By Waquar Hasan
NEW DELHI – The Uttarakhand High Court has directed police to provide security and facilitate the reopening of shops belonging to minority community members after a Hindutva mob attacked their establishments and prevented them from operating in the Jhanda Bazar area of Dehradun.
Following rape allegations leveled against a minor boy from the Muslim community on June 17, a large mob affiliated with Hindutva organizations descended upon the area, allegedly attacked Muslim shopkeeper Adnan Siddiqui, vandalized and looted his shop, and forced all Muslim shopkeepers to shutter their businesses. Since the incident, they have been prohibited from reopening their shops.
Local activists and political leaders submitted a memorandum to the chief secretary and met with the district officer and Senior Superintendent of Police demanding the reopening of the shops. However, Muslim shopkeepers remained unable to resume their business.
Speaking to The Hindustan Gazette, Siddiqui, one of the victim shopkeepers, stated that there are five shops owned by Muslims in the area. Two of them were forced to vacate by their landlords and flee the area. Three remain closed.
The shopkeeper explained that an incident involving a minor girl and boy occurred on June 17. The following day, they went to the police station and brought the father of the accused to the station. However, the matter was given a different turn, with some people declaring that no Muslim would remain in this area and all Muslim shops would be shut down.
Siddiqui said he has lived in the area for 25 years and owns his house and shop there. He was wrongly identified as the maternal uncle of the accused, though he clarified he has no such relationship. The accused’s family lived in a rented house in the area. Nevertheless, he and his elder brother were implicated in the alleged rape case.
“I was brutally assaulted on June 18. My shop was vandalized and looted. It is a shop of bangles. There was a huge mob. They came and asked why I kept my shop open. They called me ‘Jihadi’ and targeted me for my Muslim identity. They were armed with sticks and other objects. My eardrum was damaged and I received several injuries to my body,” said Siddiqui.
This story was originally published in thehindustangazette.com. Read the full story here.