Dehradun shopkeeper harassed over 'Jai Shri Ram' posters, FIR filed against the leader of the mob

A Muslim shopkeeper in Dehradun was harassed and hounded by a mob for having “Jai Shri Ram” posters in his shop, a video of which had gone viral on social media. The police have now registered a case against some members of the group, along with their leader Radha Dhoni for promoting enmity between different communities.

Following a complaint filed by Ashish Aswal, the Dehradun Police has lodged an FIR against Radha Dhoni, the leader of the Hindu group, and several others. The charges include Sections 153A (incitement of hatred between different groups), 295A (committing deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings), and Section 502 (making statements leading to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

As per the filed complaint, Rakesh Borai, a Hindu individual, is the owner of a shop named Aman General Store on ISBT Haridwar Road. Borai had leased out his shop to Girish, a resident of Raipur in Dehradun. Girish, in turn, appointed Shahnavaz from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, to oversee the operations of the store. When the agreement was signed, Borai told Girish, the tenant, to make no modifications to his shop's identity, or structure, and asked him not to remove any items from his space.

On January 9th, Radha Dhoni and a group of others visited the shop, raising objections to the shop's name and posters associated with Jai Shri Ram, citing concerns about religious sentiments being offended. During this visit, Radha Dhoni along with her associates visibly gave threats to the Muslim man, asked him to become a Hindu if he was to keep such posters and took it upon herself to forcibly remove the poster, exclaiming that she does not care if a case is filed against her. According to her, as heard in the video, she along with the group was trying to "protect" her gods and goddesses. The entire incident was captured on video and has since gained traction, circulating widely on social media platforms. The mob can be seen moving further inside the shop and finding a small, unused shrine, whereafter the video abruptly ends.