Indian Muslims in Haryana face calls for economic boycott after violence
Hindu far-right groups call for northern Haryana state residents to boycott Muslim shops.New Delhi, India – Hindu far-right organisations have called for an economic boycott of Muslim businesses and keeping Muslims out of villages after deadly communal violence broke out in India’s Haryana state.
Sectarian clashes erupted in Nuh district on July 31 after a religious procession by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad organisation reportedly came under attack, killing six people including two security guards.
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At one demonstration on August 2, in Hansi city of Hisar district, one speaker – Krishna Gurjar from Hindu far-right group Bajrang Dal – can be heard giving an ultimatum to local businesses to fire any Muslim employees working for them or face a boycott.
“Any shopkeeper who keeps any Muslim employed in his shop, then we will paste posters for their boycott outside their shops and will declare them traitors of our community,” Gurjar said via a loudspeaker in a rickshaw on a busy road with hundreds of followers, along with police officials, walking with him.
“Only Hindu hawkers will be present here. If after two days any Muslim hawker is found, then whatever will happen to him only he will be responsible.”
Gurjar later told Al Jazeera, “I spoke about evicting outsider Muslims, such as Rohingyas.”