Muslims in Haryana, India Face Calls for Economic Boycott After Violence

New Delhi, MINA – The Muslim business community in the state of Haryana, India, is facing calls for an economic boycott from Hindu right-wing organizations, after communal violence swept the region. Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.

Sectarian clashes erupted in Nuh district on July 31 after a religious procession by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad organization was reportedly attacked.

The clashes soon spread to another district, Gurugram. A mosque was burned and the deputy imam of the mosque, Mohammad Saad (22), was killed.

So far, Haryana police have arrested 312 people and detained at least 106, said Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij.

After the violence, there were calls for protests from various Hindu groups. At one of the demonstrations on Aug. 2, in the town of Hansi in Hisar district, a speaker, Krishna Gurjar of the right-wing Hindu group Bajrang Dal, was heard giving an ultimatum to local businesses to fire Muslim employees working for them or face a boycott.

“Any shop keeper who employs Muslims in his shop, we will put up their boycott posters outside their shop and will declare them traitors to our community,” Gurjar said over a loudspeaker.

“Only Hindu hawkers will be present here.

If after two days a Muslim hawker is found, then whatever happens to him only he will be held responsible,” he continued.

Gurjar later said he spoke of expelling foreign Muslims, such as the Rohingya. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)