Latest news with #Tajammul
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
When Shadab becomes Sonu: On kanwar route, eatery workers use aliases to avoid mob attacks
1 2 Agra: Tajammul never asked to be renamed. But when the dhaba owner leaned in one afternoon and said, "From now on, you're Gopal," he didn't argue. A kada — a thin, metallic bracelet — was slipped onto his wrist, a symbolic accessory meant to suggest he belonged. He was working the tandoor that week at Pandit Ji Vaishnav Dhaba, a popular stop along the Delhi-Dehradun highway, where pilgrims pass by in convoys. "They were afraid," he said. "They heard someone was coming to check who we really were." Among those "someones" was Swami Yashveer Maharaj, a self-styled seer from Muzaffarnagar who had launched what he called a "pehchan abhiyan" — an identity-check drive. Accompanied by supporters, he visited roadside eateries to verify if Hindu-named establishments were run or staffed by Muslims. His rationale, delivered publicly and without apology, was that such naming misled devotees. He spoke of conspiracies being hatched, with no evidence but enough impact. In the dhabas and fruit stalls lining highways, these checks have become more than occasional disruptions. They've reshaped the way some workers navigate daily life. Names are adjusted. Clothing choices reconsidered. For those with beards or wearing kurta-pyjamas, the safest decision is often silence or absence. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo "People like us — we go colony to colony, street to street," said Shadab Ahmed, a vendor from Meerut. "We can't afford to be noticed in the wrong way. So we use names that won't raise questions — Pappu, Sonu, Sanni." He said it without bitterness, but not without calculation. It was the kind of adaptation one makes quickly, without needing to be told twice. In Muzaffarnagar's Bajhedi village, Mohammad Sabir recalled a time when such precautions felt unnecessary. A former gram pradhan, he remembered the shift not as a single event, but as a slow erosion. "Eight or ten years ago, no one came to ask your name at a food stall," he said. "Now it's like people are searching for a reason to make you prove something." The kanwar yatra has become a flashpoint. Each year, lakhs of saffron-clad devotees walk the roads collecting holy water. In towns along the route, many Muslim-run eateries now close temporarily to avoid being targeted. "It's not written anywhere that we can't serve during the yatra," said a dhaba owner near Roorkee. "But we don't want to be the ones who get noticed." Some workers have stopped trying to blend in. Others are learning when to disappear. Mohammad Waseem, a carpet seller in Nainital, didn't do either. He was approached last month by a group of men who asked for his Aadhaar card. "When they saw my name, they started yelling slurs," he said. "Then they beat me." He was not accused of theft. He hadn't raised his voice. "If I had told them my name was something else, maybe I'd have been safe. " For Asif Rahi, the issue is not only the attacks but the silence that follows them. As president of Paigham-e-Insaniyat, a group that used to organise relief camps for kanwariyas in Muslim-majority areas, he's watched the rhetoric grow sharper, while institutional response remains minimal. "This fear isn't about the yatra," he said. "It's about how normal it's become to be asked to prove your identity. And when something happens, no one is held accountable. " Rahi's group once served thousands of pilgrims — water, first aid, basic meals — on their journey. "There was no question of who was serving whom," he said. "Now even that is being politicised." Not everyone sees the situation in the same light. Nitini Thakur, a bank manager from Muzaffarnagar, said, "People should not have to hide their identity. But I also believe customers have the right to know who is cooking their food. The state should be responsible for managing this — not random groups." The state, in some ways, has already weighed in. Kapil Dev Agarwal, minister of vocational education and skill development, made headlines during last year's kanwar yatra for proposing that Muslim-run dhabas use signboards declaring their ownership. "Even a child wears a cap and goes to madrasa — no one objects," he said recently. "So why hide your name when you run a business? Hiding means you're lying. That won't be tolerated. " Social worker Dilshad Pehlwan sees it differently. "If it's about being honest," he said, "then start with the factories owned by Hindus but run by Muslims. Or the hotels with Hindu names hiring Muslim cooks. You can't apply rules only when it suits your narrative." Still, for workers like Tajammul, the argument is no longer about principle — it's about endurance. He left the dhaba soon after his identity became a topic of discussion. "Customers still call me Gopal," he said. "I don't correct them anymore." He spoke quietly, not out of fear, but fatigue. Hiding a name, he said, doesn't make it go away. "It just makes things quieter for a while. And that's sometimes enough."
NDTV
04-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
" Desh Secular Nahi Hai": NDTV Confronts Vigilante Over Kanwar Yatra Crackdown
Muzaffarnagar (UP): Members of a Hindu group who asked a Muslim man to remove his pants to check his identity have doubled down on their act, claiming they have a right to check the religion of people working at shops and eateries along Kanwar Yatra routes in Uttar Pradesh. The row began after a Muslim man named Tajammul was found working under the assumed identity of "Gopal" at a roadside dhaba to protect himself from Hindu groups. The dhaba - which has since shut down due to protests - is off National Highway 58 in UP's Muzaffarnagar. Tajammul alleged members of the Hindu group pulled down his pants and thrashed him. NDTV spoke to the members of the Hindu group for an explanation. To a question why they took the law in their hands when it was the police's job to look into it, one of the vigilantes shot back, "Who has given you permission to ask such questions? If you were in our shoes you would have also asked for an Aadhaar card. These days media people show themselves as secular." When pointed out that the Constitution clearly says India is a secular nation, and whether they would either go by what they believe or what the Constitution states, he replied, " No, this country is not secular. This is the land of Sanatana dharma." He raised objections to Muslims working at what he called Hindu areas along the Kanwar Yatra route. "You tell me, who gave certificates to Muslims to put up boards in their shops showing gods and goddesses of Hindus, of Sanatana dharma?" he said. To a question why they are doing something which is the exclusive domain of the police, he said, "We can raise our voices. We have a right to ask." The controversy came a day after the UP government made it a must for all shops along the Kanwar Yatra route to have proper licences and clearly show the owner's original name. The Yogi Adityanath government has defended the move, with state minister Sanjay Nishad saying the accusation holds no weight. "The party whose nameplate the public has torn down and thrown away, that party's words hold no weight... Our government makes decisions for the welfare of the public, which is why the public stands with us," Mr Nishad said. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said every buyer has a right to know from whom they are buying. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also slammed the UP government over its directive. "There are many hotels near the Muzaffarnagar bypass. These hotels have been there for years. Didn't the Kanwar Yatra start here 10 years ago? The Kanwar Yatra used to start peacefully. There was no unrest there. Why is all this happening now? Now, they are asking for Aadhaar cards from hoteliers. They are making shopkeepers remove their pants," he said. The yatra is scheduled to start on July 10. In procession, Kanwariyas collect water from a river and carry it hundreds of kilometres to offer it to the shrines of Lord Shiva.
NDTV
04-07-2025
- NDTV
"They Pulled Down My Pants": UP Dhaba Staff On Kanwar Yatra Crackdown
New Delhi: A controversy has erupted in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, after a Muslim man named Tajammul was found working under the assumed identity of "Gopal" at a roadside dhaba to protect himself from Hindu groups. The incident took place at the Pandit Ji Vaishno Dhaba located on National Highway 58 in Muzaffarnagar. The dhaba has since been shut down following protests. Tajammul admitted that he adopted a Hindu identity out of fear and under instruction. "My name is Tajammul," he told NDTV. "I was asked to go by 'Gopal' so I could work at the dhaba without creating trouble. Sharma ji (dhaba owner) told me to do so." Tajammul said that he was told to conceal his Muslim identity and present himself as Hindu in order to avoid backlash from Hindu organisations that have begun conducting identity checks of food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra route. "They told me to wear a kada," Tajammul said. "I wore it for three months so I wouldn't be recognised." Tajammul described being intimidated and assaulted after members of a Hindu group entered the premises and began questioning the religious identities of the staff. "They pulled my pants down. They beat me and I was crying," he said. The incident occurred on June 28 when a religious figure called Swami Yashveer Ji Maharaj and several of his associates visited the dhaba as part of what they called an "identification campaign." These campaigns are intended to ensure that pilgrims receive food from Hindu-owned establishments, according to the Swami Yashveer's supporters. During the confrontation, Tajammul introduced himself as Gopal. When asked to produce identification, he claimed his Aadhaar card was missing and his phone was broken. The group did not accept the explanation, and video footage later showed physical manhandling. The Muzaffarnagar police have since summoned six individuals linked to the incident: Sumit Bahraghi, Rohit, Vivek, Sumit, Sunny, and Rakesh, all associated with Swami Yashveer's Yoga Sadhana Ashram in Baghra. The controversy comes against the backdrop of an earlier directive issued by the Uttar Pradesh government that all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route must display food licenses and owner details, including religious identity where applicable. While the state government claims this is a matter of transparency, opposition parties allege that the move is decidedly communal in nature.
News18
03-07-2025
- News18
Muzaffarnagar Hotel Case Takes New Turn After 'Pandit' Worker Reveals Real Identity
Last Updated: Tajammul, a hotel worker in Muzaffarnagar, alleged that he was forced by the owner to pose as a Hindu and name himself Gopal to keep his job A controversial case involving alleged identity concealment at a hotel in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, has taken a dramatic turn after the worker at the centre of it, previously identified as Gopal, revealed that his real name is Tajammul. In a public statement, Tajammul alleged that he was forced by the hotel owner to pose as a Hindu in order to keep his job. According to him, the hotel owner instructed him to use the name Gopal, pretend to be the son of a Pandit, and even wear a bracelet associated with Brahmin identity to avoid suspicion. Tajammul claimed that this identity imposition was not his choice, and that the hotel management orchestrated the deception to avoid backlash from customers who might object to a Muslim employee. The incident spiralled when a group of individuals reportedly arrived at the hotel claiming to be part of an 'identification team". Tajammul said he and other hotel employees were physically assaulted, and that in a shocking violation of dignity, his pants were allegedly removed to check his religion. This is not just a case of assault, it is a complete violation of human rights, Tajammul said, urging authorities to take strict action. Following his statement, tensions in the area have flared, with concerns rising about communal harmony. The police are now probing the role of the hotel owner, examining the alleged coercion of employees, and investigating the actions of the alleged identity verifiers. First Published: July 03, 2025, 13:48 IST
Gulf Weekly
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Weekly
Tales for all
Bahrain-based author Tajammul Kothari has penned his way into the fiction genre with his latest collection of short stories, spanning themes like romance, crime, children's literature and more, writes Melissa Nazareth. The Indian expatriate, who works as an administration manager with a local construction company, launched Mixed Bag – Short Stories on Amazon in April. The 134-page collection of 16 tales caters to 'every taste' as it explores a gamut of sentiments, from love and betrayal to racism and power struggles. 'After publishing my poetry books, I took a break from full time writing due to work and life pressures, and was only concentrating on writing short articles for my blog: However, the idea of writing fiction was always there at the back of my mind,' said the creative talent from Riffa, who was born and raised in the kingdom and attended the Indian School. In a previous interview with GulfWeekly, Tajammul noted that his foray into writing began with his blog and when he saw his readership grow, it spurred him on to experiment with different styles; poetry came to him naturally and eventually, became a 'passion'. 'Seeing a positive response to An Ode to Life and Unanswered Verses, my confidence surged and I took a step forward and published Mixed Bag – Short Stories. I hope it will receive the same appreciation and support as my previous works.' Not one to rest on past laurels, Tajammul is currently working on a novella inspired by Bahrain. 'Bahrain holds a very special place in my heart as I have lived in this wonderful country for so many years. My next book will feature this beautiful island and its people; it will have an ensemble characters from all over the world with one of the characters residing here in Bahrain,' he revealed. An excerpt from Retribution, one of the short stories, reads: 'In the evening, Rupert goes through the photographs and sees something unusual. He takes out his magnifying glass from his desk drawer and zooms in. He notices the name of the bookstore in the background. Memories are recollected as it is the same bookstore he used to visit so regularly in his hometown, Riverwell. He scratches his head and wonders if he has seen the girl somewhere, but he cannot recall.'
