‘Clear threats’: Muslims forced to flee northern Indian town

Purola, India – Muslims in a north Indian town have been asked by Hindu groups to give up their livelihoods and the homes they have lived in for generations.

About a dozen families have fled Purola, a small town in the Uttarkashi district of northern India in the state of Uttarakhand, after notices were posted on homes and businesses asking them to leave the town.

The threats, mainly made by two far-right Hindu groups – the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its youth wing, the Bajrang Dal – follow an alleged attempt by two men to kidnap a 14-year-old Hindu girl on May 26.

Both the VHP and Bajrang Dal, in turn, are affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the far-right ideological mentor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which aims to create an ethnically Hindu state. create out of a constitutionally secular India. Together these groups form what is commonly referred to as the “Sangh Parivar” (parivar means family in Hindi).

The two suspects in the kidnapping case were immediately arrested by local residents and handed over to the police. They have been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and other laws.

Accusation of ‘love jihad’

One of the suspects in the kidnapping bid was a 24-year-old Muslim man, leading to accusations by Hindu groups that the kidnapping attempt was a case of “love jihad” — an unproven conspiracy theory that accuses Muslim men of luring Hindu women in. romantic relationships to convert them to Islam through marriage.

The BJP government itself has denied that such conspiracy exists in its reports presented in parliament.

But Purola residents say the May 26 incident was used by the Hindu groups to intensify their long-standing movement seeking to liberate the Himalayan state, known for its many Hindu pilgrimage sites and temple towns, from the Muslim community.

There are about 400-500 Muslims in Purola, a town 140 km from the capital Dehradun with a population of about 10,000.

On May 27, government officials reportedly asked Muslim traders to close their shops as some Hindu groups had planned a rally to protest the girl’s attempted abduction.

“We had to close our stores because we had no choice,” 41-year-old Mohammad Ashraf, who owns a clothing store in Purola, told Al Jazeera.

On May 29, the Hindu groups and hundreds of supporters organized another rally, calling for the expulsion of Muslims from the area.

According to the residents, provocative slogans were uttered against the minority community during the meeting. The mob also destroyed some shops and removed signboards with Muslim names. Since then, most Muslim-owned businesses have closed in Purola, while the rest of the market is bustling with activity.

Muslim traders approached the local administration for help, urging them to act against people who threaten their livelihoods, but they say their requests have fallen on deaf ears.

“The [Muslim] boy is arrested. The police is investigating the case. What more do they want? Do they want us to leave our homes and shops? Where shall we go? We’ve lived here for years,” a Muslim trader told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the authorities.

Purola trades union president Brij Mohan Chauhan told Al Jazeera he appealed to the Muslim traders to reopen their businesses.

“We have not forced them to close their shops. We are in contact with the board. I am sure if not now they will open their stores within a week,” he said.

Meanwhile, posters appeared in Muslims’ Purola stores last week warning them to leave the city before June 15, the day the VHP and Bajrang Dal have called for a “mahapanchayat” (or grand gathering) in the city.

Muslims, in turn, called their own “mahapanchayat” of community leaders in Dehradun on June 18 to protest their attacks in Purola.

While the atmosphere in Purola remains tense, religious tensions have reportedly spread to neighboring towns and villages.

In Barkot, another small town about 30 km (19 mi) from Purola, an “X” sign was seen on the doors of some Muslim-owned shops, an act reminiscent of the Nazi era aimed at Jews in Pre-World War II Germany.

For decades, right-wing groups in Uttarakhand have mobilized Hindus to create a “Devbhoomi” (or land of the gods) and exclude Muslims.

I have been following the news from Uttarakhand. What reportedly started as a local campaign against a “Love Jihad” case in Purola has now turned into a protest to evict minorities.
Hindutva leaders (those of Haridwar Dharam Sansad) have given the slogan “Jih@di bhagao, Devbhoomi bachao”. pic.twitter.com/6C25R8pz66

— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) June 11, 2023

‘There were clear threats’

Dehradun-based journalist Trilochan Bhatt told Al Jazeera that the ongoing tensions in Purola and neighboring areas stemmed from the anti-Muslim hate politics that have engulfed the state in recent months.

Bhatt blamed the ruling BJP leaders for giving Hindu groups free rein to hold rallies openly calling for violence against Muslims. It was in the temple town of Haridwar in Uttarakhand that a controversial Hindu event calling for genocide against Indian Muslims was held in December 2021.

“Uttarakhand was a peaceful state and Hindus and Muslims lived in harmony. But since the BJP government came to power, things have become difficult for the Muslim minority,” he said. “Occasionally, anti-Muslim rallies are held somewhere in the state.”

BJP national spokesperson and senior Uttarakhand leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam dismissed reports of an exodus of Muslims from Purola, calling them “baseless”.

“There was a case of ‘love jihad’. The police are investigating… People are leaving the city on their own because of the possibility of being involved in the case,” he told Al Jazeera.

“The government is monitoring the situation and anyone involved in disrupting the atmosphere will be dealt with,” he added.

But the threats from the Hindu groups did not spare even a Muslim member of the BJP.

“I had no choice but to leave because there were clear threats that we would be harmed if we did not leave before June 15,” Zahid Malik, the chairman of the minority wing of the right-wing party in Uttarkashi district, told Al Jazeera on Friday. Tuesday by phone.

Mailk, who fled to Dehradun with his family, said he had lived in Purola for 30 years.

“Although I am affiliated with the ruling party, unfortunately I did not get any help from the government,” he said.