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Delhi: Biryani shop forced to shut down on Diwali after man threatens Muslim owner, police file FIR
The man, who claimed to be a member of a Hindutva organisation, used communal slurs and abused the shopkeeper.
Scroll Staff
Yesterday · 09:23 pm
Screenshot of a video showing a man, who claimed to be a member of Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, threatening a Biryani shopkeeper in Delhi. | Shyam Meera Singh/ Twitter
A Muslim man who ran a biryani shop in Delhi’s Sant Nagar area was forced to shut down on Diwali evening on Thursday after he was threatened by a person claiming to be a member of Hindutva organisation Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, The Indian Express reported.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi said that they have registered a first information report under Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code, reported The Quint on Saturday.
The police, however, have not yet arrested anyone.
In a video shared on social media, the man threatening the shopkeeper can be heard abusing him and using communal slurs. In it, the man asked how he dared to open the shop in a predominantly Hindu area.
“Is this Jama Masjid?” the man, who identified himself as Naresh Kumar Suryavanshi, asked. “On whose directions have you opened the shop.”
Others in the vicinity did not speak up, after which Suryavanshi asked them to “wake up from their slumber”.
He then went on to allege that Muslims engage in “love jihad” and trap Hindu girls. “Love jihad” is a conspiracy theory espoused by Hindutva activists. They allege that through “love jihad”, Hindu women are forcibly converted by Muslims through marriage.
One of the staff members argued with the man, but they eventually began closing the shop.
Scroll.in could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Magroob Ali, who manages the store, told The Indian Express that he shut down his shop even though though others there supported them.
“We do not know why he targeted us but we think he just wanted to instigate people and instil fear,” Ali said.
Magroob Ali and his elder brother Aijaj Ali, who joined him in running the shop, are from Rampur district, Uttar Pradesh. Aijaj Ali said that their parents have been worried since they found out about the incident.
“We have not faced any trouble since I opened the shop here in 2014, and have opened it on all festivals,” Aijaj Ali told The Quint. “This was the first time something like this happened. Everyone is scared but a few Hindu neighbours and shopkeepers intervened and made the person who was intimidating my brother and employees go away.”
The shopkeeper said that the police had asked him to give a written complaint but he refused to do so.
“He [the police officer] reassured us that we are safe, and that if there’s any trouble, we should get in touch with him,” Magroob Ali told The Quint. “If this happens again, we will go to the police but as of now, I don’t want any more trouble.”
Support our journalism by contributing to Scroll Ground Reporting Fund. We welcome your comments at https://scroll.in/latest/1009954/de...er-man-threatens-muslim-owner-police-file-fir
so now its biryani jehad
The man, who claimed to be a member of a Hindutva organisation, used communal slurs and abused the shopkeeper.
Scroll Staff
Yesterday · 09:23 pm
A Muslim man who ran a biryani shop in Delhi’s Sant Nagar area was forced to shut down on Diwali evening on Thursday after he was threatened by a person claiming to be a member of Hindutva organisation Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, The Indian Express reported.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi said that they have registered a first information report under Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code, reported The Quint on Saturday.
The police, however, have not yet arrested anyone.
In a video shared on social media, the man threatening the shopkeeper can be heard abusing him and using communal slurs. In it, the man asked how he dared to open the shop in a predominantly Hindu area.
“Is this Jama Masjid?” the man, who identified himself as Naresh Kumar Suryavanshi, asked. “On whose directions have you opened the shop.”
Others in the vicinity did not speak up, after which Suryavanshi asked them to “wake up from their slumber”.
He then went on to allege that Muslims engage in “love jihad” and trap Hindu girls. “Love jihad” is a conspiracy theory espoused by Hindutva activists. They allege that through “love jihad”, Hindu women are forcibly converted by Muslims through marriage.
One of the staff members argued with the man, but they eventually began closing the shop.
Scroll.in could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Magroob Ali, who manages the store, told The Indian Express that he shut down his shop even though though others there supported them.
“We do not know why he targeted us but we think he just wanted to instigate people and instil fear,” Ali said.
Magroob Ali and his elder brother Aijaj Ali, who joined him in running the shop, are from Rampur district, Uttar Pradesh. Aijaj Ali said that their parents have been worried since they found out about the incident.
“We have not faced any trouble since I opened the shop here in 2014, and have opened it on all festivals,” Aijaj Ali told The Quint. “This was the first time something like this happened. Everyone is scared but a few Hindu neighbours and shopkeepers intervened and made the person who was intimidating my brother and employees go away.”
The shopkeeper said that the police had asked him to give a written complaint but he refused to do so.
“He [the police officer] reassured us that we are safe, and that if there’s any trouble, we should get in touch with him,” Magroob Ali told The Quint. “If this happens again, we will go to the police but as of now, I don’t want any more trouble.”
Support our journalism by contributing to Scroll Ground Reporting Fund. We welcome your comments at https://scroll.in/latest/1009954/de...er-man-threatens-muslim-owner-police-file-fir
so now its biryani jehad
