On June 4, Hindu organizations shut down shops of Muslims in Chakkri Bazar, Batala. Reports emerged that the action was taken after a Muslim shopkeeper was caught and beaten up by family members of a girl who was being harassed with lewd messages. The members of Hindu organizations said such incidents of eve-teasing became common in the city.
Furthermore, they had approached the administration over the matter before but they did not take any strict action. A month back, there were reports that Hindu organizations had approached SSP Batala over the sudden increase in the Muslim population in the city and expressed concerns over the alleged increase in the crime rate.
While speaking to Sanjha Punjab TV, Bajrang Dal leader Honey Mittal said the incident was not uncommon. He said, “This is not something new for the area. Two-three SSPs have changed and we are tired of submitting complaints. These people indulge in such activities daily and cause trouble. We have asked the administration to initiate a probe over the sudden increase of the people from the particular community in the region but the Police did not take any strict action.”
He further added, “When we were bringing the shopkeeper who had eve-teased a girl, Muslims in Chakkri Bazar stopped us. It looked like a nexus.” Mittal explained the whole matter that led to the action taken by Hindu organizations on Sunday. He said, “These shopkeepers take phone numbers from Hindu girls on the pretext that they would inform them about the fresh stock of suits and other items. Then they start sending lewd messages to the girls. In one of such incidents, one of the shopkeepers called a girl passing by and said she had mud on her back. When the girl did not stop, he touched her on the back. When the girl and her family members fought back they apologized.”
Mittal said they have collected the keys from shopkeepers and the same would be submitted to the Police. No shops would be allowed to function till strict action is taken against them. He said, “We are not doing anything for our good. We are doing it for the betterment of our generations to come.”
The eve-teasing incident of June 4
On Saturday evening, a girl accused a Muslim shopkeeper and his friends of eve-teasing following which they were trashed by the locals and members of Hindu organizations. A senior leader of Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) Ramesh Nayyar said in a statement that when they learned about the incident, they rushed to the spot and caught the accused. He alleged that Police did not have any record of that person working in the area and demanded strict action against the culprits.
SHO Thana City Tejinderpal Singh said in a statement that the accused was brought to the Police station by locals and they were investigating the matter. No complaint was registered by the girl in the case.
Speaking to the channel, the shopkeepers of the Muslim community denied any knowledge of why their shops were ‘forcibly’ shut.
Eve-teasing and Love Jihad cases are on the rise
Speaking to OpIndia, Bajrang Dal Batala activist Raghav Sharma said, “In general, the girls who get eve teased by these anti-social elements do not raise voice as they are afraid of getting names smeared in the public. However, in the recent incident, the family of the girl was furious as the shopkeeper was sending lewd messages on Whatsapp to the girl. They came and trashed the shopkeeper. No case was filed against the shopkeeper by the family of the girl as she is getting married next month.”
He added, “When they left, the local shopkeepers gathered and raised objections over the increasing number of incidents of eve-teasing. It has become a daily affair in the area. They got the shops shut.” Sharma said the most depressing part of the case was that the shopkeepers of his community gathered in his support instead of calling out his actions. He alleged that the Muslim shopkeepers are working under a network or nexus that is indulged in Love Jihad.
The sudden increase in the Muslim population in Batala
The locals have alleged that the number of Muslims is rapidly increasing in the city and they are migrating from other states. Leaders of various Hindu organizations have raised the issue earlier. In May this year, they had submitted a memorandum to Batala SSP urging him to investigate the increasing number of Muslims in the area.
They alleged that the Muslims are taking shops on rent at exorbitant rates. They also appealed to the people of Batala not to rent the shops or houses to anyone from the particular community who came from other states. According to Rozana Update News Portal, a memorandum was submitted by the Hindu organizations in which they said unrecognizable people from particular communities roam around the city. They alleged most of them sell fruits and vegetables on the handcarts and have overtaken several sectors.
Furthermore, cases of Love Jihad are increasing in Punjab, especially in regions like Mukerian and Pathankot. The accused in those cases were from other states. The leaders of Hindu organizations urged the police to strictly implement regulations regarding rentals in the city and if anyone fails to submit documents, strict action should be taken against the parties involved.
