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UP: 'Makan wapas lo' protest in Moradabad housing society over sale of flat to Muslim doctor
Residents fear “there will be a disturbance in the demographic structure of the society” if anyone from any other community resides there.
The sale of a house to a doctor belonging to the Muslim community sparked protests at a posh society in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad on Thursday, with locals raising ‘makan wapas lo’ slogans for the person who sold the flat.
The incident occurred at TDI City society, where residents fear “there will be a disturbance in the demographic structure of the society” if anyone from any other community resides there.
According to a news agency PTI report, the previous owner of the house, Dr Ashok Bajaj, sold the property to Dr Ikra Chaudhary.
Residents staged a demonstration at the colony gate holding banners 'Dr Ashok Bajaj Apna Makan Wapas lo' [take your house back].
Both, the buyer and the seller, were not available for comments.
‘It’s a Hindu society'
"This is a Hindu society, where over 400 Hindu families live. We don't want anyone from the other communities to reside here," the report quoted a protester as saying, adding that the house is near a temple.
TDI City society chairman Amit Verma also joined the protesters.
"We fear that there will be a disturbance in the demographic structure of the society and unwanted changes might occur if other communities start to settle there and Hindus start to leave," another resident said.
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District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Singh said the society members have filed a complaint, raising objections to the selling of the house.
"We are talking to concerned parties and trying for a unanimous, amicable solution to it," he said.
The incident comes close on the heels of another communal row in Uttar Pradesh, linked to a court-ordered survey of a mosque in Sambhal.
Violence erupted in Sambhal on November 24 during an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examination of a Mughal-era mosque. The clashes resulted in four deaths and multiple injuries among police personnel and locals.
The ASI survey was prompted by a petition filed in a local court, claiming the mosque was originally built on the site of a Harihar temple.
