Recently the reports of an exodus of some Muslim families in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh have been doing the rounds in the media. According to reports, more than half a dozen Muslim families living in Mohalla Thatheraan Lahori Gate have sold off their houses and have started migrating to other places. Some have written ‘Ye makaan bikau hai‘ (This house is up for sale) on their houses.
Putting the blame of their exodus on the police, the families have accused the police of being biased and taking action against them on false charges in a dispute that happened earlier this month. This dispute that led to the alleged migration of the Muslim families actually took place on June 6, a day after Eid when one person named Taufeeq along with three others got involved in a fight with a Hindu Yuva Vahini worker (according to some reports, Bajrang Dal worker) Harsh and others.
Police have filed a complaint against more than half a dozen identified persons and a case against 20-25 unidentified persons has also been registered. Eleven arrests have been made so far in the case and the rest will be made on the basis of the video recording of the incident.
However, the Superintendent of Police (SP) Shamli, Ajay Kumar has termed the exodus of the Muslim families a sham and a pressure tactic to intimidate the police into not taking action against the culprits. He said that the exodus of the families is a thought out plan to avoid arrests in connection with the June 6 incident.
Earlier this month, a group of Muslim youths attacked two Bajrang Dal workers, seriously injuring them over the issue of ‘Momos’. It is also reported that a mob Muslims gathered up to beat up police personnel and managed to rescue their arrested friend.
According to the reports, a group of Muslim men, Sajid, Abid and Taufeeq had come to Ajudhya Chowk of the city to have Momos. Two Bajrang Dal workers – Himanshu and Harsh, were also present at the spot. Soon, a war of words took place at the spot, which later turned violent. The Muslim youth were soon joined by a group of their associates, who thrashed Himanshu and Harsh leaving them seriously injured.
As Bajrang Dal workers were attacked, several others present at the market stood for their support and rescued them. They also informed the local police regarding the incident.
The local police reached the spot and tried to arrest one of the attackers. However, as per a report, another group of Muslims allegedly got mobilised at the spot trying to the get the arrested man freed. During the incident, even some police officials were attacked by the group and had their uniforms torn off.
The police have now urged the culprits to follow the law and surrender either in the police station or the court. Assuring fair action, SP Shamli said that the police will act as per law and based on the existing evidence.
