Minority community faces unwarranted harassment after Hindu group objects to property sale, threatening peaceful coexistence in the area.
Team Clarion
LUCKNOW — In a troubling development in Meerut, a Muslim family has found itself at the centre of a heated dispute after purchasing a house in a predominantly Hindu colony. This incident, which highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Muslims in India under the shadow of rising Hindutva ideologies, has escalated tensions, leaving the Muslim family in a vulnerable positions.
The house, located near the Shiv Shakti temple in Durgapuram Colony, was sold by a Hindu family to Riyazuddin, a Muslim man. While the transaction was entirely legal and consensual, members of a local Hindu organisation, led by Sachin Sirohi, have started a protest, claiming that the presence of a Muslim family would “disturb the atmosphere” of the area.
Sirohi, without any basis, stated that there are no Muslim settlements in the area and suggested that Riyazuddin’s family was an unwelcome intrusion. “The arrival of a Muslim family here is an attempt to spoil the peaceful nature of our colony,” he said, framing the issue as a threat to the community’s harmony, despite the peaceful integration of the Muslim family into the neighborhood.
The Hindu organization workers have now lodged a formal complaint with the police and warned that they would escalate their actions if the sale is not reversed. “If the police do not act and take back the house from the Muslim buyer, we will begin a hunger strike and hold protests,” Sirohi declared, attempting to pressure the authorities into siding with the group’s exclusionary stance.
This protest comes at a time when Muslim communities across India are increasingly facing hostility and discrimination, with Hindutva-driven groups stoking fears of the “other” in an attempt to marginalize Muslims. The protest against a peaceful property transaction reflects the growing atmosphere of fear and intimidation that Indian Muslims are being subjected to on a daily basis.
For the Muslim family, this development represents yet another challenge in their pursuit of a peaceful life. They are now confronted with the real possibility of being driven out of their home due to unfounded religious prejudice and hatred. The actions of the Hindu group highlight a broader pattern of rising intolerance and exclusion faced by Muslims under the influence of BJP and Hindutva forces, which continue to sow division within the Indian society.
It is clear that the issue is not merely about property ownership, but part of a larger narrative in which Muslims are increasingly being ostracized, their rights threatened, and their everyday lives made difficult by growing religious bigotry. For many Muslims in India, it’s a fight for their right to live in peace and dignity, without fear of being targeted for their faith.