Police in Jaipur say they have removed posters from outside half a dozen homes in Nandpuri colony that suggested residents should not rent or sell homes to Muslims. This, even as the area councillor from the BJP declared Muslim population inside the walled city must be controlled.
The posters, put up by some residents, read: “Hinduon se appeal. Sangathit raho, sangharsh karo. Muslim jihad ke khilaaf ek jut raho (An appeal to Hindus: Stay united and stand up against Muslim jihad).” The development came against the backdrop of discontent among some residents over Hindus renting or selling properties in the area to Muslims.
Hari Om, second officer at Brahmapuri police station, told The Indian Express they received information about this on February 19. “We immediately removed the posters. It is not a big issue; only six or seven homes in the colony put these up.” No case has been filed in connection with the incident.
Anita Jain, councillor of ward 22 under which Nandpuri colony is located, said she was aware of the posters and supported the message. “It is necessary to control the rise of the minority population in the walled city. They are entering Hindu-dominated areas on purpose and it is important to control this,” she said, when contacted.
One of the residents outside whose home the poster came up said on condition of anonymity, “We put the posters but then someone informed the police. We agreed to the police removing the posters. We did not want to drag out the issue…”
Another resident who lives nearby explained, “A local resident recently gave his home on rent and moved elsewhere. A rumour then spread that he has sold his home to a Muslim.”
He added that “only a few homes in the neighbourhood were creating problems”.