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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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