Gujarat: Why Muslim-owned dhabas are crying foul over losing licence

The modest Hotel Tulsi, along the Ahmedabad-Mehsana highway, stood deserted around 6.30 pm late last week.

A few staffers sat scattered around the otherwise busy dhaba as some men belonging to the Bajrang Dal stood across the road dissuading people from dining there.

“The hotel belongs to a Muslim and hence no one should dine there. The Hindu name is just to deceive customers. We cannot trust them,” said Nitesh, a Bajrang Dal member who stood across the road from the hotel, celebrating the cancellation of the licences of 27 such eateries across Gujarat.

'Muslim owners, Hindu names'

On January 23, the state government permanently cancelled these licences. The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) also announced on the same day that buses shall not stop for meals at these eateries as they were “being run by Muslim owners, but under Hindu names”.

The GSRTC notification stated: “Citizens had noticed that some of the hotels that won the bids and signed deals with the GSRTC were using Hindu names even though they were owned by Muslims. As a result, there were demands to investigate such hotels and take appropriate action. Accordingly, GSRTC took action and cancelled the permits of 27 such hotels.”

However, state Transport Minister Harsh Sanghvi maintained that the licences were cancelled as they were found to be "dirty and unhygienic". “The step has been taken keeping in mind the safety and wellbeing of the passengers,” Sanghvi wrote on X.

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After 2 decades, suddenly 'unhygienic'

The eatery owners, however, rubbish the claims that their establishments are dirty. They have a different story to tell.

“Take a look at my hotel, feel free to check even the kitchen. You won’t find anything dirty or unhygienic," the owner of Hotel Tulsi, who was not willing to reveal his identity, told The Federal. "We take care that our food is freshly cooked and leftovers are distributed among homeless people. We have been running this eatery for more than two decades. Suddenly, we are unhygienic!”

“Yes, my eatery has a Hindu name and it has never been a secret. We do not serve non-vegetarian food. We do not even serve eggs or products containing eggs. Besides, we do not wear our religion on our sleeves. My entire staff, though Muslims, do not have beard or wear skull caps or even a kurta. I am the only one who wears skull cap, and that too only on Jumma (Friday), while sitting at the counter. Yet I have had no complaints in so many years from customers of any religion. Every day, at least 11 buses stop at my eatery. Today, none have,” he added.

Won bids multiple times

The GSRTC invites tenders every year for eateries along the highways. The state agency signs contracts with those that win the bids and marks these as meal halts.

The eatery owners who wish to submit tenders have to furnish a copy of their registration, site plan, approved construction plan, occupancy certificate (issued by municipality or panchayat), health NOC (issued by state Health Department), state police clearance certificate, NOC from electricity department, and local police licence.

“All these eateries have won the bid multiple times in the past, which is why the GSRTC buses halted at these hotels. Every year, we submit all the required documents to renew the licence or bid for the GSRTC tender process. The government always knew that these were owned by Muslims. Why is that a problem suddenly?” demanded Manjur Ali, who owns multiple eateries across Gujarat.

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VHP-Bajrang Dal’s warning

In February 2022, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal demanded that eateries along the highway across Gujarat, mostly owned by Cheliyas, a Muslim sub-community, be shut down.

VHP chief Pravin Togadiya issued a statement on X: “From today, we are issuing a warning to all bus services, asking them to not stop at these Muslim-owned dhabas. If they do, there will be violent consequences. Vigilant Hindus in Gujarat should inform us if they see any buses stopping for snack breaks at Muslim-owned dhabas on highways.”

'Profiting from Hindu names'

Following that, Bajrang Dal and VHP members had “raided” many of these hotels, created a ruckus and scared away customers.

“We have started with the Saurashtra-Surat route first. We will not allow this to continue. These Muslims are not only using Hindu names but profiting from it. In some places, they are even using Hindu religious symbols and deities. Examples are Hotel Tulsi, Hotel Satimata, Hotel Shivshakti, Hotel Shreeji, etc. This act of misrepresentation not only disrespects the Hindu community but also exploits their faith for profit,” Raju Shevale, secretary of VHP, South Gujarat, told The Federal.

“We are also filing a case for attack on Hindu religious representations and desecration of Hindu religious symbols against these hotel owners,” added Shevale.

About the Cheliyas

Cheliya Muslims are a small sub-community that have traditionally engaged in the restaurant business in western India.

“Cheliyas are a close-knit sub-community of around five lakh Shia and Aga Khani people spread across Gujarat and Maharashtra. Traditionally, they have been in the business of owing eateries, mostly in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and a handful in Andhra Pradesh. In Gujarat, Cheliyas run around 2,000 hotels and highway eateries,” Shamshad Pathan, an Ahmedabad-based advocate, told The Federal.

“In Gujarat, most Cheliya-run restaurants have names that are religiously neutral. This trend began after the 2002 riots. Although the Cheliyas were not as affected as the Sunni Muslims during the 2002 riots, some of the eateries along the Mehsana highway in north Gujarat were attacked and the waiters were burnt alive in two of them. Since then, the community has resorted to adopting names for their hotels that do not give out their religious identity. They are also very conscious about not revealing their religious identities through their attire at work. Yet, their livelihood is under attack once again,” he added.

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Continuous harassment

Mustakali Sunsara, who was on a business trip to Thane, Maharashtra, had to rush to Anand in Gujarat, his hometown, after he got a notification from the Gujarat government cancelling the licence of his 26-year-old hotel along the Anand Vadodara highway.

“In December 2022, a group of men brazenly entered my eatery and demanded that I shut it down. I couldn’t reason with them despite my best attempts. I called the police who came and removed them from the premises. But they stood just outside my eatery and shouted slogans like ‘Desh ke gaddaron ko, joote maro salo ko’ ('beat the traitors of the country with shoes') and ‘Is desh me rahna hoga to Jai Shree Ram kahna hoga’ ('If you have to live in this country, you have to chant Jai Shree Ram'). This went for hours while police stood and watched,” said Sunsara.

“Since then, it has been an unending harassment. Last month, they (Bajrang Dal members) threatened me that if I don’t shut down the hotel, my family will face the consequences. Due to all these disruptions, sales have gone down and now we get this notice,” he added.

The highway eatery owners have been jittery following the Gujarat government’s announcement. The fear in the community is palpable, said Manjur Ali. “We are meeting this week to decide our course of action ahead,” he told The Federal.