On December 6, members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal protested against Jumma Namaz at Narendra Nagar In Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
During demonstrations, they delivered provocative hate speeches and accused the mosques of being part of a conspiracy against Hindus and India. Consequently, following the complaints, police abruptly stopped the usual Namaz offerings.
The group also opposed Muslim women to stop them from worshipping at their homes. A video of Hindutva leaders surrounded by a horde of supporters also went viral online, in which they can be spotted with garlands on a religious portrait and offensive anti-Muslim slogans.
“From where have they come to our Devbhoomi?”
The members said that the worship place should be vacated soon and no Muslim should be allowed to pray at “Devbhoomi” because it does not belong to them.
“Will there be any Jumma Namaz after today? Will you not protest against it?” a Hindutva leader can be heard shouting in the video, while his followers reply with other communal calls.
“From where have they come to our land?” an angry member asked.
Later, the leaders said that Muslims are slowly stepping into Hindu territories and building mosques everywhere to claim dominance… despite Hindu devotees from all “Char Dhams” being active within the state.
They requested people to abandon brotherhood and values of co-existence and equip themselves with hatred towards Muslims. Administration and police were also dragged into provocative statements as the offenders questioned Muslim women who said that they had official permission to offer Namaz.
“Khullam Khulla Namaz”: The Planned Criminalization Of Islamic Traditions
Locals said that the Hindu organisations already warned the mosque management and administration to stop weekly worship rituals, and threatened to protest against them. Communal leader Rajendra Pandey also recited Hanuman Chalisa with allies to oppose the alleged “anti-Hindu” act.
“Who is giving shelter to these Jihadis? Today they are 4, tomorrow they will become 100!…Seems like they wish to build a new Kerala here!” a leader said to the amassed people.
Some right-wing social portals also covered the incident with terms like “Khullam Khulla Namaz” to create an impression and falsely project it as a criminal and terrorist activity which can disrupt harmony.
Muslims of Uttarakhand perceived these attempts as a planned attack on their religious rights and a part of widespread propaganda that aimed to transform the state into a “Hindu-only place” to maintain alleged “Sanatani serenity”. Such demonstrations are slowly being normalized in Uttarakhand.
