The Jharkhand Police on Saturday moved swiftly to act against communal fruit sellers in Jamshedpur after they displayed banners declaring their shops as being by the VHP. The fruit-sellers were booked under Section 107 of the IPC.

This was after a Twitter user alerted the Jharkhand Police by posting a couple of photos of fruit sellers in Jamshedpur displaying their bigotry with impunity. The user wrote, “It’s a matter of great shame to our state that we are going up in such Hindu Muslim hatred.

Now instead of Jharkhand Govt. or state authorities these people will give permission to businesses.”

In the photos, both fruit sellers were seen displaying huge banners that read, “Hindu Fruit Shop approved by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.”

@JharkhandCMO @JmmJharkhand @HemantSorenJMM @Jsr_police @JharkhandPolice It’s a matter of great shame to our state that we are going up in such Hindu Muslim hatred.

Now instead of Jharkhand Govt. or state authorities these people will give permission to businesses. pic.twitter.com/0QMlOWbnUj — احسن (@AhsanRazi1) April 24, 2020

The Jharkhand Police wasted no time in acting on the complaint and directed the Jamshedpur Police to take corrective measures. It tweeted, “SSP Jamshedpur @jsr_police to look into it and do the needful at the earliest.”

SSP Jamshedpur @jsr_police to look into it and do the needful at the earliest. — Jharkhand Police (@JharkhandPolice) April 25, 2020

Moments later, the Jamshedpur Police tweeted photos of the same fruit sellers without the VHP banner and wrote, “Quickly taking note of the situation, those banners have been removed and cases have been filed against those shopkeepers under Section 107 of the IPC.”

मामले का तत्काल संज्ञान लेते हुए संबंधित फल दुकानों से पोस्टर हटवा दिया गया है तथा संबंधित दुकानदारों के विरुद्ध कदमा थाना द्वारा धारा – 107 द0प्र0स0 के तहत निरोधात्मक कार्रवाई की जा रही है। pic.twitter.com/AXGXNmaPWW — Jamshedpur Police (@Jsr_police) April 25, 2020

Jharkhand, which had earned notoriety under the previous BJP government for innumerable mob lynchings of Muslims, is now being governed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who heads the alliance of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.