'Don't buy from Muslim vendors' notice surfaces in Guj village

Ahmedabad, July 2

An alleged gram panchayat notification bearing the name of the Sarpanch directing shopkeepers and residents not to buy anything from Muslim vendors is doing the rounds at a village in Gujarat's Banaskantha district.

The notification says if anyone is seen buying goods from Muslim vendors, he or she would be fined Rs 5,100, and the fine amount would be used for 'Gaushalas'.

The letter dated June 30 mentions that the rule has been introduced in the aftermath of the grusome killing of a tailor in Udaipur on June 18.

The letter has a stamp on it along with the Sarpanch's 'signature'. Five members have signed the letter including, one name written in Gujarati, Patel Jethabhai.

When the Sarpanch, Patel Mafiben Virabhai, was contacted, her husband Virabhai Patel received the call and told IANS: "My wife is not a Sarpanch anymore since last November.

"I am also a member of the village administration... none of us wrote that letter. We are trying to find out who has written it, signed and put a stamp. There is no one called Patel Jethabhai in our village. Someone is trying to spoil our image."

Reacting to the notification, Congress MLA Gulabsinh Rajput from Tharad constituency in Banaskantha told IANS: "India is a democratic country and no one can issue such a 'farman'. This is misuse of power and designation."