Saffron flags introduce religious divide at Vijayanagar market

Entering the Vijayanagar market lane, it is clear which shopkeeper or street vendor is from Hindu community due to a large number of saffron flags tethered to shops and makeshift tents of street vendors.

Shops and carts of vendors from other communities - prominently Muslims - bear no such symbols.

The development over the past few days to segregate shops along communal lines has unnerved vendors from the Muslim community who blame right-wing organisations for the recent divide in the market. Though the Vijayanagar police station is along the market road, officials say that they weren't aware of flags being tethered by any groups.

Meanwhile, street vendors associations have alleged that the vendors are being forced to keep the flags from the last four days despite their unwillingness as various communities have been trading together in the market for years. A complaint was also filed in connection with the same.

A Facebook post by one ML Shivakummar Gowda (sic) on May 19 said that the flags were put up Vijayanagar Kshemabhivruddi Sangha to "face the ills spawned by people of other faiths in the society." Since several flags were removed by vendors, Gowda in a Facebook live video on Monday evening revealed several youth tethering flags in front of shops. "Flags tied to all Hindu shops were intentionally removed by miscreants. Today, we put them again," he said.

According to Rizwan (name changed), a street vendor, flags started coming up over Hindu shops over the last three or four days. "Though it was restricted to a few shops initially, yesterday night they seemed to have identified all shops from Hindu community in the stretch and fastened the flags," he said.
Another vendor, under the condition of anonymity, added that such scenes were intimidating considering the riots in New Delhi earlier this year. "We have seen images of such flags in front of shops and houses of Hindu community before the violence erupted," he added.

Several vendors of Hindu community while refusing to comment, point towards the proprietor of a showroom selling imitation jewellery for the flags. "We don't know why the flags are here. You go ask him?" said staff at Bhuvaneshwari stores - one of the shops shown in a viral video on the episode.

When this correspondent visited the imitation jewellery store, the proprietor refused to share his name and dismissed claims of his role in the issue.

Vijayanagar police said that vendors had tied the flags 'voluntarily' and have no information of any groups behind the display. One of the first viral videos of flags being tethered to Hindu shops was shot less than 20 metres beside the police station. "We don't know whether any organisations are behind it. Vendors are keeping the flags voluntarily," MM Bharath, Inspector of the station, told DH.

Vinay Sreenivas, of Bengaluru Jilla Beedi Vyaparigala Sangatanegala Okkoota - a union of street vendors, said that though street vendors were against this, they were being intimidated. "Some even removed the flags, which were put up again," he said.