BJP MLA Nanda Kishore Gurjar from Loni, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, sparked outrage after threatening Muslim meat shopkeepers during a visit to their shops, all in the presence of police. In a video that has gone viral on social media, Gurjar is heard angrily saying, “If he runs away, shoot him,” after spotting a chicken cage near one of the shops. He was also seen forcibly handing over a shopkeeper to the police.
The incident has drawn widespread criticism and has spread fear among the local Muslim community, especially as it comes just days before Eid al-Azha.
Earlier, in a letter, he wrote to the Ghaziabad District Commissioner, alleging that his party workers had reported extensive meat slaughtering in Loni, a region near the Hindon Airport. In the letter, he states that as the Hindon Airport is near Loni, and meat slaughter could attract birds, which would cause plane crashes, citing the example of the Air India plane crash. He warns that it is a threat to Indian Air Force fighters.
“Some people also slaughter cows during this time to spoil the atmosphere,” Kishore said in his letter. He also commented that instead, muslims should cut cakes in the shape of a goat.
He also claims that, according to a survey conducted by DK Rai, the Executive Officer of Loni Municipality, the Loni region falls under the Air Force ordinance, which prohibits slaughtering, selling, collecting bones, and operating meat shops in the area. He adds that violating this ordinance amounts to treason.
“Our workers will also keep an eye on the area through drones. I request that all brothers celebrating Eid put a picture of a goat on the cake and cut it. This has happened before as well. In this way, you can celebrate an eco-friendly Eid,” he writes in the letter.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson, Bhanu Bhaskar Joshi, said that the MLA’s words are unacceptable and inciteful. “He said that if the shopkeeper runs away, he should be shot at. Which law allows such action? This is a violation of human rights and a reflection of the BJP’s intolerance,” Joshi said.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.
