WR Desk: A group of Hindutva men threatened and forced Muslim shopkeepers selling eggs, chicken and other food items to shut their businesses in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri during the ongoing month of Sawan.

A video circulating on social media shows several men carrying sticks and confronting and threatening shopkeepers and vendors.

The men ordered businesses selling eggs, chicken and other food items to close and were seen arguing with and verbally abusing some of the shopkeepers.

Social media posts have identified the group as members of the Vishva Hindu Mahasangh Gau Raksha and described the action as being carried out in the name of cow protection. One of the men seen in the videos has been identified in the posts as Golu Chauhan, described as the district president of the Vishva Hindu Mahasangh.

The men invoked the ongoing month of Sawan while pressuring the shopkeepers to shut their establishments. The videos have since triggered criticism over the alleged targeting of Muslim-owned businesses and the conduct of private groups attempting to enforce restrictions on what shops can sell.

The claims could not be independently verified from the videos alone. It is also not immediately clear whether any formal directive had been issued by the local administration restricting the sale of eggs, chicken or other food items during Sawan.

The incident has drawn strong criticism on social media, with users questioning the alleged actions of the men seen in the videos and the response of the local administration.

Tagging the Uttar Pradesh Police and other authorities, one user on X wrote, “In a state where goons issue edicts to shut down shops and the police, instead of enforcing the law, remain silent, the problem isn’t just with the goons, it’s with the system too. If law and order can’t be managed, let go of your attachment to the chair; the public demands capable governance, not excuses.”