Complaints filed, posters up, jobs gone: Cops turn blind eye to Indore Muslim boycott

In Indore, the police’s response to the forced removal of Muslim workers has once again raised questions of consistency and bias. 

This, in a district where a bangle seller was jailed overnight after being assaulted on fictitious claims by right-wing men. Where a law intern was immediately booked, branded a “PFI agent” and kept behind bars for over 50 days after being interrogated by five teams. Yet when BJP MLA Malini Gaud’s son, Eklavya Singh Gaud, ordered that Muslim salesmen be removed from the Sheetla Mata Cloth Market, the police have refused to act despite at least two complaints. 

The consequences of the police inaction have been mounting, with more and more Muslim salesmen and traders losing work.

Newslaundry had detailed how Gaud claimed his diktat was needed to prevent “love jihad,” alleging Muslim salesmen could exploit customer interactions to form relationships with Hindu women, and the impact of his ultimatum on the market. 

The complaints

On September 15, several Muslim salesmen submitted a written complaint to the Indore Police Commissioner, the DCP (Zone-4), and the district collector, alleging threats and harassment. “Their organisation is threatening traders. These people are poisoning society in the name of religion…administration should take action,” read the complaint. 

No FIR was lodged. 

By September 24, when Newslaundry reported on the issue, at least 50 Muslim salesmen had already lost their jobs. Six days later, the number has risen to around 127, with 40 Muslim-rented shops also shut down. Posters across the market thanked Gaud for making the bazaar “jihadi-mukt” (free of jihadists).

On September 27, Congress leader Digvijay Singh visited Sarafa police station, demanding an FIR. This was days after a local Congress leader, Chintu Chaukase, submitted an application to the Indore police commissioner seeking action against Gaud.

On September 29, the displaced salesmen submitted another complaint to the DCP. It reiterated that Gaud had issued orders “a month before to remove Muslim salesmen and traders from the market. Following these orders, Muslim workers and traders were removed from their jobs and shops.”

Again, no FIR. That same evening, a Hindutva outfit held a rally in the bazaar, carrying banners openly calling for the boycott of Muslims.

Despite clear signs of targeted discrimination, the police remain silent.

‘No evidence’

On September 24, Indore Police Commissioner Santosh Singh said that no one had approached him and advised us to speak to the DCP (Zone-4). But when we contacted DCP Zone-4 Anand Kaladgi, his response was equally evasive.

“He (Gaud) has not made any statement openly, and there is no video evidence except what is in the media. We are working on this issue and trying to resolve it. We don’t have an official video of him giving the ultimatum, but we are addressing the matter and will provide updates.”

When Newslaundry reached out to Commissioner Singh again after the second complaint on September 29, he reiterated: “Police have not received any individual complaint from any individual who has been victimised.”

When told that the victims had also submitted a group complaint on September 15 and that more than 100 Muslim men had lost their jobs, Singh replied: “I don’t get into technicalities. Not every application comes directly to me. This issue has been brought through the media. You have asked for my version, but you can’t drag me into an argument. A political party has submitted an application, which is being examined. Our officers are doing their job. No individual or directly affected person has approached the police, so immediate action could not be taken on the complaint.”

When asked further about the incident and the objectionable posters in the market thanking Eklavya Gaud for making the bazaar “jihadi-mukt,” Singh refused to comment further and disconnected the call.

When Newslaundry questioned DCP (Zone-4) Anand Kaladgi about the September 29 complaint regarding job losses, he said: “The complaint has been received by the additional DCP and I have to look into it. For the first time we have received the complaint letter. Besides that, we have not received any complaint earlier. Also, any shop owner is free to remove any worker. It’s very difficult to prove that they have been removed on the basis of religion.”

When told that Gaud had openly issued such instructions, Kaladgi said: “He stated that long ago and has since changed his statement. He said that we will remove people of jihadi mentality. He gave it a different narrative. You can check the definition of jihadi. It’s not religious.”

When pointed out that those removed were ordinary workers, Kaladgi responded: “Shop owners are free to remove any workers. Till now, we have not received a report from any complainant that they were forcefully removed. Although I will check it.”

Asked about the allegations of bias, Kaladgi said “every police officer is neutral”. “We take action on the basis of evidence. If we get video or pictorial evidence, we will definitely take action. Otherwise, if we don’t find any evidence, we have to hold the matter. Just on the basis of a complaint, we cannot file an FIR. Under BNSS, we are entitled to conduct an investigation if we have doubts before filing the FIR.”

Madhya Pradesh’s Director General of Police, Kailash Makwana, has not responded to queries.

Families lose livelihoods

Newslaundry spoke to around a dozen Muslim men who lost their jobs, including those who submitted the complaints on September 15 and 29. All of them said the police refused to register FIRs despite being fully aware of the situation and the complaints.

Mohammad Shakir, who was removed from his job, said: “Since September 26, supporters of Gaud have been regularly making rounds in the bazaar, checking if shops have removed Muslim men from their jobs. They come with bouncers in groups of 12–13 people and keep questioning shop owners. We’ve all lost our jobs. The police know this, but they are not taking any action against Gaud or his men.”

Mazhar Shaikh, 31, who lost his job after 16 years in Sheetla Mata Bazar, said: “Gaud’s men roam the markets, issuing threats and checking whether Muslims have been removed. Around 120–150 people have already lost their jobs, and 40 shops have been shut down. We are poor people, feeding our families with these jobs. Out of fear, shop owners have now put up posters supporting Gaud. What shocks us most is that despite submitting complaints and providing evidence, the police remain silent spectators.”

Wasim Mohammad, 32, said: “The whole of Indore knows about this incident. Police could have easily taken suo motu action. We submitted a complaint at the office of the Indore Police Commissioner on September 15. Even if it hadn’t reached him directly, the ultimatum to remove Muslim men from shops became public knowledge within days. The police could have intervened and saved our jobs…I can’t put into words what I am going through. I used to earn Rs 600–700 daily and support my family, but now I have nothing. Today, I had to borrow Rs 200 from a friend just to buy flour.”

Shamsuddin Asad, 27, who had to give up his rented shop, said: “Gaud’s men are openly roaming around the market, checking whether Muslim salesmen have been removed. This is spreading from market to market, and soon Muslims everywhere could lose their jobs. The police could have handled this easily…it is a terrible experience to be thrown out of our livelihoods just because of our religion. We cannot confront these goons ourselves.”

Mohammad Anas, 26, who also lost his job, said: “We are being openly targeted because of our religion in our own country, yet no one listens.”

‘BJP doesn’t support such things’

The market association’s Hema Panjwani did not respond to requests for comment.

When Newslaundry asked Madhya Pradesh BJP president Hemant Khandelwal about the party's stand on this issue, he said, “We need to find out why such a situation has arisen there at the local level and then only I can make any comment…However, our party doesn’t support such things and this is not the party’s stand. An individual’s act or comments cannot be considered as the party’s stand.”

Ashish Agrawal, media-in-charge of the Madhya Pradesh BJP, said, “The BJP government and organisation works only according to Prime Minister Modi’s ideals of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwaas’ and not by anything else. Everything is governed by law.”

Kailash Vijayvargiya, a minister and among the most powerful leaders in Indore, refused to comment.

When Newslaundry reached out to Gaud, he directed us to one Harshit Jain, who did not respond to our calls and messages. 

Our latest Sena project tracks how elites take over public spaces in urban India, and the price that’s paid by you. Click here to contribute.