Author: Amita Verma
Publication: The Asian Age
Date: November 4, 2003
Bareilly, Basti, Kushinagar, Agra...
and now Aligarh, Meerut, Deoria and even Lucknow.
Uttar Pradesh, it seems, is caught
in the vortex of communal violence with inter- community clashes being
reported from almost all parts of the state.
On Saturday, communal clashes were
witnessed in Aligarh district where two communities clashed over a passage
that went through a graveyard toward the cremation grounds. One person
was killed and over 50 injured while several houses and shops were set
on fire by the angry mob. Over 150 persons were arrested by the state government,
which insisted that the situation was "fully under control."
On Sunday, Meerut witnessed an almost
similar situation when two communities clashed over the murder of a youth.
The rioters threw stones at a factory and attempted to set some shops on
fire. However, timely deployment of additional police forces and the intervention
of elders of both communities prevented the situation from deteriorating
further. But tension continues to prevail in the district.
Senior superintendent of police
B.P. Singh now claims that it was a "minor misunderstanding" that led to
violence on Sunday. "It seems that one Trilok had been bitten by a stray
dog two days ago and was asking a small boy, Tariq, about the whereabouts
of the dog. The boy's uncles thought he was trying to abduct the child
and therefore attacked Trilok. Trilok retaliated with a knife and one of
the uncles died on the spot. People thought it was a communal killing and
began beating up Trilok, who had to be finally rescued by the police. The
enraged mob indulged in arson and looting but timely action prevented the
situation from getting out of hand," he said.
In Deoria, a fight between the youth
of two communities led to the death of one Mukesh. The news of Mukesh's
death led to a communal clash in the township with the rioters burning
down about 50 houses belonging to members of one community. About half
a dozen vehicles were also set on fire before the police could control
the situation. In Lucknow, on Sunday, half a dozen people belonging to
two communities were seriously injured during a clash over the construction
of a sunshade in the old city area. Members of the minority community were
objecting to the construction of the sunshade since they argued that this
would obstruct the "alam" procession during Muharram. Ignoring their protests,
Mr Agnu Lodhi started the construction of the sunshade in his house on
Sunday and that led to intense arguments, and then clashes between members
of the two communities.
About a fortnight ago, similar communal
clashes had been witnessed in Bareilly, Basti, Kushinagar and Agra.
The state home department, however,
believes that good news is no news and refuses to confirm such incidents
on the day of occurrence. For instance, on Sunday, the home department
was on a "holiday" and not a single official was available to the media.
UP chief minister Mulayam Singh
Yadav has also refused to react to the growing frequency of communal clashes
in the state. A senior Samajwadi Party leader said on condition of anonymity
that "communal forces with vested interests" were deliberately causing
communal tension in the state and the intention was to gradually polarise
votes on religious lines for the Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP was more forthcoming on
the issue. State BJP president Vinay Katiyar squarely blamed Mr Mulayam
Singh Yadav for "encouraging" one community to target the other community.
"The Samajwadis may blame anyone, but they cannot escape their own responsibility.
The sudden spurt of communal violence in the state can only be attributed
to the fact that one particular community now has government backing for
every wrong it does. This appeasement policy is bound to have a serious
fallout," he said.
