By Team Clarion
DEHRADUN — A disturbing incident from Uttarakhand’s capital has raised fresh concerns about the safety of minorities and the rule of law after a mob linked to Hindu organisations demolished a shrine in the Rishikesh area of Dehradun.
The incident took place on January 2 in Bhattu Wala, under the Rishikesh area, when members of a Hindu mob reached the site and pulled down a shrine using hammers. A video of the attack has since gone viral on social media, showing men shouting religious slogans and making abusive remarks about Muslims while damaging the structure.
According to local residents, the shrine stood on private land owned by a Hindu family and had been built by the family as part of their personal faith. Despite this, the mob targeted the shrine and ignored repeated requests to stop.
In the video, a man linked to the group is heard saying, “Why are Hindus worshipping the Pir of the mullahs?” Another voice is heard threatening the family, saying, “You are two, we are seventy, and everyone has bricks and stones in their hands.”
Witnesses said the family pleaded with the group to leave the shrine untouched. “They kept requesting them to stop, but no one listened,” a local resident said. “The family was scared. The mob was aggressive and loud.”
The attackers also used openly hateful language. In the video, one man is heard saying, “We worship our God. We don’t worship the Pir of the mullahs. Are we doomed?” Another voice makes communal slurs and claims, “These puncture repairers are doing love jihad,” followed by remarks about “72 after death,” statements widely seen as aimed at Muslims.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.