Communal
Riots 2006
By Asghar Ali Engineer
05 January, 2007
Secular Perspective
This
is as usual our annual survey of communal riots and events during 2006.
This was comparatively an year with few riots. In fact post-Gujarat
India has witnessed fewer riots. Gujarat was indeed another watershed
like the one after post-Babri riots. It has been witnessed that after
some major riot, subsequent years witness smaller and fewer riots. Mumbai
riots after demolition of Babri Masjid by Sangh Parivar fanatics were
also very intense and widespread in 1992-93 in which more than one thousand
persons perished. After Mumbai riots there was no major riot with the
exception of Coimbatore riots (in which 40 persons were killed) until
Gujarat happened.
Gujarat was really earthshaking
both in its intensity and in its brutality and direct involvement of
state machinery. In fact nothing like Gujarat had happened in post-independence
period. Gujarat happened in 2002 and since Gujarat no major riot like
it has happened. Such major riots perhaps make even communal forces
make so nervous by exposure of media that it takes quite sometime for
them to gather courage for next major communal riot. Also, after riots
like the ones in Gujarat, 2002, it becomes difficult for communal forces
to get people's support for another one for quite some time. It is also
important to note that the next major riot does not usually occur at
the same place. For example, after Mumbai riot of 1992-93 next major
riot took place in Gujarat, not in Mumbai. Similarly earlier during
eighties many major riots took place but subsequent riot never occurred
at the same place.
So after Gujarat there has
been no major riot so far. During 2006 several small riots took place
in different places. The first riot occurred at Baroda on 17th January.
Two groups of Hindus and Muslims clashed on some petty matter in which
two persons were injured. The police and Rapid Action Force came into
action and prevented further trouble. Three persons were arrested.
On 3rd February there were
clashes between those going for Friday prayers in Kamalmaula Masjid
and Bhojshala temple for worship in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh. The Hindu
Jagran Manch, a Sangh Parivar unit has been claiming that Kamalmaula
Masjid is a Hindu temple and Dhar has become communally highly sensitive
place and clashes occur here frequently. More than 300 Muslims were
prevented from entering the sque to pray and police had to resort to
lathicharge and fire teargas shells and impose curfew. Muslims had to
pray in a temporary structure outside. Later on curfew was relaxed and
Hindus were allowed to perform puja.
Very surprisingly clashes
between Muslims and Buddhists occurred in Leh in J&K on 10th February.
The mob set ablaze a house at Horay Gonpa in protest against the alleged
desecration of Qur'an. 31 persons were arrested in clashes between Muslims
and Buddhists. The Qur'an was allegedly kept inside the mosque in Bodh
Kharboo in Kargil. Curfew had to be imposed which continued for few
days and Army had to stage flag march. Leh, in a sense, is communally
sensitive as earlier too clashes had occurred between Muslims and Buddhists.
There were clashes in Muzaffarnagar,
U.P. between communities on 17th February during demonstrations against
cartoons of the Prophet of Islam. Six persons were injured. The sentiments
were inflamed as U.P.'s minister of Haj Haji Muhammad Yaqoob announced
reward of 51 crores of rupees for anyone who brings the head of the
cartoonist. PAC was posted to control the situation. In Hyderabad, Andhra
Pradesh also clashes occurred between Muslims and Hindus in which one
shop was set on fire and 5 persons were injured on same day i.e. on
11th February in Char Minar and other areas. Hyderabad witnessed similar
disturbances again on 24th February when a religious place was desecrated
in Karwan locality. The faces of lions installed outside the religious
place were found broken. Immediately large number of people collected
and began stoning the houses of other community. Police had to resort
to lathicharge to disperse the mob.
On 3rd March Lucknow which
is not so communally sensitive witnessed communal clashes between Hindus
and Muslims in which 4 persons were killed while Muslims were staging
demonstrations against Prophet's cartoons after Friday prayers in Aminabad,
Qaiserganj, Latoosh Road when Muslims forced shopkeepers to down their
shutters. However, according to Muslim source disturbances started when
Khatiks (Hindu slaughterers) stoned Muslims protesting against Prophet's
cartoons. Then firing started from both sides in which 4 persons were
killed. Majority of those injured were Muslims. In retaliation Muslims
stoned many vehicles and damaged them and set fore to effigies of Bush.
Goa also witnessed communal
violence on 4th March when Muslims took out protest march against demolition
of a structure used for prayer by the minority community. To save the
minority community, police claimed, they were evacuated. The Congress
blamed the Hindu fundamentalists for disturbances. The Hindus stoned
the Protest march. Then the mob ransacked several establishments and
torched vehicles. Police fired in the air when someone attacked inspector
Gaad and snatched his revolver. Two persons were injured in the firing.
About 100 persons were arrested.
Bangalore saw communal violence
on 10th March when dispute started between members of two communities
in a Muslim majority area of city on the question of barking of dog.
The argument between youths of two communities and 9 persons were injured
when stoning started and one person was seriously injured in stabbing.
The police brought the situation under control.
On March 26 Baroda witnessed
communal violence once again in Fatehpura area. More than 100 persons
gathered and stoned in which 6 persons were injured. The dispute between
the two communities arose on small matter and soon engulfed the area
in violence. Of the injured four were seriously injured and had to be
hospitalised.
Aligarh flared up on the
eve of Navratri on April 6 and four persons were killed. The two communities
indulged in stoning and firing. It was alleged that Muslims removed
the decorative lighting of a temple and violence flared up. Then the
clash occurred with Muslims in Sabzi Mandi and Daiwali Gali. In fact,
some alleged that when a piyao (structure for drinking water) was sought
to be used as temple and was decorated with lights on the occasion of
Navratri, the dispute started and took violent form. Besides 4 persons
who died, 13 were injured of which 6 were in critical condition. Curfew
had to be imposed in the area of five police stations.
On April 11, on the occasion
of Prophet's birth day Khandwa was engulfed in communal violence and
in Pali in Rajasthan was also affected on this occasion. Twelve persons
were injured in stoning in Khandwa. In both the places indefinite curfew
was imposed. The police sources in Khandwa said that dispute started
when some Muslims removed a Raavi Pandal in Jalebi chowk. In Pali, 10
persons were injured when a procession of Mahavir Jayanti was stoned.
Some Muslims objected to procession being taken from Pinjara Mohalla
and trouble started.
Thana experienced communal
disturbances on 24th April. It is reported that one Muslim was unloading
wood from a truck when two Hindu youth objected. However, matter was
apparently settled but at night around 10 p.m. some Hindu youth came
with swords and attacked Muslim houses. But Bajrang Dal group leader
Prakash Ramkumar Yadav claimed that clashes started when he and his
father were attacked and injured. But Mahmood Dalvi said he received
a phone call from the area and when he reached there Ramprakash Yadav,
along with 150 others were attacking Muslim houses. They were saying
that we will make this area Gujarat. It was also alleged that when Muslim
houses were being attacked the local MLA Eknath Sinde and policemen
were silent spectators. Muslims alleged that police was arresting us
instead of mischief mongers and attackers. Muslims felt terrorised by
Bajrang Dal activists and lack of police support.
On April 25 one person was
killed in Bhivandi, a Shiv Sainik, on the question of playing cricket.
Four others were injured. It all started with a cricket ball hitting
a Hindu woman and Muslim boys refusing to stop playing cricket. They
forcibly stopped and slapped the boys. The boys threatened to return
and settle score. They, some 30 in all returned with sticks, chains
and stumps and attacked Mohan. Mohan later succumbed to his injuries.
Police arrested six boys and was looking for 20 others.
Baroda, communally highly
inflammable place since early eighties, once again was in flames on
May 1st when a three hundred year old dargah of Chishti Rashiduddin
was demolished by Vadodara Municipal Corporation which sparked riots
in which 4 persons were killed and more than 12 were injured in police
firing. Two of the dead had bullet injuries while other two were stabbed.
It was demolished as an 'illegal structure'. How can a three hundred
year old dargah be declared as illegal?
Initially there was argument
between residents of the locality but matter worsened when police intervened
leading to riots which soon spread in different parts of the city. The
police failed to disperse the mob by lathicharge and resorted to firing.
Later on one Muslim was burnt alive along with his car and when people
phoned control room police allegedly said 'Go to Pakistan'. According
to one estimate in all 6 persons died.
On intervention by Kamaluddin
Bawa, it was agreed by Muslims that a portion of Mazar could be sliced
of for road widening but when Muslims discovered that VMC plans to demolish
entire Mazar they protested. The corporators most of whom were from
BJP also maintained that when they could demolish temples why can't
VMC demolish dargah. But they forgot that temples were unauthorised
and of recent origin whereas dargah was three hundred years old and
could not be called 'illegal'. Anyway it resulted in serious communal
violence resulting in death of six persons. On 18th May dead bodies
of two children were found in decomposed state in the dicky of a car
belonging to a VHP leader. How heinous crimes these communal fanatics
can commit!
Aligarh witnessed another
bout of communal violence on 29th May when a BJP leader was murdered
and in retaliation two persons were killed. The police further extended
the curfew which was already force since last eruption of violence and
clamped it in two more areas. Thus curfew was clamped in all five police
station areas. Ahmedabad also experienced communal violence after a
scooter rider knocked down person of another community near a place
of worship. The police resorted to lathi charge and in all 30 persons
were injured both in lathicharge and stoning between persons of two
communities.
Next communal violence erupted
in Karoli, Rajastan on 16th June when at a tea stall a mentally unstable
person put cow dung on Qur'an and wrote objectionable things on it and
showed it to people. This caused provocation to Muslims who set fire
to two Hindu shops besides damaging some stalls. They then marched to
collector's office and submitted a memorandum demanding action against
the offender. Some Hindus set fire to an autorickshaw. There were some
incidents of stabbing also.
On 18th June there was incidence
of communal violence in Goda village in Pratapgarh district of U.P.
Two girls were burnt alive after the murder of a Hindu youth by some
unknown persons. As the news of Hindu youth's murder spread hundreds
of people poured in Gonda village with weapons and attacked establishment
of a Muslim community in Gonda, Baldu and Subedar villages. Over 100
houses were set ablaze in which two girls were charred to death. These
three villages border on Pratapgarh and Raebareli districts. Immediate
police reinforcements were rushed and situation was controlled. Some
100 persons were arrested.
On fourth September Raesen
town in M.P. saw eruption of communal violence. Some persons allegedly
threw pieces of beef at Jain temple. Hearing this news Hindus began
to gather in large numbers and began stoning shops belonging to Muslims
and damaging them. The police tried to disperse mob by firing teargas
shells and when crowd did not disperse it fired three rounds in the
air. Police reinforcements and rapid Action Force was brought to keep
situation under control.
Ganpati festival is another
occasion for eruption of communal violence. This year on 7th September
Rabori area of Thane, near Mumbai and Usmanabad in Marathwada saw eruption
of communal violence. In Rabori Muslims and those in the Ganpati procession
clashed and began stoning but the police was quite alert and immediately
brought the situation under control within 15 minutes.
However, it was more serious
in Usmanabad where those in the Ganpati procession began throwing gulal
(red powder) at Muslims in an inebriated state. They threw stones at
the mosque and several Muslim shops. They also began to set fire to
shops and vehicles and broke open some shops. It went on till late at
night. It began from Khwajanagar of Shams chowk and continued right
up to Samtanagar, near the place where Ganpati is submerged in water.
Police arrested 64 persons from both the communities.
Nanded is another communally
sensitive town in Marathwada region of Maharashtra. It witnessed communal
violence on 29th September when student organisation Chava took out
procession against reservation on religious grounds and passed through
a Muslim locality and began stoning a mosque and damaged stalls selling
iftar (breaking fast) eatables as it was month of Ramadan. These students
having support of Shalinitai, a Maratha leader, were carrying lathis
and other sharp weapons. They were shouting slogans against Muslims
and attacked Abidin mosque near Bank of Hyderabad and damaged stalls
selling fruits for Iftar. The vehicle belonging to Chava was full of
stones. They were also carrying and waving swords. The police remained
silent spectator and did not take any action against students. This
procession was taken out when article 144 was in force. But police Dy.S.P.
Abdurrazzaq claimed it lathicharged the processionists and arrested
30 of the Chava Organisation.
Mangalore in South Karnataka
is highly sensitive area and BJP has its stronghold here. Since the
BJP became part of ruling coalition in Karnataka, the communal situation
has deteriorated there. The police is playing partisan role and Sangh
Parivar members have become quite bold. Mangalore area has history of
communal violence. In 1998 Surathkal riots 8 persons were killed and
Muslim properties were widely damaged. This time around 2 persons were
killed in Mangalore area between October 4 and 7 but also in between
hundreds of minor skirmishes took place between Hindus and Muslims.
The communal polarisation
has been created by BJP since 1992 when Babri Masjid was demolished
and JP has reaped benefits in elections by winning 11 seats in Assembly
elections of 2004 from the region. According to T.A. Jhonson of Indian
Express "several flashpoints for communal violence have emerged
from the issue of transportation of cows in violation of a state law
to eve teasing to inter-religious relationships." Also, the minorities
complain of administration's bias since the BJP became partner in coalition.
Ironically the Mangalore district is under the charge of a BJP minister.
The rightwing Hindu youth feel that they can get away with anything.
Those in 15-25 year age group are cause of frequent violence against
Muslims and over-react on issues like cow transportation as they feel
no action will be taken against them.
However, Hamid Khan, member
of the Muslim Central Committee said that police acted swiftly after
outbreak of violence on October 4 and imposed curfew effectively, otherwise
situation would have got out of control. The BJP minister Nagaraj Shetty
also gave assurance that action will be taken against the guilty "without
politics". The Janata Dal (Secular) which allied with BJP blamed
Bajrang Dal and SIMI for violence.
On the occasion of Diwali
on 22nd October communal violence erupted in three districts of U.P.
Muzaffarnagar, Blandshahar and Ambedkarnagar. In Khalapar region of
Muzaffarnagar a firecracker was ignited and dispute started with this
between some Hindus and Muslims and violence erupted in which one person
was killed and more than three were injured. There was firing from rooftops,
which continued for half an hour resulting death of one person. Mulayamsingh
declared compensation of Rs.5 lakhs for family of Pankaj killed in the
clashes. Another person, a student of 11th class was murdered in Ambedkarnagar
and communal disturbances started in which several people were injured
including some police officers. Here many shops and houses were also
damaged.
From what has been narrated
above it can be seen that several small riots take place on small matters
like playing cricket or lighting a cracker or someone being knocked
down by a scooterist and so on. Why does it assume communal colour?
The obvious reason is that communal forces indulge in communal propaganda
and poison the minds of people and this continues throughout the year
without any respite. This helps create communal mindset and even personal
disputes between Hindus and Muslims then acquire communal colour and
becomes cause of communal violence.
Communal propaganda going
on unceasingly becomes greatest obstacle in smooth relationship between
two major communities of India. Unfortunately the governments even in
the Congress ruled states does not contemplate any action against such
propaganda though there are laws prohibiting such propaganda creating
ill will between communities. Not only this there is pronounced bias
in text books taught in government as well as private schools from primary
to secondary levels. These text-books also help create polarisation
in our country. Education has thus become part of the problem instead
of part of the solution.
One more thing which we observe
from description of riots above that these incidents sparking communal
violence do not assume major proportions only because political parties
do not perceive any political benefit in spreading communal violence
and police curbs violence by taking effective action. However, if politicians
perceive any direct benefit they immediately exploit the incidents to
create major communal flare up. Thus it is mainly politicians who are
responsible for major communal flare up. The violence will be contained
if politicians do not want and it will assume major proportions, if
they desire communal violence for electoral politics like in Mumbai
in 1992 and Gujarat in 2002.
It is only proper awareness
among people and active role of civil society actors which can help
contain major mishaps. We need aware and vibrant civil society to contain
outbreak of major communal violence. When civil society gets polarised
on communal lines as in Gujarat, it becomes very difficult for civil
society to intervene.
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