There is no end to the news of the hatred that permeates the minds of people and undermines the very life of India. For more than a month, Manipur, the northeastern state of India, was on fire. But now threats are being heard from Uttarakhand, which is on the cusp of Himalayas. The Sangh Parivar has given an ultimatum to the Muslims to leave Purola in the Uttarkashi district and abandon their residences and businesses. They have convened a Maha Panchayat for the same demand. In protest against this, the Muslim Seva Sanghdan, a Muslim organisation, has called for another Maha Panchayat in Dehradun on the 18th of this month.
A 14-year-old Hindu girl was abducted in the last week of May. Ubaid Khan and Jitendra Saini were the accused in the incident. The police registered a case and started an investigation and arrested the accused. The Sangh Parivar, which is engaged in communal harvesting even in the disaster area, portrayed this incident as 'Love Jihad' and started anti-Muslim campaigns. What started as a demonstration with sloganeering, soon turned into aggressive threats. Police officers responsible for protecting the people were eager to close the shops of Muslim traders on days when Hindutva organisations held rallies. Around 30 shops in the town have been closed since the end of May. The call to boycott the traders later turned into an organised threat to force Muslims to leave the area. With this demand, posters have appeared all over the country in the name of the organisation called Devbhoomi Samrakshan Abhiyan. Due to the Sangh Parivar threat, even Muhammad Zahid, a prominent garment trader in Purola and BJP Minority Front Uttarkashi District President, has had enough of business and has sought shelter at a relative's house in Dehradun.
In towns like Barkot, Tehri Garhwal, and Damta, the sparks of hatred have spread. Muslim shopkeepers see their shops marked with black paint on the barcode as an ominous sign. Such moves in Uttarakhand are shocking but not unexpected. The things called for by the Dharma Samsad (Religious Parliament) which took place on December 17, 18, and 19, 2021 in Haridwar in the same state are now being implemented in Purola and Barkot. The police did not even bother to file a case against those who openly called for attacks. Notorious hate preachers, including Prabodhananda Giri, who called for a Myanmar-style 'clean-up campaign' in Haridwar, continue to spread their message of hate. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who came to power through a hate agenda, has announced that he is not ready to ban those who threaten the minority people of his state to leave their homes, but will teach the love jihadists a lesson.
Also read: Muslim traders leave communally charged Purola amid ‘Love Jihad’ allegations
In this worrisome situation, peace-loving individuals and groups have sent letters to the Pime Minister, Home Minister, and Chief Minister, seeking immediate intervention. They also approached the Supreme Court demanding that the Maha Panchayat should be stopped as it could lead to untoward incidents. However, the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the matter stating that coming to the Supreme Court without filing a petition in the High Court is distrust of the administration and seeking a shortcut. It seems that the honourable judges did not even consider the fact that the state administration showed contempt of the court by not implementing the Supreme Court's judgement that hate preachers should file cases voluntarily regardless of their religion. Now although the District Magistrate has denied permission for the Maha Panchayat and has stated it in public, the organisers have announced that they will not back down. The events in Uttarakhand are clear evidence that the Sangh Parivar will use its communal agenda of hate and boycott to gain an advantage in other assembly elections due this year and next year's general elections, even though they have been rejected by the voters of Karnataka. A greater defence than the one put up in Karnataka is needed to combat this. The big question is who will take the lead for such a move.
Also read: Hindutva mob assaults Muslims offering namaz in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, beats up Imam