Gurugram: Economic boycott, threats force Muslim traders to flee
Gurugram (IANS). A week after communal violence broke out in Haryana’s Nuh and Gurugram districts, Muslim traders are in panic.
In fact, their ‘economic boycott’ has been announced in a mahapanchayat organized by a Hindu organization in Tigra village of Gurugram.
A year ago, Imran (name changed) opened his own meat shop in Gurugram’s Rajiv Nagar area. While Imran was at his shop, he heard about the riots in Nuh on 31 July during a procession organized by the VHP.
Imran said that I thought the matter would be resolved in Nuh itself, but later it spread to different parts of Gurugram. As soon as the news of violence spread in Gurugram, around six Muslim traders including me in Rajiv Nagar area did not open shops to assess the situation.
Imran said he plans to reopen his shop over the weekend. However, the announcement made during a mahapanchayat organized by members of a Hindu group in Tigra village on Sunday came as a blow to Imran.
A call has been given to boycott businesses run by Muslims during the meeting. Imran has said that this announcement is shocking because I can be his next target. Imran said that this is not the first time this happened to him.
During Navratri, Muslim traders shut their shops for nine days and return to their native places to avoid any incident. He alleged that Hindu groups can abuse us, beat us, threaten us and do whatever… while the police and the government remain silent.
Imran said that he lost Rs 1,400 per day due to the closure of the shop. A few years ago, Muslim traders used to come here from areas like Bijnor, Aligarh and Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh.
Iqbal, the owner of another meat shop in Sanjay Gram, said that as the violence spread to Gurugram, our lives were in danger. Our shops are closed. We have to pay monthly rent. We are also borrowing money from our acquaintances for food. This ‘economic boycott’ will ruin our business.
Muslims own hundreds of shops in Gurugram, including clothing stores, salons, junk shops and bike repair shops. And Abdul said that we can hardly make ends meet. We are migrant workers.
On the other hand, ACP Varun Dahiya has said that action is being taken against those who disturb the law and order in the city. The presence of police personnel and patrolling has been increased in Gurugram for the safety of migrant workers and others, the police officer said.
