MT Desk: An elderly Muslim tea seller in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras was publicly threatened, humiliated and forced to remove his shop banner after members of a Hindutva group objected to the name of his stall.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the episode took place near Roohery Bypass in the Hathras Gate police station area. A video circulating on social media shows Hindutva group members arguing with the shop owner while police officers stand by, taking no action to intervene.

The tea stall, operated by Shamsher Khan, had long been known as “Kundan Tea Stall”, with the words “Baba Shamsher” also displayed on the banner. Despite this, members of the Hindutva group Rashtriya Swabhiman Dal, led by Deepak Sharma, objected to the name, claiming it reflected a Hindu identity rather than the owner’s Muslim identity.

In the footage, Sharma is heard confronting the shopkeeper: “Abba named you Shamsher, and you will keep the shop’s name Kundan?” Shamsher Khan, the elderly shopkeeper, appeared visibly shaken in the video. The Hindutva activists accused him of hiding his identity by using a Hindu name. They demanded that the banner be removed immediately. When Shamsher Khan struggled to take down the poster, one of the Hindu men tore it down with a sharp object. Indian police personnel present at the scene did not stop the act. Instead, they were seen speaking to the Hindutva activists while instructing the person filming the video to stop recording.

A local resident who witnessed the incident said, “The old man was scared. He kept saying he had done nothing wrong. The shop has been there for years.”

Legal experts point out that there is no law restricting shop names based on religion. A lawyer in Hathras explained, “Running a shop under a chosen name is not illegal. There is no law that says a Muslim cannot use a name like Kundan.”

The word “Kundan”, commonly used in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian-influenced vocabulary, refers to refined gold and symbolizes purity. It is not exclusive to any one religion.

Community members say the incident reflects a growing pattern where Muslim traders face harassment over their names, food habits, and identity in certain areas, highlighting the rising climate of fear and intimidation.