'No entry for non-Hindus, Rohingya Muslims': Signboards removed from Rudraprayag, but unease remains

(Courtesy: X)

Signboards warning non-Hindus and Rohingya Muslims may have disappeared from villages in Rudraprayag, but the underlying tension still lingers.

These villages have thrived on communal harmony, with livelihoods woven together around the pilgrimage season in Uttarakhand, Rudraprayag being a key stop along the Kedarnath Yatra. But recent months have witnessed a significant shift, leaving many residents anxious about growing divides and uncertain about the future.

According to a report in The Indian Express, signboards put up by local pro-Hindutva groups read: “Warning: Non-Hindus/ Rohingya Muslims and hawkers are prohibited from roaming in the village and conducting business. If found, legal and punitive action will be taken.”

The report said that apart from Maikhanda and Shersi, similar boards had come up in villages such as Nyalsu, Triyuginarayan, Badasu, Jamu, Ariya, Ravigram, Sonprayag and Gaurikund.

Uttarakhand Police have sent teams to these villages to remove the boards.

The posters appeared following a sexual assault case in Chamoli last week, sparking protests from locals demanding action against a specific community. While the accused was arrested, the unrest quickly spread to Rudraprayag, deepening tensions in the area.

In one village, the campaign against non-Hindus began after a silver statue of our deity Nagraj was allegedly stolen from Shersi last year.

The signboards drew national attention last week after two delegations, from the Muslim Seva Sangathan and AIMIM, met with Uttarakhand DGP Abhinav Kumar on September 5, demanding legal action against those who put up the signboards.

“This campaign has been going on for the past year,” Praveen Kumar, whose wife Chandani Devi is the pradhan of Maikanda, was cited in the report. “The board was installed by some people in my village a week ago, after which I received a call from police saying we cannot use communal remarks,” he said.

“I spent my entire life here, but such things are happening for the first time,” Nadeem, barber in Shersi village, was quoted in the report.