By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: Though the situation of Pangaon in Latur district of Maharashtra has turned to normal and curfew has been lifted, the Muslims are still living in fear.
Pangaon on Friday night witnessed a verbal argument over a minor issue escalating into a communal clash that left four persons dead and many injured.
The efforts from the elders of both Muslims and Hindus bore fruit as normalcy prevailed Pangaon yesterday. Maulana Naushad Qasmi, who visited the village, told TwoCircles.net on phone, ‘Yesterday, representatives from both the communities held a peace meeting in Pangaon and expressed their grief over whatever had happened. They resolved not to let the same recur in future.’
A huge quantity of Soya Beans standing in the field was set afire on Monday. As per the media reports approximately 25-tonne Soya Bean of Qazi Qiyamuddin and 10 tonnes of Qazi Qaisaruddin were put on fire.
Earlier Shaikh Yaseen Quraishi, 60, was killed on Sunday allegedly by communal elements. According to his son Hasan Quraishi, Yaseen was attacked by sharp weapons on ear, head and other parts of body while he was sleeping in the land of Abdus Sattar Quraishi who had employed Yaseen as his farm laborer.
As there was no enmity between Yaseen and anyone else, some members of the majority community are suspected to have done his murder as revenge for their deceased. So far no one has been arrested in the case.
Due to the tense situation many Muslims had left their houses and still they do not gather courage to return to Pangaon. Abdul Ghaffar of Pangaon told TCN that men had started evacuating the village form Friday night and now there are few Muslim males left behind. ‘Though situation has become normal, they do not dare come back their home. There are only children and women in the village. There might be problems; therefore, some families have shifted their women and children to their relatives in other areas of Latur last night.’
There are four mosques in the village but no Muslims dared call azan on loud speaker in the last two days. It was only on Monday when Muslims called azan on mike and also offered prayer.
Naushad Qasmi told that yesterday we called azan on mike and offered Maghrib prayer after the peace meeting.
But the communal elements reportedly insist on spoiling the peaceful atmosphere in adjoining areas of Pangaon. In Govind Nagar village some vehicles were burnt.
Gopinath Munde and Vilasrao Deshmukh visited the village yesterday and asked people to maintain peace. Vilasrao Deshmukh, who resides in Latur, has assured people of Pangaon that he would ask the state government to give compensation to the victims.