Chandigarh: In an unprecedented move, 14 villages in Haryana have decided to “boycott” Muslims.
The villages, across Mahendragarh, Jhajjar and Rewari districts, together wrote to the police and district administrations, informing them of their decision to “boycott members of the Muslim community.”
The panchayat’s decision comes in the wake of recent communal violence in the state.
The three districts were among the worst hit by communal clashes that were sparked by a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) religious procession being attacked on July 31.
The violence, which started in Nuh and spread to other districts, has claimed six lives and injured dozens, besides causing significant damage to property.
As per the decision of panchayats, they will not rent out houses and shops to people from the Muslim community.
The letter carries an appeal to deny houses, shops and establishments to the Muslim community on rent. Further, villagers are also scrutinising identification proof of street vendors before allowing them entry into the villages.
Outgoing councillor of Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) Brahm Yadav said that ‘Valmiki people’ should operate meat shops in the district and called for a boycott of shops run by Muslims.
“The violence that broke out in Nuh on July 31 was due to the Muslim community. They should not be given any house or room for rent in the area. In fact, our Valmiki people should be allowed to run meat shops in the district and we should all boycott the shops run by Muslims,” Yadav said.
Members of two communities crossed paths near the Nalhar temple in Nuh, which is a Muslim-dominated area, when a religious procession was taken out. Within hours, the mob violence spread to Gurugram, Sonipat and other adjoining districts.
