Right-wing groups force a Kashmiri man to shut shop in Mussoorie

Right-wing groups, owing allegiance to the RSS and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Wednesday forced a Kashmiri trader to shut his shop in Mussoorie, following an allegation that the trader had shared a Facebook post featuring the Pakistan Air Force.

The development comes after certain members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagran Manch and the BJP lodged a written complaint against Manzoor Ahmed (59), a Kashmiri trader and member of the local WAQF Board who owns a shop in the hill station. According to complainants, Ahmed had liked and shared a Facebook post featuring the Pakistan Air Force.

Ahmed, however, rejected the allegations, saying that his Facebook account had been hacked. The Kashmiri trader is learnt to have approached the police by himself after his alleged actions on Facebook created an outrage. Ahmed told the cops that he had no role in sharing the post.

Activists from right-wing groups also reached the police station and lodged a complaint demanding action against Ahmed. Later, they went to the shop owned by Ahmed in Kulri Bazaar on Wednesday evening and forced its closure. The right-wing activists further demanded that all Kashmiri traders running businesses be forced out from the hill town.

Rajeev Naithani, the sub-inspector incharge of Kulri Police station, said that complaints from both the sides have been received and the matter had been sent to the cyber cell to ascertain the authenticity of the allegation.

Ahmed claimed that the row over his Facebook post was an act of mischief. He stated that he had been living in Mussoorie for the past 46 years.

On the other hand, Rakesh Rawat, President of the Mussoorie unit of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), alleged that one of his friends who was on Manzoor Ahmed’s friends’ list had sent the controversial post which was allegedly shared by him.

This isn’t the first time that the local Kashmiri traders of Mussoorie are being targetted by right-wing groups. Last month, the local traders’ organisation had issued a diktat calling on local residents to “throw out” Kashmiri traders, after two youth belonging to a minority community allegedly raised pro-Pakistan slogans following India’s defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the Champions’ Trophy final.

It later turned out that the youths booked by police were not from the Kashmiri community at all.

The local traders body is said to have given an “ultimatum” stating that all Kashmiri traders in Mussoorie must leave the town by February 28 next year.