Following mass protests from right-wing groups and local Hindu residents against Nadeem, a Muslim advocate who purchased a house in a Hindu-dominated area in Uttar Pradesh, Ashok Bharti, a member of the Valmiki community who sold the property to Nadeem, released a video statement addressing the allegations.
In the video he expressed gratitude towards Nadeem, stating, “He (Nadeem) is like God for me,” and highlighted that he had struggled to sell the house for five years due to caste-based discrimination and community resistance.
Bharti claimed that no one was willing to buy the house because of derogatory remarks about his neighbourhood which belonged to a lower caste, which hindered his ability to pay off the bank loan.
“No one was willing to buy my house, saying there were too many Dalits and people from lower castes in the neighbourhood. The locals would discourage potential buyers by claiming that this house was controversial. But Nadeem Bhai bought it and even paid off the loan. To me, he is like a Bhagwan (God),” said Bharti.
Hindutva groups on September 9 staged protests after a Muslim advocate Nadeem purchased a house in a Hindu-dominated area in Uttar Pradesh during an open auction by the bank.
Following the auction, Hindutva groups reacted aggressively, organizing protests and causing havoc inside a police station. They asserted that they would not permit any Muslim to reside in the area, claiming that Nadeem’s presence would disrupt the community, with some alleging that his house had already become a site for Nazam (prayer ).
While speaking to the media one resident stated, “We will tolerate anyone in this area except the Muslim community. Other Muslims are also planning to migrate to this area, once they become the majority, they will evict us”.
When questioned about their certainty over the migration of Muslims to the area, he answered, “We found 10 to 20 in his room, they come under the pretext of cleaning his house, but they offer namaz there.”
As protests continued, local authorities were tasked with managing the rising tensions surrounding Nadeem’s purchase, indicating a complex interplay of social, religious, and economic factors at play in the region.
In the early week of August, Hindu residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly’s Punjab Pura area came out in protest against a Muslim family who had purchased a house in their locality.
According to the protestors, the Muslim family was not welcomed and demanded an immediate annulment of the property’s registration. They even threatened a mass exodus if their demand was not met.
Citing Prime Minister Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s past statements Srivastava told a local news channel that they will ‘neither allow Assamese nor Bangladeshis’ to step into their locality.
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