Asaduddin Owaisi demands a ban on June 15 Mahapanchayat in Uttarakhand

Hyderabad: Asaduddin Owaisi, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President has demanded an immediate ban on Mahapanchayat proposed to be held by right-wing groups in Uttarakhand. Right-wing groups plan to hold Mahapanchayat in Uttarkashi’s Purola on June 15, amid continued communal tension in the area.

“Security should be provided to the people living there. Arrangements should be made to bring back the people who have migrated from there,” he said in a tweet on Monday.

According to reports, the interfaith tensions trace back to May 26 after two men, a Muslim and a Hindu, allegedly tried to abduct a 14-year-old girl. Some people alleged that it was a case of ‘Love Jihad’.

While the two accused, Ubed Khan (24) and Jitender Saini (23), were arrested on May 27, and booked under sections 363 (kidnapping) 366A (procuration of minor girl) of the IPC along with the POCSO Act, some right-wing groups staged protests and attacked shops and houses of several Muslims.

A protest march in Purola on May 29 turned violent after some of the agitators attacked shops and establishments belonging to the Muslims. A similar protest was held on June 3, under the banner of Yamuna Ghati Hindu Jagriti Sangathan. Hundreds of people took part in the protest.

Posters threatening Muslim traders to shut shops and leave the state by June 15 have also come up in the Purola market. Due to the tension and threats, many Muslim families have shut their shops and some families have migrated from the district.

Amid the growing communal tension, Muslim leaders in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun have called for a mahapanchayat on June 18 to protest against what they say is “an increase in the targeting of their community”.

The Hindu right-wing organisations also scheduled a mahapanchayat on June 15, saying that they will not allow Muslims to hold their meeting on June 18.

Owaisi reminded the BJP government it is their job to send the culprits to jail and restore peace.