Asghar Ali Engineer
(Secular Perspective September 1-15, 2010)
I have before me the PUCL (People’s Union for Civil Liberties) Report on Communal violence in Sarada Village, Udaipur after a murder of a Meena tribal which was purely of a criminal nature. The PUCL team consisted of senior advocate Ramesh Nandwana, Vinita Srivastav, a lawyer, Arun Vyas, Shyam Lal Dogra, Shri Ram Arya, Hemlata, Rajesh Singh and Rashid. Sarada village had witnessed communal incidents a couple of years ago also.
According to the Report, on 2nd July, one Shehzad Khan and two of his associates murdered Mohan Meena, who was dealing with illegal alcoholic substances during a fight while drinking the said substance. Subsequent to this the Adivasis began setting Muslim shops on fire from 3rd to 5th July. These Muslims had nothing to do with the murder. And on 18th July Amrut Lal Meena, a local BJP leader from and resident of Boripal and others of his colleagues said that their major goal was destruction of Muslim families.
On 14th July, SDM and Dy. SP held a meeting with both sides and discussed the problem. The Adivasis who were all members of Bajrang Dal and members of Hindutva groups, according to PUCL Report, stated that the goal of (destruction of Muslims) could be abandoned only if all the three accused in the murder of Mohanlal Meena are ostracized by Muslims and it be declared in newspapers. Though such a demand had no legality and law had to take its course to get the guilty punished, Muslims, in the interest of peace accepted the demand and ostracized the three accused and notified the Tehsildar of Sarada and published in Dainik Bhaskar, a daily from Udaipur.
However, PUCL Report says, the Adivasi leaders, instigated by Hindutva organizations, went back on their word and on 18th July began to distribute pamphlets for ‘continuation of their war against Muslim families.’ PUCL also gathered enough evidence that between 18th and 24th July weapons were distributed to Adivasis in the area by different associations. On the night of 24th July 2010, in villages of Pal Sarada, Pal Saipur etc., Dhanraj Meena, a retired teacher, Kalu Shankar Meena, Assistant Secretary to Panchayat and others, some of them teachers, distributed arms.
The Muslims of Sarada came to know of the meeting and distribution of arms and informed the higher officials and local leaders (police and district administration also must have been aware of all this) and requested for increase in security forces. Then Adivasis gathered on 25th at 4 p.m. near a student hostel, were instigated and began attacking Muslim shops and houses, one of which was of retired principal Ahmed Husain who was also injured in stone pelting. The rumour was spread that a Muslim fired which, however, was later found to be by police.
Though Adivasis were beating drums and gathering and instigating fellow Adivasis to attack Muslims but authorities did nothing. The Advasis kept attacking Muslim colonies. The police fearing for ‘Muslim safety’ brought them to police station. In their absence Adivasis looted their houses and set afire, in all 70 in number. What is shocking is that not only district administration was aware of all this and yet did not take any step but more shocking, according to the PUCL Report is that all this happened in the very presence of DM, SP and other senior officers. While Adivasis were burning and looting Muslim houses these highest district officials were watching in silence and all this happened right in their presence.
What is more shocking is that no action has so far been taken by Home Minister or Chief Minister. At my request a high level delegation of Muslims led by Prof. Mohammad Hasan, Prof. Salim Engineer and others along with two victims of the riot met CM and requested him to suspend these district officers in whose presence 70 Muslim houses were looted and burnt, CM said he will ask district commissioner to hold an inquiry.
There is Congress Government in Rajasthan and Muslims had massively voted for the Congress as they had seen communalization of Rajasthan during the BJP rule and post-Gujarat the Congress Government is drafting the much awaited communal violence bill to prevent Gujarat like incidents in future. Also, along with district officials one Congress MLA, herself a Meena, was also present at the scene of this mayhem.
Is really Congress Government serious about preventing communal incidents in Rajasthan and other states? The way district officials behaved and remained mute spectators to such major incident raises several questions. Was Chief Minister aware of this whole incident? If not why concerned officers failed to inform him? Or if he was aware why no action was taken? It may have happened in a smaller place yet the incident was of grave proportions.
How the police behaviour in a Congress ruled state different from what happened in Gujarat where too police was actively involved in helping the rioters. The only difference perhaps is that in Gujarat even things happened with Government’s tacit approval. In Rajasthan of course this was not the case but the CM should have been more alert and determined to act against guilty officials.
I need not stress here that if government does not want, no riot or major communal incident can take place. Bihar and West Bengal are the best examples. When Lalu Prasad came to power with the help of Muslim and Yadav votes he prevented communal riots effectively by simply warning the police that if effective steps were not taken to control communal violence within 24 hours, they will be suspended. He also warned Yadavs, if they want power they should refrain from indulging in communal clashes.
Bihar thereafter never witnessed major communal violence in last 15 years during the Lalu regime and similarly Nitish Kumar, in order to wean Muslim votes from Lalu saw to it no riot takes place and by and large during his regime too, Bihar remained riot-free, Not only that, in order to attract Muslim votes, Nitish also saw to it that the culprits of Bhagalpur riots get punished which Lalu did not as most of them were Yadavs.
Similarly, West Bengal too was a communal tinder box and when the Left Front came to power it issued a circular that any police office who fails to control outbreak of communal violence in 24 hours will stand suspended and throughout 25 years of Left Front Government no major outbreak of communal violence took place except once in Murshidabad which was controlled in time.
Thus it would be seen that much depends on the will of the Government. It is regrettable that prompt action is not forthcoming against the guilty officials of Udaipur district in whose presence Muslim houses were burnt and looted. Rajasthan was ruled by the BJP for two terms and as a result bureaucracy and police have been communalized. During BJP rule in non-IAS and non-IPS cadre recruited through state cadre are mostly from RSS background including school and college teachers.
This plays havoc with state administration and also, RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal like BJP front organizations spread very fast and acquire new strength. RSS, as all of us know, has been very active in tribal areas and it is not for nothing that those who attacked Muslim houses and looted are all from Hindutva background as highlighted by the PUCL Report.
The CM who has secular image should be quite aware of these facts and should send right signals to all his district officials that communal behaviour will not be tolerated. As the Congress has come to power after with secular image after several years of BJP misrule it should take vigorous steps to de-communalise the state administration. Yet, one does not see such vigour.
I am told that Muslims in Jaipur have decided to boycott CM’s Iftar party unless prompt action is taken against the guilty officials in Sarada Tehsil. In fact they have decided to boycott Iftar party by any Congressman. This is right decision. Muslim intelligentsia should play more vigorous role in maintaining communal harmony and peace and compel the government to take prompt action against guilty officials.
The CM should cleanse, at least, sensitive districts of communal officials and watch their performance and also offer incentives to secular and proactive officials who promote communal harmony and peace. If the DM and SP are suspended immediately pending inquiry it will send right signals to other officers and failure to do that will encourage officers with communal background and would render Rajasthan another Gujarat. That is precisely what the BJP wants. It has already created communal infra-structure during its two terms before.
Even now it is not too late for the CM to act to salvage his image and to boost the secular image of the Congress. Unfortunately Congress, my forty years of engagement with communal forces have shown, has not been strong in its commitment to secular action as in words. It is high time it shows its commitment in action as well. Mandal parties like Janta Dal, RJD and others have shown commitment in both.
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Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
