Muslims forced out of business in Indore market – under pressure from BJP MLA’s son

Arbaaz Shaikh began his career 12 years ago as a sales boy at a cloth store in Sitlamata market, a popular cloth hub in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore.

He worked 10 hours every day, showing saris and lehengas to customers bustling through the narrow lane where the market is located.

In 2024, Shaikh invested all his savings to rent a tiny store in the same market and start his own business. With five workers on his payroll, he earned about Rs 50,000 every month selling fabric.

But on September 22, Shaikh was forced to vacate the shop, move his entire stock to his home and fire all his employees.

“In the last four days I have had zero business,” Shaikh said. “And my workers are unemployed.”

He is not the only one. This week, about 40 to 50 Muslim tenants in the market have had to leave their shops and 100 Muslim workers have been removed from their jobs after the son of the local Bharatiya Janata Party MLA forced a ban on them.

Scroll spoke to several businessmen who operate out of the market. They said that about a month ago, Aklavya Singh Gaur, the son of BJP MLA Malini Gaur, held a series of meetings with them and asked them...

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