Asaduddin Salahuddin Owaisi

DEHRADUN: Traders’ organization which passed a resolution asking for 15 Muslim families leave Khansar city in Chamoli by December 31 retreated from its position on Monday shortly after All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the move and demanded a response from the Uttarakhand government.
About 15 Muslim families live in the Maithana market area, some of them have lived there for more than 30 years. These families, many of whom work as muleteers, masons and day laborers, have reportedly not faced any problems until recently.
In a social media post, Owaisi criticized the resolution, saying, “In India, community members are treated like untouchables,” and directly asked the state government to respond. On Monday Hansar Vyapar Mandal Maithan representatives were summoned to the Gärsen police station to discuss the matter. After the meeting, the association said it was not targeting any particular religion or caste.
Vikram Singh Negi, president of the association, said: “Our message was addressed to those who lived here without due police check or under fictitious names. The deadline was for them to complete the check and also for landlords to make sure their tenants’ details were checked.”
Negi also said the resolution was “misinterpreted.” He added: “We lived here in peace and harmony for many years. Our goal is to maintain this harmony and avoid any untoward incidents in the future.”
Chamoli S.P. Sarvesh Panwar told TOI, “When we called representatives of the traders, they denied attacking any particular community. We have made it clear that no one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands and disrupt the peace.”