'No Good Will Come Of It': Banke Bihari Temple on Call to Boycott Muslim Vendors

Who gave the call to boycott Muslim traders and why does the temple priest believe it to be impractical, The Quint takes a closer look:

(Image: The Quint/@Kamran Akhter)

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In the aftermath of the 22 April terror attack in J&K's Pahalgam, which led to the death of at least 26 tourists and injured many others, numerous instances of targeted attacks on Kashmiris and Muslims have been reported from across the country.

Days after the terror attack, a Kolkata-based gynaecologist refused to tend to a 7-month pregnant Muslim woman; while a couple of Kashmiri shawl-sellers were brutally assaulted in Uttarakhand's Mussoorie.

A similar incident has come to light from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, where a group of Mahants gave a call to boycott Muslim traders on Saturday, 26 April.

However, a priest of the Banke Bihari temple dismissed the boycott call, and told The Quint, "The temple is rooted in devotion and does not discriminate on the basis of caste or community."

Who gave the call to boycott Muslim traders and why did the temple priest dismiss it, The Quint takes a closer look:

'Don't Give Jobs to Jihadis': Mahants to Shop-owners Outside Banke Bihari 

On Saturday, four days after the Pahalgam terror attack, a group of Mahants led by Karshni Nagendra Dutt Gaur were seen raising 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans in the area outside the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. Gaur is the Head of Kashi Vidvat Parishad (Western India), a Hindu religious organisation.

In the 400 metre-long-lane leading to the temple is flanked by small shops selling offerings for the deities.

As the Mahants raised slogans, Gaur was seen telling shopkeepers, "Jihadiyon ko kaam nahi dena hai (Don't give jobs to Jihadis). They deliberately shot our Hindu brothers in Pahalgam."

They were seen holding a banner, which read:

"In Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, tourists were asked their religion and Hindus were targeted and killed. Deeply hurt by this, the followers of Sanatan Dharma and the Vrindavan unit of Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapaar Mandal, appeal to all Sanatani brothers and sisters to not employ those students at your establishments (who support such acts). Do not give them jobs. Boycott them completely in business. If even after witnessing this brutal killing of our loved ones, you do not awaken, then when will you?"

(Photo: Matul Sharma)

The group was seen chanting, "Jo Bharat ki jai na bole, uske liye darwaaze na khole (Whoever does not say 'Bharat ki Jai', do not open your doors for them)."

In addition, Gaur was seen going to shops and appealing to people to not buy things from "vidharmi" (non-Hindus), not to engage in trade with Muslim vendors, and completely disrupt their businesses.

"Aap bhi naam puchkar kaam par rakhiye (You also ask their name before giving them a job)," Gaur asked shop owners

He asserted that such a boycott call from a religious city like Vrindavan will have an impact all over India. Other Mahants were seen calling to boycott any relations with Muslims.

'No Good Will Come out of the Boycott': Banke Bihari Priest

In response to the boycott call, Gyanendra Goswami, a priest and a member of the temple's administration committee, asserted that Banke Bihari welcomes all devotees and does not discriminate on the basis of community.

"No good will come from the boycott. There are many shops outside the temple which provide offerings, sweets, and laddus. A few of them are run by Muslim vendors, who have been making ornaments, dresses and adornments for the deity for a very long time. Their ancestors have been praying at the temple too," Goswami told The Quint.

He added that devotees come to the temple from across India and there is no way of telling who has made the dresses or the ornaments.

"Someone comes from Jaipur or Delhi or Kolkata or Punjab and bring their dresses, some devotees make dresses on their own, while some buy from the shops outside the temple. We can't put a stamp and say which artisan made which dress. If they offer it in good faith, the deity accepts the devotees' offerings. The temple does not discriminate on the basis of caste or community," Goswami said.

On being asked if the temple has issued an order saying it won't allow Muslims to work here, Goswami clarified, "There has been no such order from the temple. Whoever is working here has been employed from before." He added that there are no shops inside the temple complex and exist only outside the gates of the temple.

'We Want Peace and Only Peace': Kin of Victims

The terror attack in Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist spot in Pahalgam in the afternoon of 22 April, was one of the deadliest attack on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. It lead to the death of 26 tourists -- all men.

Among those who were killed was 26-year-old Navy Officer Lt. Vinay Narwal, who had recently got married and was visiting Pahalgam with his wife. Even as the terror attack led to a spate of violence against Muslims in its aftermath, Lt Narwal's wife Himanshi on Wednesday, 1 May appealed to the public - “I don’t want any hatred towards anybody. People going after Muslims and Kashmiris, we don’t want this. We want peace and only peace.”

She asserted that justice must be served and those responsible for the attack should be punished.