Spit Jihad case in Bageshwar
By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 18 Jan: A shocking incident has emerged from Bageshwar during the ongoing Uttarayan fair there. In a video that has gone viral since yesterday, a young man from a particular community was seen spitting on rotis while making them in a tandoor furnace. Once this video went viral, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also took cognisance and in a swift action, he instructed Home Secretary Shailesh Bagoli to get the incident investigated and take strict measures.
Following the instructions of the CM and the Home Secretary, Bageshwar Police finally took action and have arrested two accused in this regard. The accused arrested in the case are Aamir and Firasat.
This incident has caused a huge outrage among the local people in Bageshwar as well as across the state. Various Hindu organisations including Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Hindu Jagran Manch have given a sharp reaction to this. After the video in question went viral, angry locals led by local Hindu leaders gathered outside the Bageshwar Police Station and created a ruckus. It was however only after the locals created a ruckus demanding arrest of the accused and a strict direction from CM Dhami himself that the local Police finally detained the accused and also closed the shop in the Uttarayani Mela. Local residents are questioning the security arrangements at the fair. The police are currently investigating the matter. According to the locals, the Police initially appeared highly reluctant to take action and it was under public pressure and the resultant instruction from the CM, that the Police swung into action, arresting the shopkeeper and the persons seen in the video, spitting on the Tandoori Rotis they were making. Once CM Dhami directed Home Secretary Shailesh Bagauli to investigate the incident, the local administration and the police were prompted to take due action in this regard.
It may be recalled that similar incidents had also occurred in Mussoorie and Dehradun a few months ago, which led CM Dhami to advocate for stricter laws against “spit jihad.” It was on 9 October last year when two youths were arrested in Mussoorie for contaminating tea utensils.
Bageshwar Police have registered a case and have launched investigation into the case now, besides arresting two persons Aamir and Firasat. SP Bageshwar Chandrashekhar Ghodke shared that a video has circulated on social media yesterday, showing rotis being made in an unhygienic manner. In the video, two youth were seen contaminating the rotis before baking them in the tandoor. The authorities detained the shop owner and workers, arresting Aamir (30) and Firasat (25) from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, on charges of disturbing communal harmony. A case has been registered under sections 196(1)/274/299 BNS, with District Designated Officer Lalit Mohan Pandey investigating.
The incident has raised the political temperature in Uttarakhand once again with CM Dhami making a significant statement, and Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev urging Muslim religious leaders to address the issue. In Haridwar, Muslim religious leaders today strongly condemned those contaminating food.
