Muzaffarnagar police on Tuesday issued notices to six members of Chatrapati Shivaji Sena, a group led by Swami Yashveer Maharaj, for allegedly conducting unauthorised Aadhaar and caste verifications of eatery owners along the Kanwar pilgrimage route, officials said on Tuesday.
Station House Officer (Nai Mandi police station) Dinesh Chandra told The Indian Express that notices were sent to Sumit Bajrangi, Rohit, Vivek, Sumit, Sunny and Rakesh Datiyana, all residents of Muzaffarnagar. “We are identifying more people involved in the campaign. The investigation is on,” he said.
According to the police, the notices, dated June 28, referenced a viral video showing the group inspecting identity and birth certificates at Pandit Jee ka Dhaba on National Highway-58. “It is to notify you that you were checking the Aadhaar card and other birth related documents of people running eateries and hotels along the National Highway-58 without informing the administration. A video of the same has surfaced on social media,” read the notice.
The statement also directed the individuals to submit a written answer for their actions within three days as to why there should not be an action taken against you, read the notice.
On June 28, a video of a man identified as Gopal, a worker at Pandit Jee Ka Dhaba, purportedly went viral on social media in which he alleged that a group of men asked him to get naked to confirm his religion. “They came and checked my Aadhaar card and then removed my pants. They were checking my religion,” Gopal is heard telling in the viral video.
However, when The Indian Express contacted the Muzaffarnagar police, to see if they had received a complaint from Gopal, the police said that he was yet to submit a written complaint.
Sumit Bajrangi, a local Shivaji Sena leader, defended the checks as part of a campaign aimed at ensuring eateries use names matching their owners’ faiths. He said they found Pandit Jee Vaishno Bhojnalaya registered under a Muslim name and demanded consistency.
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“At Pandit Dhaba, the QR code is under a Muslim name, while the hotel has a Hindu name. We have no issue with the owner, but the hotel should reflect his Muslim name. A Hindu name won’t be accepted, and Yashver Jee will protest,” Bajrangi said.
