Several villages in Uttarakhand's Rudrapayag district have come up with a signboard banning the entry of "non-Hindus" and Rohingya Muslims along with hawkers. The police have launched a probe in connection with the matter and ascertain the identities of those who put up the banner.
“It is prohibited for non-Hindus/Rohingya Muslims and hawkers to do business/roam around in the village. If found anywhere in the village, punitive action will be taken,” read the text on the signboard installed outside the Nyalsu village, written in Hindi, read.
It was claimed that the directive had come from the gram sabha.
Nyalsu village pradhan Pramod Singh said that similar banners have come up in almost all villages in the region including Shersi, Gaurikund, Triyuginarayan, Sonprayag, Barasu, Jamu, Ariya, Ravigram, and Maikhanda, reported The Hindustan Times.
However, Singh said that the board installed outside his village was put up by the villagers and not the gram panchayat. He claimed that the board had been installed to prevent hawkers from entering that village without police verification.
"Most men of our village are dependent on the yatra and therefore they live in Gaurikund and Sonprayag during the yatra. The women are in the houses alone. Many hawkers come to the village without a valid ID and police verification. Those with verification have been regularly visiting the village, they are not stopped. If hawkers commit any crime and flee, they can’t be traced,” Singh claimed.
Head of Maikhanda village, Chandni Devi also confirmed that similar boards were installed outside her village. Soni Devi, Gaurikund village pradhan initially confirmed but later retracted saying no such boards were installed in her village and that she confirmed it later because she was away from the village.
Uttarakhand Director General of police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar said he has ordered local police and intelligence units to ascertain reports of such boards being installed in multiple villages. Rudrapayag Circle officer Prabodh Kumar Ghildiyal said that several signboards had been removed and were trying to identify the culprits who put them up.
While it was not immediately known when the signboards were put up, the issue came to light after two Muslim delegations called on DGP Kumar on Thursday and conveyed their concerns over rising anti-minority incidents in the state.
Various parts of Uttarakhand have been witnessing communal tensions over the last few years. The latest in the series took place in Nandanagar town in Chamoli district on September 1, when a mob attacked shops and properties belonging to members of the Muslim community. The violence broke out during a protest seeking the arrest of a Muslim man accused of flashing a 14-year-old girl.