In Bapunagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a Muslim street food vendor named Shahjahan was allegedly driven out of a Hindu-dominated colony on April 8, 2026, by men reportedly linked to Bajrang Dal.
A video of the incident surfaced on social media on April 12, sparking widespread attention.
The men, wearing saffron scarves, approached the vendor and demanded his identity proof. Upon seeing his Aadhaar card and learning his name was Shahjahan, they questioned him sharply:
“What are you doing here? What is your name?” and then, “So what are you doing in a Hindu mohalla?” They warned him that only Hindus could run businesses or operate stalls in Hindu-majority areas and asked him to leave immediately.
The clip also showed the group approaching other vendors, instructing them not to sell in the locality. The incident has been described by critics as an example of religious vigilantism and exclusion.
Similar episodes have been reported in other parts of India. In Punjab’s Ludhiana, a Muslim band player faced confrontation over “police verification.” In Rajasthan, a vendor named Salim and his associate were stopped, harassed, and told to obtain police clearance before working in a village.
In several cases, locals have demanded identity cards and warned Muslim hawkers against operating in Hindu-dominated neighbourhoods.
These recurring incidents highlight growing tensions and debates over religious segregation in public spaces and livelihoods across the country. Authorities have not issued any official statement on the Ahmedabad case so far.
This story was originally published in muslimmirror.com.