By TCN Special Correspondent
log toot jatey haiN aik ghar bananey meiN,
tum taras nahi khatey bastiyan jalaney meiN.
These lines by famous poet Bashir Badr aptly sum up the situation at Village Asthan under Nawabganj police station in Pratapgarh district. The village witnessed large scale arson in which all 46 houses of muslim mostly weavers were burnt by an irate mob. The incident occurred on June 23, exactly 23 days after the Kosi Kalan riots in UP under the newly formed SP government.
Hundreds displaced due to the violence.
Pratapgarh violence reflects the laxity of district officials rather their connivance with the rioters. Sample this:–A dalit girl was raped and killed. Muslims were accused in the heinous crime. There was no sympathy for the accused on being Muslims. They were nabbed but not sent to jail rather kept waiting at police station. Finally the mischief mongers were given full time and liberty. After a day the body of the girl after postmortem was being taken for cremation. In a planned manner it was kept on the road and nearly 10000 mob surrounded every possible road to village Asthan. Every house was looted, gas cylinders were used for blasting the pucca houses. The people took refuge in a big house which was locked and set on fire. Even the masjid was torched. All this continued from 11 am in the morning till 6 pm and the police which had arrived did not muster courage to enter the village.
Finally at 6:30 they entered and the people were rescued. Names of some politicians incidentally of Samajwadi Party cropped up in supporting the rioters.
Muslims became easy scapegoat. Pratapgarh has two cabinet ministers Raja Ram Pandey and Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya. None of them came for rescue. The village Asthan comprises several hamlets. It has only weavers and for the first time in the history Nizam Ansari’s wife Reshma has won the Pradhan election. This has annoyed the infamous Raja Bhaiyya.
Estimates of burned property is not yet available.
What followed happens in every riot. Compensation was announced but the lives of hundreds of muslims had come to a standstill as everything in their house has been burnt. Even after a week not a single family returned to the village. They are taking shelter in a local madarsa at Barai in the Pratapgarh district.
Role of Muslim leaders in the riot can be said to be satisfactory. Imam Bukhari arrived in Lucknow and held parleys with Mulayam Singh Yadav and CM Akhilesh Yadav. He is expected any day again. Bukhari termed it as a Congress conspiracy but atleast demanded proper compensation.
Delegation of Jamiat Ulema, Pasmanda Muslim Samaj and other Muslim groups also visited the affected village and showed solidarity. The result of these visits was that CM Akhilesh Yadav has to dispatch his three minister Parasnath Yadav, Awdesh Prasad, Narendra Verma and MLAs Gayatri Prajapati and Ramlal Akela besides Maharashtra MLA Abu Asim Azmi who arrived in the village with a cavalcade of 50 cars. Muslims from adjoining village too arrived and poured their heart out. Finally a delegation of 15 affected people met the CM Akhilesh Yadav.
Most of their demands were met as compensation of Rs 2 lakhs which has now been raised to Rs 3.50 lakhs, fire arms licenses, a government school in the village etc.
Fire brand leader Azam Khan too intervened and held detailed talks with affected leaders. He also announced that government will built pucca one room houses for every family.