A large group of extremist Hindus took an oath to boycott Muslims socially and economically at a village in Surguja district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
In a video clip that has gone viral, they are seen taking a pledge to not purchase any items from Muslim vendors, shopkeepers or sell land to mem-bers of the community. After the pledge, they are seen chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, a war cry furthered by Hindutva extremists, and other slogans.
“From today, we Hindus pledge to not buy any item from a Muslim shopkeeper and not to sell them anything. We pledge to not sell or give our lands on lease to Muslims. We Hindus pledge to buy from vendors coming to our villages only after ascertain-ing their religion. We also pledge to not work as labourers for them,” they say in the video.
With the elections round the corner in Uttar Pradesh, the Hindutva brigade has come up with yet another antic to up the ante in the poll-bound state.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal supporters have put up posters all along the ghats (river banks) of Ganges in Varanasi sternly prohibit-ing non-Hindus from venturing near the river banks in the city.
Some of the posters in Hindi made their way to the social media. One of them read: “Not a request, but a warning”.
Video clips shared by journalists show a group of VHP and Bajrang Dal members, all sporting saf-fron mufflers around their necks, holding aloft the posters while riding a boat.
Reports said the posters were seen at Panch-ganga Ghat, Ram Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Assi Ghat and Manikarnika Ghat of the city, which is represented by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in the Parliament.—KMS
