Nahan: A week after communal tensions erupted in Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan over a WhatsApp status by a shopkeeper, Uttar Pradesh Police said the picture in the status did not depict cow slaughter.
However, 24-year-old Javed, who posted the status from his home district of Shamli, UP, on Eid last week, was arrested by UP Police Sunday for hurting religious sentiments with his objectionable social media post, Shreshthha Thakur, Deputy Superintendent of Police in Shamli’s Thanabhawan circle, confirmed.
A day before Javed’s arrest, Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek told the press that there was no cow slaughter in the district, rumours of which led to tensions in the neighbouring state, where Javed ran a clothing shop.
“Our team visited the place and enquired about the entire matter. It was not a cow. However, the photo that person (Javed) posted was not appropriate. Hence, a case will be registered against him (in Shamli) for hurting religious sentiments,” he said Saturday.
After the rumours about the WhatsApp status spread, Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur police, last week, booked Javed for hurting religious sentiments. Another case was registered against a mob that vandalised Javed’s shop in Sirmaur’s Nahan as tensions escalated.
Speaking about how the mob targeted Muslim shop owners in Nahan last week, Muslim organisation Anjuman Islamia’s Nahan President Bobby Ahmad said, “The entire ruckus was merely based on a rumour. So far, 16 people from the Muslim community, who were from different parts of UP and running their businesses here, have left Nahan. Some left out of fear. Landlords asked a few others to vacate their accommodations.”
Sirmaur SP Raman Meena told ThePrint, “We were waiting for an official report from UP police. Now, we will act accordingly. As far as the action against the protesters is concerned, a case was registered against them. The probe is on.”
The Sirmaur district administration and the police department have also been working to restore normalcy in the town. A peace panel meeting was held last Thursday.
Last week, Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner Sumit Khimta told ThePrint, “Nahan town is peaceful. We have spoken to every community. They had certain issues and we are resolving them. As far as this case is concerned, a police probe is on.”
A Himachal police official last week said, “We have booked the accused under section 295A of IPC (Indian Penal Code) for hurting religious sentiments. Simultaneously, a case has been registered against the mob for vandalising the property under sections 147 and 149 of IPC.”
The peace efforts have encouraged members of Nahan’s Muslim community, particularly those in low-income jobs, to emerge from their homes. One such person, a plumber by profession, told ThePrint last week that such incidents only harm their livelihood.
“Since this happened, I haven’t been to work. I’ll go today because things have normalised,” he said. “A few people shouted slogans around us, but no one directly confronted us. Still, we get scared.”
A Nahan resident, also named Javed, said, “The criminal should be punished, but we are at risk every time such incidents happen. We condemn the accused’s action, but the way the irate mob behaved, it was scary. They vandalised the shop and the cops were just watching.”
Dushyant Sharma, a shopkeeper who describes himself as a ‘Hindu activist’, and whose shop is in the same market area as that of Javed, said, “We are not against anybody. Hindu, Muslim and other communities have been living here peacefully, but such people and activities don’t only insult and hurt us but also affect their own community. We want action against the culprits, not against the entire community.”
After Javed’s post, “there was a sense of uneasy calm in the town Tuesday, and then things went out of control Wednesday when local Hindu outfits were given a call to shut down his shop in protest”, according to a senior police official.
Ahmad, last week, told ThePrint, “Some of the people began saying things against the Muslim community. Nahan is a peaceful town and even Muslims aren’t happy about what the accused has done. Such incidents insult the entire community.”
He, however, added that mob justice is no solution. “Law should take its own course. Once should not take law in their hands. It only harasses the innocent,” he had said.
Rizwan, a shopkeeper who runs his business in the same market, told ThePrint, “We know him (accused), like all shopkeepers know each other here. But this was never expected from him. He put the entire community in danger. We have been living here for a long time. We are locals. He came here from Saharanpur just to run his shop. We do not appreciate what he has done or how the mob behaved.”
Another local, Imran, a third-generation resident of Nahan, told ThePrint, “There are some people in the local traders’ body who don’t want outsiders to carry out their business here. They have been demanding to oust ‘outsiders’.” Imran runs a readymade garment shop near Javed’s shop.
Hindu groups have been demanding the removal of “anti-social” elements. However, the district administration clarified at last Thursday’s peace meeting that the law does not allow filtering people based on region or religion.
“They are tenants here, and if locals have a problem with them, the landlords should address it. Legally, action will only be taken if a crime is committed or if there’s threat of a crime being committed,” said a district official present at the peace meeting.
The All India Muslim Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has questioned the Congress — in power in Himachal — over the incident.
“If the looters were Muslim and the shopkeeper was a Hindu, the police would not be mute spectators. But I guess mohabbat ki dukaan (market of love) is a jumla, just like sabka saath (BJP’s refrain of ‘development of all’),” he posted on X.
This is an updated version of the copy.