By TCN Staff Reporter,
Patna: Tension has been gradually mounting over the issue of beef trading in Ababkarpur panchayat in Vaishali district of Bihar. On the name of Cow protection, a group of Hindus wants the Muslims of the area to stop beef trading, even though the state government has provided them with a license for the trade. Reportedly because of continued aggression by a radical Hindu group over the issue, Muslims of the area have been living in terror.
The group is led by Mahender Sharan, a self-styled saint who is also a convict and has served jail term in 1998.
This controversy in the area is around 9 months old where there have been several attempts, at times violent, by the group led by Sharan to stop beef trading even at the cost of taking law into his hand.
TCN had covered the entire story last month.
http://www.twocircles.net/2010aug02/hindu_thugs_ban_beef_terrorise_muslims_bihar_village.html
According to the local Muslims, this group led by Sharan, which has some anti social and criminal elements also, has been playing various tricks to provoke Muslims, who constitute around 50% of the total population, to bring about a communal confrontation but the Muslims claim of restraining themselves to avoid communal riot like situation.
Playing Bhajan in extreme volume 24×7
In order to make Muslims accept its demands, a group of local Hindus has reportedly been playing bhajan and Kirtan through loudspeakers in an extremely high volume 24×7 since last one month, because of which the life of the Muslims has become hell.
The Hindu group has been attributed as saying that, it will continue to make the daily life of Muslim population a hell, unless it agrees to stop trading beef.
Illegitimate demand by Hindu groups
Suhail Ahmad Abbasi, a local Muslim, told TwoCircles.net that, “the demand of Mahender Sharan group to stop beef trading, is in complete violation of the state government’s license which gives the beef traders a legitimate right to sell beef.”
He claimed that Muslims of the area haven’t been able to lead a normal life because of the continued playing of loudspeakers in an extremely high volume 24×7 since last one month.
“We haven’t been able to lead a normal life, let alone even sleep properly since last one month. It has been very difficult month for us because we were fasting the whole month but were unable to get mental piece because of the extreme sound.”
Violation of the law and agreement
Playing loudspeaker from 10 PM to 6 AM, is illegal but the group led by Sharan has got the patronage of the local administration, which doesn’t dare direct it to stop playing the loudspeakers.
Suhail, who has also represented local Muslims in various meetings with Hindus and local administration pointed out that, there were many agreements and compromises between the Hindus and Muslims of the area, mediated by the higher authorities like there was on 3rd of September, which asked the Sharan group to stop playing the loudspeakers and which also considered the beef trading as legal. Even though the Sharan group signed on the agreement but they didn’t follow it. The next morning they captured a boy who had beef with him.
It has been the norm, claimed Suhail, that before higher authorities they might relent but later they do whatever they want.
Attempts to provoke Muslims
Another local resident claimed that the because of this bhajan programme 24×7, many anti social elements come together during the night time at the temple where the loudspeakers are placed and they drink. But when they return at dawn through the Muslim locality, they verbally abuse Muslims and try to provoke them.
Possibility of riot before election
When he took up this issue with the political leaders in the ruling party in Patna, they expressed the possibility of communal riot before the assembly election next month.
Even though the higher authorities like the district magistrate of Vaishali, Minhaj Alam directed the local administration to stop the anti-social elements from stoking this entire controversy over beef trading, nothing happened because the local administration is hand in gloves with the Sharan group, claimed Suhail.