Muslims running tea, paan, fruit, and juice stalls have begun complying with the diktat and putting up name boards at their establishments, albeit reluctantly
Team Clarion
MUZAFFARNAGAR – Fruit vendors and hotel owners here reacted strongly to the recent UP police directive requiring all shopkeepers and fruit sellers along the Kanwar Yatra route to display name boards identifying themselves. Many see the move as divisive, accusing the administration of fostering religious discrimination.
Following the Muzaffarnagar Police’s order, Muslims running tea, paan, fruit, and juice stalls have begun complying with the directive and putting up name boards at their establishments, albeit reluctantly.
Mohammad Chavez, a long-time fruit seller on the Kanwar Yatra route, expressed his frustration. “We have been setting up our fruit stand for many years. This order is to divide the business community on religious lines. But we don’t have any alternative. We have to comply with the police directive,” he said.
Chavez continued: “Such an order has never been issued before. We live in India, and this shouldn’t happen here. It won’t make much difference to our sales. It is Allah who provides sustenance, and we should have trust in Him.”
Similarly, fruit vendors at Manakshi Chowk, including Arif and Mohammad Salim, the owner of Sangam Hotel, voiced their concerns. “This is the first time we’ve received such a decree, but it is an official order, so we have to comply,” said Salim. “We have written our names on our stalls and hotels as instructed. However, it doesn’t change much. Both Hindus and Muslims continue to buy from us as before. Kanwar pilgrims also do not differentiate between Hindu and Muslim sellers.”
Salim added, “We have been running Sangam Hotel for 20 to 25 years, but this decree requires us to change the hotel’s name from Sangam to Saleem. We don’t understand the government’s intention behind this order.”
Reacting to the decree, Samajwadi Party MP Harinder Malik criticised it as a political move. “This decree is purely political and serves to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims,” he said.
On the other hand, Yashvir Maharaj, the founder of Yog Sadhana Kendra and the initiator of the campaign last year, expressed gratitude towards the district administration and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. “We are thankful to the Muzaffarnagar district administration as well as the chief minister for implementing our campaign,” Maharaj said.
The controversy surrounding the order highlights the growing tension and differing perspectives on policies perceived to impact religious communities differently. As the debate continues, many are calling for a balanced approach that ensures security without fostering division.