By TCN News,
New Delhi: They have witnessed khaki in “action”. The fear is writ large on their faces and in their heart. They are so much terrified that as soon as they hear sounds of cars and jeeps entering the village they flee to nearby fields and forests. They are apprehending arrest at any time. Reason: They had come to street after alleged desecration of the Holy Quran by police and clashed violently with the law enforcers on 6th of July.
The religious book was allegedly desecrated in the village of Bagha Mainather (Dingarpur) in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh by a raiding Police team, who entered the house of Noorjahan (13 years) on neighbor’s petty complaint, and threw a piece of Quran from her hands on the ground. As per reports, when the girl screamed villagers assembled and thrashed policemen. Later DIG and DM rushed to the spot and as the news broke out large number of Muslims from surrounding villages started gathering. Soon it turned into a pitched battle between police and Muslim villagers. DIG was injured in the melee. Police went berserk, opened fire, beaten a number of people and arrested 38, including 4 bed ridden old persons, and filed case against several hundreds.
Video of Moradabad violence eyewitness:
About a week after the incident, a delegation of Peace Party in the leadership of its General Secretary Dr MJ Khan visited the affected village on 14th of July only to find the deserted village while heavy police deployment outside it.
“I went to Moradabad on 14th July and along with several hundred party workers met the Additional DM, who after much argument gave us conditional permission for visiting village, restricting the number to five and putting one magistrate, a police team and a videographer to record every word spoken. ADM told that we were the 1st political party who is given permission. On reaching the village 10 kms from the city, we met SP, who was camping outside the village. On reaching village in a fleet of 4/5 cars, we observed that the whole village was almost deserted. One elder told that as the sounds of cars came, all men vanished to nearby fields and forest area, as police is threatening to arrest large number of persons from the village to teach them a lesson. After much assuring that we meant good, he sent some boys in different directions and slowly the villagers started gathering,” Khan said.
Peace Party delegation talked to almost 100 men and listened to their woes. “The whole village was disturbed, men have run away from homes, there is tension and fear of large scale arrests,” Khan added.
Terrified Moradabad Muslims sitting to listen to Peace Party delegation
He alleged that the sub-inspector, whose act triggered the whole trouble, remains un-punished. For the District Administration, the priority has changed from punishing the police party, which forcibly entered the girl’s house and desecrated Quran, to punishing the villagers, for injuries to the DIG.
Khan also criticized local legislators including MLA and MP (from BSP and Congress respectively) for not speaking on the issue and not visiting the affected people.