In yet another incident, an elderly Muslim shopkeeper was violently attacked by a Hindutva mob in Himachal Pradesh. The state has been experiencing a rise in Islamophobic incidents in the last few weeks.
A video that surfaced on social media on Tuesday, September 17, shows a large Hindutva mob aggressively beating the elderly Muslim shopkeeper, while spectators cheer and blow whistles. In the footage, the man is seen crying and pleading for mercy with folded hands.
However, one man can be seen attempting to protect the Muslim man by pushing back the agitated attackers in the mob.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of escalating hostility towards Muslims in the region marked by numerous aggressive and vandalizing attacks on Muslim-owned businesses.
A day ago, Hindu groups and residents in Himachal Pradesh’s Palampur area vandalised shops owned by Muslim traders demanding the demolition of more mosques in the Mandi and Shimla regions.
In the video that surfaced on social media on September 15, the agitated mob provoked by Hindutva members is seen attacking vendors breaking carts into pieces.
The mob are also heard chanting provocative and inflammatory slogans against Muslims such as “Kathue Mulle Nahi Chalenge,” “Mulle Thulle Nahi Chalenge,” and “Goli Maaro Saalo Ko,Mulle ke dalalo ko, Jhoote maaro salo ko”.
Local BJP leaders and traders also staged a protest against Muslim traders in Himachal Pradesh.
It all began on September 13 following a series of protests over an alleged illegal construction of a mosque in Shimla’s Sanjauli leading to an Islamophobic rampage all over the state.
The protests have been fueled by claims that the mosque is linked to thefts and demographic changes perceived as threats to the Hindu majority in the area.
Amid tensions, a Muslim welfare committee urged the municipal commissioner to seal the unauthorised portion and also offered to demolish it by a court order. The panel comprised the Imam of the mosque members of the Waqf board and the mosque management committee.
Despite these conciliatory gestures from the Muslim community, Hindu organizations continued their demands and put pressure on the government to enforce more stringent rules on the construction of mosques and to conduct more demolitions across Himachal Pradesh.
The case of unauthorised or illegal construction of some floors in the mosque is being heard by the court of the municipal corporation and the next hearing is fixed on October 5.
The ongoing violence and intimidation highlight a disturbing reality for Muslims in Himachal Pradesh, where acts of vandalism against their businesses and open hostility from extremist groups have become alarmingly common.
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