An LPG dealership owner in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, has alleged that he was harassed, subjected to communal abuse, and forced to publicly apologise by members of the Hindu Raksha Dal after asking them to stand in line at his agency.
The incident took place on Tuesday, March 24, when Khalid, who runs a liquefied petroleum gas agency, enforced a rule requiring customers to queue and collect cylinders only if they had pre-booked.
The move came amid increased demand due to fears of a gas shortage linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
According to Khalid, a group of Hindu Raksha Dal workers objected to standing in line. One of them contacted the organisation’s leader, Neetu Yadav, who asked Khalid to allow them to bypass the queue. When he refused, Yadav warned that he would come to the site.
A video of the incident, widely shared on social media, shows Yadav and others confronting Khalid outside his shop and hurling communal slurs. Khalid said he was forced out of his agency and made to apologise publicly.
“They said this is a Hindu Rashtra and that they would not let it become Bangladesh,” Khalid said, adding that he was compelled to fold his hands and repeat an apology, stating he would not repeat his actions.
Khalid, who has operated the dealership for around a decade and serves about 24,000 customers across nearby villages, said he had never faced such an incident before. He noted that the area has a Hindu-majority population but has historically seen peaceful coexistence between communities.