Religious profiling of eateries for Kanwar Yatra “a form of terrorism”: Samajwadi Party leader

Former Samajwadi Party MP S.T. Hasan on 2 July, Wednesday, condemned the religious profiling of eatery owners along the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttarakhand by some Hindu outfits, calling the act a "form of terrorism".

The remarks came amid reports that members of certain Hindu organisations were allegedly checking the identities of eatery owners and staff, and targeting individuals suspected to be Muslims in several Uttarakhand cities.

Purported videos circulating on social media reportedly showed volunteers coercing people to prove their religious identity.

Reacting sharply, the BJP accused the opposition party of indulging in religious appeasement, but asserted that nobody has the right to take the law into their hands.

Hasan, who hails from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad, told PTI, "Asking hotel staff and local vendors to reveal their names and forcing them to undress to identify their religion is no different from what terrorists did in Pahalgam. This, too, is a form of terrorism."

He alleged that such incidents are taking place openly while the BJP government in Uttarakhand was turning a blind eye.

"It seems the state government is silently supporting these acts. In a secular country like India, this kind of behaviour is shameful. It should be stopped," Hasan said.

Hasan called for immediate intervention by the central and state governments to ensure that such "communal practices" are checked.

Reacting to the SP leader's statement, BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, "People taking the law into their own hands is wrong, but drawing comparisons with the Pahalgam terrorists is extremely objectionable."

"In Pahalgam, terrorists killed people after ensuring their identity... If someone asks for the identity to check for pure vegetarian food in Sawan, how can it be compared with terrorists?

"Samajwadi Party can stoop to any level for religious appeasement," he said.

The Uttarakhand government has made it mandatory for eateries, including food carts, on the Kanwar Yatra route to prominently display their food licences or registration certificates.

In Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, police have summoned several activists associated with Swami Yashveer Maharaj over an incident involving the unauthorised verification of identities of eatery owners along the Kanwar yatra route, officials said.