On October 22, BJP Councillor Ravinder Singh Negi in Vinod Nagar east, Delhi intentionally targeted and harassed several Muslim shop owners and asked them to display names on the hoardings, as per religion.
The leader “investigated” a Muslim juice storekeeper, a grocery store retailer, and several others asking them to showcase names and “reveal” their religious identity to the Hindu population.
“The intention behind this demand, as per Negi, is to merely make Hindu devotees of the area aware of the vendor’s identity by requiring them to display their names on hoardings, so as to uphold “Sanatani piety”.
Ravinder also checked Paytm details and QR codes during his “confirmation raid”.
“He asked us to write down the name of our owner on the main board, because the shop belongs to a Muslim!”, said Ali Hussain, a worker at the Juice shop to The Observer Post.
“They checked our QR for verification, which is on the name of Shafiq’s brother Amanatullah Khan”, Ali added with fearful eyes.
“People might see our name and stop buying from the shop,” said Ali Hussain. “I also fear that if any untoward incident occur, it will be easy to target .”
The juice shop of Shafiq at Shanti Marg, west Vinod Nagar is one of the very few nooks nearby that are owned by Muslim community, because the region is mostly dominated by upper class Hindu community of Uttarakhand who are often indulged in or affected by Islamophobic hate-campaigns to boycott Muslims in their hometowns.
“The Parshad scanned the QR which showed the owner’s name as Amanatullah Khan. He is my brother. We have been working here for more than 4 years and my name and number are already jotted on our display board, which is a bit tattered now” Shafiq Khan, the owner of the shop, told The Observer post.
Most of the lanes and shops at Vinod Nagar have fluttering saffron flags with “Jai Shree Ram” prints, meanwhile the Muslim shopkeepers there often keep a Hindustani flag as a “proof of their loyalty” to keep safe.
About flags, Shafiq unveiled that they were dangled during the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony which has incited more communalism, discrimination and a sense of “bigotry” towards minorities, making them feel secondary and often suffocated.
Shafiq Khan originally hails from district Bahraich. Apart from his two brothers, Afzal and Amanatullah, there are 1 Muslim and 2 Hindu villagers, Ali Hussain, Vijay and Lalta who help them in managing everyday errands. During the raid of BJP frontrunner, it was Vijay Kumar, a worker at the juice shop who confronted the scorching communalism.
“We don’t know who complained against us, we were only doing our job. This mentality is affecting our business. It would affect our Shafiq Saheb, Afzal Saheb, Matiullah Saheb and Ali Hussain but I and Lalta would also face related consequences,” Vijay told TOP with distressed eyes.
As a video of the raid also went viral online now everyone is able to “recognise” Shafiq Khans’ shop and show-up discrimination without remorse.
Hindutva: A Tactic For Elections
On the same day, a grocery store owner Zeeshan* was also assaulted. Parshad Ravindra Negi stopped by his shop and asked him to showcase his name on board.
“He said that Hinduz should know from whom they are purchasing goods during Vrats (fasting). They should know that I am a Muslim” Zeeshan described how bigotry is being peddled up against minorities.
“They want to oppress Muslims. It’s a tactic to win elections. They don’t have anything else to talk about! After whatever happened that day, many Hindus avoid my shop, resulting in loss”, Shahrukh elaborated to The Observer Post.
He said that properties at Vinod Nagar are dominated by people who are often connected to BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and related Hindutva organizations.
Another local shopkeeper Asadullah* was also targeted during the raid. He said that his outlook, “Dadhi and topi” already reflect Muslim Identity therefore writing his name on board would make no sense.
“Everybody already knows that I am a Muslim. I have been working here for many years. I opposed them but still they checked my QR for confirmation.” Asadullah told The Observer Post.
Ravindra Negi: The Upsurge Of Islamophobia For Political Gains
Locals informed that it’s not the first time Ravindra Negi patrolled around Vinod Nagar and threatened Muslim Shopkeepers.
On this social media portal he can be seen “selectively targeting” shops of Muslims that sell meat and Biryani, compelling them to hide their names.
“In Mandawali ward of Patparganj constituency, “Tomar Dairy” sounds like a Hindu name, but the original name is Islamic. I asked him to display his original name and not to play with the Hindus. We won’t allow such shops in our area where Muslim owners are using Hindu names”, Ravindra Singh Negi himself posted a video on ‘X’.
“You are working in a Hindu locality, you need to write your name on the board!” he threatened Altamash, a dairy shopkeeper in the posted clip.
Apart from his orientations to devastate Muslims professionally, Ravindra Singh Negi has also been active in hate-speeches during elections.
“This election is a war between Hindu religion and Muslim religion. You are Sanatani people and you should protect your religion. Come out to cast votes, just like these “Burqa-Clad” women stand in long queues to vote”, he instigated the Hindu crowd during Lok Sabha election campaigns on 26 May.
Reinforcing a “non-existent risk”, Ravindra Negi manipulated the Hindu mob.
He said that “their houses” (Houses of Hindus) will be “distributed in Muslims” and if they want to keep safe they have to vote for Narendra Modi.
Violation Of Court
On the sidelines of spin-offs, the Muslims of Vinod Nagar have not complained anywhere because they are focusing on their basic survival.
Before this the Kanwar Yatra hullabaloo in UP also highlighted a similar kind of communal hate towards Muslims when the right-wing organizations along with the government and administration were forcing them to show-up their names on hoardings to maintain alleged “Sanatani piety”.
In the month of July, the court issued a notice to UP, MP, Uttarakhand and Delhi government, stating that they can’t force the “owners of eateries” to show-up their names and religious identity because it would be “violative of constitutional provision”. On the other hand, Ravindra Singh Negi is not only violating the court directives but also brazenly using the communal narratives to attain political profit.
Awakened Muslims of Vinod Nagar are already aware of his intentions but they are compelled to keep calm. Even when they follow the “unlawful instructions”, they can get assaulted by the Hindutva forces.
Vinod Nagar Councillor Ravi Negi, who narrowly lost to AAP’s Manish Sisodia in last Assembly elections, has a record of stirring controversies, including a viral moment when he carried a boat through waterlogged streets amid heavy rains in June.
Names of some respondents have been changed to protect their identities. *
