By Vidya BhushanRawat
Mau district of Uttar-Pradesh faced severe communal disturbances in November 2005. Mau is famous for the Banarasi Sarees, specially developed by the Muslim weavers in Mubarakpur town of this district. Mau is also known for Kalpnath Rai one of the maverics in India politics but respected in the constituency as a ‘developmental man’. Today, Mau is represented in the UP Assembly by Mukhtiar Ansari, one of the biggest gangsters in the Poorvanchal. Ironically, Ansari comes from a very respected family of freedom fighters.
It is important to understand the dynamics of caste politics in Poorvanchal and how it is now looking for new identification for operation as the continuous assertion of Dalits and backward communities. From Varanasi, Ghazipur to Azamgarh, Mau, Poorvanchal, once upon a time, was, domain of Communist Party of India. However, it is another matter that despite their cries for land reform, like Bihar, the comerades could not develop alternative Dalit-backward leadership in the region. The result was the dominance of new parties like Samajwadi Party, BSP and Rastriya Janata Dal in Bihar. The dominance of Bhoomhars were threatened. The Thakurs and the Brahmins also felt the heat of Dalit assertion in the political circle. Unfortunately, the dominance of these upper caste communities, though, was challenged successfully by the Dalits and backwards, in the politics, the NGOs, civil Society, bureaucracy and trade continue to be in the powerful grip of Bhoomihars, Bramins, and Thakurs. The Mafias of these communities became respected leaders of community which allowed them unrestrained freedom to ruin the natural resources of the area. From Dhanbad to Varanasi, the operation of Coal Mafia are well known. The political connections are not necessary to be dealt here with but they are open secret. This caste Mafia did not get any threat from the Dalits and backwards, as their leaders did not take them in to account. The challenge came from another set of Muslim Mafia.
The Muslim Mafia was equally powerful and had political amibition. The Dalit, backward Muslim perception worked for them and therefore ‘secular’ politics was the best way and who could have been better secular than Mulayam Singh Yadav. He not only supported them but brought them in his party. ‘ The only party fighting the ‘communal forces’, in the country.” When disgusted with Mulayam, they switched to Bahinji for help who was more then willing to provide support. Thus Mukhtar Ansari came to her and later switched his loyalty to her betenoir Mulayam as the government changed in UP.
For the Bhoomihar, Thakur, Brahmin mafia, the best way was to go the Hindutva way and project them as the champion of the Hindu community. However, due to defeat of the Hindutva gangs and caste becoming more potent weapon then the religion, this mafia had a second thought. Many of them switched their loyalities to both the social justice parties : Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party. Amar Mani Tripathi, Raja Bhaiya, Hari Shankar Tiwari are respected Brahmin and Thakur leaders in the social justice group. There were some who remained in the Hindutva group including Krishna Nand Rai.
One need to understand that these all had stakes in Railways and its coal business. The gangwar between another Thakur from Banarase Brijesh Singh and that of Mukhtiar Ansari are well known to be documented. It is alleged that Krishnanad Rai joined Brijesh Singh in their common war against Mukhtiar Ansari in the region. Krishnanad Rai was BJP MLA from Mohammdabad, the traditional constituency of Mukhtiar Ansari before he switched to neighbouring Mau, but the war continued.
Political connections of Mafias in Uttar-Pradesh have brought the state into a shameless position where developmental and ideological perceptions mean nothing. Caste identieis are being encouraged under the false garb of pride with a political manipulation in mind. Those who can capture both and purchase the Sarpanches and district Sarpanches are in high demand. The Mafias in Uttar-Pradesh know it well that their communities are solidly behind them. They have carefully crafted robinhood image for themselves. They help ‘poor’ people. They have become so rich that most of them may not be involved in small time robbery or kidnapping. Since they travel in imported cars and have a huge machinery of their devotees, the need for big money comes from government contract. Nobody feel betrayal nation if they betray the government. Hence most of them have high stakes at the government corporations, Railway contracts, timber market, coal mining, sand mining, petrol pumps, sugar factories and many more unexplored things. Looting the government funds does not create ruckus in the masses. The masses are happy in the absence of small gangsters to trouble people. Mohammdabad has 24 hour electricity whenever Mukhtiar Ansari is in town. It is beyond imagination for the people of Uttar-Pradesh, particularly those living in rural areas, to have even 8 hour supply. In Seewan, Bihar, the constituency of Mohammad Shahbuddin, no doctor can extract more fee from the poor people. Colleges have sports hostel, rare for Bihar and schools open in time. There is no local gangs which can operate that powerfully to disturb peace in the area unless he is against Shahabuddin. The Kols of Bundelkhand often narrate heroics of Dadua, another dreaded man who send at least five members of parliament and double of them to assembly in Uttar-Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. His caste men Kurmis call him a rebel though the Brahmins of the region consider him a dacoit. Travelling to Mau recently, I was amazed to hear from a Brahmin neighbour about the greatness of Baba, Hari Shankar Tiwari, now a respected Minister in Mulayam Singh government.
The fight between two gangs in Ghazipur has taken a new dimension. The Bhoomihars feel that the Muslim mafia can take over their domain. As large chunk of Dalits have shifted loyalty from their Bhoomihar bosses to the Muslims, a new stretagy was being developed in eastern Uttar-Pradesh. Most of the upper caste communist leader could not help Dalits in getting their rights particularly land rights though they all claimed to have worked for the same. Secondly, none of the major parties could develop second rung leadership which could be called as representative in nature therefore Dalits found their way in Bahujan Samaj Party while backwards went with Mulayam’s Samajwadi party. This polarization has threatened the very base of the upper caste leadership in eastern Uttar-Pradesh. As caste polarization is not helping any one, the best way is to convert this gangwar and caste polarization into bigger units of religious polarization. This suits both the Hindutva gangsters and the thugs of secularism in eastern Uttar-Pradesh.
The Killing of Krishnanand Rai, in Mohammdabad gave BJP bigger opportunity to present him as a Hindu leader and its president Raj Nath Singh started a Nyaya Yatra and sat on Dharana in Varanasi. Rajnath Singh was trying to revive the old upper caste loyalities to his party which Mulayam Singh has taken in the form of people like Raja Bhaiya for Thakurs, Amarmani Tripathi and Hari Shankar Tiwari for Brahmins.
Mau Riots
Mau was part of district Azamgarh, land of revolutionary activist writer Rahul Sankrityayan. Today, not many know Sankrityayan’s struggle against caste. He is more known in his community or socalled ‘progressive circles’ of Bhoomihars, Brahmins and Thakurs. It is tragic but then there are many tragedies happening here.
Mau is also the land where Muslim live in sizeable number. They have political control over the Mau town-ship and normally have their Chairman of the municipal corporation. In the Mau town ship, Muslims are owner of looms and have fruit and vegetable vendors. They are also in the meat market. The commercial interest of Muslim vegitable vendors collide straight with the Khatiques, a Dalit community involved in meat selling business. It is equally important to understand the Khatiq also sale Pork while Muslims buffelloes. This contradiction is beautifully used by the Hindutva forces in fermenting riots and involving Khatiques in it. This is the modus operandi of the communal forces as they know well it would be difficult to fight the Muslims directly thereby involve the Dalits. Over the years, the Dalits and backward have got highly politicized in the cow belt and both of them look towards allienging with Muslims. The attraction of Hindutva in backward communities is not new. Except for Yadavas, who have been aliening with Samajwadi Party, and the oppressed backward communities with BSP, powerful Kurmi and Lodhs have found their ally in the Hindutva. Dalits, by and large, have remained outside the Hindutva fold therefore the power elite is playing its dubious role by making a dent in this relationship and the customs come handy for them.
Burdened Heritage
Riots may occur all of a sudden but if they go beyond a day, it clearly reflects that involement of state. In Mau, the locals informs us, administration kept quiet during the riots. The issue of administration would be dealt separately. Let us first discuss why none of including seculars ( if they are ) ever challenge the root cause of the riots. We all know that Hindus and Muslims fight for not only cows and pigs but also for commercial interests. It is well documented fact that most of the communal riots in Indian have occurred in areas where Muslims have a sizeable presence and well developed business. Kanpur, Bhiwandi, Malegaon, Bhagalpur, Ahemdebad, Mumbai, Moradabad, Meerut, Bijnaur and Mau. Can any one deny that there would not have been business interest. It could be the other way round. Instigate sensibilities and settle business scores. Now, what are the pretensions to start a riot. Either there will be a rumour that the head of killed cow was found in a temple or the meat of pig found in a mosque. This apart, other cause of communal disturbances is totally administrative in nature. In this country, the ‘ religious sensibilities’ are easily available. Loudspeakers are used to deliberately provoke the ‘anti’ group. Processions become a pretence for disturbances. The Diwali-Id conflict or the issue of Tajia procession become cause of riots.
Mau has been the victim of a strange and condemnable tradition where not only the administration failed but also the right minded people. A tradition is kept alive for the sake of religion and none of the parties ever felt that such obnoxious traditions even if a court ruling is on it, out dated. That during the Bharat Milap ( during Ram Leela ceremonies), the Hindus must kick the mosque several times. The Muslim count their steps and are ready to retailiate if there is more. Similarly, during the Moharram’s Tajia ceremony, the Muslims are allowed to climb 3 stairs of a Sanskrit Pathshala nearby. Here are the Hindus are ready to retaliate if there is an effort by the Muslim to climb the fourth step. Those reading it might feel this narration awkward but the fact is that we have not been able to condemn a celebreation which means victory of each other. Whatever might have been a court judgement, time has come to stop this nonsense. Over the years, the politics of processions and loudspeakers have damaged the our social fabric. Indian state as well as civil society remain mute to such notorious system where everything is fare in the name of public sensibilities.
Now, the fact of the matter is that during the Bharat Milap ceremony Muslims had objection to loud speaker usage as they were preparing for the Friday Namaz. But does the riots started just for that. As I said, sensibilities and sentiments are best work for politicians. One must not forget that in Mau town the local municipality is under Samajwadi Party’s Arashad Jamal, whose own political interest make him different to that of Mukhtiar Ansari who is originally from Mohammdabad. Then there are Hindutva groups who have their own politics but with a larger game plan in the Eastern Uttar-Pradesh. While it is amply clear that riots will always occur if the administration does not take stern action against the unlawful activities yet the conspicuous silence of the socalled secular reports on the issue of Muslim Mafia strengthen the hands of the Hindutva rioters who blame not only the Muslims but also the seculars for every ills of the country. It is important to understand that like any other community and caste, Muslims of Mau are also fascinated by Mukhtiar Ansari . He is their hero. Let us not be hypocrite. During my investigations most of the Dalits and Hindus blamed Mukhtiar Ansari for the riots. The Muslim riot victims appreciated the role of Mukhtiar Ansari. ‘ We were not given food for 72 hours. It is only after Mukhtiar came, the jail authorities gave us food, said a group of Muslims who have been chargesheeted for instigating the riots.
One fact is there. Who ever spread the riots, the apathy of the administration can not be ignored. And administration cannot remain mute without the connivance of the higher ups. It is not a point to say who lost what. I visited Muslim bustees totally lost, their faces grims and uncertain about their future. I have seen Dalits and their shops burnt. Their anger. The report is that most of the arrested people for rioting are either Dalits and Muslims. Those the champion of Hindutva and Islam remained totally out of bound for the administration.
Mahant Aditya Nath, a Thakur from the Uttarakhand and now the head priest of Gorakhanath temple tried to fish in troubled water. He had always been uniting the Hindu youths to prepare them against anti national forces. We all know who are anti national and what is the threat perception for them. With Krishna Nand Rai’s murder and Mau’s riots, Aditya Nath is trying to champion the cause of Hindutva. Everywhere, the Bajrang Dal is activated. This suits both Mulayam and BJP well. One would be championing the Muslim cause and the other the Hindutva cause and all others will be side trapped, but things are not that easy at the moment.
Story of riot victims
It is reported that over 300 houses/shops were looted during the riots. According to the locals it was one of the worst riots in Mau’s history and it has shaken the confidence of those who always cherished the mutual understanding between the two communities. Though, news papers have widely reported this riot as ‘ massacre of Hindus’, the fact of the matter is that Muslims too bore the brunt of high handedness of police. A visit to Muslim localities of Ali Nagar’s Badi Kamharia and Rahjani’s Chhoti Kamharia present gory tails of complete antipathy of the administration and destruction and loss of property and human lives.
According to Hamir Hamaja who lost his wife in the riots “ every body was at home. It was Friday. I saw many people coming across the railway lines. I was coming alone. I told my wife to go. We have no children. I am 70 years of age. They started pelting stone at our side. They were more than 5000 people and shouting ‘ Har Har Mahadev’. The blue uniformed gun trotting policemen (Rapid Action Force) remained mute. At 5.30 in the evening they broke my home. I feared and shouted ‘ Allah oh Akbar.. they hit at my head.. I felt unconscious. I do not know how some friends took me away immediately. After two days when I returned home, to my shock, I found my wife Anwari cut into three pieces.” Hamir is a vegitable seller and tears flow from his eyes narrating this incident. ‘ What is there for me now, he says.
Kamarunnisa, 50 wife of a much older man Manzoor has six children. She earn by working in the kothis as a domestic help and earn around Rs 600/- per month. Her husband is deaf and is too frail to work. The attackers destroyed her house, looted it with Almirah, fans, cycles etc. “ My daughter Jahan Ara, 11 years feared too much during the attack and hid herself in the ‘murgibada’. It was too suffocating for her to remain inside that dirt and she died after some time.” Her husband fell on the railway lines. The police arrested him and kept him in Jail for 18 days. Her son remained in Jail for 24 days. Says Kamarunnisa, “ My husband was kept in police station for 48 hours with out anything, just 100 gram roti.
“ The goons were fully protected by the police. We ran away with our children when they shouted, kill the women. We expected the police to act but they kept quite. My daughter died of fear as none was there to save her. My grand daughter Noor Jahan, aged 5, had to be given 3 bottle of glucose in the hospital. Ayisya Begum 25, had been given 8 bottles of glucose to save their lives.
Tahir Ahmed, a teacher and local community worker said, “ I saw a crowd of over four thousand people crossing the railway line. We had small knives and we knew well that it would not work. I was standing at the roof- top of my house. I saw 25-30 Rapid Action Force personnel and felt secure. Soon they surrounded Nawabpura. I came on the ground that is in the middle of this bustee. Soon, I was surrounded by a group of people crying kill this bearded man. We were just 75-80 people and cannot face a crowd of five thousand people. We tried to run and cross the railway line but RAF called us and charged us under 302.”
It is shameful to see innocent faces charged under 302. Abdul Ali who does not seem to be over 19 year of age ( according to him also) and work in powerloom is charged under this section. Kamarunnisa’s deaf husband and her son who are also chargesheeted in 302. Strange are the case of police that they are filing charges against those who have not only lost their property but also some of their nears and dears ones.
Shambhunath Chauhan is perhaps only non Muslims and to be precise, a backward community person living in the locality of the Ansaries. Many in the community blame him for guiding the rioters but Shambhunath refutes this. ‘ In fact, I was wearing a lungi when the crowd came and shouted pull his lungi, kill him. And when they tried to kill me, I shouted I am a Hindu. They spared me but my house was also looted.” The Muslims alleged that Shambhunath cooked up cases and guided people and got good
compensation.
It is alarming to see that to visit these two areas of Muslims, one need to pass through two Dalit-backward bustees. There is a narrow passage and therefore Muslims fear that there women could become easy target. There has been no harm to these localities which clearly indicate that the rioters had well connected network and they were well aware of the geographical situation of the area.
Hindu Case: In Salahabad area the house of Yadav family was looted and one person was killed. This has provoked violence. Mahendra, a Dalit activist see it as a conspiracy. He sees a clear effort of making Adityanath being made as a leader of Hindus and Mulayam Singh as protogonist of Muslim. Many Dalit shops have been looted and their business was targed mercilessly. A large number of Dalit and backward social activist at the moment have openly blamed Mukhtar Ansari and Mulayam Singh Yadav as the real villain in this game. Dalit here allege that since the Muslims by and large were shifting their loyalty to BSP, such a split was eminent. The worst hit Dalit area has been Rauza where shops of Khatiqs and Chamars bore the brunt of violence. Khatiq as mentioned were meat seller and Chamar had leather business. One social activist who did not want to be quoted mentioned that Muslim feel ‘empowered’ with Mukhtiar and therefore do not really care for the administration once they get signal from him. Many of the activist feel that Mukhtiar was in fact not responsible for the riots and he was by best trying to avoid the riots. They also alleged that Mukhtiar became victim of the well orchestrated plan of the bigger groups trying to spread their wings in the area. Many feel that there was no political gains for Mukhtiar in these riots while other rebut the charges saying that it was a matter of politics and every actor in this was looking for his own constituency of future.
There is another twist that a large number of shops owned by Dalits and backward in the city areas are owned by the Muslims who pay a meager rent of those areas which are prime location areas. Therefore, resentment against the Muslim and Dalit tenants respectively was reflected in many areas where shops had been burnt.
Where was State : For 72 hours there was no law and order in Mau says Shree Ram Nikumb a noted social activist here who was threatened by the Sangh Parivar for not working among the Muslim. Nikumb says that he gave shlter to two Muslim families. It is another matter that Nikumb live in a Muslim dominated locality and has very cordial relations there.
Mau district of Uttar-Pradesh faced severe communal disturbances in November 2005. Mau is famous for the Banarasi Sarees, specially developed by the Muslim weavers in Mubarakpur town of this district. Mau is also known for Kalpnath Rai one of the maverics in India politics but respected in the constituency as a ‘developmental man’. Today, Mau is represented in the UP Assembly by Mukhtiar Ansari, one of the biggest gangsters in the Poorvanchal. Ironically, Ansari comes from a very respected family of freedom fighters.
It is important to understand the dynamics of caste politics in Poorvanchal and how it is now looking for new identification for operation as the continuous assertion of Dalits and backward communities. From Varanasi, Ghazipur to Azamgarh, Mau, Poorvanchal, once upon a time, was, domain of Communist Party of India. However, it is another matter that despite their cries for land reform, like Bihar, the comerades could not develop alternative Dalit-backward leadership in the region. The result was the dominance of new parties like Samajwadi Party, BSP and Rastriya Janata Dal in Bihar. The dominance of Bhoomhars were threatened. The Thakurs and the Brahmins also felt the heat of Dalit assertion in the political circle. Unfortunately, the dominance of these upper caste communities, though, was challenged successfully by the Dalits and backwards, in the politics, the NGOs, civil Society, bureaucracy and trade continue to be in the powerful grip of Bhoomihars, Bramins, and Thakurs. The Mafias of these communities became respected leaders of community which allowed them unrestrained freedom to ruin the natural resources of the area. From Dhanbad to Varanasi, the operation of Coal Mafia are well known. The political connections are not necessary to be dealt here with but they are open secret. This caste Mafia did not get any threat from the Dalits and backwards, as their leaders did not take them in to account. The challenge came from another set of Muslim Mafia.
The Muslim Mafia was equally powerful and had political amibition. The Dalit, backward Muslim perception worked for them and therefore ‘secular’ politics was the best way and who could have been better secular than Mulayam Singh Yadav. He not only supported them but brought them in his party. ‘ The only party fighting the ‘communal forces’, in the country.” When disgusted with Mulayam, they switched to Bahinji for help who was more then willing to provide support. Thus Mukhtar Ansari came to her and later switched his loyalty to her betenoir Mulayam as the government changed in UP.
For the Bhoomihar, Thakur, Brahmin mafia, the best way was to go the Hindutva way and project them as the champion of the Hindu community. However, due to defeat of the Hindutva gangs and caste becoming more potent weapon then the religion, this mafia had a second thought. Many of them switched their loyalities to both the social justice parties : Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party. Amar Mani Tripathi, Raja Bhaiya, Hari Shankar Tiwari are respected Brahmin and Thakur leaders in the social justice group. There were some who remained in the Hindutva group including Krishna Nand Rai.
One need to understand that these all had stakes in Railways and its coal business. The gangwar between another Thakur from Banarase Brijesh Singh and that of Mukhtiar Ansari are well known to be documented. It is alleged that Krishnanad Rai joined Brijesh Singh in their common war against Mukhtiar Ansari in the region. Krishnanad Rai was BJP MLA from Mohammdabad, the traditional constituency of Mukhtiar Ansari before he switched to neighbouring Mau, but the war continued.
Political connections of Mafias in Uttar-Pradesh have brought the state into a shameless position where developmental and ideological perceptions mean nothing. Caste identieis are being encouraged under the false garb of pride with a political manipulation in mind. Those who can capture both and purchase the Sarpanches and district Sarpanches are in high demand. The Mafias in Uttar-Pradesh know it well that their communities are solidly behind them. They have carefully crafted robinhood image for themselves. They help ‘poor’ people. They have become so rich that most of them may not be involved in small time robbery or kidnapping. Since they travel in imported cars and have a huge machinery of their devotees, the need for big money comes from government contract. Nobody feel betrayal nation if they betray the government. Hence most of them have high stakes at the government corporations, Railway contracts, timber market, coal mining, sand mining, petrol pumps, sugar factories and many more unexplored things. Looting the government funds does not create ruckus in the masses. The masses are happy in the absence of small gangsters to trouble people. Mohammdabad has 24 hour electricity whenever Mukhtiar Ansari is in town. It is beyond imagination for the people of Uttar-Pradesh, particularly those living in rural areas, to have even 8 hour supply. In Seewan, Bihar, the constituency of Mohammad Shahbuddin, no doctor can extract more fee from the poor people. Colleges have sports hostel, rare for Bihar and schools open in time. There is no local gangs which can operate that powerfully to disturb peace in the area unless he is against Shahabuddin. The Kols of Bundelkhand often narrate heroics of Dadua, another dreaded man who send at least five members of parliament and double of them to assembly in Uttar-Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. His caste men Kurmis call him a rebel though the Brahmins of the region consider him a dacoit. Travelling to Mau recently, I was amazed to hear from a Brahmin neighbour about the greatness of Baba, Hari Shankar Tiwari, now a respected Minister in Mulayam Singh government.
The fight between two gangs in Ghazipur has taken a new dimension. The Bhoomihars feel that the Muslim mafia can take over their domain. As large chunk of Dalits have shifted loyalty from their Bhoomihar bosses to the Muslims, a new stretagy was being developed in eastern Uttar-Pradesh. Most of the upper caste communist leader could not help Dalits in getting their rights particularly land rights though they all claimed to have worked for the same. Secondly, none of the major parties could develop second rung leadership which could be called as representative in nature therefore Dalits found their way in Bahujan Samaj Party while backwards went with Mulayam’s Samajwadi party. This polarization has threatened the very base of the upper caste leadership in eastern Uttar-Pradesh. As caste polarization is not helping any one, the best way is to convert this gangwar and caste polarization into bigger units of religious polarization. This suits both the Hindutva gangsters and the thugs of secularism in eastern Uttar-Pradesh.
The Killing of Krishnanand Rai, in Mohammdabad gave BJP bigger opportunity to present him as a Hindu leader and its president Raj Nath Singh started a Nyaya Yatra and sat on Dharana in Varanasi. Rajnath Singh was trying to revive the old upper caste loyalities to his party which Mulayam Singh has taken in the form of people like Raja Bhaiya for Thakurs, Amarmani Tripathi and Hari Shankar Tiwari for Brahmins.
Mau Riots
Mau was part of district Azamgarh, land of revolutionary activist writer Rahul Sankrityayan. Today, not many know Sankrityayan’s struggle against caste. He is more known in his community or socalled ‘progressive circles’ of Bhoomihars, Brahmins and Thakurs. It is tragic but then there are many tragedies happening here.
Mau is also the land where Muslim live in sizeable number. They have political control over the Mau town-ship and normally have their Chairman of the municipal corporation. In the Mau town ship, Muslims are owner of looms and have fruit and vegetable vendors. They are also in the meat market. The commercial interest of Muslim vegitable vendors collide straight with the Khatiques, a Dalit community involved in meat selling business. It is equally important to understand the Khatiq also sale Pork while Muslims buffelloes. This contradiction is beautifully used by the Hindutva forces in fermenting riots and involving Khatiques in it. This is the modus operandi of the communal forces as they know well it would be difficult to fight the Muslims directly thereby involve the Dalits. Over the years, the Dalits and backward have got highly politicized in the cow belt and both of them look towards allienging with Muslims. The attraction of Hindutva in backward communities is not new. Except for Yadavas, who have been aliening with Samajwadi Party, and the oppressed backward communities with BSP, powerful Kurmi and Lodhs have found their ally in the Hindutva. Dalits, by and large, have remained outside the Hindutva fold therefore the power elite is playing its dubious role by making a dent in this relationship and the customs come handy for them.
Burdened Heritage
Riots may occur all of a sudden but if they go beyond a day, it clearly reflects that involement of state. In Mau, the locals informs us, administration kept quiet during the riots. The issue of administration would be dealt separately. Let us first discuss why none of including seculars ( if they are ) ever challenge the root cause of the riots. We all know that Hindus and Muslims fight for not only cows and pigs but also for commercial interests. It is well documented fact that most of the communal riots in Indian have occurred in areas where Muslims have a sizeable presence and well developed business. Kanpur, Bhiwandi, Malegaon, Bhagalpur, Ahemdebad, Mumbai, Moradabad, Meerut, Bijnaur and Mau. Can any one deny that there would not have been business interest. It could be the other way round. Instigate sensibilities and settle business scores. Now, what are the pretensions to start a riot. Either there will be a rumour that the head of killed cow was found in a temple or the meat of pig found in a mosque. This apart, other cause of communal disturbances is totally administrative in nature. In this country, the ‘ religious sensibilities’ are easily available. Loudspeakers are used to deliberately provoke the ‘anti’ group. Processions become a pretence for disturbances. The Diwali-Id conflict or the issue of Tajia procession become cause of riots.
Mau has been the victim of a strange and condemnable tradition where not only the administration failed but also the right minded people. A tradition is kept alive for the sake of religion and none of the parties ever felt that such obnoxious traditions even if a court ruling is on it, out dated. That during the Bharat Milap ( during Ram Leela ceremonies), the Hindus must kick the mosque several times. The Muslim count their steps and are ready to retailiate if there is more. Similarly, during the Moharram’s Tajia ceremony, the Muslims are allowed to climb 3 stairs of a Sanskrit Pathshala nearby. Here are the Hindus are ready to retaliate if there is an effort by the Muslim to climb the fourth step. Those reading it might feel this narration awkward but the fact is that we have not been able to condemn a celebreation which means victory of each other. Whatever might have been a court judgement, time has come to stop this nonsense. Over the years, the politics of processions and loudspeakers have damaged the our social fabric. Indian state as well as civil society remain mute to such notorious system where everything is fare in the name of public sensibilities.
Now, the fact of the matter is that during the Bharat Milap ceremony Muslims had objection to loud speaker usage as they were preparing for the Friday Namaz. But does the riots started just for that. As I said, sensibilities and sentiments are best work for politicians. One must not forget that in Mau town the local municipality is under Samajwadi Party’s Arashad Jamal, whose own political interest make him different to that of Mukhtiar Ansari who is originally from Mohammdabad. Then there are Hindutva groups who have their own politics but with a larger game plan in the Eastern Uttar-Pradesh. While it is amply clear that riots will always occur if the administration does not take stern action against the unlawful activities yet the conspicuous silence of the socalled secular reports on the issue of Muslim Mafia strengthen the hands of the Hindutva rioters who blame not only the Muslims but also the seculars for every ills of the country. It is important to understand that like any other community and caste, Muslims of Mau are also fascinated by Mukhtiar Ansari . He is their hero. Let us not be hypocrite. During my investigations most of the Dalits and Hindus blamed Mukhtiar Ansari for the riots. The Muslim riot victims appreciated the role of Mukhtiar Ansari. ‘ We were not given food for 72 hours. It is only after Mukhtiar came, the jail authorities gave us food, said a group of Muslims who have been chargesheeted for instigating the riots.
One fact is there. Who ever spread the riots, the apathy of the administration can not be ignored. And administration cannot remain mute without the connivance of the higher ups. It is not a point to say who lost what. I visited Muslim bustees totally lost, their faces grims and uncertain about their future. I have seen Dalits and their shops burnt. Their anger. The report is that most of the arrested people for rioting are either Dalits and Muslims. Those the champion of Hindutva and Islam remained totally out of bound for the administration.
Mahant Aditya Nath, a Thakur from the Uttarakhand and now the head priest of Gorakhanath temple tried to fish in troubled water. He had always been uniting the Hindu youths to prepare them against anti national forces. We all know who are anti national and what is the threat perception for them. With Krishna Nand Rai’s murder and Mau’s riots, Aditya Nath is trying to champion the cause of Hindutva. Everywhere, the Bajrang Dal is activated. This suits both Mulayam and BJP well. One would be championing the Muslim cause and the other the Hindutva cause and all others will be side trapped, but things are not that easy at the moment.
Story of riot victims
It is reported that over 300 houses/shops were looted during the riots. According to the locals it was one of the worst riots in Mau’s history and it has shaken the confidence of those who always cherished the mutual understanding between the two communities. Though, news papers have widely reported this riot as ‘ massacre of Hindus’, the fact of the matter is that Muslims too bore the brunt of high handedness of police. A visit to Muslim localities of Ali Nagar’s Badi Kamharia and Rahjani’s Chhoti Kamharia present gory tails of complete antipathy of the administration and destruction and loss of property and human lives.
According to Hamir Hamaja who lost his wife in the riots “ every body was at home. It was Friday. I saw many people coming across the railway lines. I was coming alone. I told my wife to go. We have no children. I am 70 years of age. They started pelting stone at our side. They were more than 5000 people and shouting ‘ Har Har Mahadev’. The blue uniformed gun trotting policemen (Rapid Action Force) remained mute. At 5.30 in the evening they broke my home. I feared and shouted ‘ Allah oh Akbar.. they hit at my head.. I felt unconscious. I do not know how some friends took me away immediately. After two days when I returned home, to my shock, I found my wife Anwari cut into three pieces.” Hamir is a vegitable seller and tears flow from his eyes narrating this incident. ‘ What is there for me now, he says.
Kamarunnisa, 50 wife of a much older man Manzoor has six children. She earn by working in the kothis as a domestic help and earn around Rs 600/- per month. Her husband is deaf and is too frail to work. The attackers destroyed her house, looted it with Almirah, fans, cycles etc. “ My daughter Jahan Ara, 11 years feared too much during the attack and hid herself in the ‘murgibada’. It was too suffocating for her to remain inside that dirt and she died after some time.” Her husband fell on the railway lines. The police arrested him and kept him in Jail for 18 days. Her son remained in Jail for 24 days. Says Kamarunnisa, “ My husband was kept in police station for 48 hours with out anything, just 100 gram roti.
“ The goons were fully protected by the police. We ran away with our children when they shouted, kill the women. We expected the police to act but they kept quite. My daughter died of fear as none was there to save her. My grand daughter Noor Jahan, aged 5, had to be given 3 bottle of glucose in the hospital. Ayisya Begum 25, had been given 8 bottles of glucose to save their lives.
Tahir Ahmed, a teacher and local community worker said, “ I saw a crowd of over four thousand people crossing the railway line. We had small knives and we knew well that it would not work. I was standing at the roof- top of my house. I saw 25-30 Rapid Action Force personnel and felt secure. Soon they surrounded Nawabpura. I came on the ground that is in the middle of this bustee. Soon, I was surrounded by a group of people crying kill this bearded man. We were just 75-80 people and cannot face a crowd of five thousand people. We tried to run and cross the railway line but RAF called us and charged us under 302.”
It is shameful to see innocent faces charged under 302. Abdul Ali who does not seem to be over 19 year of age ( according to him also) and work in powerloom is charged under this section. Kamarunnisa’s deaf husband and her son who are also chargesheeted in 302. Strange are the case of police that they are filing charges against those who have not only lost their property but also some of their nears and dears ones.
Shambhunath Chauhan is perhaps only non Muslims and to be precise, a backward community person living in the locality of the Ansaries. Many in the community blame him for guiding the rioters but Shambhunath refutes this. ‘ In fact, I was wearing a lungi when the crowd came and shouted pull his lungi, kill him. And when they tried to kill me, I shouted I am a Hindu. They spared me but my house was also looted.” The Muslims alleged that Shambhunath cooked up cases and guided people and got good
compensation.
It is alarming to see that to visit these two areas of Muslims, one need to pass through two Dalit-backward bustees. There is a narrow passage and therefore Muslims fear that there women could become easy target. There has been no harm to these localities which clearly indicate that the rioters had well connected network and they were well aware of the geographical situation of the area.
Hindu Case: In Salahabad area the house of Yadav family was looted and one person was killed. This has provoked violence. Mahendra, a Dalit activist see it as a conspiracy. He sees a clear effort of making Adityanath being made as a leader of Hindus and Mulayam Singh as protogonist of Muslim. Many Dalit shops have been looted and their business was targed mercilessly. A large number of Dalit and backward social activist at the moment have openly blamed Mukhtar Ansari and Mulayam Singh Yadav as the real villain in this game. Dalit here allege that since the Muslims by and large were shifting their loyalty to BSP, such a split was eminent. The worst hit Dalit area has been Rauza where shops of Khatiqs and Chamars bore the brunt of violence. Khatiq as mentioned were meat seller and Chamar had leather business. One social activist who did not want to be quoted mentioned that Muslim feel ‘empowered’ with Mukhtiar and therefore do not really care for the administration once they get signal from him. Many of the activist feel that Mukhtiar was in fact not responsible for the riots and he was by best trying to avoid the riots. They also alleged that Mukhtiar became victim of the well orchestrated plan of the bigger groups trying to spread their wings in the area. Many feel that there was no political gains for Mukhtiar in these riots while other rebut the charges saying that it was a matter of politics and every actor in this was looking for his own constituency of future.
There is another twist that a large number of shops owned by Dalits and backward in the city areas are owned by the Muslims who pay a meager rent of those areas which are prime location areas. Therefore, resentment against the Muslim and Dalit tenants respectively was reflected in many areas where shops had been burnt.
Where was State : For 72 hours there was no law and order in Mau says Shree Ram Nikumb a noted social activist here who was threatened by the Sangh Parivar for not working among the Muslim. Nikumb says that he gave shlter to two Muslim families. It is another matter that Nikumb live in a Muslim dominated locality and has very cordial relations there.
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