Registration of 85 Muslim-owned shops among 91 cancelled in Uttarakhand town

A campaign run by a traders’ body in Dharchula, Uttarakhand, urging locals not to rent their malgis, and houses, to “outsiders,” particularly Muslim shopkeepers, has led to a tense situation in the town.

They are being accused of settling in the town since Uttarakhand was created in 2000.

The traders body has canceled the registrations of 91 shops over the past 40 days, with around 85 of these shopkeepers being from the Muslim community, reported The Hindu. The campaign is causing tension in the area and has led to the cancellation of shop registrations for Muslim-owned businesses. 

A protest was also held by this traders body in the town’s market last month, after a man from the minority community on February 1 allegedly fled with two minor girls.

The man was arrested from Bareilly within two days and booked for kidnapping and sexual assault under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The incident is a re-run of what had happened in Purola town, where communal tension was high after the arrest of two men, including one from the minority community, for allegedly trying to abduct a minor.