Team Clarion
MUZAFFARNAGAR – Four Muslim employees of a hotel on the Delhi-Dehradun Highway have been dismissed on the instructions of the Uttar Pradesh police. The instructions follow a government directive requiring businesses along the annual Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners.
Lokesh Bharti, owner of Sakshi Hotel on the highway claimed that he dismissed the Muslim employees after receiving instructions from a mobile police squad. “Some policemen came and first of all said to put up a 6×4 proprietor board here. They asked to keep everyone’s identity card. After this, they said that you will not keep any Muslim worker now,” Bharti was quoted by the local media as saying.
The dismissed employees — Munshi, Shafqat Ali, Waqar, and Raju — were let go following these instructions. When questioned about the police station involved, Bharti could not specify but reiterated that the order came directly from the police.
The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily put on hold the Muzaffarnagar Police diktat on displaying nameplates on eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has publicly supported the order on nameplates, stating it is essential for the protection of Hindu faith. “It is necessary to safeguard our cultural values during the Kanwar Yatra,” said a VHP spokesperson, defending the directive against criticisms from opposition parties.
Criticism has been swift from opposition leaders. Congress party officials condemned the Muzaffarnagar Police’s actions as an “attack on the culture of India,” accusing the order of normalising economic discrimination against Muslims. Congress claimed that the directive serves to enforce an economic boycott of Muslim workers.
AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi labelled the order discriminatory, asserting that it reflects an intent by the Yogi Adityanath government to render Muslims “second-class citizens” in Uttar Pradesh and beyond. Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav described the order as a “social crime” and urged the courts to intervene.
The situation remains tense as the community, political leaders, and human rights organisations await further developments and responses from the authorities involved.
