Social Media Post On Alleged 'Animal Slaughter' Sparks Communal Tensions, Vandalism In Himachal's Nahan

Almost a week after Eid, the quiet town of Nahan, 135 km from Shimla, is yet to recover from the aftershocks of a frightful incident of mob vandalism targeting a Muslim minority man after a ‘Hindutva’ mob was irked over his social media post.

The social media post that depicted animal sacrifice, purported to be a cow, was later traced to a legally permitted animal slaughtered at Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, where Javed had gone to celebrate Eid with his family.

However, his shop at Nahan with few others became a soft target and highly provoked attack as angry Hindu protesters vandalising, destroying, ransacking and looting the goods before the police arrived at the scene to prevent further escalations with few heard threatening to put the shop on fire.

The videos of the incident have already gone viral on social media platforms. The locals, however, described the vandalism as handiwork of mainly outsiders with few natives.

Superintendent of police Sirmaur Raman Kumar Meena says the police were trying to identify the men involved in the vandalism of such a scale without verifying the facts about the animal sacrifice incident.

"It was at your intervention, the Uttar Pradesh police, traced the incident to Shamli where Javed had gone for Eid. The animal sacrifice incident also did not happen at Nahan in Himachal Pradesh. Yet some miscreants brought the mob to attack his shop and a few others. We have registered an FIR and investigations are underway,” Meena said, while asserting that Javed has also been booked at Shamli for trying to flare communal tensions through his social media post.     

Nahan, known for its rich history as a native to princes and saints dating back to 1621, has always been a perfect example of two communities living in complete harmony despite some sporadic incidents of cow slaughter happening at Majra—a nearby town with a sizeable muslim population.

SP Sirmour informed that two incidents of alleged cow slaughtering happened during the past one year. The police have already taken action and arrested seven persons.

“But, this incident of vandalism at Nahan was simply pertained to something happening outside the state though the person involved has a shop at Nahan,” he says.  

Yet, the Hindu organisations are still up in arms against the migrant Muslim community, which has businesses, shops etc at Nahan .

"It is good that the UP police have taken action against Javed. But, the issue is there is an unchecked infiltration of UP-based Muslims in this area.They incite communal tensions by their actions, mainly using social media. We have a history of native Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians living as brothers. The police need to do complete verifications of those who try to disturb peace,” demands Vikram Verma, BJP’s co-media incharge.

Local residents belonging to the minority community have expressed outrage and fear following the incident, few accusing the authorities of turning a blind eye to the violence. “There is a growing sense of insecurity among Muslims after the incident. We feel targeted. Some people have fled from Nahan after the incident," alleges a Muslim youth leader at Nahan, on promise of anonymity.                              

Bobby Ahmad, a young muslim leader says, “The police have played a good role and peace has returned. I have tried to ensure that two communities will live in harmony. Law has taken its course against those responsible for provocative act and also involved in attack.”

Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh condemned the violence and asked the Deputy Commissioner Sumit Khimta and SP Raman Kumar Meena to ensure that those responsible are taken to task and not spared. “No one is above the law, and such acts of violence will not be tolerated,” he ordered.

Former MLA from Nahan Kush Parmar, who is the son of Himachal Pradesh’s first Chief Minister Dr Y.S Parmar, said the incident is an example of how intolerance is growing in the society. Social media is very much responsible for this. Historically, Sirmaur (headquarter at Nahan) borders Uttarakhand and UP. It has Muslim community living in harmony with us for decades. Barring a few instances at Majra etc, Nahan has never been a place for communal tension, he said.

“I think, things have got normalised after the police interventions and community leaders have also expressed their dismay over happenings,” he says.

At Shamli, the police said Javed has been booked and arrested under the charges of inciting riots due to social media photos. Muslim leaders, who held a press conference at Nahan, are asking for arrest of those involved in vandalism and attack on Javed’s shop, accusing that Hindutva “gangs” were behind it.

The leaders have slammed those asking for an ‘economic boycott’ of Muslim traders.

Earlier in 2015, a youth from Saharanpur was lynched by a mob while his four accomplices were apprehended by the police later when a mob intercepted a vehicle carrying cows for slaughtering to Uttar Pradesh via Sirmaur and Nahan.

A truck carrying five cows and ten oxen was spotted by local people, who  had chased the vehicle. Sensing trouble, the truck driver allegedly tried to smash the vehicle by hitting it from the rear.

But as the mob kept up the chase, the truck driver stopped the vehicle at Lavasa Chowki square near Nahan and allegedly threw some cows out of the truck. One cow died on the spot while five others had received injuries.

Himachal Pradesh, with 95.17 per cent Hindu population, has never witnessed communal violence barring some stray incidents involving Hindutva organisations protesting against incidents like cow slaughter or encroachments on Hindu cultural spaces or resources, even inter-religion relationship or affairs. The Muslim population in the state is mainly confined to the districts of Sirmaur, Chamba, Shimla and Bilaspur. However, some influx of Muslims from places like Saharanpur in UP or Uttarakhand has started changing dynamics as a result of local vote-bank politics.