Sarika Jogadia, a Hindu woman and a resident of Mumbai’s Muslim-majority Bhendi Bazaar, returned to her house after the BMC had sealed it, allegedly under the pressure of a local Muslim MLA, for standing up against Muslim ruffians who harassed her and tried to encroach upon her house.
The issue came into the limelight earlier last week after Sarika Jogadia took to Twitter to share her ordeal, sparking outrage among social media users and Hindu activists. In a heart-wrenching video, Jogadia expressed her anguish, describing how local Muslim hoodlums, allegedly with the help of Congress MLA Amin Patel, pressurised the BMC to seal her ancestral home after she had dared to file an FIR against them.
Jogadia said she had filed an FIR at JJ Police station against the Muslim hooligans because they continuously harassed her, slaughtered goats in front of her house, installed loudspeakers outside her residence, and stopped her from singing Hindu religious hymns. However, instead of acting against the Muslim hoodlums, the BMC, allegedly under the pressure of Congress MLA Amin Patel, got the police to evict her and her family from their ancestral home and seal it.
‘I am being punished for being a Hindu, local Muslims harassed me, slaughtered goats in front of my house entrance’: Sarika Jogadia
In the viral video, Sarika lamented, “I was today punished for being a Hindu because where I stay is a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood. They used to harass me; they tried capturing my house, slaughtered goats at my house’s entrance, installed loudspeakers outside my residence, and did not allow us to do bhajan-kirtan.”
She also added that when she decided to act against them and file an FIR with the police, they came to her house and threatened her with dire consequences if she did not take her FIR back. “They threatened me that they would get the house vacated if I didn’t take my FIR back. They said they had the support of local MLA Amin Patel, whom they said would not let their votes go away by supporting me. They warned me that they would evict me from my house,” she said in the video released on social media.
“And then, they pressurised the BMC with the help of the MLA and got the police to seal my house. I am dispossessed from my ancestral home, which my grandfather got in 1944. For over a hundred years, our family stayed here, but the local Muslim hooligans got it sealed, and now we have to leave the house,” Sarika said while bemoaning her predicament.
After being forcibly evicted from her house, Sarika spoke to the media where she made shocking allegations against the police. “Police played a big part in evicting me out of my house. All my complaints against the family of Nadeem Malik, Kasim Malik, had gone unheeded. The police took no action against them. Instead, they sealed my house when I filed a complaint against the local Muslim hooligans,” she said while interacting with the press.
“I felt like I was living in Pakistan. Are Hindus not allowed to live in Muslim-dominated regions? I was continuously threatened by them. If I have to say in clear terms, the minority people or should I say Muslims, tortured me, stopped me from playing bhajan-kirtan, and forced us to comply with their rules and regulations,” she added.
Netizens and Hindu activists on Social Media take cognisance of Sarika’s plight and help her return to her ancestral home
Sarika’s video instantly went viral, drawing sharp reactions from a raft of concerned citizens and Hindu activists over the plight of a Hindu woman in a Muslim-majority neighbourhood, and the complicity of the elected representatives in perpetuating the harassment.
Many Hindu activists shared the video of Sarika’s plight and promised to extend help in whichever manner possible. Radharamn Das, Vice President Spokesperson for ISKCON, shared Sarika’s video on Twitter, helping it reach a wider audience.
Krishna Sarika who stays near Bhendi Bazaar in South Mumbai has been forcefully evicted from her house by Muslims. Hope @CMOMaharashtra Shri @mieknathshinde & @Dev_Fadnavis will do the needful. Hope Mumbai doesn’t turn into Mewat.pic.twitter.com/sE47u1HAeZ
— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) July 29, 2022
Ramesh Solanki, a Hindu activist and a former Shiv Sena member, took cognisance of the video going viral on the internet and pledged to help Sarika get her house back.
Spoke to Sarika Jogadia and will help in all possible way
— Ramesh Solanki🇮🇳 (@Rajput_Ramesh) July 29, 2022
Jai Sri Ram 🙏 https://t.co/Ii88ViT0AI
Days later, Sarika returned to her house after the intervention of BJP leaders. On 2 August 2022, Solanki took to Twitter to thank BJP Mumbai President Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Nitesh Rane, VHP spokesperson Shriraj Nair, Radharamn Das, and others for standing up in support of Sarika Jogadia and helping her return to her home.
