By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
Nanded (Maharashtra): The Muslims of Kalambar village in this district may not have ever imagined that they will have to demolish the mosque they built with their own hands six years ago.
According to the religious leader of the community, they were pressurized by the local Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) people to choose between their homes in the village and the mosque and were given ultimatum. The deadline was 8 am of June 24, 2008.
So, the two members of the Muslim community gathered after the Fajr (dawn) prayer on 24th of June, and demolished the mosque, which was built with asbestos and tin.
The RSS workers of the area have created so much terror and fear among the local Muslims that all the people who spoke to TwoCircles.net didn’t want their identity be disclosed fearing reprisals by the Hindutva extremists. According to sources, the local police are believed to be working in connivance with the RSS workers.
Kalambar village is twenty kilometers from the Nanded District in Maharashtra. There are only twenty five Muslim houses in the village. Most of the Muslims of the village come from the labor class.
There was no mosque in the village. They had to go nearby villages to offer prayers. So six years ago they decided to build a mosque in their own village.
It is noteworthy that there was no objection on the part of the majority community on the issue of the mosque and the graveyard which existed much earlier than the establishment of the mosque.
In fact, the members of the Muslim community had taken permission from the Sarpanch (Head) of the village who comes from the majority Hindu community.
More importantly, the village is also a stronghold of the RSS. It holds its daily shakha for its workers in the village.
Lately the RSS people started threatening the local Muslims over the issue of the mosque. Since last one month they started calling the prominent members of the community. They told them that if they want to live in the village they better do away with the mosque itself. Otherwise they will have to face dire consequences. Sometimes they said that wives and children will not be safe if they continued with the mosque. The mosque and the graveyard are on the same plot.
This series of threats and warning continued so long that, according to one of the victims, their life turned into “virtual hell.” The RSS people started harassing them for no good reason.
But how could they demolish their own holy place without any reason.
There is a plot of 45 acres which belongs to one Yusuf. The irony of the situation is that the same RSS people who had made the life of the local Muslims a virtual hell live on the land that Yusuf own. It is feared that they will occupy the land as Yusuf doesn’t have the standing to say something to these RSS people.
The tension started on June 21, 2008 when a Muslim woman died in the village. It was 10 in the night and they were about to begin Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayer). But before they could have started the prayer, a mob appeared on the scene. They did not allow the Muslims to bury her in the village graveyard.
One member of the mob said to the Muslims, “go and bury her somewhere outside the village, and not here. Our Shamshan (cremation place) is outside the village so you too must bury your members outside the village,” recalled one who was present there to offer prayer. The Muslims were few in number. One of the victims can still recall that “from their faces it was very much clear that they were not in a good mood and clearly not with good intention. They came preplanned to murder us.” It was late night, what we could have done. We had no option but to leave the place, as they were good in number and they could have murdered us, he says. So they had to go to another village and bury her.
Asked why they did not file an FIR. One of the Muslims present on the scene said that “the lady had died because she had burnt herself because of some family problems, which was a police case. And we did not want further problems from the police.”
But something more fearful was yet to come to them. After that night the RSS people gave them the ultimatum to “choose between a place in the village or the mosque.” If after 8 am on 24th of June, the mosque was found intact, they would not be responsible for whatever happens with them, RSS workers warned.
They had to choose between the peaceful practice of their religion and “peaceful” life in Kalambar. Being human they chose the latter.
After the demolition all the Muslims were gripped with fear. They did not want to talk about the incident with anybody.
When the Muslims of Nanded came to know about the incident they tried to support the Muslims of Kalambar village. But it is after much persuasion and convincing that they were ready to cooperate with them.
All the Muslim organisations of Nanded got united and constituted the “Muslim Muttahida Mahaaz” (Muslim united front) in order to fight for the cause of the Muslims of Kalambar. The Mahaz includes representatives of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and other organizations.
A delegation of the Muslim community met with local MLA of the Congress party, Pratap Rao. First of all he advised them not to spread the news in the media. In fact it is after his instruction that the Tahsildar (Sub Divisional Officer) gave them written assurance that they can surely rebuild the mosque, as it was on their own land.
So when some of the Muslims of Kalambar and Nanded went to their village on 28th of June 2008 with some “big” people, the local RSS people did not do anything but they came and verbally abused them. The “big” people included political representatives of Nanded, including Pratap Rao.
It is a positive step that the administration of Nanded came out in support of the victims of terror. But will this development make the life of the Muslims of Kalambar easier or it will create more problems ahead when the fabric of the society has turned so much communal, is any body’s guess.
Some of the victims of terror of RSS activists spoke to TwoCircle.net and said they will visit their village today to rebuild the mosque as early as possible.
The persons who spoke to this correspondent had requested not to publish it but we feel that the news of terror and fear should come in the media so that the people know the conditions of minorities in the planned “Hindu rashtra.”