A Prelude To Malegaon Bomb Blast
By Aleem Faizee
06 October, 2006
Countercurrents.orgFew months back one morning when we woke up there was an small news in some Urdu newspapers stating that some Hindus belonging to Bajrang Dal and RSS were killed in the blast which occurred because of some explosives in their own house in Nanded.
As the matter was about to cool down when again the Urdu press reported that this was not an ordinary incident but people killed in the blast were active members of RSS and Bajrang Dal and they were actually making the bomb and because of some mistiming this blast had occurred.
Not only this, fake beard, Muslim scalp, Kurta and outfits used by Muslims along with maps and diaries containing details of the mosques were also seized by the officials at the same place.
Because of the sensitiveness of the matter Urdu press solemnly reported all these details and asked for immediate inquiry of the whole incident. Non-Urdu print and electronic media literally ignored the whole thing as if nothing had happened.
On the other side, people allegedly, at official and non-official level tried hard to cool down the whole incidents but they miserably failed in their attempts and the demand for independent inquiry gained momentum led by none other than local Muslim MLC. It was then that English media reported the whole incident and the matter came in full light with electronic media once again ignoring the whole incident.
The demand continued to grow and as if the officials and sympathizers of RSS and Bajrang Dal were afraid that their conspiracies would be exposed soon it was then that a huge arm haul was found in Malegaon and Aurngabad. Immediate arrests were made and full coverage by all sects of media for ten fifteen days. Apprehensions were made about the involvement of “some MLA or MLC” and fingers are allegedly pointed at the same MLC who was at the forefront demanding the probe of the Nanded incident.
It was alleged that the arm haul in Malegaon and Aurngabad and the consequent arrests were the attempt to cool down the Nanded incident on one side and the warning to the people who were continuously demanding the probe.
But they did not budge from their demand and one day we came to know that the police had failed an attempt to attack RSS headquarter in Nagpur by “Muslim Terrorists”. Allegedly it was also cited as an attempt to warn the whole Muslim community who were demanding the probe of the Nanded incident. This was further confirmed when Justice Kolse Patil along with several other organizations and NGOs found that the encounter in Nagpur was actually fake and it was deliberately planned to malign the already tarnished image of the whole Muslim community.
Reports also came that when some MPs tried to raise the demand for probe of the Nanded incident they had been forcibly stopped and had been told that “ you are talking of Nanded, don’t you know what happened in Malegaon and Aurngabad?”
In between attempts were continually made to incite communal violence and as a last endeavor Statue of late wife of Balasaheb Thakre was maligned in Mumbai and, as a tradition, this act was also attributed to Muslims. Not only that they miserably failed in their attempt to incite the communal tension, they backtracked from their stand of the Muslim involvement when the matter was put to discussion in the assembly and state home minister hinted at some clues about the architects of this act.
But just when it was thought that Muslim community will come clean of all these acts, Mumbai trains were targeted and around 200 people died in one of the most heinous act of terror. People in general and Muslim community all over in particular were in shock and grief not only because of this act but also because of the fear that might follow after.
In spite of this they did whatever was there in their hands to assist the victims and the injured with a spirit that can only be expected from “humane” which poor Muslims are never termed as. Muslims in Mumbai did their job well without expecting any praise or honor and “terrorists” again failed in their attempt to disrupt the communal harmony but they did succeed in putting the whole Muslim community under suspicion. The blind and indiscriminate arrests were made and it seemed that the whole Muslim community would be put on trial.
Also, the perpetrators of these terror acts did succeed in widening the gap between Hindus and Muslims that was came to light when that famous and painful SMS roamed all over India that “ Ok. Not all the Muslims are TERRORISTS but why all TERRORISTS are Muslims?”
Now people believed that all Muslims are TERRORISTS. Half the work was done but still lot of work was to be done. They have still not succeeded in inciting any major communal violence, which was necessary to gain advantage in the coming election.
It was then that Malegaon, famous for communal impatience (because this city had around 75% of Muslim population and Muslims “wherever they live they only incite violence, they do not know how to live in peace.”) had been chosen for the attack and it was shattered on Friday, September 08, 2006 in the afternoon while people had just completed their Friday prayers.
This news came at around 01:50 PM and immediately spread across the city that serial blast has occurred at Qabrastan on the eve of Shab-e-Barat where lakhs of people were expected in the night.
More than 30 people had died and the people who had injured in this drastic act could cross hundred.
The perpetrators failed again but what followed after this is the history in itself if one observes more than 100 years’ history of Malegaon.
While people of Malegaon in general and Muslims in particular must be congratulated that they defeated the perpetrator of this heinous crime in their aim of disrupting the communal harmony of this Power loom city, some section of the media and press were busy spreading the painful rumors that these are the acts done by some Muslim fundamentalist group.
All the Muslims are continually demanding with their fellow secular non-Muslim friends that impartial and independent inquiry should be made about not only Malegaon blast but all terror acts on Indian soil then why government of India is afraid of independent inquiry is a question in the minds of plenty of people.
When the fascists in India can kill Mahatma Gandhi, that too, when the saint had just completed his prayers how can they spare fellow Indians (that include Hindus and Muslims both) to achieve their goals?
Aleem Faizee is a journalist and he can be reached at [email protected]
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