Muslim Dosa Seller Runs Stall With Hindu Name in Mathura, Locals Vandalise, Call it 'Economic Jihad'

Local residents allegedly protested to a Muslim man running a dosa stand named “Shrinath,” tore the eatery’s banners, and warned him to remove the stall from the market, according to an FIR filed at Mathura’s Kotwali police station.

According to the FIR, on August 18, some people approached Irfan’s stall and inquired as to why he had named it “Shrinath.” The accused then allegedly tore the banners and warned him to withdraw his eatery from Vikas Market in the city.

Workers at the eatery said it is owned by a local resident named Rahul, who pays them Rs 400 per day to run it. Irfan, who runs the stall told The Indian Express, “We are running this for the last five years; there has been no problem on the name. We did not even imagine there could be an issue. That day, some people came and tore the banners and said that Muslim people cannot run a shop with a Hindu name. They seemed to have an issue with the name.”

According to media reports, in a video that emerged on social media, some men can be seen purportedly heckling the dosa-seller. The accused can be heard purportedly telling Irfan that “Hindus will come to eat”, as the stall is named Shrinath.

A video of the incident was later posted on Facebook by Devraj Pandit, the man who was leading the mob. He also accused the vendor of “economic jihad”, claiming that Hindus don’t get employed because of people like him. Pandit appealed to his Facebook followers to “rebel against such vendors who seek the aid of Sanathana dharma”. Interestingly, Pandit identifies as a devotee of priest Yati Narasinganand Saraswati.

According to journalist Alishan Jafri, who documents anti-Muslim violence in India, the vendors have sold their old cart and changed the name of their stall to “American Dosa”, said a report by The Siasat Daily.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.