The Supreme Court has condemned the appeal for a boycott of the Muslim community in the wake of communal violence in Haryana’s Nuh. The court said that such calls for boycott are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
The communal violence broke out in Nuh on July 31 during a religious procession by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Six people were killed in the violence.
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court by Shaheen Abdullah, who sought the court’s intervention to stop the spread of communal hatred in the country. The petition cited a video that went viral on social media on August 2, in which members of a Hindu group in Hisar, Haryana, were seen threatening to boycott the shops of any shopkeeper who employed a Muslim.
The Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of the petition and issued notice to the Haryana government and the Union government. The court also directed the Haryana DGP to form a committee to investigate the matter and submit a report within two weeks.
Hearing the petition, Justice Sanjeev Khanna said that there should be “some harmony and amity between the communities”. He added that the appeal for boycott of the Muslim community was “by no means acceptable”.
The court also expressed concern about the growing trend of hate speeches in the country. It said that such speeches have the potential to incite communal violence.
The court directed the state and district administrations to take steps to prevent the spread of communal hatred. It also asked the central government to take steps to ensure that hate speeches are not made in the country.
The matter will be heard again on August 18.
