By Lateef Mohd Khan,
A fact finding team consists of Prof.Rehana Sultana, Lateef Mohd Khan, Advocate Lio Augustine, E.Giri Yadav, Advocate Yahiya Khan visited the Bhainsa and Vatoli of Adilabad district, Indian state of Andhraprades.on 19th of October 2008 and met family members of the victims, the village elders, and the local social activists and police officials to find out the facts of the incidents. The team visited the house of the victims where six members of three families were burnt alive. The team spoke to the neighbours, and police authorities. The incident of the Bhainsa can be looked at from three angles. First political, second is religious, and the third is the Hindutva angle.
Vatoli is a small village is 10 kms far from Bhainsa, inhabited by less than a thousand people . In whole village there are only two Muslim families. Almost all the houses are built of mud tiles. The occupation of the people is agriculture. Politically, there are two groups in the village. One is Narayan Rao Patil group, who is the sitting MLA of Madhole constituency, supported by the Congress party, but the followers of this group are of BJP and Bajrang Dal. Second group is of people supporting CPI (ML) New Democracy. This village is on the border of Maharashtra state, which is influenced by Hindutva forces. The Hindu Vahini(a Hindutva group), is organizing training camps in different parts of Adilabad district and is spreading hatred among the people through distributing cassettes in all parts of the districts. Mahboob Khan, the victim was residing in this village for the last 23 years. His family consists of his wife, two sons and two daughters. The elder son, Imran Khan is a science graduate and was preparing for ICET; second son, Anwar Khan is in armed forces working in Tibetan Border Force. Daughters names are Rizwana Begum and Khatija Khanam, both married, husbands are well settled. Mahboob Khan’s family was not only well aware politically, but also a practical Muslim and maintained his Muslim identity. Mahboob Khan maintained a Kirana shop at his house and also did tailoring work. In fact, his was a well settled family and lead a respected life in the village of Vatoli.
On Friday afternoon 10th October, Dussera procession was moving and while passing in front of the Masjid, the people participating in the procession were totally in a drunken state and started making vulgar remarks and showing dirty signs towards the Muslim group, which gave the meaning of misbehavior towards the the Muslim women. Because of this, the violence broke out, stone pelting started. Four constables and an SI were present when the violence broke out. The police authorities failed to control the procession and the violence. Because of which two Muslims and a Hindu lost their lives in the violence. The public property was damaged in large number. According to the eye witnesses, the two persons died in police firing and one person died in stone pelting. Due to this violence, the tension spread to the three districts namely Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar. The people living in the remote areas were in great fear and terror. The minimum resistance from the Muslims of Bhainsa was not tolerated by the Hindutva forces. Therefore they started targeting the Muslims of the village.
Masjid at Bhainsa
In the continuation of this violence, on 11th October 2008, the youth of Hindu Vahini group, who were sympathizers of the local MLA, played bhajans and keertans in loud speakers, in the name of celebrating death anniversary of a youth. In this function, high quality of wine and food was served. This function took place in the back side of the Mahboob Khan’s house which is an open ground. One of the respected and elder person of the village said that this type of function was never celebrated in the village. He also said that the house was burnt by these youths who were in a drunken state. When the reason was asked as to why all this happened, one of the people said that they wanted to maintain their Hindutva ideology through violence.
On questioning further another person of the village said that the doors were locked from outside and they entered the house through removing mud tiles from the roof top and women, men and the children were murdered and burnt. They possessed petrol in large amount, and the petrol was bought from the petrol pump of Kollur village, near Nirmal.
According to the reliable sources of the village, all the shameful acts were done with the Muslim family. The people of the village alleged that the women were misbehaved, the bodies amputated, then they were murdered and the bodies were put one above the other and all the pillows, bed sheets, and other clothes were put on them and burnt by pouring petrol. When the village people were asked as to why they did not go to help the victims, they said that due to the loud voice of the bhajans and keertans, the cries of the victims was covered up by the loud speakers. This house is not isolated, there are other houses attached to this house, and it is very unfortunate that nobody came to the rescue of this house. The people of the village came to know only after the arrival of the fire engine.
Even the CPI (ML) new democracy people failed to fulfill their responsibility to rescue the family. When our team visited the village, not a single youth was present except all the elder people. All the youths ran away. This clearly indicates the involvement of the youths of the village in the incident.
When the son and son-in-law of the family came to know of the incident, they rushed to the village and the police said nobody is inside the house but the family member insisted that all were present in the house. Both of them entered the house and searched the debris, where in the son-in-law found his own son’s head in his hand. Then in the process of clearing the debris, all the bodies were seen one above the other.
When this brutal incident was highlighted, the police and the government declared that this incident happened due to shot-circuit and raised many doubts on this particular family. When the pressure was built up by the different sources, and the demand for the CBI enquiry was raised, the police and the government took back their statements and declared the incident as homicide. DGP himself declared that this was an act of communalism as the fall out of Bhainsa, and the forces behind are Hindu Vahini.
As soon as CBI investigation is ordered by the govt it should be immediately implemented because the police is changing its statements continuously. It is trying to make the case week and evidences are also being destroyed this clearly means that the police is trying to hide the facts and the culprits, which may be because of the nexus with the Hindutva forces and political pressure. when the same incident took place in khirlanji, prime minister himself intervened and ordered CBI enquiry, becase of immediate action by CBI the culprits are behind the bar, so why not similar quick action be taken place now?
This committee comes to the conclusion that under the Congress regime the Hindutva forces are strengthening themselves which shows clear soft corner of Congress for the Hindutva and the police are totally numb on Hindutva terrorism. The committee also comes to conclusion that under the Congress regime the minorities’ life and liberty is on high risk, and the Muslims are living in fear and terror in remote areas of Andhra Pradesh. We also believe that the ban on this organization is not the solution; instead Hindutva propaganda should be stopped and training camps closed. There should be a high level committee consisting of retired judges, prominent lawyers, human rights activists, social activists to check the activities of such organization and also these kinds of atrocities on minorities. This committee also observes that now a days the police officers who are performing the duties are highly influenced by the Hindutva forces or previously they were the workers of these organizations during their students life because of which they are completely ignoring the and maintaining silence and giving free hand to Hindutva forces. The secular training should be provided to the police force.
We believe that this Muslim’s carnage is a blot on the communist face because it happened at the place of its strong hold.
Demands:
1. The atrocities on the minorities should be immediately stopped.
2. The special act similar to the SC/ST Atrocities (prevention) Act should be immediately formed for the minorities.
3. CBI investigation should be immediately implemented to punish the culprit as happened in the case of Dalit massacre at khairlange.
4. Free and fair investigation should be done and strict action should be taken by the police, without the interference of the political influence because there is a suspicious role of present MLA and vice-sarpanch supported by the congress.
5. The Hindutva groups such as Hindu Vahini, Bajrang Dal and VHP which are spreading all over the Andhra Pradesh should be immediately stopped.
6.Close the Hindutva training camps situated in the various villages of Andhra Pradesh and even in Hyderabad city, because these Hindutva training camps are the root cause for the violence and massacre, which are working for the repetition of Gujarat Genocide, to gain the power and implement the Hindutva agenda.
Note:-The deceased family member strongly feels that the Telugu and English media is not fair enough in reporting the incident and not given importance as it deserve.
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Lateef Mohd Khan is the General Secretary of Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee, India.
CLMCI
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