The driving away of Hindus by Muslims in India is not an isolated event that took place in Kashmir a couple of decades ago and stopped. Unfortunately, it is a regular occurrence that gets little to no media attention. Maybe there are too many Hindus in India, so Hindu lives don’t matter. Also, showing any Muslims in a bad light appears to be forbidden in the establishment media.
That’s why the media and humanitarian organizations stayed silent when Muslim goons walked up to innocent Hindus and asked them to pack their bags and leave. The incident occurred in the Tola Mohalla area of Firozabad, a town in Uttar Pradesh. Ironically, this state is governed by a Chief Minister who has been branded as the most anti-Muslim minister India has seen, second only to Narendra Modi.
Hindus in Tola Mohalla have put up posters claiming that they are being targeted by Muslims who want to erect a mosque on a spot where a Hindu temple is standing. The entire controversy started when Muslims attempted to occupy this temple, which is behind a Hindu colony. According to locals, the Muslims blocked the way to the temple by parking their vehicles in front of it. They also threatened the temple priest after he objected to the haphazard parking that blocked the path to the temple. Hindu women have also told a representative of local media houses that area Muslims were impeding them from performing their prayers.
The victims have detailed their ordeal, accusing some Raju Khan, alias Raju Chikna, and Aman Khan as the main perpetrators. The duo allegedly hurled abuse at Hindu women. The situation quickly escalated, rendering the Hindus afraid to send their girls outside their homes.
“We are being harassed and forced to leave this place. Women aren’t safe, as rowdies abuse us. Girls are sexually harassed, stones and bricks are hurled at our homes. We are scared, as we have small kids,” alleged the Hindu women residing there. When the reporter asked if they had lodged any complaint with the police, an elderly lady said, “We have tried complaining many times, but no one listens to us. Even the police don’t entertain us and listen to our concerns.”
When asked if the local political representative (Member of the Legislative Assembly, MLA) was aware of the situation, they said, “We complained to our MLA, who helped us out. However, later the Muslims began parking their vehicles near the temple. Rubina Khan [Raju Khan’s wife] spoiled the lives of five or six of our boys by filing false complaints of sexual harassment against them. The future of those boys has been destroyed. Now they are again picking up fights with us to force us out of the area.”
Reportedly, the Muslim side has filed a false and one-sided FIR against 28 Hindus. The administration remains indifferent to the plight of the Hindus, who are staying up all night watching over their children. Some residents also disclosed that Muslims toss meat and bones inside their homes to force them out of the area.
“This was a Hindu majority area, and this ancient temple has been here for a long time. Raju purchased a home in this area some years back. After purchasing the house, he wanted to close down the temple and convert it into a masjid. The Hindus are being deliberately harassed to force them to sell their houses and leave the area,” revealed another resident. He also added that Khan is being supported by his four or five children and other Muslims in the region.
Firozabad BJP MLA Manish Asija informed the press that the police had recently arrested Raju. He refused to agree that there was an air of fear and tension among the Hindus in the area, but had no answers as to why they were compelled to put up posters about their exodus.
Again, this is not the first time Hindus have fled their homes and towns after being chased and threatened by Muslims in recent years. After the Kairana exodus in 2016, the Hindus have been systematically forced by Muslims to flee from Tonk, Rajasthan (September 2021), Bharuch, Gujarat (October 2021), Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh (January 2022), Mahajani Tola (June 2022), and now this. The institutionalized apathy of India’s secular state towards Hindus has only worsened the suffering of the “majority community” and encouraged the so-called victimized Muslims.
