Calls for an economic boycott of Muslims in outskirts of the Indian capital

NEW DELHI, India – Following recent communal riots in the outskirts of the Indian capital, New Delhi, far-right Hindu organizations have called for an economic boycott of Muslim businesses and the expulsion of Muslims from villages.

Six people were killed in the riots, including two security guards.

In the high-tech satellite city of Gurugram, a mosque was set on fire and its deputy imam, Mohammad Saad, 22, was killed. The city is known for its high-rise buildings and technology hub.

Speakers at a gathering of Hindu groups called for an economic boycott of Muslim businesses and for keeping Muslims out of villages.

According to The Tribune newspaper, the meeting instructed residents to shop only at Hindu stores.

Kulbhushan Bhardwaj of the militant group Bajrang Dal, who called the meeting, demanded the release of the men arrested for the murder of the deputy imam.

According to earlier reports, Bajrang Dal activists paraded through the city demanding shopkeepers not hire Muslims.

They announced this over a loudspeaker on a busy street, where hundreds of supporters and police officers walked with him.

Lawyer Shahrukh Alam called the economic boycott calls against Muslims “part of a pattern of structural violence against them.”

He said police officers are often seen with Hindu activists at rallies.

Meanwhile, a large number of Muslim workers are leaving Gurugram.

The media reports stated that 5,000 workers from various localities such as Tigra, Wazirabad, Tigaon, and others have left the city so far.

This has also affected the availability of domestic helpers, cleaners, cooks, security guards, and drivers who have not shown up for work due to security concerns.

According to the Hindustan Times, residents of many housing societies have asked authorities to provide a sense of security and convince workers to stay in the city.

It is estimated that there are 40,000 street vendors in Gurugram, 40% of whom are Muslim.

Muslims are already marginalized and systematically excluded from the city’s governance and economic system.

Now they are also subject to threats and violence from extremist Hindu groups.

The Hindu nationalist government of Haryana province, where Gurugram is located, bulldozed more than 1,200 properties belonging to Muslims in the first week of August.

Although Muslims make up 14% of India’s population, less than 4% of Muslims hold top government positions, compared with upper-caste Hindus, who occupy more than 50% of government posts.