By TwoCircles.net Special Correspondent,
Muzaffarnagar: The sudden outbreak of communal violence clashed on Wednesday evening that left three Muslim youngsters dead has once again left the delicate peace process in dire straits.
The three victims namely Afroz (20), Meherban (21) and Ajmal (22) belonged to the Muslim dominated Hussainpur village which is just a mile away from Muhammadpur-Raisingh village from which the Jat attackers hailed.
Earlier, Jats from the latter village accused a group of Muslim youths for beating up army veteran Rajinder Singh who had gone to his sugar cane field, the only patch of land separating the two villages, to water the crops. “No one had been visiting the agricultural fields for fear of each other after the wave of violence,” says Shahnawaz Khan, the elderly village chief.
“The claim that the attack on Rajinder Singh was a precursor to the latest violence is baseless. In fact, my cousins were beaten up when they visited the sugar cane field by assailants, thus violating the mutual understanding both the villages had reached over the different time slots each side would approach the field,” he asserts.
The roots of the unfortunate developments lay in what could have been a great step forward towards a Jat-Muslim reconciliation. After the initial flare of violence which occurred in the month of September killing 63 and displacing more than 50000, mostly minorities from their homes, the Muslims from Hussainpur had been trying to mend their differences with the Jat and Gujjar dominated Muhammadpur-Raisingh village. In response to their efforts the villagers of Muhammadpur Rai Singh also came forward while the whole process was endorsed by government officials of Muzaffarnagar.
But soon, cracks appeared in the Jat dominated group as they demanded withdrawal of cases as precondition for talks. A faction of the Jat dominated group which opposed the reconciliation demanded that the Muslim victims of September riots, who had fled their village and took refuge in Hussainpur, which was safe even when whole Muzaffarnagar burned, must take back a murder case registered against the person who was allegedly at the helm of killing the cousin of the village chief of Hussainpur and only then would they contemplate a possible solution. The villagers from Hussainpur refused to comply with their demands and still deny handing over the Muslims victims to them. “It infuriated the Jats and they ambushed the youths when they walked into the fields in the evening,” says Shahnawaz.
On the other side Kavita Devi, Rajinder’s wife, claims that her husband, despite being brutally attacked, was picked up the police last evening and has not returned since. She vehemently declares Shahnawaz’s statement as a fabrication.
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police, Devraj Nagar, admitted the administrative laxity in avoiding or dealing with the fresh violence. “We accept lapses on our part and will definitely take strong action,” he assured as the paramilitary force swarmed sensitive areas.
Apart from Rajinder himself, two more members of his family, Arvind and Sharnu have been detained by the police along with the 8 arrested and 15 others against whom cases have been registered in the wake of fresh bout of violence.
Meanwhile, the hopes of the riot victims of inching towards an amicable solution have further dimmed. Just when they had begun to think no more of it would come, their fears have all but simply returned.
Muslims groups have now threaetned to call a Mahapanchayat on November 7, the culprits are not brought to justice.
Meanwhile, as this report is being filed Jats group had called a Panchayat where both the Tikait brothers and other politicians appealed to the people to maintain clam till November 6, when they are planning to call a Mahapanchayat, where a former MLA suggested even calling the Muslim leaders.