Muslim shopfronts torn down in Mumbai

Authorities in Mumbai tore down several Muslim-owned makeshift shopfronts after communal clashes sparked by a divisive Hindu temple opened this week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Minor clashes broke out on Sunday in parts of Mumbai, including one incident where Hindus chanting religious slogans passed through a Muslim neighbourhood on the megacity’s outskirts.

No serious injuries were reported in the melee but by Tuesday, authorities had called in excavators to knock down more than a dozen shopfronts belonging to Muslims in that locality, according to local media reports.

The following evening another 40 shopfronts were knocked down on Mohammed Ali Road, a major downtown thoroughfare and centre of local Muslim commerce that had also seen weekend clashes.

Numerous traders of all faiths often build makeshift shopfronts out of canvas and wood to shield their businesses and patrons from the city’s scorching sun and pounding monsoon rains.

“If they didn’t want these structures here, they should have informed us and we would have removed it. This is no way to take action," a trader said. 

Municipal officials told local media that the campaign was “routine” and planned before Sunday’s clashes, and that it was aimed at clearing illegal encroachments and easing pedestrian traffic.