A Muslim hawker was brutally beaten and assaulted by a mob in Dhami, west Shimla, Himachal Pradesh for not leaving the region even after receiving threats. Hate Detector tweeted the news on October 20, documenting the incident that took place around a week ago. According to the obtained information, the goons also threatened to kill the Muslim man who has now been identified as Shavez Khan.
“Bring my sword. I will cut him today”
Shahvez was riding a bike with his commodities tied up on the back seat when these five men stopped and attacked him. In the viral videos, the leader of the mob came close to Shahvez and slapped his face several times. The mob threatened him for not leaving the area as they expected.
“We kicked you away? Had we not? Why have you come here? When I kicked you out of the village why did you come back!” a goon tells Shavez in the video.
“Murga Ban!” he asked Shavez to sit on the street and hold his ears to punish him.
“Why have you come again?” another one yells from behind.
“Bring my sword. I will cut him today,” they also threatened to kill him while Shavez looked extremely horrified, and shocked and was humbly requesting them to let him go.
As per local news, the 5 goons who threatened him on an open road have been identified as Sanjiv Kumar, Vishal, Adarsh, Harikrishna and Harish Verma who are affiliated with right-wing organizations and an FIR has been registered against them.
On the other hand, Shahvez is the nephew of Tahir from the Budhana area of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh who headed to Himachal, seeking decent opportunities to work as a hawker.
Responding to the matter, SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said that the police department is investigating the matter and action would be taken soon.
Using “Aadhar Card” For “Religious Identification”
The mob also asked for Shavez’s Aadhar Card, as the names of hawkers and workers in the official government records are being “used” to identify their religion.
Right-wing mobs in Himachal Pradesh often target Muslim migrant workers and ask them to confirm their religious identity to decide if they should be “allowed” or “prohibited” based on their religion.
In September 2024, a huge protest by far right organisations was held in Hamirpur, in Which Hindu extremists opposed the Mosques in the area and migrant workers who arrived in the State to set up their businesses.
A Hindutva committee Dev Bhoomi Sangharsh Samiti which is backed by organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Rashtriya Swayamseva Sangh (RSS) held a protest in several districts of the state asking the government to abolish “Waqf Board” because it stands for religious and charitable property rights of the Muslim community.
Such attempts to target “outsiders” usually decipher the targeting of Muslim vendors and hawkers like Shahvaz who are compelled to work amid life-threatening situations.
