In a disturbing video from Surguja district, Chhattisgarh, hundreds of villagers were seen taking a pledge to end all commercial transactions with Muslim vendors in the area.
"Aaj se hum Hindu sankalp lete hain ki kisi bhi musalman dukandar se kisi bhi prakar ke samaan ki khareedi bikri nahi karenge. Aaj se ham Hindu kisi musalman vyakti ko apni zameen lease me ya bikri nahi karenge. Jo feri wale hamare gaon me aate hain, unka jaanch uprant yadi Hindu hai tabhi khareedi karenge anyatha nahi karenge (From today, we Hindus pledge to not buy any item from a Muslim shopkeeper. We pledge to not give our lands on lease to Muslims. We pledge to conduct any transactions with vendors coming to our villages only after ascertaining that they are Hindus)," they are seen chanting in the video.
The video comes days after communal clashes were reported from Kundikala village, Surguja district.
The Chhattisgarh police have ordered an enquiry and an additional police superintendent and sub-divisional magistrate, too, visited the village and counselled the people.
What Happened in Surguja?
According to reports, a few villagers from village Ara in Balrampur district, who had come to Kundikala village to celebrate the new year, got into a fight with the locals.
It was said to be a brawl, and no complaints were filed. However, later that day, a group of people from Ara village assembled in Kundikala and thrashed a local villager.
“An FIR was registered based on the complaint by one Virendra Yadav under the sections of violence, riot, and others. Six people were arrested in the matter the next day. However, they were granted bail the same day. Villagers of Kundikala were provoked by this.”Vivek Shukla, Assistant Superintendent of Police
After the accused got bail, hundreds of villagers gheraoed the Lundra police station and raised slogans against the police. The same villagers later took an oath, pledging to sever all ties with Muslims vendors and to not do any economical transactions with the community.
“The ongoing tensions between the two communities were tapped by some outsiders who raised communal slogans. As soon as we got the information, I along with senior officers reached the spot and counselled the villagers to not get misled by people trying to give it a communal colour,” Shukla told The Quint.
Shukla said a complaint has been filed and the culprits will be arrested soon.
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