Gopalgarh riot: Findings of Rajasthan Muslim Forum

By TCN News,

Jaipur: A nine-member high level delegation of Rajasthan Muslim Forum, an umbrella body of state Muslim organizations, has visited violence-hit Gopalgarh and adjoining villages in Bharatpur district to find out the truth of the September 14 violence that left 9 Meo Muslims dead and about two dozens wounded.


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The Gopalgarh violence was the latest in the series of communal clashes in last couple of years in Rajasthan despite the fact that Congress party is now ruling the state after defeating Bharatiya Janata Party in Assembly polls in 2008. Under the current regime of Congress chief minister Ashok Gehlot communal riots have taken place in Balesar (Jodhpur), Sarada (Udaipur), Manoharthana, Semlihat and Maheshpur (Jhalawad), Surwal (Sawai Madhopur), Sakhad (Ajmer), Modak and other places (Kota).



Rajasthan Muslim Forum leaders releasing there fact finding report on Gopalgarh riot in Jaipur on 21st Sep, 2011

The 9-member team of Rajasthan Muslim Forum visited Gopalgarh under the leadership of its convenor Qari Moinuddin. The delegation had Er. Mohammad Saleem, national secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Adv. Paekar Farooque, Rajasthan president of APCR (Association for Protection of Civil Rights), Mohammad Shaukat Qureshi, secretary of Muslim Musafir Khana, Er. Khurshid Hussain, state president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Abdul Hameed Gaud of Sheikh Banjara Samaj, Forum members Sharfuddin Ansari and Muhammad Nazimuddin and social activist Alam Khan.

During a curfew relaxation period earlier this week, the team visited Andhwadi village near Gopalgarh village in Bharatpur and met riot victims of 10 villages and got information from eyewitnesses. The team then visited Gopalgarh village and also its mosque where most of the killings took place. The team also visited the police station to get version of the police. The team also visited Eidgah and Qabrastan where police and rioters had killed people and put them on fire.

Findings:

*The fact-finding team inspected the places of Eidgah, Masjid and Qabrastan where during the violence police and rioters had killed and burnt people. The team found that despite attempts to remove evidences, the Masjid still had blood spots and signs of people being dragged on its floor. There were 45 bullet marks on the walls of the mosque. The fan was broken and other items scattered. At one place a copy of Holy Quran was lying open with blood spots on its pages, a sign that a person was attacked while he was reading Quran and others when they were offering prayers. On the roof of the mosque there were blood spots and signs of dead bodies being dragged to the fence, an indication that after killing, people were thrown out of the mosque. Near the Eidgah and in front of the mosque, there were marks of people being burnt at 3-4 places.

*It is difficult to say with certainty as to how many people were killed in the violence but nine deaths have been confirmed so far and all of them were Muslims. So far 25 injured people have been admitted at hospital and 21 of them are Muslims. This clearly shows that police and rioters jointly attacked the Muslim community.

*Police themselves have admitted that they fired 219 rounds of bullets. This incident has revived the memory of the killings of Jalianwala Bagh.

*Police and administration did not take any effective step to control the situation on September 13 even though there was tension in the air. On September 14 when the two parties (Meos and Gujjars) were making efforts for a compromise and there was no clash despite crowd and tension, then on the basis of rumors and the pressure of 40-50 members of communal groups like RSS and VHP who had come from Bharatpur and were present in the Gopalgarh police station at the time of violence, DM Krishna Kunal ordered firing. This shows the administration was already plagued with communal mindset and had made up mind to take action against the Muslims. This was the reason why the police opened fire on Muslims alone. We have learned that the police did not use tear gas or lathi-charge before the firing. We have come to this conclusion that the incident was not the result of any communal dispute rather a direct attack by police and rioters on Muslims.

*Local people have told us that out of 20 policemen posted at the police station, 8 were from Gujjar community and one of them had opened the door of malkhana (store room for weapons) from where police and other members of the Gujjar community took out weapons.

*We have also learned that since the incident many people from several neighboring villages are missing. A list of some of them has been given to the administration. Therefore, we are of the view that the number of dead is much higher.

Demands

*The state government is responsible for law and order and safety of life and properties of the people in the state. From this violence and other communal clashes in recent past, it is evident that the state government has completely failed in maintaining law and order and giving justice to the people. So taking responsibility for these incidents, the chief minister and home minister should immediately resign from their posts.

*DM, SP, ASP, SHO, CO and other guilty police officers should be immediately suspended and criminal cases should be lodged against them.

*Effective steps should be taken to find out the missing people after ascertaining their actual number.

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