Festivals come to shower blessings and spread smiles on people’s faces irrespective of their religion. However, calls for an economic boycott of Muslim merchants during festive seasons by the Hindu fringe groups became a trend in BJP ruled states especially in Karnataka where the saffron activists swung into action during festivals like Holi, Ugadi and Diwali etc, urging the Hindus to avoid purchasing halal meat from Muslim merchants.
It is said that the trend devised by the Hindu fringe groups is robbing the livelihood of scores of Muslim merchants owned meat shops in several parts of Karnataka.
It is learnt that the members of Hindu fringe group called Karnataka Hindu Janajati Vedika held group meetings and urged people from Hindu community to not to purchase halal meat from Muslims and instead buy the same from a Hindu butcher.
This is not the first time that the Hindu fringe groups gave a boycott call against halal meat in Karnataka. Last year in April, members from Hindu Jagruthi Samithi, Sri Ram Sena and Bajarang Dal visited markets, especially meat shops urging the owners to remove signboards brandishing halal certificates.
Generally, the demand for meat goes-up in Karnataka during Ugadi and Hosatodako festivals when people from towns to villages throng to markets to buy the protein food and prepare various dishes. They even organised parties and events, inviting relatives and friends to serve them the culinary dishes.
Seizing the opportunity to target Muslims, the Hindu fringe group got active again this time and gave a call to boycott halal meat mainly purchased by the Muslim meat sellers in Karnataka. It is learnt that the members from Karnataka Hindu Janajati Vedika submitted a memorandum to the District Collector ahead of the festival urging him not to issue halal certificates to meat shops selling halal meat. They even demanded imposition of a ban on the sale of halal meat during the Ugadi festival.
Saffron activists orchestrated a march in the name of bringing awareness and distributed pamphlets among people asking them to refrain from purchasing halal meat from Muslim merchants. As a result of this boycott call, given by the fringe Hindu group, the Muslim merchants suffered a heavy loss of business during the Ugadi season.
While speaking on the occasion, a member of the fringe group Puneet Karehalli claimed that halaal meat provides domination to Muslim merchants in the area. “The awareness march is being organised to eradicate this domination,” he claimed.
However, this is not the lone incident wherein the Hindu fringe groups gave a boycott call against the Muslim merchants. Similar calls were given from time to time in BJP ruled states especially in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the festive season urging the Hindus to avoid purchasing festive stuff from Muslim merchants.
