Meerut: House Sale Between Hindu Family and Muslim Man Becomes UP's Newest Communal Flashpoint

New Delhi: Days after a property sale between Hindu sellers and Muslim buyer in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, local Hindu groups protested and recited the Hanuman Chalisa at the local police station. Later, they recited the Hanuman Chalisa outside the villa in the city's Thapar Nagar.

They vowed to stop what they described as a “Hindu exodus”. They demanded that the property's registration be cancelled, as well as that it be sold only to a non-Muslim if it must be sold at all.

On Sunday (November 30), tensions escalated further when meat pieces were thrown outside the nearby gurdwara by two unknown men on a scooter, which according to Sachin Sirohi, a local Hindutva leader, is the handiwork of people he described as vidharmis (a slur used against non-Hindus).

Ayush Singh, an assistant superintendent with the Meerut police's Crime Branch told PTI that the meat was discovered in an under-construction building near the gurdwara. “Preliminary findings suggest that unidentified persons deliberately threw the meat to disturb communal harmony,” he said.

Amidst growing hostility and calls for peace from the administration, Saeed suffered a cardiac arrest and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Meerut.

‘Spent all his savings’

On November 26, 40-year-old Saeed Ahmad bought Veena Kalra and her son Anubhav Kalra's villa in Meerut's Thapar Nagar, a posh colony inhabited mostly by Sikhs and Hindus. Saeed paid Kalra what the latter wanted – Rs 1.46 crore – and immediately moved in with his family despite protests from local Hindutva groups.

“He took a huge loan to buy this property. He has no enmity with anyone in our neighbourhood. This was close to his old business and so he spent all his savings to buy the property,” Shahroz, Saeed's brother, told The Wire.

Both Saeed and Anubhav's father, Naresh, worked in the same industry and had at some point been associated with the BJP, Shahroz told The Wire.

For Saeed, it was a winning deal because the Kalras were wholesale milk sellers. “He had thought”, his brother said, “that he will get Kalra's old customers since he was moving out.”

For the Kalras, it was an equally favourable situation. Having tried to sell their property for months, they finally decided to sell it to Saeed because he offered them a lucrative price, an affidavit by Anubhav and Veena says.

It says that some people objected to the sale of the property to Muslims, but that as sellers they have no objection against the identity of the buyer. “This is our private property and we will sell it to whosoever pays the asked amount and we will handover the possession to the buyer immediately.”

‘No justice for Muslims’

However, this mundane sale of property is now turning into a full-blown communal dispute and is creating an ugly law and order situation in the neighbourhood.

Shahroz said that the keys of the property were with Amit Agarwal, the local MLA, for three months as the Kalras had hoped the legislator could help them get a good deal. When he could not get the sale executed, Saeed offered Anubhav the money and got the house.

We tried contacting Agarwal, who remained unavailable for comment. “We have not filed a complaint yet, but if anything happens to my brother, then Sachin Sirohi will be responsible. This is happening because there is no sunwayi [justice] for Muslims,” Shahroz said.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.