What if a politician told shopkeepers in your area to sack all their Hindu employees within a month? TV studios would likely erupt in outrage, FIRs would be filed, and even bulldozers might not be far behind. But when a threat of this nature has targeted Muslims in an Indore market, there has been no intervention from the police or the administration.
It started a month ago when Eklavya Singh Gaud, BJP’s Indore vice-president and son of local MLA Malini Gaud, issued an ultimatum in the city’s cloth market of Sheetla Mata Bazaar: traders must dismiss all their Muslim employees within a month. He held a meeting with the market association to convey his “request”.
Gaud claimed the step was necessary to tackle “love jihad” and to protect unsuspecting Hindu women from those he alleged might exploit sales interactions to form relationships..
The deadline was September 25. With just one day left, the impact is clear. More than 50 Muslim workers have already lost their jobs. And at least four shopkeepers had to vacate their rented spaces in the area that has around 500 shops.
Gaud is no stranger to controversy. He was earlier accused of roughing up a police constable at a temple and was also booked for assaulting Congress workers. He was the one who filed a complaint against comedian Munawar Faruqui over a joke he reportedly never made, which led to Faruqui being jailed for over a month.
When Newslaundry reached out to Gaud, he directed us to one Harshit Jain, who did not respond to our calls and messages.
Reached for comment, Indore Police Commissioner Santosh Singh said no one had approached his office regarding the issue and asked us to speak with DCP Zone-4.
DCP Anand Kaladgi, when asked why no case had been filed against Gaud despite his ultimatum, said: “He has not made any statement openly, and there is no video evidence except what is in the media. We are working on this issue and trying to resolve it. We don’t have an official video of him giving the ultimatum, but we are addressing the matter and will provide updates.”
Muslim salesmen even submitted a complaint to the office of Indore’s police commissioner, but no action was taken. The complaint, dated September 15, claimed Muslim workers were being targeted for political benefit.
Two traders, speaking anonymously, claimed the police will not act against Gaud as the area falls under the constituency of his mother and BJP MLA Malini Gaud.
This story was originally published in newslaundry.com. Read the full story here.