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Time of India
17-07-2025
- Time of India
Eatery owner, employee held for pasting ‘Hindus to be careful' posters
Meerut: A 48-year-old fast-food shop owner and his 19-year-old employee were arrested on Thursday for allegedly putting up provocative posters reading "Hindu rahe savdhan" (Hindus, beware) across Moradabad 's Sadar Kotwali area. Police said preliminary investigations suggested that the motive was business rivalry with a vendor from another faith. The posters had been pasted on electric poles, streetlights and in marketplaces. SP (city) Kumar Ranvijay Singh said the shop owner, Rajesh Bhurji, a resident of Moradabad, held a personal grudge against a competing street vendor from a minority community. With help from his employee, Prince Kumar from Rampur, he circulated posters claiming Hindu customs were under threat from individuals allegedly concealing their religious identity while selling food and urged Hindus to remain alert. Singh said CCTV footage helped identify the accused. "During questioning, Bhurji admitted he was frustrated over falling earnings and believed that his competitor was drawing away his customers. The posters were aimed at damaging his rival's business. A case has been registered under BNSS section 170 (preventive arrest in connection with a cognisable offence)," the SP said. Police said the posters had the "potential to incite communal tension" during the ongoing kanwar yatra and urged people not to be swayed by inflammatory content. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo "This is a time for devotion and unity. We appeal to all residents to uphold the spirit of peace and brotherhood that the yatra represents," Singh added. The incident comes amid a spate of recent cases highlighting religious profiling and harassment of vendors from another faith along the yatra route. On June 28, members of a Hindu outfit allegedly attempted to forcibly strip a worker at Pandit Ji Vaishno Dhaba in Muzaffarnagar to ascertain his religious identity, following suspicions about his faith. Authorities have warned against such vigilantism, saying no individual or group has the right to verify a vendor's religion. The Supreme Court recently sought a response from the UP govt on a batch of petitions challenging the state's directive requiring all eateries along the yatra route to display QR code stickers showing food licence or registration details, owners' names and menu. The state govt maintains that the QR codes, linked to the Food Safety Connect app, are meant to help nearly 4 crore kanwariyas make "informed choices" about food safety and hygiene. However, petitioners called it a revised version of the controversial "nameplate diktat" issued last year during the yatra to discriminate against eateries owned by members of the minority community, which they said is per se "unconstitutional". Meerut: A 48-year-old fast-food shop owner and his 19-year-old employee were arrested on Thursday for allegedly putting up provocative posters reading "Hindu rahe savdhan" (Hindus, beware) across Moradabad's Sadar Kotwali area. Police said preliminary investigations suggested that the motive was business rivalry with a vendor from another faith. The posters had been pasted on electric poles, streetlights and in marketplaces. SP (city) Kumar Ranvijay Singh said the shop owner, Rajesh Bhurji, a resident of Moradabad, held a personal grudge against a competing street vendor from a minority community. With help from his employee, Prince Kumar from Rampur, he circulated posters claiming Hindu customs were under threat from individuals allegedly concealing their religious identity while selling food and urged Hindus to remain alert. Singh said CCTV footage helped identify the accused. "During questioning, Bhurji admitted he was frustrated over falling earnings and believed that his competitor was drawing away his customers. The posters were aimed at damaging his rival's business. A case has been registered under BNSS section 170 (preventive arrest in connection with a cognisable offence)," the SP said. Police said the posters had the "potential to incite communal tension" during the ongoing kanwar yatra and urged people not to be swayed by inflammatory content. "This is a time for devotion and unity. We appeal to all residents to uphold the spirit of peace and brotherhood that the yatra represents," Singh added. The incident comes amid a spate of recent cases highlighting religious profiling and harassment of vendors from another faith along the yatra route. On June 28, members of a Hindu outfit allegedly attempted to forcibly strip a worker at Pandit Ji Vaishno Dhaba in Muzaffarnagar to ascertain his religious identity, following suspicions about his faith. Authorities have warned against such vigilantism, saying no individual or group has the right to verify a vendor's religion. The Supreme Court recently sought a response from the UP govt on a batch of petitions challenging the state's directive requiring all eateries along the yatra route to display QR code stickers showing food licence or registration details, owners' names and menu. The state govt maintains that the QR codes, linked to the Food Safety Connect app, are meant to help nearly 4 crore kanwariyas make "informed choices" about food safety and hygiene. However, petitioners called it a revised version of the controversial "nameplate diktat" issued last year during the yatra to discriminate against eateries owned by members of the minority community, which they said is per se "unconstitutional".
NDTV
04-07-2025
- NDTV
"They Pulled Down My Pants": UP Dhaba Staff On Kanwar Yatra Crackdown
New Delhi: A controversy has erupted in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, after a Muslim man named Tajammul was found working under the assumed identity of "Gopal" at a roadside dhaba to protect himself from Hindu groups. The incident took place at the Pandit Ji Vaishno Dhaba located on National Highway 58 in Muzaffarnagar. The dhaba has since been shut down following protests. Tajammul admitted that he adopted a Hindu identity out of fear and under instruction. "My name is Tajammul," he told NDTV. "I was asked to go by 'Gopal' so I could work at the dhaba without creating trouble. Sharma ji (dhaba owner) told me to do so." Tajammul said that he was told to conceal his Muslim identity and present himself as Hindu in order to avoid backlash from Hindu organisations that have begun conducting identity checks of food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra route. "They told me to wear a kada," Tajammul said. "I wore it for three months so I wouldn't be recognised." Tajammul described being intimidated and assaulted after members of a Hindu group entered the premises and began questioning the religious identities of the staff. "They pulled my pants down. They beat me and I was crying," he said. The incident occurred on June 28 when a religious figure called Swami Yashveer Ji Maharaj and several of his associates visited the dhaba as part of what they called an "identification campaign." These campaigns are intended to ensure that pilgrims receive food from Hindu-owned establishments, according to the Swami Yashveer's supporters. During the confrontation, Tajammul introduced himself as Gopal. When asked to produce identification, he claimed his Aadhaar card was missing and his phone was broken. The group did not accept the explanation, and video footage later showed physical manhandling. The Muzaffarnagar police have since summoned six individuals linked to the incident: Sumit Bahraghi, Rohit, Vivek, Sumit, Sunny, and Rakesh, all associated with Swami Yashveer's Yoga Sadhana Ashram in Baghra. The controversy comes against the backdrop of an earlier directive issued by the Uttar Pradesh government that all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route must display food licenses and owner details, including religious identity where applicable. While the state government claims this is a matter of transparency, opposition parties allege that the move is decidedly communal in nature.
