Leave by December 31, traders in Chamoli town tell Muslims

DEHRADUN: A

traders

’ body in

Uttarakhand

’s

Khansar

town in Chamoli district, around 260km from Dehradun, has “passed a resolution” asking about 15 Muslim families to leave the town by Dec 31. Some of them have been in Chamoli for decades.
The resolution was passed on Wednesday during a meeting of the vyapar mandal, following a ‘chetna’ (awareness) rally in Maithan market of Khansar on the same day.

TOI has accessed a video of the rally in which the participants, mostly local traders, could be purportedly seen raising provocative slogans.
Former traders’ body president Virendra Singh, who is now president of Maithan Seva Samiti, told TOI the resolution was passed “unanimously” as “preventive action.”
Rs 10,000 fine for those who take in Muslim tenants: Chamoli council

A meeting of the vyapar mandal in Uttarakhand’s Khansar town in Chamoli Wednesday passed a resolution asking Muslim families to leave the town by Dec 31.
Virendra Singh, president of Maithan Seva Samiti, told TOI, “During the meeting, it was decided that all such families should leave before Dec 31. Failing to do so will attract legal and punitive action not only against these families but also against those who rent out their houses or establishments to them. Such landlords will also face a penalty of Rs 10,000.”

Singh added, “Moreover, it has been decided to prohibit all hawkers from entering villages in Khansar valley. Any hawker caught doing business will face a penalty of Rs 10,000 and legal action. These decisions have been taken to prevent any criminal incident against

Hindu

women by members of the minority

community

in the wake of similar incidents in other towns.” TOI has a copy of the resolution mentioning the two decisions by the traders’ body.
A minority community member, requesting anonymity, said, “None of us were ever involved in any criminal incident. The action is not just an attempt to disturb communal harmony but also to oust us due to vested business interests.”
Chamoli SP Sarvesh Panwar said police were “‘not aware” of any such incident. “We will investigate the matter and take appropriate legal action, if needed ,” said Panwar.
Khansar valley comprises 11 gram panchayats. In Sept, Hindutva groups took out procession in Gopeshwar town of Chamoli district following violence against Muslim shops at Nandghat. They sought verification of all “outsiders” following allegations of harassment allegedly by a Muslim youth . At least 10 families from minority community, including a BJP functionary, were forced to flee after receiving death threats.