hai (It is not that there aren’t shops belonging to people of other religions in this area)” the man said, showing that at some distance there are stores which are owned by people of “other religions.”
The main problem is the location. “The issue here is that, right in front of the temple, which stands as a symbol of these people’s faith, there is a shop by a person of a different religion,” he explained.
Raising slogans like “Band karo, band karo. Yeh dukaan band karo (Shut it down, shut it down! Shut down this shop),” the woman demanded that the Muslim owner relocate his shop.
This post was last modified on May 11, 2026 6:53 pm