BHAVNAGAR:
Six months ago, a doctor was all set to make a killing by selling his posh
bungalow 'Chaitanya' near Crescent
Circle to a Muslim family. As soon as the news spread, a group representing the saffron
brigade reached his house and tried persuading him to call off the deal.
When the doctor did not agree, the group held a sit-in outside his house and
started chanting Ram Dhun. The agitators refused to budge till he assured them
that he would scrap the deal. Finally, the bungalow was sold to a Hindu.
Saffron brigade is using Ram dhuns and Ram
Darbars to thwart all deals in town where Muslims are buying properties in
Hindu-dominated areas.
The brigade's modus operandi is simple: on getting information about a Hindu
planning to sell his property to a Muslim, they squat in front of his house and
chant or conduct Ram Darbars. They don't move from the place till the seller
caves in.
The group has managed to get 10 such property deals cancelled over the past six
years.
A six-year-old group 'Setubandh Mitra Mandal' - consisting of VHP, Bajrang
Dal, RSS and Shiv Sena members - is wary of Muslims buying properties in
Hindudominated areas. The group members said that earlier, Jogivad ni Tanki and
Sandhiyavad were traditional Muslim ghettos but now the community is buying
properties, both residential and commercial, in posh Hindu-dominated area like
Shishu Vihar, Ghoga Circle,
Crescent Circle, Vadva and Kalanala.
Bhavnagar was
the only place in Saurashtra which saw communal riots in 2002. "Over the
past five years, Hindus have started migrating from the localities where they
have been living for generations after selling the property to Muslims,'' said
Kirit Mistry, a VHP leader.
"We have written about it to the state government to demand the
implementation of the Disturbed Areas Act in order to stop this activity."
However, Arif Kalva, a community leader, said, "Muslims in the city have
progressed and become prosperous. They too aspire to live in areas where they
can become part of mainstream society."