Hindu groups target Muslim vendors at temple festival in India
Targeting echoes wider Hindutva calls for boycotts of Muslim livelihoods and raises concerns over religious freedom
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Hindu nationalist groups forcibly shut down Muslim-run food and devotional stalls outside a temple in northern India, intensifying concerns over rising religious discrimination under the country’s Hindu-majoritarian politics.
The incident took place on Saturday in Modinagar, Ghaziabad District, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, a stronghold of Hindu nationalist movements.
According to the news outlet Clarion India, members of radical Hindu groups including the Bajrang Dal dismantled stalls run by Muslim shopkeepers outside the Sikri Mata Temple, accusing them of violating religious sentiments during Navratri, a Hindu festival marked by fasting and ritual devotion. Eyewitnesses said the removals took place without intervention from local authorities.
One shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, said his stall sold only sweets and drinks and had official permission. “There was nothing wrong with our business, yet it was destroyed,” he said. Other vendors said their stalls had been part of the local market for years but were targeted solely because of their religious identity.
Hindu supremacists justified the action by claiming that Muslims should not be allowed to sell food near the temple during Navratri, alleging that vendors were “confusing” devotees with mislabeled items. “Since the administration failed to act, we took matters into our own hands,” one group member declared, warning of stronger measures if Muslim shops reappear.
Analysts say the incident fits into a broader pattern in India, where Hindutva organizations frequently call for economic boycotts of Muslims, pressuring Hindu communities to avoid buying from Muslim-owned businesses. Such campaigns, which extend to food stalls, meat shops, clothing markets, and even street vendors, are part of a strategy to marginalize Muslims economically and socially.
Local residents and community leaders condemned the action, arguing that religious festivals are being weaponized to deepen social divisions. “Navratri is about devotion and respect. Targeting a community for selling permissible items goes against the spirit of harmony,” a Hindu shop owner said.
Legal experts stressed that forcibly removing shops based on religion violates constitutional protections for freedom of occupation and equality before the law. Advocate Sameer Qureshi said the vigilante action was unlawful and undermined secular principles meant to safeguard all communities.
The Muslim welfare committee in Modinagar has demanded legal accountability and protection for minority businesses, warning that unchecked vigilantism could fuel wider unrest.
The episode adds to a growing list of incidents in which Hindu nationalist groups enforce social exclusion of Muslims, raising alarms among rights advocates about shrinking space for pluralism in the world’s largest democracy.
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