Hindu extremist groups urge Muslims’ economic boycott
Bajrang Dal leader urges Hindus to shun Muslim traders in Shimla as mosque dispute fuels hate speech and economic targeting
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Hindu extremist groups in India’s northern hill state of Himachal Pradesh have publicly called for an economic boycott of Muslims, urging people to stop buying goods and services from Muslim traders in a move that has raised serious concerns about organized religious persecution and livelihood targeting.
The call was made during a public meeting in Sanjauli, an area of Shimla, the state capital, organized by Dev Bhoomi Sangharsh Samiti along with other Hindu radical organizations.
During the gathering, a leader of the Bajrang Dal openly urged members of the Hindu community to deal exclusively with Hindus for food, clothing, tailoring, and daily needs, effectively advocating social and economic exclusion of Muslims.
In a video from the meeting that has circulated widely on social media, the speaker is heard telling the crowd to buy from Hindu sellers even if it costs more, while refusing to purchase anything from Muslims.
He justified the boycott by making inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims that Muslims contaminate food — including allegations of “spitting or urinating in food” — without offering any evidence.
The speech also targeted Kashmiri Muslim traders, accusing them of spying on neighborhoods and stealing calves for meat consumption, again without proof. At one point, the speaker described non-Hindus as “demons of our time,” language that civil society observers say amounts to open dehumanization and incitement.
Muslim residents of Sanjauli said the remarks have created fear and insecurity among families who depend on small shops, street vending and informal trade. Shopkeepers said the boycott call was not merely rhetorical but signaled an attempt to push Muslims out of local economic life through public intimidation.
Community elders warned that such speeches encourage collective punishment. Residents said they have lived and traded peacefully in Shimla for years and now fear being ostracized because of their religious identity rather than any alleged wrongdoing.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the Sanjauli mosque, which Hindu groups have been protesting against while claiming it is illegal. The dispute is currently under court consideration.
Muslim representatives maintain that the mosque stands on waqf land and is legally valid, but say the issue is being used to mobilize hostility against the wider Muslim population in the area.
Rights advocates note that calls for religiously motivated economic boycotts violate constitutional guarantees of equality and freedom of trade and have historically been used to marginalize minority communities without direct state action.
They warn that when such appeals are made openly by Hindu extremist groups and go unchecked, they risk normalizing discrimination and escalating into physical violence.
As the video continues to circulate, residents say the immediate concern is whether the boycott call will translate into sustained economic pressure, deepening social division in a city long known for its mixed population and shared marketplaces.
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