Communal tension on Hindu-Muslim owned hotel: Rights group blames Gujarat govt

Neighbours pouring water to "purify" street to the hotel

By A Representative
Even as the Gujarat High Court has adjourned to November 17 the hearing in a dispute between the owners of a new hotel in Anand and their neighbour, a prominent oncologist, over alleged illegal construction, the advocacy group National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO) has taken strong exception to the case pertaining to Hotel Blue Ivy -- co-owned by Hindu and Muslim partners – taking a communal turn.
Amidst news that with residents of the neighbourhood joined a protest, chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, allegedly making abusive comments against the minority community and washing the road facing the hotel to “purify” it, NCHRO Gujarat chapter, in a statement, said, “A video on social media has surfaced in which a mob can be seen shouting inflammatory and hateful slogans against Muslims. The video is allegedly of Anand, Gujarat, and got viral on October 26, 2021.”
“The anti-Muslim slogans of the mob are being justified by the unverified claims that there were pictures of Hindu Gods and deities on the tiles outside the bathroom in a hotel owned by a Muslim”, the statement said, adding, “Even if this were the case, this is a practice adopted by people to prevent others from defacing walls.”
“In any case”, the statement, signed by Mina Jadav, State president, said, “The hateful, anti-Muslim and bigoted slogans that can be heard in the video, including ‘Dekh ke gaddaron ko, joote maaro saalon ko’ – meaning hit the traitors of the country with shoes, cannot be justified on any grounds.” She called it “a display of unbridled hate against a community by a violent and threatening mob.”
Claiming that “such mobs are emboldened by the government in power, which has been protecting these people at the expense of the victims and the larger society”, NCHRO, condemning the display of “anti-Muslim hate and bigotry”, said, “We urge the government authorities to take action against the perpetrators, who have raised the slogans.” She added, “The video is viral meaning that the perpetrators are acting with impunity, knowing that they won’t face any consequences.”
Interestingly, oncologist Dr Shailesh Shah, who has been leading the protests, has allege that the clearance of the property sale by the Revenue Department is in violation of the Gujarat Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provisions of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in Disturbed Areas Act, popularly known as the Disturbed Areas Act. The law, which seeks to prohibit panic sale of property between Hindus and Muslims is known to have been applied on residential areas.

Comments

Beyond India-China borders: Economic links expand, political gaps persist

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* Despite growing trade between India and China, a persistent trust deficit continues to shape their bilateral relationship. Expanding economic engagement has not fully resolved political differences, many of which stem from historical legacies as well as contemporary geopolitical concerns. Border disputes—often traced to colonial-era arrangements—remain a significant obstacle to deeper cooperation, while differing strategic alignments in global affairs add further complexity.

GreenTech Summit claims NCR as key green building hub, without pan-India comparison

By A Representative The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian Industry, held its GreenTech Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where industry representatives, policymakers and sustainability professionals discussed the adoption of climate technologies in India’s built environment.

Gujarat cadre to HDFC: When bureaucratic style hits corporate walls

By Rajiv Shah I was a little amused by the abrupt March 17, 2026 resignation of Atanu Chakraborty —a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of the 1985 batch who retired from the government in 2020—as chairman of HDFC Bank . Much of what may have led to his decision to quit this ostensibly high post—actually a non-executive, part-time role—is by now well known. I followed most of it online with considerable interest, partly because I had interacted with him umpteen times during my stint as The Times of India correspondent in Gandhinagar from 1997 to 2012.

Operation Epic Fury: Making America great at the world’s expense?

By N.S. Venkataraman* The decades-long enmity between Iran and Israel is well-documented, but historically, their direct confrontations have been brief, constrained by the logistical and economic limitations of sustained warfare. The current conflict in the Middle East, however, marks a radical and dangerous departure from this pattern.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

India has been getting its economic growth wrong for two decades, say top economists

By Jag Jivan* India's official GDP figures have misrepresented the trajectory of the world's fifth-largest economy for the better part of two decades, according to a major new working paper published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). It finds that India overstated annual growth by up to two percentage points after 2011 — and understated it during the boom years of the 2000s.

'Tax the top': Nationwide protests demand action as 1% control 40% of India’s wealth

By A Representative Civil rights groups across the country observed the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh on March 23, as people from diverse backgrounds united to raise their voices against growing economic inequality. The mobilisations marked the launch of a nationwide campaign against inequality, running from March 23 to April 14 (Ambedkar Jayanti), under the banner of the “Tax The Top” campaign.

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

Search This Blog