By Pavneet Singh Chadha / The Indian Express
A panchayat organised at a temple in Haryana’s Manesar on Sunday, claiming to represent the Hindu society, called for an economic boycott of “Muslim shopkeepers and vendors”. Issuing an ultimatum to the administration, the panchayat urged the gathering to form village-level committees to enforce the boycott in their respective villages.
More than 200 people, including members of Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), took part in the panchayat. The participants also included people from nearby villages of Manesar, Dharuhera and Gurgaon. The panchayat members submitted a memorandum to a duty magistrate stating that illegal immigrants must be evicted.
“There should be an immediate enquiry into this and those found staying illegally should be evicted. They are involved in religious conversions and strict action should be taken against them,” the memorandum read.
Devender Singh, general secretary, VHP Manesar, said that the panchayat was called on behalf of the Hindu society in the region to raise their voice against growing “religious fundamentalism” and “jihadist forces” that have taken root in the country.
“Hindus are being killed… Many Rohingya, Bangladeshis and even Pakistanis are illegally staying in Gurgaon and Manesar by hiding their real identities. They have set up businesses in various sectors. We have given the administration one week’s time to probe this and identify those who have illegal documents… If there is no action, then Hindu society will take action. Another panchayat will be called at a larger scale and the future course of action will be decided,” said Singh.
Several speakers at the panchayat called for an economic boycott of Muslim vendors alleging that many juice shops and salons run by Muslims in Manesar had names of Hindu deities as part of a conspiracy.
“Economic boycott is the only solution. Inki kattarta aur inke jihad ko dekhte hue, hume ye nirne lena padega (Considering their religious fundamentalism and jihad, we have to take this decision). Committees need to be formed in villages that can discuss and take action. We have already started this from Manesar,” added Singh.
On Friday, the Gurgaon police booked the organisers of a protest march for allegedly raising abusive slogans and promoting enmity between communities. The march was held on Wednesday by members of Bajrang Dal and VHP to demand stringent punishment for the accused in the murder of a tailor, Kanhaiya Lal, in Udaipur.
This article first appeared on indianexpress.com