New Delhi – A growing controversy in West Delhi has led to the collapse of one of the city’s largest informal jeans‑making hubs. Allegations of a so‑called “jeans jihad” have primarily targeted Muslim tailors and factory workers in Khyala — a neighbourhood recognised as an industrial area in 2021, reported the Madhyamam.
For more than two decades, hundreds of Muslim artisans from Uttar Pradesh built a thriving jeans‑stitching ecosystem in Khyala. Wholesale markets later spread into nearby Vishnu Garden and Raghubir Nagar, drawing Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh traders alike.
This summer, rumours emerged claiming Muslims were using the jeans business to alter the demographic character of the area by displacing Sikh and Hindu residents. Though the term “jeans jihad” was popularised in local media, it was Delhi Industries Minister and BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa who amplified these allegations. He accused workers of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar, despite offering no evidence.
Residents say Sirsa weaponised complaints about factory overcrowding into communal rhetoric, alleging threats to women’s safety and accusing operators of making the neighbourhood unlivable. That rhetoric coincided with a sealing drive in June targeting dozens of purportedly unauthorised jean workshops, crippling what had been a thriving local economy – until recently employing over 15,000 people.
Local Sikh and Hindu residents have dismissed Sirsa’s claims, stating they had no history of tension with Muslim neighbours and crediting the trade with boosting property values and employment. They insist that the workforce comprises Uttar Pradesh natives, not Rohingya or Bangladeshi migrants.
Meanwhile, enforcement actions have displaced thousands of workers—daily wage tailors who report lost income, constant inspections, and fear of eviction. Many have returned to Uttar Pradesh or moved elsewhere in search of alternative livelihoods.
