Muslim vendors operating stalls along the route to the Kamakhya Temple during the ongoing Ambubachi Mela in Guwahati, Assam, were allegedly verbally abused, harassed, and forced to shut down their businesses by a group of Hindu activists.
Videos circulated on social media show individuals confronting the vendors, questioning their presence by asking, “You are Muslim and are selling Hindu religious items?” and demanding they vacate the area. In one incident, a vendor wearing a mala was reportedly physically assaulted and asked to produce his Aadhaar card.
This event is described as part of a recurring pattern of similar exclusions at major Hindu religious events. Comparable incidents were reported at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj in January 2025 and at temple fairs in Karnataka since 2022, where groups allegedly targeted Muslim traders.
The Ambubachi Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in Northeast India, is held annually at the Kamakhya Temple on Nilachal Hills. This year’s event, running from June 22 to 26, has attracted around eight lakh pilgrims. No immediate official response has been issued by Assam Police or the Kamrup Metro district administration regarding the complaints.
This story was originally published in muslimmirror.com.