UP: ‘On sale’ signs put outside homes as Dalits consider fleeing Noorpur citing persecution by hooligans from Muslim community, police denies claims of migration

Hindus of Noorpur village in Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh, are considering selling their houses and fleeing the town amidst threats of persecution at the hands of hooligans from the Muslim majority. Several houses owned by Hindus in Noorpur bear a similar message —‘This house is on sale’—scribbled on their outer walls, informing prospective buyers that the property is on sale.

Noorpur is a Muslim-majority village in Western Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, about 800 Muslim families live in the village. There are 125 families of Hindus, the majority of whom belong to the Jatav community (Scheduled Castes).

The Dalits in the village assert the decision of fleeing the village for a safer abode elsewhere is taken in view of the alleged atrocities meted out on them by hooligans from the dominant Muslim community. However, the Aligarh Police said the situation is under control and there is no reason for Dalits to migrate from the village.

Earlier last week, journalist Keshav Malan uploaded a video from the village, in which he stated that there are many Hindu houses in Noorpur scrawled with the messages of being on sale. According to the journalist, Hindus are compelled to sell their property and leave the village because of the atrocities committed against them by people from the Muslim community. Lewd comments are passed against Hindu girls, their marriage processions are not allowed, the journalist claimed.

The oppression of Hindus, including Dalits, in Noorpur village, came to light after a complaint was filed against members of the Muslim community for attacking a marriage procession. According to the complainant, Omprakash, his daughter’s marriage procession was attacked and pelted stones at by the Muslim community. He has said that some people, including Aakar Kalua, Sarfu, Sohail and Farrukh, abused the village’s lawyer son Allaraji and instigated the procession. Stones were hurled at the marriage procession, which resulted in injuries to many people.

Muslim miscreants pass lewd remarks against Hindu girls, stop their marriage processions: Villager

The aggrieved families told us that Dalit Hindus of the village have been forced to flee over the past few years due to increasing number of violent incidents against them. They also said that casteist slurs were hurled at them and they were not allowed to carry out processions on public roads.

One such victim, Sunil Jatav, said the molestation of Hindu girls by Muslim hooligans has become par for the course in the village. He said this has been continuing for the last 5-6 years, with Muslims hooligans of the village stopping marriage processions of Hindu boys and girls and indulging in skirmishes with them.

“This has continued for a while now. They (Muslims) stop the marriage processions of our brothers and sisters. Owing to these, Hindus here are considering of leaving the village. These messages of ‘The house is on sale’ are put up voluntarily by Hindus, who are tired of the atrocities committed by the Muslim miscreants,” the villager said.

Complaint filed against Omprakash and others for obstructing the prayers held in the mosque

A complaint has also been lodged with the police from the other side. In this complaint, the other side has accused Omprakash, Babulal and other people of trying to obstruct the prayers being held in the mosque. The complaint said that people of the Hindu community tried to disrupt the namaz by playing DJ and drums near the mosque and made a ruckus by climbing on the platform of the mosque. The complaint also accused the members of the Hindu community of assaulting Muslims.

Police says no Hindu migration is underway at the Noorpur village

Speaking to OpIndia, CO Kher, Aligarh, said that he, along with senior police officers, had visited the village and that there was no Hindu exodus underway in the village.

In this regard, Praveen Mann, in charge of the Tappal police station, in a conversation with Opindia denied that Hindus migrated from the village due to fear of Muslims. Local MLA Anoop Pradhan told Opindia that there was a dispute between Hindus and Muslims in the village over the procession, but it was a mutual quarrel.