Irfan Engineer
(Secular Perspective Feb. 16-28, 2015)
Gujarat
Gujarat witnessed 59 communal incidents in which 8 people died and 372 were injured. After the victory of Narendra Modi from Vadodara in General elections in May, provocative statements were being made without the state taking any action on them. Vadodara was to undergo another election as Narendra Modi resigned from that constituency and retained Varanasi. The communal pot had to be kept boiling to win parliamentary by elections with large margin. In September, VHP leaders were stating that Muslim were not welcome in Garba religious events attributing motives of love jihad which meant enticing Hindu girls. Bharuch Dist. president of VHP Viral Desai announced that garba dance would be performed at holy place of Muslims (Gaikwad, 2014). “Between May and July, at least 10 incidents of communal riots in three months from took place in Vadodara. Incidents of vehicle collisions, arguments at food stalls (lari) etc, became reasons for clashes between mobs of Hindu and Muslim communities. However, these skirmishes remained localised, and lasted for a few hours at the most, and did not escalate in magnitude to warrant police action. But they did fuel a momentum that aggravated communal tensions in the sensitive areas up to the by-election that took place on 13 September 2014.” (People’s Union for Civil Liberties, 2014)
Repeated and unsubstantiated allegations of cow slaughter by Muslims by VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders created ill-will against the community members. VHP led protests in Dariapur, another communally sensitive area in Ahmedabad city. The residents of riot affected alleged nexus between the VHP leaders and the police which triggered violence. Policemen would often tip off the VHP affiliated “gau rakhshaks” leading to arbitrary and illegal actions on false allegations. VHP and the policemen raided Muslim dominated Dabhel village in Navsari Dist. and detained residents on charge of selling beef. The police fired injuring two residents which resulted in stone pelting in which three policemen were injured. Ahmedabad city alone had 62 such “gau rakshak” teams, each consisting of about 4-5 members and the teams are deployed at entry points to the city and work in close coordination with police. (Express News Service, 2014).
Ahmedabad
On 25th May angry crowds set fire to several shops and vehicles and pelted stones at each other during the clashes in Ahmedabad. Police fired tear gas to break up clashes between Hindu and Muslim mobs (AFP, 2014). Four people were injured in the communal violence. The incident was triggered off when two cars owned by members of different religions crashed during marriage procession. Mobs set properties on fire damaging three shops, one mini bus and few two wheelers.
Vadodra was rocked by communal violence from 25th to 30th September. A Hindu owner of private tuition class uploaded on social morphed image desecrating Muslim holy shrine on 25th September. His Muslim students filed a complaint before the Commissioner of Police. While returning, there was a minor accident which escalated into a clash between some lawyers and the Muslim youth. Violence spread to Fatehpura and Hathikana where the tuition class was located. The building of the tuition class in Panjrigar Mohalla was ransacked and there was stone pelting by both communities in Fatehpura, Kumbarwas, Koyali falia, and Ranavas. Vehicles were torched and shops were looted (People’s Union for Civil Liberties, 2014).
On 26th September violence escalated and there were incidents of stabbing of a Muslim took place hardly 100 m away from the Mandvi gate where there was heavy police deployment. 11 were injured, 11 rounds of bullets and 50 tear gas shells were fired by the police to quell mobs (People’s Union for Civil Liberties, 2014).
Yakutpura area
Police without any cause entered the area and in Minar Masjid falia, Patel falia 1 and Patel falia 2 in Yakutpura and smashed every vehicle parked in the area. About 70 vehicles were damaged and window panes and doors of many houses broken. They beat some women with lathis and were very abusive. They pulled dupattas and almost choked one woman. Even children were not spared. They beat up a 15 year old boy and even animals in their frenzy. Police burst 20 to 25 tear gas shell and carried out 5 to 6 rounds of firing (People’s Union for Civil Liberties, 2014), (Gaikwad, 2014).
Police indulged in brutal actions to suppress the community that dared to file complaint against desecration of its sacred symbols. 40 to 50 young men were picked up from their homes without any evidence. Commissioner of Police accepted that the crime branch police was at fault in attacking the citizens and would take appropriate action (People’s Union for Civil Liberties, 2014).
At 2:15 am on 28th Sept, 30-35 police entered Taiwada near Sat Daragah Area in civil dress with their faces covered, armed with pipes and broke the doors and picking up 5-6 boys after beating them with pipes and rods. The residents complaint that the police broke windshields of 3 to 4 rickshaws levelled false accusation of blasting of petrol bomb to arrest the boys (People’s Union for Civil Liberties, 2014).
Somnath[1]
On 25th November 2014 violence broke out near Shiv Police Chowki at about 8.30 am. There was a dispute about a Rs.10 currency note belonging to a Muslim which was claimed by a Koli. There was heated argument. In the scuffle, the Muslim passenger was hit by a tiffin box. This injured the Muslim youth and his head and started bleeding. Elders of both the community intervened and separated those fighting. However, after about half an hour, the Kolis from Shanti Nagar reassembled and started pelting stones on Muslim neighbourhood across the highway. The bikes on the road were also burnt. In the attack by Koli youth, one fruit stall, and two refrigerators of cold drink shop owned by Suleman Kapadia were damaged. They looted the chocolates, biscuits and other eatables in the shop. Suleman Kapadia suffered a loss of about Rs. 4-5 lakhs and has no insurance. One motorbike (pulled out from house by breaking doors) and two fruit stalls and a fruit shop were damaged in the attack led by the Koli youth. Muslim youth too gathered and retaliated by pelting stones from the roof top. They burnt 8 motorbikes, damaged two fruit stalls and one fruit shop and 10 to 15 Kolis suffered minor injuries while 8-10 Muslims also were injured.
Maharashtra
In Maharashtra there were 82 incidents of communal violence in 2014 in which 12 persons were killed and 165 were injured. Maharashtra was next only to UP in communal incidents in 2014. Till October, Indian National Congress was in power and after Assembly elections, BJP formed the Govt. The incidents were relatively minor but spread out. The theatre of communal violence in Maharashtra seems to be mainly in Western Maharashtra. The year 2014 was election year in which elections for the 16th Lok Sabha as well as Maharashtra Assembly were held. There was intense political conflict for votes of Maratha caste which is nearly 50% of the population of Maharashtra (Countries and Their Cultures, n.d.) between the NDA and UPA and within UPA between Congress and NCP. UPA’s social base was Marathas, Muslims and Mahars, whereas NDA succeeded in mobilizing OBCs, a section of Mahars, and was aggressively wooing Marathas. Communal ideology was essential tool in weaning Marathas away from Congress and Congress remained ineffective in countering the communal ideology as it feared it would be perceived as pro-Muslims in the process and lose the support of Hindu community. Therefore it did not take appropriate and effective legal action against Hindu nationalist organizations which encouraged them to spit venom against Muslims and indulge in low intensity violence. Shivaji, the much loved Maratha King has been largely communalised, and is exploited as a symbol by the Hindu nationalists to instigate violence against Muslims. Catholic Secular Forum found Maharashtra only next to Karnataka in attacks on Christians in 2013 (Times News Network, 2014). Social media, offensive posters and banners are used calculated to provoke violence against minorities.
On May 31 cadres of Hindu Rashtra Sena (HRS) led by one Dhananjay Desai targeted government properties such as buses, later started pelting stones, looting and burning shops and religious places of the minority community in and around Pune city. In Handewadi area of Pune, two madarasas and two mosques were attacked. They alleged that a post derogatory to Bal Thackeray and Shivaji was posted. More than 250 government buses were damaged. The post as well as the riots seemed to have been planned according to a fact finding report of National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO).[2] According to the police, the plot to attack was hatched by HRS on 1st June (Shaikh, 2014). Another mosque under construction by one Salim Memon was badly damaged. Majid e Chudeja was partly burnt and the Imam was sustained head injury. The attackers, all youths were on two wheelers shouting “Jai Bhavani” and “Jai Maharashtra” and were armed with deadly weapons such as cricket bats, iron bars and swords. Between 9 and 10 pm three such attacks took place at intervals of half an hour. About 50 to 70 armed goons participated in the attack.
Another 35 armed goons of the Hindutva outfit came on motor cycles and attacked Rose bakery, Bangalore bakery and Maharashtra bakery in Loni. All the bakeries were owned by Muslims. Rs.35,000 cash was also looted from Rose bakery. Stones were pelted on Alamgir Mosque. At the same time in Landewadi Bhonsdi the Madina Masjid was burnt using petrol and a nearby Muslim kabarsthan (graveyard) were attacked. The imam of the Masjid one injured his leg when he tried to jump out of the Masjid. Four two wheelers parked near the Masjid were also burnt. The graves and a small worshiping shed in the grave yard were ransacked. In Noor Mohalla in Bhonsdi about 40 houses were damaged by stone pelting. About 25 bikes were attacked and broken to pieces.
As police were lax in dealing with the rioters, there was a massive attack on June 2. In Kale Padel, Syed Nagar, Hadapsar main market a number of bakeries, shops and hotels were ransacked and burnt. Not only the showrooms, but also the baking machines, fridges, tempos, four wheelers and bicycles were broken to pieces and burnt. Residences of Dalit Buddhists were also attacked near Hotel Sahara. One Neela Badukombe and another Maruthi Shinde Baba, all dalits said that they are living there for nearly 50 years and this is the first time they were attacked. In Kasbapet Four Hindu nationalist cadres were injured when they clashed with Muslim youth who tried to prevent them from attacking a mosque. In this connection six Muslim youths are arrested. In the Hadapsar main market area the Nalband masjid was stoned. One fruit shop owned by Abdul Kabeer and a banana godown owned by Abdul Rafi Bagwan were burnt. In Uruli Devaichi the Jama masjid was attacked. A fridge and a water tank and some other things were broken. All these attacks took place between 9 and 11 pm. At about 9 pm Mohsin Shaikh (28), a pious young Muslim techie from Solapur was beaten to death as he was wearing a skull cap. Mohsin’s friend managed to escape with injuries. But Mohsin, the only bread winner of his middle class family succumbed to death after he was brought to a hospital. Two other Muslim youths Izaz Yusuf Bagwan and Ameer Shaik who witnessed the attack on Mohsin were also targeted but they managed to escape with injuries. A compensation amount of Rs 5,00,000 is given to Mohsin’s family by the state govt. About 20 FIR s are filed in Hadapsar, Bhonsdi, Munuva, Loni and Vagoli police stations. The investigating officer said that 23 persons were arrested for June 2 incidents. About 200 persons were arrested in all. The NCHRO found that in total 40 houses and 20 mosques were attacked, five out of the twenty mosques were burnt. 35 two wheelers and five tempos were destroyed. 29 bicycles were burnt. 10 hawking carts were broken to pieces. Seven people were injured and one person killed. The total loss suffered by Muslims as estimated by NCHRO was about Rs. 4.5 crores.
Telangana
On 14th May, the Sikh community attacked Muslim houses with canes and swords in response burning of religious flag of Sikh community in Sikh Chhawni area of Kishanbagh in Hyderabad by some unknown miscreant. This was the second time when the Sikh community attacked Muslims for the same reason – burning of their flag. Three Muslims were killed – one due to stabbing and two when the BSF fired from point blank range in an overreaction. There were no warning shots and no teargas shells. Kishanbagh is inhabited by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs and they reside peacefully.
Karnataka
In Karnataka there were 68 communal incidents in which 6 people died and 151 were injured. 12 persons were injured in communal riots in Bijapur (Karnataka), following BJP’s victory procession led by ex-Union Minister Basavannagouda Patil Yatnal on the day of Narendra Modi’s swearing in ceremony, i.e. 26th May. Many shops and roadside vendors were also attacked some following argument over smearing of vermillion on unwilling persons. Property worth Rs.1 lakh was destroyed and 15 persons were injured (Kohram.in, 2014).
Assam
The Sonbijit Faction of NDFB proved to be the most fatal armed militia which led to more than 108 deaths, most of them in indiscriminate firing on Bengali speaking Muslims and adivasis. The Union Govt. as well as the State Govt. has done pretty little to disarm and neutralize the militia.
On 2nd May, about 48 people were killed and 10 persons missing and nearly 70 out of the 72 houses in Narayanguri, Baksa were burnt down. Those who took to River Beki to save themselves were either hit by bullets or had their children drifted with the currents of the river (Rahman, 2014). Survivors of the tragedy asserted that former cadres of Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) and surrendered militants were involved in the carnage. They had been appointed as Forest Guards in BTAD. The fact that guns provided to forest officials have been used in the massacre also directs suspicion towards Khampa Borgoyary, Deputy Chief of BTC and executive member of the Forest Department of BTAD. The massacre was a planned reprisal to teach non-Bodo inhabitants a lesson for voting against the atrocious ruling administration.
The immediate provocation for the 2nd May killings came from the statement made by Bodo People’s Front (BPF) legislator and former Agricultural Minister of Assam, Pramila Rani Brahma, accusing Muslims of not voting for the BPF candidate in the 16th Lok Sabha elections. Police brutalities on the Muslims on 25th April following poll violence on the previous day at the Harbhanga polling station provided an encouraging environment. When the results were declared, Naba, alias Hira Saraniya of Sanmilita Janagosthiya Aikkyamancha (SJA) won the elections with non-Bodo votes defeating Pramila Rani Brahma by a huge margin.
On 23rd December, 78 people were killed when the cadres belonging to the Songbijit faction of NDFB fired indiscriminately, including 46 in Sonitpur, 29 in Kokrajhar (including 4 Bodos in retaliatory violence by adivasis) and three in Chirang district. Most of the victims are women and children. Those killed in the indiscriminate firing were adivasis, mostly belonging to Christian community. They were targeted as a retribution for state action against the militia.
In Manikpur and Dimapur villages in Gossaigaon area of Kokrajhar district, several houses of Bodos were set ablaze by adivasis early in the morning despite an indefinite curfew clamped in the entire district in retaliatory violence. Three adivasis were killed in police firing on protesters to take the total number of dead in Sonitpur district to 46.
References:
AFP. (2014, May 26). Mobs clash in Ahmedabad, shops and vehicles burnt. Retrieved January 1, 2015, from Hindustan Times: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mobs-clash-in-modi-heartland/article1-1223017.aspx
Countries and Their Cultures. (n.d.). Marathas. Retrieved January 3, 2015, from Countries and Their Cultures: http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Germany-to-Jamaica/Marathas.html
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[1] Somnath Riots were investigated by this author and the description is based on testimonies of various stakeholders
[2] Circulated by e-mail by the organization.
