Targettig of Hindu Vegetable vendors

The ongoing COVID is creating new social issues. The most recent being targeting Hindu vegetable vendors for having planted saffron flags (bhagwa) on their selling carts. These vendors are doing a very practical thing of ensuring the buyers identify them as different. These vendors are aware of the happenings around and are using the flag as a competitive advantage. There may be ethical issues in this but that is for another day. The current issue is a result of news about Tablighis and some Muslim vendors spitting on vegetables, fruits and currency with an alleged purpose of infecting the larger society. Some of these may be partially true, blown out of proportion etc but some of these things did happen. Attacks and spitting on police forces in mohallahs is also adding weight to the story. There is enough evidence of these attacks on social media.

Lots of social media activity on the above is suddenly bringing awareness all around and Hindu vendors obviously being sensitive to the issue are trying to differentiate themselves. The issue came into light when police in Nizamabad( Telangana) removed flags from Hindu vendors and also booked cases. The local MP came out strongly and defended the rights of the vendors to plant a bhagwa since it is their belief. He rightly pointed out that they are protected under article 25 of the constitution which gives right to profess one's beliefs. We have seen many such instances in other states and it is now spreading fast across. It is no one's case that this should happen. It is simply the case of lack of leadership in the Muslim community. Not a soul condemned the behavior of the Tablighis.

Media all over is questioning Hindu vendors since we are "secular" state. But no one is coming forward to ask the hard questions to the Muslim leadership on the behavior of the Tablighis, in spreading the virus and attacking doctors and nurses. Behavior of the some vendors and distribution of such videos on social media with a view to scare certain sections of the population. The police in their eagerness and lack of understanding of the law are harassing the Hindu vendors and threatening to file cases.

The current situation should be seen as a continuation of the events since article 370, CAA, JNU, Shaheen bagh, Delhi riots, Tablighi, attacking hindus in Gulf, etc. There is a clear attempt to malign India, make it look bad in the international community and destabilize.