By Asghar Ali Engineer,
Riot-free India still remains a distant dream. Like every year this year too i.e. 2010 several communal riots took place though earlier months did not witness violence and it appeared 2011 may be communally less violent. But during the middle and end of the year frequent riots took place once again shaming India. However, one can, on positive side, say that riots like Mumbai riots of 1992-93 and Gujarat like riots of 2002 have not taken place. But there is reason for this. The Shiv Sena or BJP, even if they want, cannot organize riots on such major scale. It needs highly emotional and surcharged atmosphere which cannot be generated so easily. It can be generated around some major event like demolition of Babri Masjid or some such major event.
The account was opened in Umarkhedi, Yewatmahal district in Maharashtra on 13th January when some Hindu boys indulged in eve-teasing of a Muslims girl and stone throwing started on both sides and people started running leaving behind their shoes and chappals fearing major outbreak of violence. But the police officer Mr. Deokatte controlled the violence effectively and called for reinforcements from district place.
It shows that if police is impartial it can control violence effectively and second thing that on ordinary things like eve-teasing an incident becomes a communal issue instead of mere law and order issue. On such things we get divided into Hindus and Muslims. Even if cricket ball hit someone we get communally divided or some accident takes place we communalise it. It is all result of constant communal propaganda going on by communal forces and the way our education system shapes our minds.
On 7th February there arose some dispute between a Christian father and a rickshaw driver and strangely it assumed communal color between Hindus and Muslims. Some communal elements gave it a Hindu-Muslim color and entered into a Muslim mohallah and pelted stones in which 10 persons were injured and they also set several houses and shops to fire and several vehicles were also burnt. This mob did not spare even tribals in the area. Unfortunately the police played a partial role and lathicharged Muslims and Adivasis only. Muslim properties were mostly targeted.
Baroda in Gujarat, another extremely communally sensitive area, witnessed communal violence on 16th February when some mischievous elements attacked a gate erected for celebrating Eid and burnt it. Several vehicles were also burnt down. One Chamis Kahar from fisher community was arrested. Kahars and Muslims often clash in Baroda as some Kahars and some Muslims are in illegal liquor business. A major riot had taken place between Kahars led by Shiva Kahar and Muslims in 1982 in Baroda.
On Monday i.e. 2nd March some communal elements in Sewri area of Mumbai tried to tear flags and posters put up on the occasion of Prophet’s birth day and situation had become tense in the area. On 5th March after someone pushed a child the situation took a violent turn and stoning began from both sides. Some people even molested Muslim women. The police again alleged to have played partisan role and instead of taking action against the mischievous elements lathi-charged Muslims and arrested many young Muslims. According to the Police Commissioner communal color was given to these incidents and he brought about re-conciliation between the two groups.
Next incident took place in Aurangabad, another communally sensitive area of Maharashtra. It happened on 20th March when some Muslims boys and girls were returning from S.B. College after appearing for accounts paper. The Muslims girls were wearing veil and despite this some communal elements threw color on them and when they resisted they took out knives and guptis and attacked them. Four students were seriously injured
The police arrested the attackers including those who had run away from the scene and Vice Chancellor Prof. Pande of Dr.Ambedkar Marathwada University took prompt action against the administration of S.B. College who had refused to take any action against the attackers who were communally motivated.
On 6th April there were communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims in Dharavi, the Asia’s largest slum area in Mumbai which is very sensitive and had witnessed large number of deaths in communal clashes in 1992-93 and subsequently mohallah committees were formed to bring about peace in the area. On this occasion 4 persons were injured. The Peace Committee had done commendable work in Dharavi and it was after a long time that communal clashes occurred here. The Peace Committee is no more active.
Maharashtra state unfortunately is communally quite sensitive and large number of communal clashes takes place in this state every year. And in Maharashtra Mumbai and its suburbs are more sensitive. Maharashtra witnessed largest number of riots in last decade i.e. from 2001 to 2011. In all 1,192 riots took place in Maharashtra, the highest in India in which 172 persons were killed whereas in U.P. in all 1,112 communal incidents took place in which 384 persons were killed.
In Meerut communal violence broke out on 25th April, strangely enough, on a glass of cold water. It all happened in Qazipur village near Meerut on Sunday the 25th April when 3 persons from the village came to Choti Masjid and asked for water. When they were offered tap water they insisted on cold water and on being said there was no cold water the men became violent and beat up the person who offered tap water and also imam of the mosque and some children studying there. They went to police station to complain but police did not take action. Many Muslims gathered outside the police station and began stoning in which city magistrate and some police officers were injured.
The crowd now attacked shops and houses. The crowd set fire to many police chowkies also. As a precautionary measure the police had to order all government and private schools to remain closed. And all this on a glass of cold water. Meerut is also a communally sensitive area and had witnessed horrible communal violence in 1987 in which PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) had pulled out 54 innocent Muslim youth from their houses and shot them dead and threw their dead bodies in Hindon Canal.
Next incident also occurred in U.P in Moradabad. Some policemen entered into a Muslim house looking for one accused and not finding him there misbehaved with women of the house and seized Qur’an from the hands of Nurjahan, a 10 year old girl and turned the bed on which she was sitting thus throwing away Qur’an. This enraged Muslims as it implied dishonoring the Qur’an and the provoked crowd of Muslims began demanding action against the policeman concerned before dispersing.
Police kept on asking them to disperse and Muslims crowd kept on demanding action against the policemen and they also attacked the police thana and set fire to police vehicles and began stoning policemen. This of course enraged policemen and they began beating Muslims and also fired in which two Muslim men and one Hindu, an employee of petrol pump were seriously injured. Curfew was imposed. Most of the people from the village fled to nearby jungle fearing arrest and for fear of police violence.
Even a regional movement, thanks to ABVP, a BJP student wing of Osmania University. Like the Telangana movement got communalized when six Muslims of Adilabad district were burnt alive on 8th July in a village which is located on the border of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Miscreants set fire to a minority house in Watoli village, Adilabad district. Nearby Bhainsa town has a communal history and hence Government is quite alert. Among those killed in Watile village are Mehboob Khan, Noman, Arsalan, Rizwan, Safiyah Begum and two year old toddler Tuba Mahosh.
On 12th July Agra’s Mantola region saw eruption of communal violence. A truck carrying a sick goat for cure to hospital brushed against some people of the other community and argument began between the two groups belonging to different religions and soon stones flew and properties, shops, houses and vehicles began to be burnt and firing also took place. The police also had to fire. The DIG on duty escaped by a hair’s breadth in the private firing. People were firing from the roofs of their houses. The Police force had to be increased in the area including PAC. The rioting was controlled with great difficulty.
Moradabad came under bout of communal violence again on 8th August when a procession of Kavadyas (Shiv Bhagats carrying Ganges water) was not allowed to be taken out from a Muslim mohallah passing through a mosque. First the Kavadyas were confronted with the police and then they began firing on the mosque. Since Iftar time was nearing police was not ready to take any risk and Kavadyas were insisting on passing through the Muslim mohallah.
When Muslims came out for tarawih prayers Kavadyas tried to stop them and then they went berserk and began setting fire to motorcycles and other vehicles and they also set fire to police vehicles. They also stoned a mosque nearby. They also set fire to many trucks parked nearby. Also from below the bridge firing took place which happens to be a majority populated area. This shows it was well planned measure.
On 22 August in Jabalpur a town in M.P. two communities on the question of a religious procession and in no time stoning began and police had to clamp curfew in 6 police thana areas. In these clashes 1 person were injured, some quite seriously. Jabalpur also has communal history. It had witnessed first major communal violence of independent India in 1961.
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On 25th August Bahraich in U.P. witnessed outbreak of violence. Bahraich is also highly communally sensitive area. Some dispute arose between groups of two communities outside a mosque and soon it assumed violent form and both the groups started pelting stones at each other and some even resorted to firing in which one person who was seriously injured died while being taken to hospital in Lucknow. Several persons were injured in rioting.
On 25th August communal violence broke out in Titwala, in Thane district on the occasion of Janmashtami. Some Hindu miscreants attacked Muslim youth and started beating them and damaged several properties and vehicles belonging to Muslims. A Muslim delegation with pictures of violence met home minister of Maharashtra Shri R.R.Patil. These miscreants are roaming around in Muslim Mohallahs and Muslims of the area are living in fear of being attacked. The police role, the delegation alleged, was also questionable.
On 2nd September on the day of Eid communal violence erupted in Newasa in Ahmadnagar district of Maharahtra. The police, it is alleged, played highly partisan role and those Muslims who went to police station to file FIR were themselves arrested under 307 and sent to jail. This happens very often and so Muslims generally avoid even filing FIRs. Many Muslims fled Nawasa and took refuge in Ahmednagar city. In this riot in Nawasa, Muslims were attacked with knives and swords and one Zaki’s office was totally ransacked and yet police took no action. On the contrary action was taken by the police against Muslims and several of them arrested under section 307.
On 3rd September riot broke out in Ujjain, M.P. which has large Muslim population. In this riot two persons were killed and 16 injured It is said that riot broke out in Daulatganj area of old city when a shopkeeper installed Ganesh idol in his shop adjacent to a mosque. But it is not clear whether rioting broke out only for installation of idol or something happened around it. Apparently installing idol in a shop, even near a mosque, should not be cause enough for communal violence.
On 7th September communal violence broke out in Aduni Tehsil of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh in which hundreds of people were injured of which three injured people were quite serious. The cause was what happens often – music before mosque. Police had to resort to baton charge repeatedly to disperse the mob. Mob on both sides was resorting to stone pelting. This stone pelting went on for more than 4 hours and then police had to resort to firing in air. Ganesh idols were being taken for immersion in nearby Canal. This procession stopped near a mosque and went on playing music and the whole trouble erupted. Both the groups had brought stones in autos and trucks.
Next violence broke out in Nandurbar, a tribal area in Maharashtra on 8th September. This also happened when Ganesh idols were being taken for immersion two persons were killed and several were injured. The violence broke out mainly because of illegal Ganpati Mandal and Muslims allege that Inspector Ramesh Patil was mainly responsible for this violence and he played very partisan role and terrorized Muslims. Here too those Muslims whose properties were destroyed and who went to lodge FIR were arrested under section 353,32 Muslims were arrested whereas only 12 non-Muslims were arrested. And under section 302, 6 Muslims were arrested and under section 307, 12 Muslims were arrested. The Muslims of Nandurbar were so terrorized that those who had lived for years they are not prepared to go back to their houses.
On 14th September the biggest riot of the year took place in Gopalgarh, Bharatpur Rajasthan in which 11 persons were killed and nine of them by one sided police firing inside mosque. Bharatpur mainly Meo Muslims live. There was disputed land of cemetery which Hindus claimed that it was a pond of water for their cattle which Panchayat has wrongly allotted for cemetery to Muslims.
Ashok Gehlot has miserably failed in controlling communal situation in his state. In 2010 also Rajasthan witnessed two big riots in Saroda and Mangal Thana and in both these places police openly played partisan role. In Saroda, Udaipur district 30 Muslim houses were burnt in presence of District Magistrate and S.P. which was very serious offence on the part of high government officials and Gehlot did not even suspend them. I personally urged upon him to suspend these officials and large number of Muslims gave dharna outside his office but he took no action. With a result that communal minded police officials became very bold and other sensitive places too serious communal riots occurred.
When riots took place in Gopalgarh initially Gehlot dismissed it as mere land dispute but Mrs. Sonia Gandhi rebuked him and he suspended Collector and S.P. Communal situation in Rajasthan is very bad and Gehlot has mishandled it. BJP is openly using communal card to come back to power and Gehlot does nothing. Even the Congress delegation and M.P.s delegation felt Muslims were killed by one sided police firing. Muslims of Rajasthan are very angry with the C.M. Mr. Gehlot and many of them even boycotted his official functions.
Though Bharatpur as such is a communally sensitive district, Gopalgarh, a village in that district, had never known communal violence and Hindus and Muslims had lived in peace and harmony. Meo Muslims are even otherwise culturally half Hindus and many have Hindu names and observe all Hindu festivals. BJP often complains that Muslims are not part of mainstream and that is why communal prejudices remain alive. Though in a democracy, rights do not accrue and right to live cannot be conditional, in Bharatpur Muslims are very much Hinduised, even if it is a condition. And yet we see such horrible communal violence.
Another riot took place in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, a BJP ruled state. Rudrapur too had no communal history but it saw serious communal rioting. It seems in Rudrapur a deliberate attempt was made to incite communal violence. There was no spontaneous incident leading to communal violence. No one could be identified. Two attempts were made, one failed and one succeeded in inciting violence.
In first incident someone kept pages of Qur’an tied in a red cloth as if dipped in blood near a Sani temple on 28th September night. When worshippers came on the morning of 29th September they found it. It appeared as if the cloth was dipped in blood. Both Hindus and Muslims were angry but the police controlled the situation arguing with Muslims that Hindus too are angry.
But second attempt succeeded when on 2nd October, Gandhi Jayanti some pages on which Arabic letters were written tied in a green polythyne bag. The bits of paper were mixed with some kind of meat and the bag was kept near the same temple. First a crowd of 150 Muslims gathered first around 6-30 in the morning and then the crowd grew up to 800 and became violent. In this violent eruption some 38 policemen and district officials were injured. Then the Hindu mob came from the other side and now situation went totally out of control.
According to the police more than 30 civilians were injured and some 100 vehicles were torched. The Delhi-Nainital Highway was full of burnt vehicles near Rudrapur and mere steel skeletons were left. More than 100 shops were totally looted and destroyed. The FIR names in all 37 persons of whom 24 have been arrested. The situation would have been saved if the district administration and police had acted promptly on 29th September itself and arrested the miscreants. The state government therefore, replaced DM and IG police to restore peace.
This was the account of communal riots which took place during 2011 and it would be seen that all these riots took place on extremely petty issues. It can be seen that eruption of communal violence on such petty issues is possible only because due to constant communal propaganda strong prejudices prevail and there is total lack of confidence in each other. Also the police is prejudiced against Muslims and often sides with miscreants aggravating violence and thirdly poverty and unemployment makes it possible for large crowds to gather and take part in rioting.
Unless these factors are addressed it would be very difficult to ensure total communal peace in our country.