Uttarakhand: Members of Muslim bodies meet Dhami, seek action against those 'harassing' community in Purola

Members of the Uttarakhand Waqf Board and the Haj Committee called on Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and asked him to take stern action against those "harassing" Muslims in Purola town, which has been gripped by communal tension.

Communal tension has been brewing in Purola and some other towns of Uttarkashi district after two men, one of them Muslim, allegedly tried to abduct a Hindu girl on May 26.

Uttarakhand Waqf Board chairman Shadab Shams, Laksar MLA Mohammad Shahzad and Haj Committee president Khatib Ahmad, among others, met Dhami at his official residence here on Monday and claimed Muslims living in Purola for generations are being "harassed" by anti-social elements and forced to migrate from the town.

The delegation also submitted a memorandum to the chief minister in which it said that Muslims living in the hill town are a "hurt, harassed and scared" lot.

The memorandum urged Dhami to protect the interests of all sections of society in keeping with India's spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's motto of 'Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas aur Sab ka Vishwas' and act tough against those fomenting trouble in Purola.

At least 42 shops belonging to Muslims have reportedly been closed in Purola since May 26.

Posters were pasted by unidentified people on shops owned by Muslims, asking them to leave the town before a 'mahapanchayat' called by Hindu organisations in Purola on June 15 or prepare to face consequences.