Uttarakhand trade body forces Muslim traders to shutter down their shops
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The Dharchula Vyapar Sangh, a local trading body in Uttarakhand’s Dharchula, cancelled the membership of 85 Muslim traders, forcing them to close their shops following a report of two minor girls eloping with men from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
The Dharchula Vyapar Sangh has resorted to forceful closures of Muslim-owned shops, revoking memberships of 91 traders, predominantly Muslims, and even pressuring landlords to evict these 'outsiders.’
However, amidst the tumult, the district administration has stepped in, condemning the discriminatory actions of the traders' body. District Magistrate Reena Joshi affirmed that no unlawful activities would be tolerated and assured full protection to traders from outside the town.
While tensions simmer, the law enforcement agencies have taken decisive action. The accused from Bareilly face serious charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act. Additionally, FIRs have been registered against those compelling shop closures.
Acknowledging the precarious situation, SDM Manjit Singh assured security arrangements for the affected traders, emphasizing that none have been compelled to leave Dharchula.
“We have registered an FIR against elements who forced the shop owners to shut their shops,” Pithoragarh District Magistrate Reena Joshi said.
No unlawful activity will be allowed. Traders from outside doing business in the town will be given full protection,” she said.
Dharchula SDM Manjit Singh said the traders whose membership has been cancelled are being provided full security by the district administration.
The traders from outside Dharchula have kept their shops closed over the last three days but none of them has left the place, he said.
The Vyapar Sangh, which represents over 600 traders in the town, has decided to give membership only to traders from inside the state.
“The traders coming from outside are involved in criminal activities that cannot be tolerated in this sensitive border town,” secretary of the traders’ association Mahesh Garbiyal said.
This episode resonates with a similar incident in Purola, Uttarkashi district, where tensions flared, prompting the imposition of section 144 of the CrPC last year. An attempted abduction of a minor Hindu girl exacerbated communal tensions between locals and outsiders.
