People's Democracy

Subhashini Ali

THE recent violent incidents in Kanpur are indicative of a complete administrative failure that has resulted from the political and corrupt appointments deliberately made by the BJP-led state government to serve its narrow ends.

Kanpur is one of the cities in the state where communal elements were given a free hand to make provocative speeches and indulge in hooliganism. Leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have been regularly making anti-Christian and anti-Muslim speeches, and Bajrang Dal and other outfits of the Sangh Parivar have been allowed to indulge in vandalism on issues like Valentine’s Day and wearing of jeans by girls. Similarly, outfits like SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) have been able to hold conferences where sympathy for the Taliban and terrorists operating in Kashmir was expressed; recently the SIMI threatened to close down cinema halls in Muslim-majority areas. But the administration turned a blind eye towards all these happenings. In Kanpur, crime, drug peddling, extortion and the activities of land mafias have not only gone unchecked; these even enjoyed active support and protection from sections of the administration and police. The result of this became only too apparent on Friday, the 16th of March.

It was on March 15 when several Muslim organisations gave a public call for wearing black bands after the Friday prayers next day, to protest against the burning of a copy of the Quran in Delhi. But from March 14 itself, most provocative anonymous posters had appeared in all Muslim-majority areas and around mosques in which the breaking of Buddha statues by the Taliban and violent actions in the name of Islam were glorified. In spite of all this, the administration remained completely indifferent and no steps were at all taken to deal with any untoward incident that might occur after the Friday prayers. As a result, a small scuffle with a few dozen young boys who wanted to burn an effigy of Atal Behari Vajpayee, escalated into mob violence and arson. Within a matter of minutes, the police resorted to firing and three young men lay dead. More incidents of violence followed, culminating in the killing of C P Pathak, an ADM.

Even this, however, was not sufficient to make the senior administrative officers act effectively. Bands of Bajrang Dal supporters were allowed not only to freely roam around but even to act in tandem with some policemen in attacking the Muslims. That same night, men from the police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) looted a huge poultry and fruit market in the affected area.

On March 17, it seemed as if the administration had given a free hand to the Sangh Parivar activists to attack mosques and Muslim-owned shops, in league with some police personnel. All these attacks occurred within 500 yards of the Kotwali where all the senior officers of the district and police administration were sitting. A mosque in Shivala, just behind the Kotwali, was attacked; more than a hundred shops belonging to Muslims were gutted. A mosque in Chowk Sarafa, in front of the Kotwali, was severely damaged; mosques in Sirki Mohal and Hatia were also attacked. In Chowk Sarafa, instead of dealing with the rioters, the police took their side and fired at the Muslims on the other side of the road who were protesting the attack. They shot at least 2 Muslims dead; one innocent Hindu boy was killed in the crossfire. At night, a mosque in Takiya Park was attacked and 4 shops belonging to Muslims were burnt and looted. Fortunately, the administration did intervene to save the mosque.

From early morning on March 18, there were clashes between the police and PAC on the one hand and residents of Baconganj area on the other. Here the PAC openly set afire and looted a large number of shops. One of the arsoned shops was a chemist shop belonging to Parvez alias Pintoo, a CPI(M) supporter and a known secular, public-spirited citizen of the area; PAC personnel broke into and looted his shop. Later, when senior administrative and police officers were passing by his house, he came down and shouted to them. They stopped the loot, stopped a PAC truck filled with looted goods, and returned some of his goods. The truck was full of textiles, dry fruits and chickens.

On the same morning, the police shot through the heart a young man, Haroon, who had just come down from his house to get a newspaper. This happened in an area which had been completely free of any communal incident.

It is only too apparent that, after the initial violence of March 16 afternoon, RSS activists made a concerted effort --- in collusion with sections of the police and PAC --- to convert the clash into a full-scale riot. It is, however, to the eternal credit of the common people of all communities that their diabolical plan did not succeed. The common people’s anger against the BJP-led central and state governments because of their corruption and ruinous economic policies is so strong that they resisted all the incitement to riot and helped restore peace. In numerous examples, members of each community helped and sheltered those from the other and also came together to prevent any untoward incident from taking place in their areas. This is a most heartening development that all secular groups and organisations must work together to promote.

In many areas, leaders and cadres of the CPI(M) were actively involved in peace-keeping and resisting the communal propoganda, rumour-mongering and attacks.

On the very first occasion when the curfew was lifted for half a day, activists of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) accompanied the group of representatives of women’s various national organisations that toured the violence-hit areas. Zarina Khursheed and Subhashini Ali (state AIDWA general secretary and working president respectively), Roopkumari Khaitan, Seema Katiyar, Razia Naqvi, Urmila Awasthi and Urmila Srivastava (district AIDWA leaders) accompanied Brinda Karat (general secretary, AIDWA), Syeda H Hameed, Naheed Taban (Muslim Women’s Forum), Pranoti Mukherjee (National Federation of Indian Women), Alka Srivastava (Indian Social Institute, Women’s Wing) and Sister Mary Scaria (Peace and Justice Commission, CBCI). The CPI(M) printed 30,000 leaflets and distributed them all over the city. These leaflets made a very positive impact. The All India Lawyers Union, Kanpur, has formed a committee comprising Saeed Naqvi, Radhakrishan Pandey, Arvind Agnihotri and others to fight the cases of all those who have suffered either from police firing and killing or from arson and loot. They will also be carrying out an extensive fact-finding exercise.

The CPI(M) has also called a meeting of the Lok Morcha’s constituents so that a joint campaign against communal organisations, against the Sangh Parivar’s agenda and for justice to those who have suffered losses of life and property, can be initiated at the earliest.