Rudraprayag, Sep 10: A fresh wave of communal tension has gripped the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, following the installation of signboards in several villages that prohibit the entry of “non-Hindus, Rohingya Muslims, and hawkers.” These signboards, reportedly put up at the entry points of various villages, have sparked outrage and prompted a police investigation, reports Livemint.
The signboards, written in Hindi, explicitly state that “non-Hindus/Rohingya Muslim hawkers” are banned from doing business or even moving around in the villages. The signboards also threaten punitive action against anyone found violating these directives. Allegedly, these orders originated from local village councils, known as gram sabhas.
Uttarakhand’s Director General of Police (DGP), Abhinav Kumar, has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, directing local police and intelligence units to verify the reports and take appropriate action if the claims are substantiated. According to Prabodh Kumar Ghildiyal, the Circle Officer of Rudraprayag, several of these signboards have already been removed, and efforts are underway to identify those responsible for putting them up.
“We have instructed our intelligence and local units to investigate these reports. If the allegations are found to be true, we will take necessary action,” stated DGP Kumar.
In response to the growing concerns, village heads (gram pradhans) have been summoned for a meeting to ensure such incidents do not recur. Pramod Singh, the pradhan of Nyalsu village, confirmed that similar signboards have been installed in nearly all other villages in the region, including Shersi Gaurikund, Triyugarneya, Sonprayag, Barasu Jamu, Ariya, Ravigram, and Maikhanda. Singh asserted that the villagers themselves, not the gram panchayat, were responsible for the signboards, claiming that they were intended to prevent unverified hawkers from entering the villages.
The issue gained national attention after two Muslim delegations, the Muslim Seva Sangathan and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), met with DGP Kumar on September 5. The delegations voiced their concerns over the increasing incidents of anti-minority hate in the state. Naeem Qureshi of the Muslim Seva Sangathan submitted a memorandum to the DGP, alleging a coordinated campaign of “Islamophobia” aimed at harassing and threatening Muslims in the region.
The incident comes amid rising communal tensions across the BJP-ruled state of Uttarakhand. On September 1, violence erupted in Nandanagar, leading to the forced displacement of at least ten Muslim families who received death threats and had their shops attacked. Ahmad Hasan, a functionary of the BJP’s minority wing, described the harrowing experience of fleeing his home in the middle of the night to escape the violence.
The situation in Uttarakhand highlights the increasing communal polarization in the region, raising concerns about the safety and rights of minority communities in the state.
