A man in Gujarat’s Anand district has filed a police complaint after a group of Hindus opposed the opening of a hotel owned by two Muslim and a Hindu businessperson, Deccan Herald reported on Thursday.
Anand District Superintendent of Police Ajit Rajian said that the police have begun an inquiry into the incident. The complainant alleged that more than 50 people shouted objectionable slogans against Muslims and performed a “purification” ritual at the road where the hotel, named Blue Ivy, is located.
Visuals shared by MuslimMirror.com on Tuesday showed a group of people pouring “gangajal (water from Ganga) to “purify” the road. They shouted slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and asserted that whoever lives in the country must say “Jai Shri Ram”.
One of the protestors shouted that Muslims should be beggars, and not hotel owners, according to the Vibes of India.
Another demonstrator Binaben Patel said that the hotel must be closed. “This is a Hindu area,” she said. “This hotel is owned by Muslim. It is a blot on our Hindu culture to have this hotel here.”
A man named Shailesh Shah told Deccan Herald that he started the protest, but claimed that the demonstrators were not targeting any particular community. “I don’t approve of it [targeting of any community],” he said. “Our protest was against illegal construction of the hotel. During the protest, other people made some objectionable comments.”
Hasan Ali, one of the hotel owners, however, said that there was nothing illegal in the hotel.
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