Muslim denim workers targeted in India under ‘jeans jihad’ conspiracy

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister in India’s capital has triggered the mass displacement of Muslim garment workers by accusing them of being illegal immigrants and linking their presence to a fabricated “jeans jihad” conspiracy.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Delhi’s industries minister and a senior BJP leader, claimed without evidence that Muslim tailors working in the Khyala neighborhood were “Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators” attempting to change the area’s demography. 

His public remarks, delivered through social media and local podcasts, praised the closure of jeans workshops and celebrated the workers’ exit from the area.

According to a report by Scroll, the crackdown has devastated West Delhi’s informal jeans sector—once one of the largest in the city. Thousands of workers, mostly Muslim migrants from Uttar Pradesh, have lost their jobs as small workshops were forcibly sealed by municipal authorities under the pretext of enforcing zoning regulations.

Until recently, Khyala and its adjacent neighborhoods thrived on denim production, employing over 15,000 people in homegrown, unlicensed units. The area had seen industrial growth for two decades, with tailors, fabric dyers, and small-time entrepreneurs building an entire economy around affordable jeans manufacturing.

But that came to a halt in June when ‘sealing drives’—a campaign where authorities forcibly shut down businesses deemed unauthorized or illegal— began targeting Muslim-run workshops. 

Videos posted by Sirsa show him visiting these areas, warning shop owners, and accusing them of making the area unsafe for Hindu and Sikh families. In one such video, he accused Muslim food vendors of threatening women’s safety, saying “sisters and daughters can’t step out of their homes.”

Sirsa has insisted that the closures are in line with Supreme Court directives on illegal constructions. But the selective targeting, communal language, and lack of evidence point to a broader ideological campaign. 

While denying involvement with the “jeans jihad” label, Sirsa repeated claims that Muslims in the jeans trade were foreigners, stating, “These people are dangerous like snakes.”

His rhetoric has been amplified by Hindi-language media outlets, which have labeled the industry as a tool of demographic aggression. Several reports featured images of buildings with signs reading “Jeans Jihad: This house is for sale.” None of the residents confirm who put the signs up.

Local business leaders and residents say these allegations are baseless. Shrikant Porwal, a Hindu market association member, said the entire jeans trade in Khyala is run by workers from Uttar Pradesh. “There are no Bangladeshis or Rohingyas here,” he said. “Sirsa may be reacting to other issues, but this market was never about religion.”

Sikh residents also rejected the minister’s claims. Harcharan Singh Kalsi, a 55-year-old salesman, said the Muslim-run industry had only helped the neighborhood by boosting employment and property prices. “We never had a problem with our neighbors. This narrative is being pushed from outside,” he said.

Police sources confirmed there is no record of illegal immigrants operating in the jeans sector. A senior officer told that sealing actions were linked to local disputes, not national security concerns.

Still, the consequences have been severe. Shah Rukh Khan, a tailor from Kasganj, was forced to leave Delhi after 15 years. “My landlord feared his building would be sealed,” he said. “Now I earn less, and I have to travel to Delhi for supplies.”

Others who stayed behind face daily harassment. Aman Pathan, another tailor, said authorities raided his workshop three times in a single week, halting operations and cutting off wages. “We’re paid by piece,” he said. “No work means no income.”

The BJP’s attacks on Muslim economic activity are part of a broader pattern. From meat vendors to street hawkers, Muslim livelihoods have been repeatedly undermined through allegations of illegality, communal scare tactics, and selective crackdowns. In each case, economic insecurity is reframed as a security threat—then used to justify displacement.

Khyala now stands as another example. An industry that sustained thousands of families has been dismantled not by market forces, but by hate politics backed by state power.