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‘Won’t trade with those who…,' K'taka Muslim traders barred from Temple fairs
Muslim traders have been barred from putting up stalls at some temples, festivals and annual fairs in many parts of Karnataka after they shut down their shops to protest against the HC's decision on the hijab ban in educational institutionsBanners and hoardings were also placed barring non-Hindus from running stalls, saying “shops will be given to only Hindus”.
Many parts of Karnataka saw widened rifts in the religious extremes with multiple temple authorities and fair committees barring Muslim traders from having their stalls and selling their products in festivals.
A banner in Mulki, Karnataka read, “At the Bappanadu Shri Durgaparameshwari Devi Jatra, we will not trade along with those who don't respect the law of the land, those who kill the cows we worship and those who question the unity of this country.”
It also read, “The Hindu has awakened.”
The move comes after many Muslim traders closed their shops in protest against the Karnataka High Court verdict upholding the state’s ban on hijabs at schools and colleges.
In Karnataka's Shivamogga, the festival committee has reportedly not given tenders to Muslim shopkeepers to set up shops during the five-day Kote Marikamba Jatra festival after alleged protests by the BJP and others.
The Kote Marikamba Jatre is held once in two years, attracting lakhs of people from neighbouring cities and districts, irrespective of caste and religion. It was last held in February 2020. It is being said that Muslim businessmen were consistently a part of previous festivals.
A tender is initially allotted to an individual who would manage the shops and also collect fees. Reportedly, this tender was given to a Bajrang Dal activist to open up stalls.
The Shree Kote Marikamba Seva Samiti clarified that the decision to allot stalls is left to the person who has won the tender and the committee does not interfere with the process.
Reports also said that the decision to allot the tender to the Bajrang Dal activist was taken allegedly because of the recent murder of Harsha, a Hindutva activist in Shivamogga. However, Samiti president S K Mariyappa told reporters on Sunday that several members of the Muslim community are taking part in different activities related to the fair.
In Kapu, a town in the Udupi district where the hijab controversy first began, the Hosa Marigudi temple did not allot any stalls to Muslims during an auction for the Suggi Mari Pooje, their annual harvest fair.
According to local reports, There are more than 650 Muslim families in Udupi district who make their living out of streetside businesses. “We have been living harmoniously with Hindus for generations. Please allow us to do business,” the Zila Street Side Traders Association appealed.
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wrote in a tweet, “It is a worrying development that some Hindu organizations are pressuring Muslim merchants and not allowing them to put up their shop-fronts. The sheer silence of the authorities who have to take action against them is condemnable.”
