Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday vowed to initiate strict action against what he termed as "love, land, and spit jihad", for preserving the state's spiritual identity as 'Devbhoomi' (Land of Gods).
"The original form of Uttarakhand must be maintained," Dhami told reporters.
"The world sees Devbhoomi as a spiritual and religious place, and rising cases of land, love, and spit jihad will be dealt strongly. The government has instructed the administration to thoroughly investigate these issues and ensure strict measures are taken against those responsible," he added.
As the festive season approaches, the Chief Minister reassured citizens, saying, "We want people to celebrate without fear. They should not have to worry about spit jihad, and we are committed to ensuring purity in everything they consume."
Reiterating his government's stance, Dhami declared, "We will not tolerate any kind of jihad in Uttarakhand (Devbhoomi)."
A day ago, Dhami made similar pledge and called upon the educated individuals to take a stand against such immoral activities.
"Religious conversion, land encroachment, and land jihad will not be allowed in Uttarakhand. Some individuals are engaging in spit jihad, but we will not tolerate this in our state," the Chief Minister had said.
Dhami's remarks follow the arrest of two brothers, Naushad Ali and Hasan Ali, from Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, accused of spitting in a teapot before serving it to customers.
The Chief Minister also underscored his government's commitment to implementing tough but necessary reforms, citing the anti-copying and anti-riot laws.
He reaffirmed that Uttarakhand would soon implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), making it the first state to do so in Independent India.
He said that the people of Uttarakhand had given a mandate to his government for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and his government will implement it in entirety.
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