People's Democracy

AFTER the communal carnage in Gujarat, attempts were made to whip up communal frenzy at several places in Haryana --- first in Kaithal, Kalayat and then, on a much bigger scale, in Loharu. The Rohtak unit of the Rashtriya Eka Abhiyan (National Solidarity Campaign) sent a team of five persons to Loharu to assess the situation. Led by Professor Suraj Bhan and including Professors Manmohan and D R Chaudhry, DYFI state president Ram Chander Yadav and SFI leader Ms Bharti, the team visited the sites of communal frenzy, and talked to a cross-section of the people, local police authorities, the SDM of Loharu and the deputy commissioner of Bhiwani.

The team came to see the outcome of the communal frenzy in its most naked form. It was fully premeditated and pre-planned. On the day of the so-called Bharat bandh organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad on March 2, 50-60 people indulged in stone throwing at Jama Masjid at Loharu and demanded that there must be no azan (call to the Muslims to offer namaz). But the matter subsided at the intervention of the administration.

On March 16 there was a phone call to the local SHO, telling that a cow was tied near the Jama Masjid for being killed. It was discovered to be a false rumour, designed to scare the people. Next day, a mob started to gather near the railway station. In the face of the mounting tension, the Muslim residents of the town --- a small number of 150 to 200 persons --- fled to the nearby Rajasthan in a hurry, leaving everything behind. The mob was incited by some local political leaders, and included some merchants plus a large number of people who had been brought from outside.

The vandalism started from the Railway Road area. First of all, a mosque in the locality was damaged and its imam, Aziz Alam, fled away. Then the mob attacked the shops and houses that belonged to the minority people and stood on the Wakf Board land. From between 10 and 10.30 in the morning till 4 in the evening, the mob targetted the minority houses and shops in different parts of the town. These were ransacked, looted and then set on fire.

Loharu has a small number of Muslim households --- 25 to 30 in number. These Muslims do odd works like selling bangles and clothes by making rounds of villages, etc. Only some families have regular establishments. Since the Muslims fled away in time, there was no casualty. If they had been caught unawares, some of them might have been burnt to death in their blazing houses and shops. Their totally burnt out houses and shops present a shocking sight.

The Loharu episode raises several questions. It is surprising that the administration failed to move and control the situation even after it received the fake phone call a night before and when all kinds of rumours were being floated the next day. A fire brigade van came, but did no work. The local police authorities say that there were only a handful of policemen at Loharu that day, as some had been sent to Khanak while some others were either on leave or had to attend courts. By 12 noon, some reinforcement came from Bhiwani but mayhem continued till 4 p m. The version given by the administration is that there was firing in the air, but this did not deter the mob. The administration did manage to save the kothi of the local nawab.

It is clear that some communal organisations had masterminded all this. Besides the local communal elements, the communal network around Loharu was also active. Our information is that people were brought from Tosham, Digawa and Charkhi Dardri in vehicles.

According to our information, several organisations of the Sangh Parivar --- BJP, RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, etc --- are active in Loharu and the surrounding areas.

There is an old Goshala in the town where camps were organised. The Sangh Parivar was active in all these. It is surprising that the administration was unaware of this communal network and its designs.

About 20 persons have been arrested. Two of them --- Vijay Shekhawat and Kamlesh Sheluba --- had links with the BJP. Members of the minority were reportedly pressurised to give affidavits to the effect that these persons were not included in the mob.

Then there is land mafia in the town. It has its eyes on the Wakf Board lands. The local cloth merchants take as their rivals the members of the minority community who sell clothes by making rounds of the villages. Thus all these elements --- the communal network, the land mafia and the business rivalry --- are responsible for the Loharu episode. The whole thing was meticulously planned. The houses and shops of the minority community, scattered all over the town, were singled out and targetted for loot and arson, as if somebody had the list with him. The most unfortunate part of the sad episode is that a large number of rioters were young people.

Having toured through the affected areas, the study team of the Rashtriya Ekta Abhiyan (National Solidarity Campaign) put forth the following demands:

1) There must be a judicial inquiry to pinpoint the responsibility for the whole episode and the guilty be given exemplary punishments.

2) The members of the minority must be compensated fully for the losses they have suffered. All steps must be taken to ensure their security in future.

3) The state government must take stern measures to curb the communal elements in the state who are keen to disturb communal harmony.