By GHAZALA AHMAD / Maktoob Media
A Muslim street vendor was assaulted, beaten up, and abused by a Hindutva mob in Jassur town of Himachal Pradesh’s Nurpur district on 17 August, Thursday. The incident ensued after a Facebook post surfaced on social media written by Rajput Aryaveer Thakur on 9 August, calling to boycott the Muslim-owned businesses.
The social media post mentioned AK Fast Food at Jassur railway junction owned by Alamgeer and called Hindus to boycott buying from his shop and invest their money in a nearby food vendor, Himachali Fast Food, run by one Raghu, who is a Hindu.
30-year-old Alamgeer and his brother ran the Momos stall AK Fast Food for the last 10 years.
On the eve of August 17, a Hindutva mob surrounded Alamgeer’s stall and asked him to remove his stall which was near a stall owned by a Hindu.
He was called Mulla, a derogatory term used by right-wing and Hindu extremists to demonize Muslims.
Explaining his ordeal to Maktoob, Alamgeer said, “It is the first instance in the last 10 years, I never came across any such incident. People from all faiths come to my stall to eat momos, neither have I discriminated against anyone based on their beliefs, identity, or religion.”
He said, “I was simply working as usual, and they came and started threatening me and asked me to remove my shop, when I asked them the reason, they started beating me and called me a Mulla and accuse me of spitting on the food I sell.”
“They told me that I can’t put up my stall beside a Hindu stall and when I asked them the reason, he took out the iron bangle he was wearing in his hand and started attacking me with that.”
“They also attempted to throw the oil, which was boiling in the wok; it could have come on me but I was saved by an inch”, he alleged.
The assaulters also threatened the customers at Alamgeer’s shop for having snacks and told them, “Do you have any shame; you are eating from a mullah’s shop being a Hindu.”
The customers chose not to intervene and made their way to some other shop. The bystanders also didn’t speak or helped Alamgeer.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here