Their homes were marked with black crosses. Now Muslims are leaving this Himalayan town in fear for their lives

As Muslims abandon their homes and jobs in a mass exodus, two idyllic Himalayan towns are in the grip of unprecedented religious tension, reports Namita Singh from Uttarakhand, India

Heavy police deployment in Purola on 15 June ahead of the planned mahapanchayat (Namita Singh/ The Independent)

When angry marchers filed past their Himalayan home, Naaz and her husband Irfan* were among the Muslims cowering in a back room, braced for violence.

Naaz sent Irfan and their children inside and readied herself to guard the front door should the mob try to barge in. When the protests had gone, they emerged to find their family business – a shop selling quilts and cushions, and one of the few Muslim properties in this corner of Uttarakhand – marked with a black “X”.

Ifran says the cross was daubed by young men during the 3 June procession, organised in the town of Barkot by a right-wing group in protest over the abduction of a local Hindu girl.