AHMEDABAD, 15 April — For the last 20 years Abdul Muqeet was selling vegetables at Kalaribagh in Baroda. But he had to stay away, like many other Muslim vendors, from the market due to Hindu-Muslim riots in the city.

When last week he returned to the market he found his place occupied by a Hindu vendor. Like Muqeet, about 20 other Muslim vendors also found themselves thrown out of their places in Kalaribagh market in the same way. Hand-written posters on the market wall saying, “Free your market from traitors (Muslims)” greeted them at places.

Led by Muqeet Muslim vendors tried to seek help from the market committee and the local police. Both refused to interfere in the matter, leaving the poor vendors with no option other than to leave the place for ever.

“We know we have been thrown out of the market permanently. It is an organized Hindu game-plan to starve us to death or to herd us out of Gujarat,” said Muqeet.

Muqeet’s wife who worked as a maid-servant in two Hindu houses also lost her job. “Without giving any reason they just said, ‘to care for the community’s sentiments we have to employ a Hindu maid-servant now. Don’t come from tomorrow’ and settled my dues,” said Muqeet’s wife.

Muqeet and his wife’s case is not an isolated one. Thousands of Muslim men and women have been thrown out of their businesses and jobs in the same way in Gujarat.

For last three weeks the VHP’s pamphlets spitting venom against Muslims are in circulation in the state urging “patriotic” Hindus not to have any business connections with “traitors”. “Wake up! Arise! Think! Enforce! Save your country! Save your religion !…Let’s pledge: Not to buy anything from Muslim shops, not to sell anything to Muslim buyers, not to employ Muslims in your establishments, not to work at Muslim establishments... in this way we can break the backbone of the Muslim community,” the pamphlets say.

Not only the businessmen and street vendors are shocked and dismayed. Same is the case with many others irrespective of their position. Shaken and insecure many Muslims in Gujarat are requesting their employers for transfers outside the western state. In Gujarat, where violence has claimed over 900 lives since February, many have requested their government or private sector employers for outside posting on “humanitarian grounds.” The Indian Express reported yesterday.

Others mince no words, saying they feel unsafe, the report said.

Be it public sector units, railways, banks or private firms, transfer applications from Muslims are mounting, according to employee unions. Western Railway alone has received 27 applications, mostly from the two violence hit towns of Kalupur and Sabarmati. “They were all affected during the violence and by March 3, most of them left for their native places. Recently we started getting transfer requests,” Western Railway Mazdoor Sangh chief J.V. Mahurkar was quoted as saying.

Eight employees of the State Bank of India have already been shifted out and at least two more are expected soon. The Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) too has reportedly received six such requests.

There are also cases of new recruits refusing to join their jobs in Gujarat citing the continuing violence in the state.