Gurugram: ‘Hate is being spread openly against us’: Muslims leave Gurugram-Nuh in fear

Gurugram : “My family does not want money. They only want me to return back to the village,” said Imran Ali, a migrant worker from Bihar. He had fled Gurugram in fear during the violence on July 31.

Ali (25) had returned to Gurugram two weeks after violence only to collect his belongings.

“My family strictly told me not to work in Gurugram and to return immediately. Even after much persuasion, they did not agree and asked me to return back immediately,” Ali told IANS. On July 31, religious riots erupted in Nuh in which six people were killed while 88 were grievously injured.

The religious riots erupted following stone pelting during a religious procession which was organised by VHP in the Nuh district. A Muslim resident of Nuh, whose house was razed by the authorities during demolition drive against “illegal construction” drive, told IANS that he had long expected that BJP’s religious rhetoric will cause riots in their area which will target Muslims.

“Majority of Hindus have come to believe that people in Nuh were involved in the riots, which is not true. Just like Hindus we Muslims are equally Indians,” he said on condition of anonymity.

He recalled how Hindus during Yatra used abusive language against Muslims.

The Nuh violence had spread to Gurugram, as mobs rampaged through the streets, chanting Hindu nationalist slogans and targeting Muslim shanties and businesses. The Gurugram police had failed to stop the riots. So far, 230 people have been detained by the Nuh Police while 79 people have been arrested by the Gurugram Police in connection with religious riots. “Hindu groups are openly spreading hate against us. Among hundreds of people, the Hindu groups are announcing to boycott Muslims, not buying anything from our shops, and not renting out houses, etc. They ruin our business and hundreds of Muslims have left Gurugram. “However, few of them will return after the situation gets back to normal. Police and administration completely failed to protect Muslims in their own country,” said Ahmad Khan, while leaving the city.

“Hindus think everything in this country belongs to them: the police, the administration, and now even the roads. It is as if we Muslims have no rights in this country,” Khan said.

After riots erupted shanties and scrap shops belonging to Muslims were set ablaze in Gurugram.

In Gurugram’s Sector-57, a mob also targeted an under-construction Mosque and attacked five people in which an Imam (cleric) was killed while others received injuries.