By Matul Sharma & Aakriti Handa
In the aftermath of the 22 April terror attack in J&K’s Pahalgam, which led to the death of at least 26 tourists and injured many others, numerous instances of targeted attacks on Kashmiris and Muslims have been reported from across the country.
Days after the terror attack, a Kolkata-based gynaecologist refused to tend to a 7-month pregnant Muslim woman; while a couple of Kashmiri shawl-sellers were brutally assaulted in Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie.
A similar incident has come to light from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, where a group of Mahants gave a call to boycott Muslim traders on Saturday, 26 April.
However, a priest of the Banke Bihari temple dismissed the boycott call, and told The Quint, “The temple is rooted in devotion and does not discriminate on the basis of caste or community.”
Who gave the call to boycott Muslim traders and why did the temple priest dismiss it, The Quint takes a closer look:
‘Don’t Give Jobs to Jihadis’: Mahants to Shop-owners Outside Banke Bihari
On Saturday, four days after the Pahalgam terror attack, a group of Mahants led by Karshni Nagendra Dutt Gaur were seen raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans in the area outside the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. Gaur is the Head of Kashi Vidvat Parishad (Western India), a Hindu religious organisation.
In the 400 metre-long-lane leading to the temple is flanked by small shops selling offerings for the deities.
As the Mahants raised slogans, Gaur was seen telling shopkeepers, “Jihadiyon ko kaam nahi dena hai (Don’t give jobs to Jihadis). They deliberately shot our Hindu brothers in Pahalgam.”
They were seen holding a banner, which read:
“In Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, tourists were asked their religion and Hindus were targeted and killed. Deeply hurt by this, the followers of Sanatan Dharma and the Vrindavan unit of Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapaar Mandal, appeal to all Sanatani brothers and sisters to not employ those students at your establishments (who support such acts). Do not give them jobs. Boycott them completely in business. If even after witnessing this brutal killing of our loved ones, you do not awaken, then when will you?”
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.