BJP leader Bharat Sanghavi’s WhatsApp message

Two youths who were seen threatening Hasan in the viral video

Anti-Muslim sentiments have gripped Navanagar and Ratnaal villages of Kutch

Voices

It is for the first time since Emergency that India is witnessing anti-government resentment on such a large scale. Leaderless protestors are spilling on to the streets against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act. While Muslims have been at the forefront of the protests as they battle provocative speeches by ministers and murderous attacks on them, the assertion of their religious identity comes at the risk of social ostracisation. After the Bharat Bandh called on January 29, by various organisations protesting against CAA, there have been at least four incidents in Kutch of Muslims being targeted.In Ratnaal and Navanagar villages of Kutch in Gujarat, calls are being made to boycott Muslims.There are no Muslim households in these villages. Here, Muslims are being refused entry and labelled anti-national.Ratnaal is the hometown of Vasanbhai Ahir, Minister of State for Welfare of Socially and Educationally Backward classes. A village with a population of around 6,000, Ahirs constitute a majority here. The other communities that live here are Dalits and Rabaris.Over the past few days, saffron banners have sprung up here. "Jai Shri Ram! Those not supporting the country must not park or stop their vehicles in the village," read the banners put up by 'Akhil Bharatiya Desh Rakshak Sangh'. The villagers, however, say they have never heard of the outfit before.When questioned about such an activity in his village, Ahir told Mirror, "I am not aware of it, nor do I know of such an organisation in that area."Anjar PI D M Zala said, "I have not heard of the outfit. I am investigating into the matter. When I visited the place, I did not find a banner. Someone might have taken it off."In Navanagar village, a video is doing the rounds on social media where a Muslim vegetable vendor named Hasan Memon is being warned by two youths against entering the village. When Mirror spoke to Memon, 39, he said, "The youngsters left me scared. They told me the village is of Hindus. They warned me against visiting the village and recorded the video of our conversation on their phones. I have learnt, they circulated it on social media to set an example for others to follow."Memon travels from Panandhro panchayat to Navanagar to sell vegetables and earns around Rs 1,000-1,500 daily. On Thursday, it was business as usual for him till he was stopped by the duo and threatened with dire consequences if he was spotted in the village again.Navanagar houses Hindu families from Pakistan who settled here after the 1971 war. It has a population of around 1,500 to 2,000 and majority residents belong to Bavaji and Gadhvi community.After the January 29 bandh call, Bharat Sanghvi, a local BJP leader from Kutch, forwarded pictures of shops and hotels that had observed the bandh along with another forward that read: "Hotels are closed in support of bandh. We stop eating there to show our support for CAA."When asked about the forwards, he said. "I get messages from several groups and had forwarded them without checking. I later saw the messages and deleted them. I do not believe in boycott of Muslims. I have opened up atleast 800 accounts of Muslim labourers at post offices."Reacting to the incidents, Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani said: "This is the RSS and BJP design to keep dividing the nation on communal lines. Comments made by the BJP leader amount to criminal offence under IPC 153 (A). Since we are a secular country, such statements and acts are prohibited under various laws including IPC. Such people must be arrested. BJP as a party must expel such people, if at all they believe in the idea of India."In another case, a young Muslim man employed in a clinic was warned of dire consequences for extending support to Shaheen Bagh protestors. Kamran (name changed) told Mirror he was labelled an anti-national for participating in the protests. He said he is so shattered that he does not want to speak about it.Ibrahim Halepotra, president of Akhil Kutch Sunni Muslim Hitrakshak Samiti, said, "We are aware of what is going on. We do not want things to get ugly. So, we have compiled the incidents and informed Kutch Range IG Subhash Trivedi about it."Meanwhile, Halepotra has appealed to his community members not to respond to social media hate posts and alert the police in case of any untoward incident. Haleporta said, "We have initiated talks with village elders in Panandhro and the issue will be solved soon." Range IG Subash Trivedi said, "We have initiated an inquiry into the matter." Condemning the incidents, lawyer and activist Anand Yagnik said, these were in violation of Article 17 of the Constitution. "No person can be discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, caste and sex. Those under oath should not make statements resulting in religious intimidation. Action should be taken against them. The party in power should ensure its cadres behave in accordance with the Constitution."BJP Gujarat spokesperson Bharat Pandya said the party was "committed to ensuring the unity and sovereignty of the country is maintained." Responding to the incidents promoting anti-Muslim sentiment, he said, "BJP believes in religious equality. Such language is inappropriate. No one should spread such a discussion. ... One must not spread any misunderstanding about the CAA. It is clearly about giving nationality and not about taking it away."