Uttarakhand: Trade Body ‘Ultimatum’ to Muslims to Leave Khansar Area of Gairsain by Dec 31

Dehradun: The targeting of minority Muslim population in the hills of Uttarakhand, particularly in the Garhwal, area seems to have intensified with the community in Khansar area of Gairsain block of Chamoli district saying that it has been issued threats to leave the area by December 31, 2024 or “face consequences”.

After the communal incidents at Gauchar, Nandghat and Tharali in the past one and half months, Hindu organisations and local traders of a Vyapar Mandal took out a ‘Hindu Chetna Rally’ at Khansar town in Gairsain block of Chamoli district on October 16, 2024.

Read Also: Uttarakhand: Boards Banning Entry of Non-Hindus/Rohingya Muslims Appear in Garhwal Hills

After the rally, which was taken out in the Khansar market, a meeting was held under the leadership of Baldev Singh Negi, president of the local Vyapar Mandal, in which two resolutions were passed unanimously. The first resolution stated that members of a particular community living in Khansar area should leave the area by December 31, 2024, otherwise legal action and penalties would be imposed on them and landlords in places where they were staying. A sum of Rs. 10,000 as penalty was announced in the meeting, according to reports.

A copy of the resolution passed by local Vyapar Mandal issuing ultimatum to Muslims to leave the area by December 31, 2024 or face consequences.

In the second resolution, the Vyapar Mandal said it had decided that no “outsider” be allowed to sell goods in the area and legal action and penalty of Rs.10,000 would be imposed against “outsiders” caught selling any goods in the villages.

Notably, people from the plains have been selling clothes, bangles, utensils and other goods, moving from village to village in the hills, for more than a century.  

Earlier after the Nandghat incident on September 1, 2024, where the minority Muslim population was attacked and forced to flee following an alleged incident of making indecent gestures at a minor girl by a Muslim barber, there have been scores of such incidents in which Muslims were targeted, at Chauras, Gauchar and Gopeshwar. In some area, places of worship were also ransacked.

Interestingly, public boards were put up banning entry of “non-Hindus” in the area in Chamoli district in September after the Nandghat incident. After a media outcry, the Uttarakhand Police persuaded the villagers to remove the word “non-Hindus” but boards banning entry of “outsiders” were put up.

The hate speeches and targeting of Muslims continue unabated from Dehradun to Chamoli on the pretext of ‘Love jehad’, ‘Land jehad’ and the latest addition of ‘Thook (spit) jehad’.

There are reports of hate speeches delivered at a ‘Shastra Pujan’ ceremony of ceremony a Hindu outfit, where a ‘sadhu’ reportedly openly called killing of ‘vidharmis’ (non-Hindus) was not a sin and those doing so would ensure ‘moksha’ (salvation).  

Read Also: Uttarakhand: Purola ‘Love Jihad’ Case Flops in Court of Law

In June 2023, posters were put up by Hindu organisations on shops owned by Muslims to leave Purola town of Uttarkashi district following trumped up charges of ‘Love jehad’ against two youth-one a Muslim and another a Hindu. Both the youth were later acquitted by the Uttarkashi sessions court, which found the charges false.    

The writer is a freelancer based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.