The incident comes close on the heels of an incident in Moradabad where a Muslim couple was hounded out of their newly purchased home by their Hindu neighbours
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – A seemingly routine property transaction in the Uttar Pradesh city of Meerut has sparked outrage in a local neighbourhood after a Hindu man sold his house to a Muslim buyer. The sale, which was for Rs 32 lakh, led to a furious response from the neighbours, who took to the streets in protest.
Khairati Lal, a shopkeeper from Bhagat Singh Market, sold his house in the Prahlad Nagar area to a Muslim man, receiving an advance of Rs 5 lakh. However, upon learning of the sale, his neighbours expressed their strong disapproval, stating that they would not allow a Muslim to live in a predominantly Hindu locality. In an attempt to show their displeasure, the neighbours set up a tent in front of the house and began reciting Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu religious chant, media reports reaching here said on Wednesday.
As tensions escalated, the local councillor, Abhinav Arora, was contacted to intervene. He arrived at the scene and joined the neighbours in the tent. After discussions, the councillor reportedly urged Khairati Lal to return the advance payment to the Muslim buyer, insisting that the house should be sold to someone from the Hindu community instead.
In the face of growing opposition, Khairati Lal decided to return the Rs 5 lakh advance to the Muslim buyer, bringing an end to the dispute. The situation subsequently calmed down, with both parties reaching a compromise, reports said.
The local councillor stated that the neighbours’ concerns were rooted in the fear of a Muslim settling in a Hindu-majority area.
The incident comes close on the heels of an incident in Moradabad where a Muslim was hounded out of their newly-purchased home by their Hindu neighbours who said they would not allow them to live there because of their religion.
Hindu residents of the posh TDI City – an upscale residential bloc in Moradabad – began protesting right after news of the sale became public.
The incident resulted in a huge outrage after a video from the protest went viral. It showed one of the residents Megha Arora saying that Dr Ashok Bajaj, a resident, had sold his house to a Muslim family without consulting them.
“We cannot tolerate a Muslim family living right in front of our local temple. This is also a question of the safety of our women,” she said.
