Indore: Muslim shopkeepers in Madhya Pradesh came out on Wednesday protesting against BJP MLA Malini Gaur’s son, Eklavya Singh Gaur after he urged local traders to remove their Muslim employees.
Opposition parties in the state also protested against Eklavya Singh Gaur’s hate speech with shopkeepers marching from Bajaj Khana Chowk to Rajbada, carrying placards and asserting their constitutional rights, Maktoobmedia.com reported.
Protesters were quoted as vehemently asking: ‘Is being a Muslim our fault?’ and ‘What will you gain by disrupting Hindu-Muslim unity?’
A trader identified as Mohammad Gulzar told the outlet that despite working there for thirty five years ‘we are being pushed out only because we are Muslims’.
The outlet quoted Gulzar as asking: ‘Is being a Muslim our mistake? Why are we being targeted despite being rightful citizens of this country, like our Hindu counterparts?’
Another shopkeeper Balwant Singh Rathore who took part in the demonstration against forceful eviction of Muslim shopkeepers, called for preserving the harmony between Hindus and Muslims, saying that ‘they should be given equal opportunities to earn a living’.
Balwant’s longtime Muslim business partner, Mohd Haroon, is among those facing eviction.
Haroon reportedly said that the state’s social fabric is so intact that both communities seeks to ‘to live, breathe, trade, and progress together’.
Usually a bustling place, the Seetlamata Market looked deserted on September 25 after Hindu traders evicted Muslim retailers and salesmen.
The market saw a significant decline in customers for the first time in years.
Advocate Zaid Pathan, President of the Association of the Muslim Community and coordinator of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, said that police summoned Muslim traders who participated in the silent protest march following pressure from rightwing forces.
The opposition party Congress accused Eklavya Singh Gaur of trying to polarise Indore with City Congress president Chintu Chouksey saying: ‘This is a deliberate attempt to disturb communal harmony. We have demanded an FIR and strict action’.