Muslim livelihoods targeted as Hindutva men force shop closures in Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow: A group of Hindutva men threatened and forced Muslim shopkeepers selling eggs, chicken and other food items to shut their businesses in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri, raising concerns over the targeting of Muslim owned businesses and the growing assertion of vigilante groups in the BJP-ruled state.
According to media reports, a video circulating on social media shows several Hindutva men carrying sticks confronting and threatening Muslim shopkeepers and vendors. The men ordered businesses selling eggs, chicken and other food items to close and were seen arguing with and verbally abusing some of the shopkeepers.
Social media posts identified the group as members of the Vishva Hindu Mahasangh Gau Raksha and described the action as being carried out in the name of cow protection. One of the men seen in the videos has been identified in the posts as Golu Chauhan, described as the district president of the Vishva Hindu Mahasangh.
The men invoked the ongoing month of Sawan while pressuring the shopkeepers to shut their establishments. The videos have since triggered criticism over the targeting of Muslimowned businesses and the actions of private groups attempting to enforce restrictions on what shops can sell.
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