Hindutva mob harassed and forcibly evicted an elderly Muslim vendor man who was selling posters and idols of Hindu deities at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela.
The incident reportedly took place on January 25. However, a video of the assault captured on camera surfaced on social media on Sunday, February 9, revealing disturbing growing intolerance towards minorities, especially the Muslim community members.
The viral video clip shows the Muslim vendor with his belongings on the bank of the Ganga River to sell posters and idols. The group of Hindutva men surrounded him and confronted him aggressively in the presence of security personnel.
In the footage, the group of middle-aged men is heard discourteously questioning the Muslim vendor about their presence in the Kumbh Mela which is being attended by millions of devotees across the globe. “Have you read the guidelines for Kumbh entry? How dare you come here and conduct business” the assailant told the vendor.
To these queries, the distressed Muslim vendor and a woman accompanying him responded stating “We are locals and have been doing this business for years”. After hearing this, one man from the assailants is seen scolding the Muslim vendor saying, “We don’t care, you are not a Hindu and that matters.”
He is further seen continuing his aggression accusing the vendor of exploiting their deities for profit. He then starts screaming “Police ko bulao, isko jail bhejo” (call the police and send him to jail).
Subsequently, the Hindutva men are seen collectively shouting at the Muslim vendor and woman, forcing them to pack their belongings and leave the area.
‘Non-Sanatanis not allowed’
Earlier days before the Maha Kumbh Mela, several Hindutva outfits including Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) announced strict measures warning that “non-Sanatanis” and their business were not allowed at the Kumbh Mela, particularly referring to the Muslim community.
They had appealed to people of the Hindu community to buy things only from vendors of their community and inform authorities or the organisation if any non-Sanatani was found carrying out business.
The right-wing outfits launched a campaign of verifying local merchant Aadhar cards to determine their religious background. Their arguments hinge on the noting that if Hindus are not allowed to enter Makkah and Medina, Islam’s two holiest places located in Saudi Arabia, then Muslims should not be permitted into the Kumbh Mela.
The Uttar Pradesh government has not released any official guidelines endorsing these exclusion policies. However, neither they attempt to curb the menace of right-wing organisations, who usually target poor Mulims vendors and small businesses.
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