Muslim youth arrested for ‘selling eggs’ in Indian city

A Muslim youth has been arrested for selling eggs at Haridwar’s Har Ki Pauri ghat on the banks of river Ganga, considered sacred by Hindus. The young vendor has been charged with hurting Hindu religious sentiments.

The sale of meat, fish and eggs is banned in Haridwar. In 2004, the Supreme Court upheld the Uttarakhand government’s move to make Hindu holy towns Haridwar, Rishikesh and Muni Ki Reti free from non-vegetarian food.

A national human rights activist expressed his concerns, saying, “Since when has it become a crime to sell eggs in India? The BJP-led Uttarakhand state police arrested a Muslim vendor with 5 cartons of eggs in Haridwar. No right-thinking citizen expects any action from India NHRC as the poor vendor is Muslim.”