A garment shop in the Himachal Pradesh town of Nahan was vandalized by an angry mob on Wednesday, caused by a social media post allegedly depicting cow slaughter. Tension gripped the area as the situation escalated quickly with a crowd gathering outside the shop, shouting slogans demanding action.
According to reports, it all began with a social media post shared by a youth from the minority community showing pictures related to cow slaughter. This enraged several local Hindu organizations who began protests demanding the authorities take stern action against the individual. As crowds swelled with sloganeering, the mob took law into their own hands and targeted the shops owned by the minority youth.
Eyewitnesses mentioned seeing the mob break open the locks of two rented shops, throwing out merchandise and clothing onto the streets in their fury. From there, the protestors marched through main areas shouting slogans until reaching the Deputy Commissioner's office to insist on punishment. Despite policing efforts, it took over an hour to control the situation as the shutters of the shop were broken open and ransacking occurred.
Senior officials like the DC and SP later held talks with organization representatives at the site. While assuring a thorough investigation, authorities' appealed for calm and vowed appropriate action under the law. However, the groups insisted on verification of all migrant shopkeeper backgrounds and continued demonstrations if their demands were not met.
With tensions still simmering in Nahan, authorities and community leaders continue engaging to restore normalcy through addressing grievances within a lawful framework. The local trader community has also come out in support of the mob's actions so far. As investigations into the social media post are ongoing, further updates are awaited on resolving this communally-sensitive issue.
