Uttarakhand: Hindu landlord stops far-right mob from forcibly closing Muslim shops

In an incident that came as a reminder of the nation’s pluralism amid the rise of communal forces, a Hindu landlord came to the rescue of his tenants as a mob of far-right supporters tried to forcibly close Muslim shops in Uttarakhand’s Kamaluaganja.

In a video that has since been shared by multiple Twitter handles, the landowner is seen defending his Muslim tenants. “He is my shopkeeper, I can vouch for him,” he said in the video.

Hindutva Watch, a Twitter handle that posts videos and news of hate speech and crimes also shared the video.

A person who led the group of right-wing goons went on to give an ultimatum, stating that the shops would not be allowed to open from the next day. To this, the Hindu landlord retorted that he will keep the shops open for his tenants.

The incident comes on the backdrop of increased communal unrest in Purola town of Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district.

On Wednesday, Muslim religious leaders in Dehradun called for a ‘mahapanchayat’ on June 18. This followed the Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain a plea seeking to prevent a Hindu ‘mahapanchayat‘ in Purola, that is set to take place on June 15.