Kanwar Yatra 2024: India court blocks order for eateries to display owners’ names

A food stall owner said he had removed four of his Muslim employees, including the manager of his eatery. “You need to understand our situation. We don’t want any controversy,” he said on condition of anonymity.

The Hindu owner of another eatery in the district said the police had visited his shop to ask if he employed any Muslim workers. “I told them I did not have any working for me at present. They advised me against employing any Muslims,” he alleged.

Abhishek Singh, a senior police officer in Muzaffarnagar, did not respond to the accusation but directed the BBC to a statement issued by the police which said the shopkeepers had been asked to display the names voluntarily.

One restaurant owner said a Muslim employee working in his shop had “left on his own”, saying he didn’t want others to be in trouble because of him.

Restaurant owners say they have been under pressure since last year, when a local Hindu religious leader began demanding that Muslim-owned eateries named after Hindu gods and goddesses be shut.

Since then, many such eateries have shut down and some have been rented out to Hindus.

But while the controversy continues, some pilgrims who are setting out on the journey said it didn’t matter to them who owned or worked in a shop.

“It doesn’t matter if the shop belongs to a Hindu or a Muslim. Everybody here respects a pilgrim. While buying something, we never look for the name of the person selling it,” said Vishal Bhola.

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