U’khand: ‘People can’t be forced to buy or not buy from particular shops’

Dehradun: No one can be forced to buy or not to buy from a particular shop, said Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi on Thursday while hearing a petition highlighting the issue of communal tensions in Uttarkashi district in the state.

This oral observation was made on Thursday by the judge in the context of the social and economic boycott allegedly faced by Muslim traders in Uttarakhand’s Purola town.

A bench of Chief Justice Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal was hearing a petition seeking a ban on a ‘mahapanchayat’ proposed to be held by Hindu right-wing groups in Purola on Thursday. Advocate General SN Babulker submitted that the congregation of Hindutva outfits had been called off after the administration intervened and managed to ‘diffuse’ the tension.

The bench issued notice and directed the state to fulfil its ‘constitutional obligation’ of maintaining law and order and ensuring that there is no loss of life or property.

Advocate Shahrukh Alam, appearing for the Association for the Protection of Civil Rights, further argued that the problem went beyond the proposed ‘mahapanchayat’ and expressed concerns about the alleged social and economic boycott faced by Muslims living in the region.

The council highlighted the plight of Muslim traders in the region, who were forced to shut their shops following the rise in communal tension.

Markets in Purola and neighbouring towns remained closed on Thursday in protest against the imposition of prohibitory orders to prevent a “mahapanchayat” that was scheduled to be held there during the day over alleged incidents of “love jihad”.

Police were deployed in large numbers in Purola where tension has been brewing for over a fortnight since a foiled attempt by two men, including a Muslim, to abduct a minor girl.

The state government had issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to prevent the “mahapanchayat” called by local trade bodies and Hindutva outfits, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, on Thursday over alleged incidents of “love jihad”.

However, the call for the “mahapanchayat” was withdrawn by the organisers late on Wednesday night. Section 144 has been imposed in Purola on Wednesday for six days till June 19.

There was a substantial deployment of police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel on the streets of Purola to ensure that there is no violation of the prohibitory orders.

Three PAC platoons have been deployed in addition to police personnel, Uttarkashi Superintendent of Police (SP) Arpan Yaduvanshi said. Two circle officers and an additional SP have also been deployed in Purola, he said.

Barricades have been put up in the entire Nagar Panchayat area and people moving in groups are being checked, the officer said and added that barricades have also been put up on the borders of Uttarkashi district.

The markets in Purola, Barkot and Naugaon will remain completely closed, Purola Vyapar Mandal president Brijmohan Chauhan and Barkot Vyapar Mandal president Rajaram Jagudi said.

“The imposition of prohibitory orders in Purola reflects the administration’s dictatorial attitude. The steps taken to prevent the mahapanchayat show that we cannot share our point of view with our own people. It is a kind of slavery,” Jagudi said.

The “bazar bandh” has been organised to acknowledge the efforts of those who have tried to awaken Hindus, he said.