The locals in Uttarakhand held a protest outside a Mazar (tomb) on a public road in Dehradun after a street vendor had allegedly occupied the Mazar to build illegal structures in an effort to encroach on public property.
A video had gone viral recently in which it was seen that a few local residents of Dehradun were seen protesting outside a Mazar demanding the removal of an illegal structure built over it. The locals alleged that the Muslim street vendor had occupied a Mazar next to Kailash Hospital on the Haridwar Road in Dehradun and built illegal structures over it.
According to the reports, the locals alleged that the street vendor, who settled in the area about nine months ago, used to sell eggs on a cart initially. However, later he settled inside the Mazar, where he put up the sheets on top of the structure, the local alleged.
देहरादून कैलाश हॉस्पिटल के सामने, पीर बनाम घर, बनाम कारोबार, बनाम बदतमीजी पर कोई हिंदू शेरनी भी है
— वापी का काफिर….. (डिजिटल योद्धा) (@Vapi_Town) May 12, 2022
जो चुनौती दे रही है मुल्ला को इन सबको प्रणाम है 🚩🙏@iSinghApurva @YogiDevnath2 pic.twitter.com/ThNbxPA3wZ
In the presence of the police officials, the locals demanded that the Muslim vendor remove the illegal structures he had put up. The protesting locals said that the accused was found intoxicated and had built the structure intending to occupy the place.
The locals also alleged that they found an illegal electrical connection in the encroached place and accused Khadim of electricity theft. The street vendor, who has occupied the public property, was seen wearing Kurtha and a skull cap and referred to himself as the “Khadim” of Pir Baba Ki Dargah.
Later, the locals filed a complaint against the encroachment, upon which the police and local authorities reached the spot. The street vendor argued with the authorities and refused to remove the encroached property. However, as the police warned him of the consequences, he himself removed the encroachments built on top of the Mazar.
The police officials have found boiled eggs at the hideout inside the Mazar. The accused is originally a resident of Mohalla Nawabfer, Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district.
Speaking to OpIndia, the SHO of Nehru Nagar police station in Dehradun said, “The Mazar existed for a long time, and it has not been touched. However, the illegal structures built on it were cleared, and people who lived at the place were also removed.”
The police said that the street vendor had shifted his family after encroaching upon the Mazar. In addition, there were complaints of drug usage in the place, the police said, adding that the Mazar will continue to remain in its own place.
Uttarakhand, known as the ‘Devabhumi’, faces severe demographic challenges as the influx of Muslims from neighbouring states and the subsequent land encroachment problem has increased in the last few years, becoming a significant source of concern for state officials.
Several reports have highlighted the concerns that the Muslim migrants, who have pervaded Uttarakhand, the state with many revered Hindu temples, have started interfering and snatching businesses from the locals living there.
The government’s intelligence agencies believe that Muslim migrants’ intervention in the leasing of horses, taxis, ferries, tourist guide jobs, and hotels has increased dramatically. As a result, locals find themselves being pushed out of jobs and livelihoods they had been holding for generations.
