COMMUNAL RIOTS - 2015 January to December - 2015

Compiled By Fr. Paul G Documentation Centre∗

No lives were lost in riots, violence (7)

NEW DELHI: Communal tension and law and order arrangements kept Delhi Police on its toes for

most part of the year. However, not a single life was lost during these incidents as cops successfully

managed to curb the violence in time. When Trilokpuri simmered with violence, Delhi Police judged

the situation well in time and acting promptly which saved precious lives. It was not easy to control the

mob which had anti-social elements inciting the public and leading them into initiating violence.

Gunshots were fired and stones and Molotov cocktails were hurled in plenty. However, the cops not

just handled the crises well but led by special commissioner (law & order) Deepak Mishra they also

went on to use modern gadgetry like drones for surveillance and operational purposes. This was tried

for the first time by any police force during riots. Cops fished out numerous sacks of stones, bricks

and bottles kept hidden on the rooftops with the help of drones. As an aftermath of Trilokpuri riots,

trouble mounted in areas like Bawana, Khajuri, Okhla, among others. Also, the Karbala issue did not

give cops room to breathe along with multiple cases of violence throughout the year. Policemen also

fared well in managing 11,890 protests and demonstrations in the city apart from managing peaceful

Lok Sabha elections. With the figure shooting up to 4,170, Dharnas doubled from 2013 when the

count was just 1,836. Demonstrations also almost doubled from 1,467 in 2013 to 2,409 in 2014. There

were 1,044 processions carried out as well. The year also had the cops busy with visits of foreign

dignitaries, including Chinese president XI Jinping and Vladimir Putin from Russia, amongst several

others dignitaries. Tension also erupted when Kawariyas carrying out their Yatra in the city. (Times of

India 3/1/15)

Tension in central Mumbai after communal clash (7)

MUMBAI: Tension prevailed at Lalbaug after a group of people allegedly hit people from another

community at around 10pm on Sunday. Heavy police bandobast was deployed near Lalbaug flyover

and all the bikers were being frisked and examined for their documents. A bike was reportedly set on

fire. The reason for the tension between two groups was not clear. Sources said that a group of boys

from a community were returning after attending Eid-e-Milad procession at south Mumbai when they

got involved in a heated argument with some boys from another community at Lalbaug. The situation

went out of control and some bikers were hit. A group of people, who hit the boys, was carrying lathis

in their hand. A sizeable number of police personnel were dispatched to the spot and police restricted

entry of vehicles from south towards north end at Lalbaug. Traffic routes were diverted. "There was no

curfew but a curfew like situation. People were running to reach home early knowing the tensed

situation," said a source. A Sion resident woman who had gone to meet her friend at Tardeo was

returning home in a cab along with her two year old baby when she saw people running helter skelter.

"I got scared there were too many people running on the road. We didn't know what exactly

happened. I could see a large number of policemen all over the roads. All the flyovers till Sion were

completely jam packed. Near King's Circle, cops were checking all bikers, perhaps their documents

too, and police vehicles were seen stationed," she told TOI. An additional police commissioner said

that the issue was sorted out and things were under control. No casualty or injury was reported to the

police till news going to the press. DCP Dhananjay Kulkarni, city police's official spokesperson, was

not available for comment. (Times of India 4/1/15)

∗ This is a collection of previously published news and views from the print as well as the electronic media, whose

reference marked at the end of each news items. Department of Documentation and Library (DDL) of the Indian Social

Institute, New Delhi neither claims to the veracity of the facts in the news nor subscribes to the views expressed.

Hyderabad's Kishanbagh suffers in aftermath of communal riots (7)

HYDERABAD: A religious flag was allegedly burnt. The result was ghastly: two communities clashed,

stones were pelted, shots were fired, houses were burnt and lives were lost. But now, a good nine

months after the incident, normalcy refuses to return to Kishanbagh, where communal clashes

between Sikhs and Muslims broke out last May. The riots, triggered by the burning of the Nishan

Saheb (Sikh religious flag), escalated into a major clash between the members of Sikh Chavani and

the Muslims. The two groups have always had little waves of trouble every now and then, but this was

a first major incident that saw three people losing their lives and over 50 injured. The riots were finally

halted by imposing a curfew which lasted for over a week. However, the story did not end there.

Following the riots, Rajendranagar police decided to nip the problem in the bud. As a result, many

arrests from both communities were made. But, there were reports that security forces, including the

Border Security Force (BSF), had not done enough. There was considerable flak which the police

faced for having ordered firing to quell the mob in the area, dominated by around 1,500 Sikhs and

over 4,000 Muslims. "After the riots, they arrested many people from our community. Over 40 people

were taken in custody and kept there for a couple of weeks before being granted conditional bail,"

says Tej Bahadur Singh. Tej himself was put in custody on charges of rioting and attempt to murder.

He along with 40 others now has to go to the police station every week to sign, which he says is a

cause of concern to them. "Riots happened from both sides. But what has followed has put a lot of our

lives in trouble. We have to go to the police station every week for a signature. Sometimes we are

called on immediate notice and have to rush to the station. This keeps us from returning to our normal

lives and ends up interfering with our work," he explains. As a result of the constant checking and

search operations by the police, normal life in the area has taken a big hit. The people who are

accused of the violations have to be available at the police station at short notices which has caused

many of them to lose their jobs. In addition, the inquiry has caused many of the traders to lose their

business as they are frequently at the police station to record statements. The case is no different

with those from the other community. "The riots were a really bad thing that happened. What has

followed is worse. There is no communal tension as of now, but then, the cops keep coming and

checking for irregularities. Sometimes it ends up interfering with our normal lives," explains Md Abdul

Samad, a resident of Kishanbagh. "There are times we wish the clashes never really happened," adds

a concerned Samad. The cops, however, feel that they are right in carrying out the cordon and search

operation. Kishanbagh has been known for such clashes for quite some time now. Mostly small

groups clash and the issue is taken care of before it spirals into a big controversy like the last one.

However, after the riots of May, the cops have increased the intensity of dealing with such issues.

Despite that 17 people are yet to surrender on various counts of violation of law. (Times of India

7/1/15)

Riot-accused BJP MP in top AMU body (7)

Meerut: One of the accused in the Muzaffarnagar communal riot cases, BJP MP from Bijnore Kunwar

Bharatendra has become a member of the Aligarh Muslim University Court, the top decision making

body of the University. Mr. Bharatendra is one of the four BJP MPs nominated by the Centre to the

AMU Court. He was arrested in October 2013 on charges of inciting communal violence during

communal riots in Muzaffarnagar. As the then BJP MLA from Bijnore, he was the third BJP lawmaker

— after Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana — from Uttar Pradesh to have been arrested in connection

with the communal riots. Another member of the AMU Court would be the BJP MP from Aligarh Satish

Gautam who grabbed headlines when in November 2013 he had threatened to celebrate the birth

anniversary of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh inside the university campus without its permission.

Other BJP MPs nominated to the university body include Kalyan Singh’s son and BJP MP from Etah

Rajveer Singh and BJP MP from Bulandshahr Bhola Singh. According to Rahat Abrar, the

spokesperson of the university, the nomination had nothing to do with the university as it was done by

the Union Human Resource Development Ministry. (The Hindu 15/1/15)

‘Communal incidents on the rise in DK and Udupi’ (7)

MANGALURU: The district units of the Komu Souharda Vedike and the People’s Union for Civil

Liberties (PUCL) have said that more communal incidents were reported in 2014 in Dakshina

Kannada and Udupi districts than the previous year. Submitting a memorandum to Dakshina Kannada

Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim, they demanded that monthly meetings be held with victims from

the minority communities. The office-bearers of the two organisations said in a press release that

2014 witnessed 173 communal incidents in the twin districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi against

121 cases in 2013. Of the 53 moral policing incidents in 2014, Hindu youths were the accused in 39 of

them while Muslims were accused in 14. As many as 22 cases of prevention of cow transport or

attacks on transporters, nine allegations of forcible religious conversions, eight cases of inciting

speeches were reported. Other instances, including clashes between students and the destruction of

banners and posters, accounted for 81 cases. The president of the district unit of the vedike Suresh

Bhat Bakrabail clarified that that they were not based on police reports but rather on newspaper

reports – clippings of which have been maintained. In 2013, there were reported 45 cases of moral

policing with Hindus being the accused in 23 cases and Muslims in 16 and the accused were not

known in the rest. In that year, there were prevention of cow transport or attacks on transporters in

eight cases and allegations of forcible conversions were nine. Other cases, including inciting religious

sentiments, were 59. Besides Mr. Bhat, the release has been signed by David D’Souza, president of

the district unit of the PUCL, and members including those who are members of the youth wing of

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. (The Hindu 15/1/15)

25 die of cold in Muzaffarnagar riots relief camps (7)

Meerut: Forgotten by most and out in the cold, quite literally, 25 people have died of chill this winter in

the Muzaffarnagar camps that continue to house a little over 3,500 riot refugees. TOI visited

Muzaffarnagar -- Shamli has another 700 refugees -- over two days, keeping a list of the dead and the

dates on which they died, and found that even after they breathed their last, wailing relatives had a

tough time finding a decent burial place for their departed. Last year, though, had been different. In

the January of 2014, Mohd Irfan would sit outside his tent in the relief camp at Loi village and count

the number of politicians visiting those who had been turned homeless after communal riots broke out

in Muzaffarnagar sometime in August 2013. In the violence that followed, more than 50,000 fled their

villages and 62 were killed. "General elections were around the corner and the riots were on

everybody's mind," Irfan, 35, said. "It was a big issue for all political parties. Now no one cares about

us. Madam, thand toh abhi bhi utni hi hai, bas ab neta log nahi aate." (It's as cold now as it was last

year, just that no politicians are coming here anymore). NGO Astitva, which has been working for the

rehabilitation of the riot victims, told TOI on Thursday that most of the 25 deaths can be easily

verified. Cold had begun to claim lives by the end of October last year. Ironically, not only is the

district administration clueless about the count, they claim there are hardly any camps in

Muzaffarnagar and Shamli though 10 can be counted straight away. "There are a few camps in

Shamli but there are no relief camps in Muzaffarnagar," said additional district magistrate,

Muzaffarnagar, Indramani Tripathi. "All the people at the relief camps in Muzaffarnagar were

rehabilitated by December 2013. Moreover, not a single person has died in Muzaffarnagar in these

winters." If he knows about 3-year-old Simran who died in Loi on November 5, 2014, leaving wailing

parents behind, he is not saying. Originally a resident of riot-hit Faguna, Yakub, father of Simran, said,

"We tried to keep her warm and fed. She survived the 2013 winter, thanks to the help which came

from the government, but this year she just gave up on the struggle." Minimum temperatures in

Muzaffarnagar have gone down to as low as 2.5 degrees Celsius. Coupled with a severe shortage of

fuel, food and medicines, the flimsy tents, many of them with holes in them, haven't been able to

protect the refugees much. Their best hope has been to huddle together at night and pray for the next

day to be warmer. Crouched inside a tent in Shahpur, Jahid, who lost his wife Zarina in November last

year, said, "Sometimes I feel it would have been better had we died in the riots. At least we would

have been away from all this ruckus of compensation. We lost our dignity long back fighting for the

money which the government says is due to us." Maqsood, a riot victim in Budhana, said getting their

hands on the compensation amount of Rs 5 lakh announced by the Akhilesh Yadav government has

been endless and excruciating. "Many people have not got it till now. I, too, have not got any

compensation. Because of that I still have to live in a tent. My wife, Pachho, died of the cold. I don't

know when I will get the money." Those who have managed to get the compensation and built small

houses i villages nearby don't have electricity and water connections. Jaan Mohammed, who fled from

Shamli to Budhana, said, "We have to indulge in katiyamari (getting unauthorised power through a

hooked, extended wire from an electricity source). What can we do when the government doesn't help

us? Are we supposed to live in the dark?" Rehana Adeeb, director, Astitva, said, "It is sad that the

government doesn't consider these places as camps. The administration has its own perspective and

tries to keep a clean image in front of the media. But the reality is that these camps exist and the

people there are striving for rehabilitation and survival." Asked why the district administration has not

been able to provide even basic amenities to the riot victims, Tripathi said, "Rehabilitation is a

process. It takes time. A Rs 300 crore-project under Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP)

will be sanctioned in the coming financial year. That will take care of the electricity and water

connections for the rehabilitated people." (Times of India 16/1/15)

Two victims of Hansot riots cremated amid tension (7)

SURAT: The last rites of the two victims of the communal violence that erupted on Wednesday at

Hansot in Bharuch district were conducted under heavy police bandobast and in an atmosphere of

uneasy calm on Thursday. Initially, relatives of the victims had refused to cremate the bodies until the

attackers were arrested. Riots broke out at Ambheta village of Hansot taluka after a verbal spat

between two youths. A free-for-all saw people using sharp-edged weapons, pelting stones and

barging into houses, resulting in the death of two and injuries to 10, including a deputy superintendent

of police. The condition of one of the injured was reported to be critical. Police fired two rounds in the

air and also lobbed tear-gas shells to disperse mobs belonging to the two groups. Bharuch

superintendent of police Bipin Ahire said, "We have apprehended 17 people and registered five FIRs

in connection with the violence. Six companies of the Central Reserve Police Force and one company

of the Rapid Action Force have been deployed in the district. At least 250 policemen have already

been deployed at Hansot and nearby places." Bharuch district collector Avantika Singh said, "The

situation is under control. We are keeping a strict vigil." "Few miscreants barged into a couple of

houses and injured people belonging to another community. Soon, mobs from two groups began to

pelt stones and also set on fire a few shops," said Kaushik Pandya, deputy superintendent of police,

Bharuch district. (Times of India 17/1/15)

Hindu widow saved 10 Muslims in Bihar riots (7)

AZIZPUR (Bihar): A Hindu woman who saved lives of 10 Muslims in this village in Bihar's Muzaffarpur

district during the recent clashes in which five people died is being hailed as a hero, officials said.

Shail Devi, a frail widow in her early 50s, risking her own life, gave shelter to her Muslim neighbours

when a mob of more than 5,000 people attacked Azizpur Bahilwara village after a 20-year-old Hindu

boy's body was found Sunday. He was allegedly abducted and killed over his love affair with a Muslim

girl. "I provided shelter to my Muslim neighbours to save their lives because the mob could have killed

them," Shail said Wednesday morning. Shail, a poor woman fighting for her survival like many others

in this village, told IANS that she along with her two daughters stood guard outside her house when a

mob was targeting Muslims in the village. She told them that it was a house of a 'Mallah' (fisherman).

"I lied to rioters that I had not given shelter to Muslims in my house. Though some people tried to

enter my house but I stopped them and they returned," she said. Shail, widow of late Jaglal Sahni,

has become a household name in the village and neighbouring villages for her rare example of

communal harmony. "She has proved again that humanity is still alive, we are proud of her," Arvind

Kumar, a villager, said. Ash Mohammad, a man in his 60s, who was one of the ten Muslims whose

lives were saved by Shail, told IANS that she is like 'farishta' (angel) to them. "Shail was like god-sent

angel to us...," Mohammad said. Mohammad admitted that all of them could have been killed if Shail

had not given shelter to them. A day after she saved lives of her Muslim neighbours, some Hindu

villagers warned her that she may be targeted by some people of the mob for doing it, Shail said. "I

was so frightened that I along with my two daughters and a son Monday took shelter in Mohammad's

house but after district administration persuaded, I returned to my home," she said. Bihar chief

minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who visited the village Wednesday, met Shail. He lauded her role and

compared her with legendary Rani Lakshmibai. Manjhi also announced a cash reward of Rs 51,000

for her. "She is an example of communal harmony. People should take lesson from her and she

would inspire others to follow her," Manjhi praised her. Manjhi also announced assistance of Rs

20,000 each to her two unmarried daughters under a welfare scheme. Earlier, Bihar information

technology minister Shahid Ali Khan also praised Shail for saving the lives of her Muslim neighbours.

"I promised her help by the state government, and a reward for her soon," said Khan, who visited the

village Tuesday. A first information report (FIR) was registered Monday against 2,000 unidentified

people and 12 named accused who were part of the mob that attacked the villagers from a particular

community, the official added. Police have already arrested 14 people in this connection. Additional

director general of police Gupteshwar Pandey submitted an inquiry report on the incident Tuesday to

the state government. Soon after the incident, Manjhi asked Pandey and state home secretary Sudhir

Kumar to conduct a probe and report to him. The BJP Tuesday demanded a judicial probe into the

killing of four people and arson in a village that later turned into a communal clash in Bihar. (Times of

India 21/1/15)

Urs at Juni Gadi Dargah blurs communal lines (7)

Juni Gadi is the heart of Vadodara’s communally sensitive areas. But, every year, in the congested

bylanes of the clustered homes a show of harmony repeats itself in the form of the annual Urs of the

421-year-old historic Dargah Sharif of the Hazrat Pir Dada Sadanshah Sharmash Hussain Syed

Mastan Baba. This year on February 10 and 11, the Urs Committee — which comprises several

Hindus along with the Muslim members — is readying the Dargah for the celebrations. The

preparations began two months in advance with members of the Hindu and the Muslim communities

fulfilling their tasks, assigned by the committee. The colouring and tiling work of the Dargah is taken

care of by the Hindu members of the committee — Rajesh Salgaonkar and Harshad Patni — while

Muslim members prepare for the ritualistic celebrations. The Dargah, which bears testimony to

“fulfilled wishes” of many a devout worshippers of all faiths, has been patronised by many politicians

across parties including former Vadodadra BJP MP Balkrishna Shukla, who also attended the Urs

celebrations in 2014. Every year, devotees offer Niyaz that runs into lakhs of rupees in the locality.

Gadinasan Haji Dastagir Shaikh, the Khadim of the Dargah, said, “There are people who follow

radical ideologies and create much discord among communities, but in reality there is no bitterness

among people. The Urs is an example of the generous and loving brotherhood that people of all faiths

believe in. And, even the Muslim community here extends complete support to the members of the

historic 355-year-old Mahakali and Bhadrakali Mata temples that stand next to the Dargah. In all the

incidents of rioting that the city witnesses, this lane that is home to the Dargah and the temple has

never been defaced.” Juni Gadi Dargah stands in the lane across the Ajabdi Mill compound in

Yakutpura. Since May last year, the area has witnessed over 15 episodes of communal rioting and

stone pelting. Just about a kilometre away from the Dargah was the epicentre of the four-day-long

riots during Navratri last September. This year, noted Qawwali singer Chand Qadri will perform at the

Dargah on the occasion of Urs. Currently, Patni’s son, Tejas is overseeing the tiling work at the dome

of the Mazaar. Salgaonkar, who has been volunteering for the task of painting the Dargah for a

decade now. Also keeping with practice, the Dargah has extended invitation for the Urs to the priests

of the Swaminarayan sect and other Hindu sections in the city. Ajay Dandekar, whose father

Chintaman had close ties with the RSS, according to Dastagir Shaikh, is now continuing the tradition

of serving the Dargah. Although Ajay, an LIC executive by profession, rues the fact that he cannot

spend much time at the Dargah, he said he owes much to the strength he has received from here.

(Indian Express 28/1/15)

Muzaffarnagar riots: Statement of then District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma recorded (7)

MUZAFFARNAGAR: The inquiry commission probing the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots has recorded the

statement of the then District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma who asserted that authorities had

effectively controlled the violence. The one-man inquiry commission of Justice (retd) Vishnu Sahai

yesterday recorded the statement of Muzaffarnagar DM Kaushal Raj Sharma who asserted that

district authorities had controlled the violence after taking steps to instill confidence in the people in

the riot-hit district. The commission has also summoned the then DGP Deoraj Nagar and the then

state Home Secretary R N Srivastava on February 5 for recording their statements. It would continue

its sitting till February 6 here. The commission, which would submit its report to the state government

on the cause of riots, action taken by the government officials at that time and measures to prevent

riots in future, has so far recorded more than 450 statements including those of riots victims and

senior officials. The one-member judicial inquiry commission of Justice (retd) Vishnu Sahai, former

Judge of Allahabad High Court, was constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government in September 2013

to probe the Muzaffarnagar riots. Over 60 persons were killed and more than 40,000 displaced in

communal violence in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in September, 2013. (The Economic Times

1/2/15)

Praveen Togadia barred from Bangalore, VHP fumes (7)

Bengaluru: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad's plan to organise a "Hindu rally" in Bangalore hit a hurdle on

Tuesday when their star speaker Praveen Togadia was banned from entering the city. Sources in the

home minister's office told Hindustan Times that the government is also considering banning Togadia,

who has at least 19 cases of hate speech against him in over a dozen states, from entering

Karnataka. The VHP said the ban was "undemocratic" and claimed it had mustered more than two

lakh supporters for the event called Hindu Viraat Samavesha on February 8. "We have issued

prohibitory orders banning Togadia's entry into the city but we have decided to permit the event. We

are in talks with the organisers to arrive at a mutually agreed format for the programme," said

Bangalore Police Commissioner MN Reddi.Reddi said Togadia had been barred from the city to

"prevent a law and order situation".The VHP plans to protest for Togadia. "We will move court to get

justice and hold protests across Karnataka against the decision of this anti-Hindu government," said

VHP south India organising secretary Gopalji."This is unconstitutional and undemocratic. Togadia has

addressed many rallies in Karnataka over the last few months and there has been no trouble. The

Congress is playing vote bank politics," said former BJP chief minister Jagdish Shettar, who is leader

of the opposition. Chief minister Siddaramaiah supported the police's decision. "The government had

nothing to do with it. The decision was taken independently by the police. But it was a good decision

as Togadia's previous visits to the State have triggered communal violence. The government is

committed to preventing such attempts at polarization," he said.A riot broke out during Togadia's last

visit to Karnataka on January 17 when he addressed a gathering of 25,000 supporters at Puttur, 60

km Mangaluru. More than 30 people were injured in the violence and property worth several lakh

rupees was destroyed.Interestingly, the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimin has planned a massive rally on

February 8 to counter the VHP's event. As the main speaker, they plan to have the party president

and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who has nearly a dozen hate speech cases against him across Telangana

and Andhra Pradesh. Home Ministry sources said that Owaisi too will be prevented from entering the

State although they said that his status as an elected representative might complicate matters.

(Hindustan Times 3/2/15)

Trilokpuri residents want to get rid of ‘communal’ tag (7)

New Delhi: Residents of Trilokpuri — that had recently turned into a battleground due to communal

clashes — want to move on from communal politics and see some development in the area. The

locals were apprehensive that the election would bring back tension in the area as political parties

would try to highlight the riots for polarization. But both the political parties and voters want to move

on. Kiran Vaidya, whose husband Sunil Vaidya had suffered a heart attack and a brain hemorrhage

during a political rally, was not ready to contest the election but agreed to the demand of her party’s

top leaders. A month after her husband, the former BJP MLA of the area, died of a heart attack, she

was asked by the Bharatiya Janata Party to contest the Delhi assembly election from the riot-hit

Trilokpuri area of east Delhi. This may go against her as she is being seen as an inexperienced

candidate. “I have been living in the area for over 30 years and have seen many such clashes. But in

the name of development, nothing has been done. We hope the new government will work for

development and at the same time ensure peace in the area too,” said Manzar Hasan, a 70-year-old

resident of Trilokpuri. Residents said that the candidates did not highlight the riots during the election

campaign, which is a positive change. “People from outside see Trilokpuri as a communally sensitive

area and it has earned a bad name. We want the new government to change this image,” Sharda

Singh, a local resident said. (Hindustan Times 8/2/15)

Supreme Court stays Teesta arrest after High Court rejects bail (7)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon stayed the arrest till Friday of social activist

Teesta Setalvad of Centre for Justice and Peace and her husband Javed Anand in a

“misappropriation case”. The Gujarat high court rejected their anticipatory bail petitions in the morning

and they faced imminent arrest. A three-judge bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justices A.K.

Sikri and Arun Mishra restrained the Gujarat police from arresting Ms Setalvad and others on an

urgent oral mention made by senior counsel Kapil Sibal that the Gujarat police had already reached

Mumbai to arrest them following the dismissal of their petitions by the high court. He said the Gujarat

police was to arrest her anytime and sought protection. The bench, while directing the matter to be

listed for hearing on Friday, stayed the arrest till then. According to the Gujarat police, some former

residents of Gulberg Society had alleged that Ms Setalvad and her NGO had restrained them from

disposing of their properties after the Gujarat riots by promising them to purchase land and construct

a memorial. However, the properties were never purchased on the ground that there was not enough

funds. It was alleged that Ms Setalvad and her NGO had collected money from abroad by showing

their condition and that the money collected would be used for their upliftment. The Gujarat police

registered a criminal case against Ms Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand, former MP Ehsan Jafri’s

son Tanvir and two office-bearers of Gulberg Society, Salimbhai Sandhi and Firoz Gulzar, for

embezzlement of Rs 1.51 crore. (Asian Age 13/2/15)

Court acquits 68 for lack of evidence in 2002 Gujarat riot case (7)

Ahmedabad: A trial court on Friday acquitted all the 68 accused due to lack of evidence in a case

related to the 2002 post-Godhra riot at Seshan village in Deodar tehsil of Banaskantha district.

Fourteen persons, including two children, were killed in the violence at the village -- which is about

150 km from here -- in the aftermath of the Godhra train-burning incident. Additional District and

Sessions Judge V K Pujara of Taluka court, Deodar, said the statements of the witnesses did not

support other evidence. 190 witnesses had deposed before the court. The first charge-sheet was filed

in 2002, while 12 supplementary charge-sheets were filed subsequently. The prosecution had argued

that accounts of the eye-witnesses clearly showed that all the accused persons were involved in the

killing of 14 persons. But the defence pointed out that the witnesses could not recognise the accused

during the identification parade. According to police, a mob of around 5,000 people, armed with

swords and sticks, had attacked the village on March 2, 2002. The village had about 200 people of

Baloch Muslim community, who had been living there since 1947. The mob killed 14 Muslims,

including two girls who were five-year-old and 11-year-old, respectively, and two women. Two

persons from the mob were killed in police-firing. Additional Public Prosecutor D V Thakor said the

victims made representations before Justice G T Nanavati Commission, probing the riots, seeking a

speedy trial. Following which an inquiry was conducted by Banaskantha SP S M Katara, while earlier

the probe had been conducted by Deputy Superintendent of police Ravindra Patel. Ten out of the 68

accused were in jail for the last 12 years. (Zee News 14/2/15)

Government may make laws stringent (7)

New Delhi: The government is planning to initiate inter-ministerial discussion on the issue of attacks

on religious places soon to ascertain whether the existing laws are sufficient or there is need for a

special clause to specifically focus on this crime which will attract stringent punishment. “As of now,

these offences are covered under different sections of the criminal law but the Centre plans to make it

more stringent. Though the state police can initiate action under existing criminal laws also, but there

is need to make it stringent to send out a strong signal,” a senior government functionary said. The

spate of attacks on churches had evoked strong protests from Christian groups and both the PM and

home minister Rajnath Singh had expressed concern over the incidents. The Delhi police chief is

believed to have assured the PMO and the home ministry that these cases will solved in the next few

days. But over the last few months, there has been a pattern to such attacks in the national capital,

which also became an issue during the recently-concluded Delhi Assembly elections. There is a view

within the government now that the Centre needs to focus primarily on governance and economic

growth, which were getting influenced by fringe elements that were indulging in such incidents of

desecration of religious places or conversion events like “ghar wapsi”. On its part the saffron outfits

will also be told to strictly rope in its functionaries and stop them from making inflammatory speeches

targeting religious minorities. (Asian Age 15/2/15)

Violence And Blame Traded Over Communal Tension in Kerala's Nadapuram (7)

Thiruvananthapuram: Charred walls and broken windows, this is the home 39-year-old Sulekha

Mustafa has returned to three weeks after it was set on fire, forcing her to flee with her three children.

Her's is one of 40 Muslim homes in Nadapuram in Kozhikode, that was targeted allegedly by CPI (M)

loyalists. The attacks had reportedly been in retaliation to the murder of a CPI (M) youth wing worker,

allegedly by workers of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). "I am still scared. My children are still

troubled mentally. We can't sleep. We have horrible dreams," says Ms Mustafa. The violence

escalated during the funeral procession of 19-year-old Shibin, a CPI (M) youth worker. Six other

youths were attacked along with Shibin, but escaped with injuries and have been hospitalised.

Shibin's family and the CPI (M) blame the IUML for the attack, that claimed the youth's life. "What

does Muslim League get by killing people like this? They will rebuild their houses. Where will we get

our son from?" asked Bhaskaran, Shibin's father, standing by his son's funeral pyre.The CPI (M) and

IUML however are both trading blame for the violence and are accusing each other of colluding with

the police. "Muslim League is behind this brutal attack. Where was the police? It is Muslim League

and police hand in hand," alleges Mohanan Master, CPI (M) district secretary. It is the exact same

charge that the IUML is levelling against the CPI (M). "This has been done by the CPI (M) and police

hand-in-hand," says Muslim Youth League state secretary Subair.The police however say they were

outnumbered 10 to one when tensions escalated during Shibin's funeral procession, but that the

situation has been under control since. ""We couldn't use arms or tear gas because of the procession

for the dead body. We were outnumbered by 10 times. But no life was lost, and not a single incident

has happened since that day till today," said Kozhikode District's Superintendent of Police, PH Ashraf.

Nadapuram has a history of communal unrest and violence fuelled by political vendetta. The town has

a special police control room to specifically address its communally sensitive nature. (NDTV 15/2/15)

Prohibitory orders imposed in Shimoga after communal clash (7)

Bangalore: Tension prevailed in Karnataka’s Shimoga town on Friday following communal clashes

that broke out on Thursday evening after a rally by Popular Front of India (PFI). One person had died

and two were injured in violence during the rally. Prohibitory orders were clamped in the town by the

Shimoga district administration on Friday. The violence broke out after members of the PFI, a Muslim

activist group, staged a rally in the city to mark the birth of a founder. Some of the participants were

confronted by locals for allegedly throwing stones at vehicles during the rally, resulting in the outbreak

of violence. According to the Shimoga police, three persons who were riding on a bike were attacked

in Gajnur, resulting in the death of one and serious injures to two. The deceased was identified as

Vishwanath, 30, from the nearby Bhadravati town. News of the death and clashes led to more people

from both communities coming out on the streets and attempting to set fire to some establishments in

the town. The police brought in reinforcements in the night and brought the situation under control.

Prohibitory orders were imposed in the town and schools and colleges remained closed on Friday.

Commercial establishments and banks, however, opened for business. The PFI rally in Shimoga

came close on the heels of a major rally in the town organised by right wing groups led by the Vishwa

Hindu Parishad. Police claimed to have arrested a few persons who were involved in the clashes.

Additional Director General of Police (internal security) Amar Kumar Pandey and Inspector General of

Police (eastern range) Nanjunda Swamy have been stationed at Shimoga to monitor the situation.

The district in-charge minister Kimmane Rathnakar, meanwhile, announced a compensation of Rs 5

lakh for the family of Vishwanath. (Indian Express 21/2/15)

4 get 10 years in jail for plotting bomb attacks in Chennai (7)

CHENNAI: A special court in the city on Monday sentenced four members of a Muslim radical

organisation to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for plotting bomb blasts at temples in Chennai in

2002. According to the prosecution, police were on an alert after receiving a tip that Muslim Defence

Force (MDF) was planning explosions at important Hindu temples in the city to foment communal

violence on December 6, 2002, the 10th anniversary of Babri masjid demolition. Special public

prosecutor N Vijayaraj said during a vehicle check, a police team led by sub-inspector Mahindran

apprehended two MDF operatives, Zakir Hussain alias Zakirah, 28, and Towfiq alias Yasir, 27, with

5kg of explosives, 40 gelatin sticks and detonators near Rajaratnam Nagar bridge in Kodungaiyur on

November 29, 2002. Subsequently, a case was registered under Sections 5, 9 (B) and (1) (a) of the

Explosives Substances Act and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. Based on information from

the duo, police seized a large amount of explosives from Mallipattinam in Thanjavur district, and

arrested two more people, Nizamuddin and Abdul Quadir. The case was later transferred to the

Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department After

investigation, police chargesheeted 23 people in the case. On completion of the trial, P Murugan,

judge of the special court for bomb blast cases in Poonamallee, sentenced Zakir, Towfiq, Nizammudin

and Abdul Quadir to 10 years of RI. The court also slapped each with a fine of 5,000. The court

acquitted 17 accused as the prosecution was unable to prove charges against them. Two of the

accused are absconding. MDF was founded in Saudi Arabia by Abu Hamsa, 35, of Hyderabad with

the objective of extending Islamist fundamentalism to south India. MDF reportedly also had links with

Lashkar-e-Toiba, responsible for the 26/11 terrorist strikes in Mumbai. According to police Zakir had

confessed that he had gone to Saudi Arabia and befriended Abu Hamsa in Riyadh. (Times of India

24/2/15)

Village tense after Adityanath’s outfit enters land row, ‘150 Muslim families leave homes’ (7)

Lucknow: Tension prevailed in Madhopur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district after 150

Muslim families reportedly left their homes Monday, fearing a backlash from BJP MP Yogi

Adityanath’s outfit Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) over a land dispute. Heavy police force including PAC

personnel have been deployed in the village to prevent any disturbance. Kushinagar additional district

magistrate Ram Kewal Tiwari admitted that there is tension in the village. “It is a property dispute.

There was a minor clash and we deployed PAC. HYV is active in this region and they often hold

meetings, but we handle the situation,” Tiwari claimed. He, however, denied that Muslims have left

the village. HYV held a meeting at Madhopur on Monday to show solidarity with the village’s Hindus

following a property dispute. The outfit has reportedly given call for a Hindu mahapanchayat on March

3 if its demand of handing over possession of a 1.5-acre disputed plot to a Hindu villager is not met.

“We had gone there to show solidarity with our worker Digvijay Kishore Shahi who was assaulted by a

Muslim when he resisted their move to grab his land. Since the Muslims have done wrong, they have

fled. We are not responsible,” Sunil Singh, state president of HYV said. He added: “Digvijay owns that

land. The district administration admitted it but refused to hand him the possession before Holi

claiming that communal atmosphere will be vitiated. We cannot wait for that long. On March 3, we will

hold a Hindu mahapanchayat”. Locals said the issue erupted following a land dispute between

Digvijay Kishore Shahi and another villager Ameen. The 1.5 acre plot belonging to the gram

panchayat is close to the village and both groups are staking claim to it. On February 13, a clash

broke out between the two groups. Muslims claimed that nearly 1,000 HYV workers attacked them.

The district administration deployed PAC and a case was registered on Shahi’s complaint. Two

Muslim men were arrested. “We continued to stay in our village after the incident. But, HYV

announced a big meeting on February 23. We sought help of local administration but no one came

forward,” Aurangzeb (22) said. Social worker Mohammad Anwar Siddiqui said: “Police told villagers

told to leave the village before the HYV.” Aurangzeb said Muslims left the village on February 22 to

avoid confrontations. He added that the HYV meeting was attended by nearly 1,500 workers,

including state president Sunil Singh. Provocative speeches were delivered during the meeting. The

Muslims are yet to return home, he claimed. (Indian Express 25/2/15)

Six accused of killing 3 Britons in Guj riots acquitted (7)

AHMEDABAD: Thirteen years after three British nationals were killed near Prantij during the 2002

Gujarat riots, a special SIT court in Himmatnagar on Friday acquitted six people accused of the

murders. On February, 28, 2002, a day after the Godhra carnage, four people including three British

citizens were killed on national highway-8 near Vadvasa village near Prantij town in Sabarkantha

district. They were Saeed Dawood, Shakeel Dawood and Mohammed Aswat. A driver, Yusuf

Sulaiman Piraghar, was also allegedly burnt alive by a mob. Another visitor from the UK, Imran

Dawood, was injured but managed to escape and later filed a complaint. Special judge I C Shah

exonerated Mithanbhai Patel, Chandu alias Prahlad Patel, Ramesh Patel, Manoj Patel, Rajesh Patel

and Kalabhai Patel for want of evidence. The court said that the prosecuting agency, the Supreme

Court-appointed SIT, "failed to prove the charges against all the accused beyond reasonable doubt,

therefore, I have no option but to acquit them." The court also chided police investigation because the

prosecution could not establish the motive behind the unlawful assembly of the accused and the

murders. It criticized police for poor investigation, not holding identification parade and taking

witnesses' statements under section 164 of the CrPC. "This also suggests inexplicable helplessness

of the police in identifying, investigating, arresting or prosecuting real culprits," the court said. The

court refused to believe complainant Imran Dawood because during his deposition through video

conferencing, he was assisted by someone and he was carrying notes. It objected to his use of notes

saying he could not have been forced to do so as he was also a victim of the violence in which three

of his compatriots were killed.During the trial, three eyewitnesses - Kaluji, Badarji and Dalpatsinh -

turned hostile and refused to identify the accused. (Times of India 1/3/15)

Strong Action Against Those Disturbing Communal Harmony: Rajnath (7)

NEW DELHI: Strong action will be taken against those who disturb communal harmony, government

asserted in Rajya Sabha today while stating that such incidents had "shown a decreasing trend"

during the last few months of last year but increased again in January this year. "Whoever breaks

communal harmony...strict action will be taken," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said while replying to

questions. He said people who try to disturb communal harmony will be given a "befitting" response.

At the same time, he said "health" of communal harmony cannot be measured on the basis of number

of incidents. Giving details of communal violence since October 2014, Minister of State for Home

Affairs Kiren Rijiju said such incidents have "shown a decreasing trend during the last few months of

the year 2014 from October to December 2014".As per the information provided in the House, 72

communal incidents were reported in October, 49 in November and 33 in December. But the incidents

increased to 72 in January 2015. Singh said he was not patting back of his government as the

number of communal incidents were on the wane or criticising the previous UPA government for the

increase during its regime. Digvijay Singh (Cong) earlier raised the issue of provocative speeches to

disturb communal harmony. When a member referred to attacks on churches and violence in

Trilokpuri area of Delhi last year, Rijiju said whether those were communal or not would be known

only after investigation. As per the data, three communal incidents took place in Delhi in October

2014, and no other incident took place in the following months through January 2015. To related

queries, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already denounced communal statements. Rijiju

said he himself was a "minority" and assured the members that there would be no discrimination on

the basis of religion. The data showed that 21 communal incidents took place in Maharashtra during

January followed by 12 in Bihar and 10 in Karnataka. Replying to a question on improving working

conditions of women in police forces, the MoS Home said the government has asked all Union

Territories to increase the strength of women police personnel to 33 per cent. Police is a state subject

and states have to implement the police reform and welfare measures. Rijiju added that the Centre

advises the states from time to time to bring in requisite reforms in the police administration. To

another question, Rijiju said it has been found that a number of associations in Andhra Pradesh

receiving foreign contributions have not filed annual returns of accounts. "Notices were issued to

1,441 defaulting associations in the state of Andhra Pradesh for non filing of returns for the financial

years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12...," he said. The Minister added of the 1,441, registration of

1,142 associations have been cancelled. (New Indian Express 4/3/15)

Holi celebrations marred by violence, 2 die (7)

AGRA: The festive spirit of Holi proved to be a dampener for some as revelry was marred by violence

at some places in Agra and Mathura. Two persons lost their lives in different cases of communal

violence while a policeman was severely injured in a fight over a DJ. An FIR under section 147

(balwa) and 151 (breaching peace) of the IPC has been lodged against 20 named and 40 unnamed

persons by Narendra Singh, inspector in Tajganj police station, who was severely injured in violence

that occurred in Digner area under Tajganj police station on Friday. The violence erupted over running

a DJ during Holi celebrations in which two groups from different communities were involved in a

scuffle. What started as an argument soon degenerated into violence after a a miscreant fired in the

air and several others took to pelting stones at one another. "Udayveer Singh, village head man, was

injured in the clash along with Narendra Singh, the police inspector. More than a dozen persons were

also injured in the clash. An FIR has been lodged against 60 people for breach of peace in the city,"

said SSP Rajesh Modak. Earlier on Thursday, one person died while two, including a woman, were

injured after several rounds of firing at Supana village under Kosikala police station in Mathura district.

The fight started between members of the Jaat and Jatav communities over running DJ during Holi

celebrations. Heavy police force reached the spot after being informed by locals. CO, Chatta police

station, Atul Kumar informed that an FIR against a 20 people, both named and unidentified, has been

lodged under various sections like attempt to murder, breaching of peace and communal violence.

The injured persons are being treated in Mathura district hospital. More than 10 people were injured in

another case of communal violence that occurred at Bhogipura village under Shahganj police station.

A named FIR has been lodged against seven people under various sections for attempting to kill a

boy and his mother. According to police, Mamta, wife of Hari Mohan, has lodged an FIR against

seven people who fired at her and her eight-year-old son who was playing inside a temple where

members of a particular community are barred from entering. The miscreants allegedly saw the boy

inside temple and started beating him. The accused fired on the boy and his mother. The locals who

came to their rescue were also beaten up by the miscreants. Some people summoned the police who

arrested five of the accused while others managed to flee. The situation was tense at the village even

on Saturday. Another case of violence was reported from Nenana Jatav village, where two groups

had a brawl over burning of the Holika on Thursday evening. The argument turned deadly between

Jatav and Brahmins. Situation become tense as a few people started pelting stones and others

resorted to firing in the air. Heavy police force reached to the spot and pacified the groups. At

Dhanauli village under Malpura police station, around five people were booked under section 151 of

the IPC for breaching peace in the city. The accused passed lewd comments against girls of another

community during Holi celebrations. The brother of the girls tried to stop them (allegedly from another

community) and slapped them. Matters took an ugly turn when families of both groups reached the

police station. Cops booked five people in the matter. (Times of India 7/3/15)

Communal violence cases dropped by 22% from 2013 to 2014 (7)

NEW DELHI: Communal incidents in the country fell by almost 22% to 643 in 2014 from 823 in 2013.

In fact, the latest figure is the lowest in the last three years, with 2012 having recorded 668 cases. A

look at the data released by the government in reply to two Parliament questions dated December 2,

2014 and March 4, 2015 shows that Uttar Pradesh took much of the credit for the dip in communal

attacks, recording the biggest drop (43.3%) from 247 incidents in 2013 to 140 last year. Incidentally,

the high incidence of communal violence in UP in 2013 was mainly on account of the riots in

Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in August and September that year. The state-wise break-up of

communal attacks reported in 2014 puts UP at the top of the table with 140 incidents, followed by

Maharashtra with 93, Gujarat with 75, Karnataka with 74, Rajasthan with 70 and Bihar with 61. The

incidence of communal flare-ups was higher in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan in 2014

compared to 2013. While Maharashtra and Gujarat reported a marginal rise in incidents from 88 to 93

and 68 to 75 respectively, Rajasthan witnessed a significant increase in attacks from 52 in 2013 to 70

last year. The level of communal violence in Bihar and Karnataka remained more or less the same

between 2013 and 2014. While Bihar saw 61 incidents last year against 63 in 2013, Karnataka saw

74 incidents of communal rioting against 73 in 2013. Tamil Nadu recorded just 14 incidents in 2014

compared to 36 in 2013, though Delhi recorded higher incidents at seven (an apparent outcome of the

Trilokpuri riots last November) from just two in 2013. As per a monthly break-up of communal

incidents from October 2014 to January 2015, put out as an annexure to the government's reply to a

Rajya Sabha query, 49 and 33 attacks were reported across the country in November and December

2014 respectively, though this went up to 72 incidents in January 2015. The sharp rise in incidents in

January was on account of higher cases reported in Maharashtra (21) and Bihar (12). (Times of India

9/3/15)

RTI query on Gujarat riots stonewalled again by PMO (7)

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s Office has once again refused to release details of the

correspondence during the Gujarat riots between then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and then

Chief Minister Narendra Modi, citing “third party objections.” RTI activist Subhash Agarwal wrote to

the PMO in December 2013 seeking complete copies of correspondence between Mr. Vajpayee and

Mr. Modi between February 27, 2002, the day the Sabarmati Express was set on fire in Godhra, and

April 30, 2002, by when the worst of the post-Godhra riots was over. After first refusing to give the

information, a decision overturned in appeal, the PMO replied to Mr. Agarwal in April 2014 that it was

seeking consent of third parties. (The Hindu 11/3/15)

Muzaffarnagar riots: Displaced people to get pension benefit (7)

MUZAFFARNAGAR: The state government has decided to extend the benefit of the 'Samajwadi

Pension Scheme' to almost two thousand persons displaced due to the Muzaffarnagar riots. "The

benefit of Samajwadi pension scheme would be provided to the displaced families affected by the

riots in the district. Some 2,065 people who were displaced because of the riots in Jolla, Paldi,

Shafipur, Loee Sarai and other places have filled-up the forms, which will be scrutinised, to provide

them the benefit of the scheme," additional district magistrate, Indermani Tripathi said. The district

authorities have identified 45,245 people for the 'Samajwadi Pension Scheme' which included two

thousands riot-hit victims. (Times of India 15/3/15)

Section of media to blame for biased coverage of riots’(7)

HYDERABAD: Studies have revealed that sections of the media were biased in reporting communal

incidents such as the post Godhra riots in Gujarat and the violent aftermath of the Babri Masjid

demolition in 1992, said eminent journalist N Ram. Addressing a gathering at the Manuu conference,

Ram said a report by the Press Council of India (PCI) and the Editor's Guild had noted that a section

of the media had adopted a "general culpability in adopting a celebratory attitude" after the demolition

of the mosque. He said that PCI report described that the Hindi media had played a "karsevak

role".Touching upon the post Godhra riots, Ram said, "There was a differential coverage between the

English and Gujarati media. While the national media was applauded for truth telling, the mischievous

role of the Gujarati newspapers is a fact that fact-finding missions have said cannot be glossed over.

Fuelling disorder is a criminal offence." Ram also said that UPA - II had withheld the 2011 census

data which showed an upward trend in the Muslim population. This, he said, was in view of the 2014

elections. Blaming the media partly for the portrayal of Muslims, eminent journalist Shekhar Gupta

said Muslims were the "usual suspects" in terror attacks. "So many Iftekhars and Irfans have been

caught and later other groups were found to be involved. Anybody who is kept in police custody for six

months or a year is ruined for life," he said. He noted that movies in the 80s and 90s perpetuated the

stereotype of Muslims being terrorists. "Sunny Deol films were totally communal. That was when

global terror began and profiling began." Touching upon the subject of Muslims in newsrooms, Gupta

said: "Muslims in media are trusted as anybody else. Newsrooms are not inclusive in terms of caste."

Noted journalist Rajdeep Sardesai said that the media houses are concerned about an increase in

TRP which has led to a negative portrayal of Muslims. Many media houses invite Muslim intellectuals

from the north, thereby ignoring the voices from the south, he said. "If you want a Muslim voice, don't

get him from Delhi of Lucknow but from Hyderabad," he said. He noted that a Muslim parliamentarian

such as Asaduddin Owaisi was unlikely to be invited on a debate on the land acquisition bill because

the media was more interested in a "Togadia versus Owaisi" debate. "Movies in the 80s and 90s

perpetuated the stereotype of Muslims being terrorists. Sunny Deol films were totally communal. That

was when global terror began and profiling began." (Times of India 18/3/15)

Communal post on FB triggers tension in Bhandara (7)

BHANDARA: Timely action by Bhandara police prevented a flare-up between two communities after a

Std X student's derogatory Facebook post briefly sparked tension in the city on Monday night. The

student posted an objectionable photograph about a place of worship of Muslims while a friend of the

boy wrote a derogatory remark about Prophet Mohammed on the post. This led to members of the

aggrieved community barging into the boy's friend's house and thrashing him. Police registered an

offence under relevant sections of IT Act and Indian Penal Code. The juvenile offenders will be

produced before the court on Wednesday. The situation of the town is peaceful and under control,

police said. Sources added that the juvenile student would regularly attend camps of right-wing

organizations and was in close contact of their activists. According to reports, the 16-year-old boy,

who is appearing for his Std X examination, sent the image in question to his friend via Facebook. His

friend added an offending remark to the photograph and broadcast it among his friends. One of the

friends is a Muslim and he informed members of his community about the post. Enraged, some

members of the community went to Bhandara police station and lodged a complaint against the

mischief mongers. Some others barged into the second student's home in the night and thrashed him.

Police were informed and rushed to the student's home. Seeing this, the mob fled from the scene.

The student was rushed to government general hospital at Bhandara. The student's mother lodged a

police complaint, mentioning the names of five youths. These youths have been arrested and booked

under relevant sections of the IPC. On Tuesday, a group of activists met superintendent of police

Kailash Kanse and demanded the arrest of another fifty persons who, the activists claimed, were

involved in the attack. The activists said they were not satisfied with the replies given by Kanse.

Kanse told TOI that the juvenile students were using the social networking site to create tension

between two communities and their guardians should be watchful about their activities. The juvenile

student appeared for his Std X examination under police protection on Tuesday. (Times of India

18/3/15)

Curb hate speech that triggers communal riots, says Teesta (7)

CHENNAI: Communal flare-ups get noticed only when the violence takes place. But the events that

cause the flare-ups should be duly dealt with so that they don't take place, said Teesta Setalvad, well-

known civil rights activist on Friday. In her speech during a seminar held in the city, Setalvad recalled

the history of communal violence in the country and said that despite stringent laws in place, hate

speeches often went unpunished in the past. Young people are impressionable and get swayed by

hate speeches but premier educational institutions do not seem to care about the impact these

speeches are having on their students. "College campuses like IITs and Banaras Hindu University do

not have a problem in people like Subramaniam Swamy attacking certain communities while

delivering speeches," she said. Teesta also asked the younger generation to step out of their

classrooms and social media to understand real history. Pointing out that the trigger factors for

communal violence vary from place to place, Setalvad said there was a need to engage judges and

policemen with people on the ground to get a clear picture of the situation leading to and following

communal violence. "After 2002 post-Godhra communal violence, we were able to file many cases

pertaining to it only after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) went on a field visit and

recorded statements," said Setalvad, who runs Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), an NGO that

filed petitions on behalf of the victims of Godhra riots. (Times of India 21/3/15)

Political parties react cautiously to court verdict (1)

New Delhi: The massacre of 42 Muslims in 1987 in Meerut’s Hashimpura locality must rate as one of

the most shameful cases of custodial killings in independent India. Yet the recent acquittal by a Delhi

court of the 16 accused personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary on March 20, 28 years after

the event, has evoked a muted response from political parties, leaving the outrage to civil rights

groups. If the Congress’s Pramod Tiwari, a minister in the UP state government in 1987, has been

reported accusing both the prosecution and the investigating agency (CB-CID) of failing to do their

duty sincerely, BJP State president Laxmikant Bajpai, while avoiding comment on the court’s

decision, has blamed the prosecution for not being able to prove its case, while pointing out that the

Congress had been in power at the time of the incident and that the Samajwadi Party is currently

ruling UP. Mr. Bajpai, however, failed to mention that the BJP was in power at the Centre (1998-2004,

and from May 2014 onwards) and in UP (1991-92 and 1997-2002) in the intervening years. The

incident took place on the Congress’s watch – it was in power both in UP and at the Centre -- in 1987

and the party evidently does not want to draw attention to that by being vocal on the judgment. The

BJP apparently does not wish attention to be drawn to the fact that the episode occurred during the

Ramjanmabhoomi movement and corresponding anti-Muslim violence that eventually propelled it to

power in UP in 1991. As for the SP, currently ruling UP, and the Bahujan Samaj Party that has been

in power in the State more than once over the last 28 years, both have merely expressed their

sympathy for the Muslim victims. The strongest response has come from the Communist Party of

India (Marxist) that has demanded that the verdict be appealed and the case “strongly pursued” in a

higher court. In a statement, the party said, “The acquittal due to insufficient evidence highlights the

callous manner in which the prosecution of those guilty for communal killings are being conducted.”

PAC personnel had rounded up close to 50 Muslims from Hashimpura on May 22, 1987, during

Hindu-Muslim riots, shot them dead and dumped their bodies in water canals -- 42 bodies were later

discovered, while there were five survivors who surfaced later. This incident led to a long legal battle

in the courts. Now, a lower court in Delhi has acquitted all the surviving accused for lack of evidence.

(The Hindu 24/3/15)

Clean chit to Tytler in 1984 riots case: 'Upset' Phoolka to file protest petition (7)

NEW DELHI: Expressing his disappointment over the CBI's move to file a closure report giving clean

chit to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 riots case, senior advocate HS Phoolka on

Wednesday said that he would file a protest petition regarding the same. Phoolka said it is very

unfortunate that the CBI quietly filed the closure report giving clean chit to Tytler on December 24,

2014. "There has been a hearing in the court after that but this matter has been kept top secret and

confidential. Why a matter of such great importance is kept confidential? The people want to know,"

he told ANI here. Phoolka also lashed out at the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is an ally of the

ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, for keeping silent on the entire episode despite

being aware of the CBI's move in this case. "The Akali Dal and the Gurdwara Committee were aware

of it and even they did not inform the people. When Jagadish Tytler was given a clean-chit in 2009

during the UPA Government, the Akali Dal and the BJP raised such a hue and cry in the Parliament

that the house had to be adjourned," Phoolka said. "Now when their government is in power, they

quietly want to ensure that Tytler is given the clean-chit," he added. The senior advocate further said

that he would file a protest petition challenging the clean-chit given by the CBI to Tytler. "Fortunately,

till today, the court had not accepted this clean chit, we will definitely protest (against) this. We would

have done this earlier if we were aware of it," he said. Tytler was among the three prominent leaders

named in the reports on anti-Sikh riots case. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which claimed the lives of

almost 3000 Sikhs, were triggered by the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi on

October 31, 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards. (Times of India 25/3/15)

Kishtwar riots: Final inquiry report changes line, indicts ex-minister Sajjad Kitchloo (7)

Srinagar: Former Minister of State for Home and sitting National Conference legislator in the Upper

House of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature, Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo, has been indicted by a one-

man judicial commission that inquired into the communal riots that left three dead and over 80 injured

in Kishtwar on Eid in 2013. The Commission, headed by retired High Court Justice R C Gandhi,

indicted nearly five dozen people, including senior IAS and IPS officers, for their role in the violence.

Among the officers named are then IGP (Jammu) Rajesh Kumar, then DIG (Ramban-Doda-Kishtwar)

Ashkoor Wani, and the then Kishtwar DC and SP Mohammad Saleem Choudhary and Dr Sunil Gupta

respectively. Kumar is now director of the Sher-e-Kashmir Police Academy in Udhampur, Wani is

DIG, Traffic in Jammu, Gupta is SP, Leh, and Saleem Choudhary is with the Rural Development

Department.The Commission has recommended a probe into the role played by civil and police

officials posted at that time in Kishtwar town, sources said. It has hinted at a “larger conspiracy”

behind the communal clashes, pointing out that the rioters had come prepared with containers full of

kerosene. Sources said the Commission has referred to the deposition of a police officer who had,

quoting a forensic report, said kerosene was poured before residential and commercial buildings were

torched. During a nine-hour rampage, rioters had torched a large number of buildings on August 9,

2013. As the violence spilled to other places, the then Omar Abdullah government had imposed a

curfew in various areas of the state, and put Kishtwar out of bounds, including for the media. The

inquiry has, however, exonerated the bodyguard of local BJP leader Sunil Sharma, now Minister of

State for Revenue and R&B, of the charge of inciting trouble by ramming his motorcycle into people in

the Eid procession. Quoting witnesses who said he was beaten up by the mob, the Commission has

said that the man appeared in fact, to have been a victim of the violence. It was Sharma who told

reporters on Sunday that the Commission had indicted Kitchloo in its final report. The indictment for

playing an active role in the violence comes a year after the same commission of inquiry had, in its

interim report, exonerated him of “any involvement at any level” in the riots. Kitchloo on Sunday

expressed surprise over the report, and both the National Conference and Congress termed it

“suspect”, and described the inquiry as “partial”. “I don’t think so (that the Gandhi Commission has

indicted me). How is it possible that he will indict me? He had given me a clean chit in the interim

report,” the former MoS Home told The Indian Express. “It is all politics. Everybody in the state knows

who planned the riots, and why.” Justice (retd) Gandhi himself said many witnesses had come

forward after he submitted his interim report. “I won’t say (whether Kitchloo has been indicted or not).

You read both the reports and then draw a conclusion,” he said. The National Conference said the

contradictory reports reflected on the credibility of the Commission. “We have not seen the report as

yet. If the media reports are true and Justice R C Gandhi Commission has indicted Kitchloo, it puts a

big question mark on the credibility of the commission,” NC provincial president Devendar Rana said.

“If he (Justice Gandhi) has now indicted Kitchloo, it means that either the earlier report, or the latest

report is politically motivated. Either way, it makes the Commission of Inquiry suspect,” Rana added.

Kitchloo, who was also the Kishtwar MLA at the time of the riots, had resigned after the BJP accused

him of having played a partisan role in the violence. After the Gandhi Commission’s interim report said

“no evidence” had been found of his “involvement at any level, though he was in the town that day”,

Kitchloo was re-inducted as MoS Home. “It seems that the Justice wants to keep happy whosoever is

in the government,” Ghulam Nabi Monga, senior Congress leader, said. “Had he (Justice Gandhi)

written in his interim report that there was a prima facie case against Kitchloo, this would have been

understandable. But how can you declare somebody innocent in the interim report, and accused in

the final report?” Communist leader M Y Tarigami said he was “surprised”, and demanded an

“objective assessment of the whole situation”. “The fact is that certain elements vitiated the

environment, polarised the situation for political ends,” Tarigami said. “There is a vested interest of

some outfits to polarise the state. That was evident from the recently held elections as well.” The PDP

said it had not gone through the report. “Let’s first go through the report,” chief spokesman and

Education minister Nayeem Akhtar said. “It would be then sent to the cabinet for a decision. We have

not seen the report and it would not be proper for us to comment at this point of time.” (Indian Express

30/3/15)

Curfew continues for third day in MP town (7)

Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh): Curfew, imposed in a town in Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch district

following communal violence, continued for the third day on Sunday. Some miscreants on Friday

threw stones at a procession taken out on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti in Jawad town and at

least 20 people were injured in the resulting melee. Violence then flared up with a mob setting fire to

residential buildings, vehicles and shops which left a number of people, including police personnel,

injured. “Women and children were exempted from the curfew between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Sunday to

let them buy things for their basic needs,” Indrajit Singh, sub-divisional police officer of Jawad town,

said. – IANS (The Hindu 6/4/15)

Naroda Patiya riot victims object HC preference to Kodnani's appeal (7)

NEW DELHI: Riot victims of Naroda Patiya on Tuesday complained to the Supreme Court against

Gujarat high court for hearing former minister Maya Kodnani's appeal out of turn. The victims in their

joint petition said they have filed appeals against trial court's decision to acquit some accused and

also pleaded for enhancement of sentence of the convicts. They said their appeals are not being

heard along with Kodnani's appeal though all these appeals pertained to the same incident -

communal riots in Naroda Patiya area of Ahmedabad in 2002. The Supreme Court appointed SIT

headed by R K Raghavan also informed the court through senior advocate Harish Salve that the HC

judge was not deciding the SIT's application for hearing all the appeals together. The riot victims

through advocate Aparna Bhat told the SC that the victims had sought recusal of the HC judge but he

continues to hear Kodnani's appeal in haste prior to his retirement. A bench headed by Chief Justice

H L Dattu said the appeals will be heard soon by the apex court. (Times of India 7/4/15)

In Gujarat, Muslim forced to sell house in Hindu locality: Report (7)

New Delhi: Hindu right-wing groups forced a Muslim businessman to sell off his property and move

out of a posh locality in Bhavnagar in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, media

reports said on Wednesday.The Indian Express said the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Rashtriya

Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) brokered the deal between a real estate firm and scrap dealer Aliasgar

Zaveri for the sale of his bungalow on December 30, 2014. The paper said he had bought the house

in the Sanatorium locality of Bhavnagar, around 200km from state capital Gandhinagar, in January

last year, when Modi was the chief minister of the state. Gujarat was rocked by widespread communal

riots in 2002 which had left over a thousand people dead across the state. Modi’s government was

accused of doing little to stop the violence though he was later given a clean chit by the Supreme

Court. Modi became the Prime Minister in May last year after leading the BJP to a comprehensive

victory in the Lok Sabha elections. Rights activists say that after the BJP government came to power

at the Centre, right-wing Hindu groups have been targeting minority communities and their

institutions, pointing to attacks on missionary schools and churches besides programmes like ‘ghar

wapsi’ which aims to re-convert people of other faiths to Hinduism. The Indian Express report said, a

couple of months after Zaveri bought the bungalow, “Hindu residents of the area started protesting,

saying the food habits of Muslims may offend them and that it could open the floodgates for the entry

of other Muslims into the area.” Pravin Togadia, a firebrand VHP leader, asked residents of the

locality in April last year to attack Zaveri’s office “if he did not give up the bungalow within 48 hours,”

the report said. “Following the alleged hate speech, Togadia was booked for inciting communal

passions and police were deployed at the bungalow. Zaveri, who lives in a Muslim-dominated area,

could never move in,” the report added. Zaveri, according to the report, refused to comment on the

issue. The paper quoted SD Jani, president of VHP’s Bhavnagar city unit, as saying: “Due to our

agitation, the vidharmi (one from another faith, Zaveri) realised he would not be able to settle in and

eventually gave in.” One of partners in the real estate firm was quoted as saying that the sale of the

house was not “distress selling” by Zaveri. (Hindustan Times 8/4/15)

21 booked for communal violence in Sihor (7)

RAJKOT: Twenty-one persons, including a Congress councilor, have been booked in a case in which

communal violence broke out in Sihor town of Bhavnagar district on Tuesday. Sources said that cross

complaints have been lodged in the matter by people from both communities. A petty tiff between two

individuals had gradually turned into a communal clash in which three persons were injured. The

matter was triggered by a parking row outside the Fashion Cutlery Store on Main Road. Members of

the two communities had pelted stones at each other and also damaged vehicles, including those of

the police. Sources said that a complaint against 10 persons including Congress councillor Hanif

Radhanpura was lodged by Sajan Rabari for assault with knives and swords. Radhanpura's son owns

the store where the allegedly row began. The second complaint was lodged by Yunush Radhanpura

against Ashok Rabari and nine others for ransacking shops and looting Rs 1,500. SY Zala, sub-

inspector of Sihor police station also lodged a complaint against 12 persons for rioting and vandalizing

public property. (Times of India 16/4/15)

Police averts communal clash (7)

Bijnor: Timely action by police averted a communal clash at Manjhola Billoch village on Monday

evening. Tension sparked off between two communities over an eve-teasing incident at the

village.According to sources, the 12-year-old daughter of Kirpal Singh, a resident, was eve-teased by

Ashu Khan, 20, of the same village when she was standing outside her house. On hearing her

screams, the miscreant fled and she was taken inside the house by her parents. On Tuesday

morning, the incident led to an escalation of religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims of the

village. Santosh Kumar, station house officer, (SHO), Shivala Kalan police station, said, "We received

information about a mob gathering in the village and immediately reached the spot with a large police

force. We managed to take control of things before anything untoward could happen." He further said

that a complaint has been lodged by the girl's father and a case registered against the accused under

relevant sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Meanwhile, a

large contingent of police force has been deployed in the village as a precautionary measure. Raids to

possible hideouts of the accused have been made by the police and he is currently on the run. (Times

of India 16/4/15)

Clashes erupt in Jammu and Kashmir, 30 injured (7)

Srinagar: More than thirty people, most of them police personnel, were injured as parts of Srinagar

and Tral, a township about 42 kilometres south of Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital, erupted

again on Friday afternoon when irate crowds clashed with the riot police at several places, forcing the

latter to fire warning shots and teargas canisters and swing bamboo sticks. Srinagar’s Nowhatta area

witnessed ding-dong streets battles between stone-hurling youth and the police for hours after the

Friday congregation at the nearby Grand Mosque. The police used force including tear-smoke

canisters to push the surging crowds back, but in vain, witnesses said. A police statement said that 21

of its men, including a station house officer, and three civilians were injured in the clashes reported

from Nowhatta, Gojwara, Malarata and Khawaja Bazaar areas of the city. “However, the situation by

and large remained peaceful in the Valley,” it said. Earlier Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric and chairman

of his faction of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq led a protest procession within the

premises of the Jama Masjid against the killing of a local youth by the Army during an operations

against militants in Tral’s Kamla Woods on April 13 and other alleged human rights violations by the

security forces. He termed the youth’s killing as an “extrajudicial murder” and demanded immediate

revocation of AFSPA and other “draconian laws”, release of political prisoners, and bringing to justice

the Army personnel involved in the killing of the Tral youth. Before the rally, while delivering

customary weekly sermon from the rostrum of Jama Masjid, the Mr Farooq said the claims of

government’s “zero tolerance” towards human rights violations have proven to be an utter lie. He

accused the PDP of “kneeling before BJP’s “extremist agenda on Kashmir”. Tral and its

neighbourhood has been on the boil since April 13 when Army during a reported operation against

militants in the region’s Kamla woods killed a 24-year-old student Khalid Muzaffar Wani whom it

termed as ‘overground worker’ of Hizb-ul-Mujahedin outfit. But while police denied it saying he was a

civilian not involved in any militant activities, the slain youth’s family and neighbours had alleged that

he was tortured to death in Army custody as he had reportedly gone to the forest area to meet his

brother Burhan Wani, the south Kasdhmir commander of the Hizb. The killing of a militant of the outfit

identified as Younus during the Army operation was also claimed to be an ‘extrajudicial murder’

resulting in the flare up. The Army had said they the duo was killed in an exchange of fire between it

and the militants. Amid widespread protests and violent clashes, the authorities had imposed curfew-

like restrictions on Tral and some neighbouring villages which continued on Friday. Also, all roads

leading to Tral and other entry and exit points were sealed by police and CRPF reinforcements at

dawn on Friday ahead of a rally planned by separatists. Syed Ali Shah Geelani had given a ‘Tral

Chaloo’ call but was along with several other separatist leaders and activists placed under house

arrest in Srinagar and elsewhere on Thursday night to prevent them from relocating to Tral. Reports

from Tral said that soon after the Friday congregations at local mosques and hospices, people came

out on the streets to chant pro-freedom slogans. Soon they clashed with police which fired rife shots

over their heads and also burst teargas canisters as cane-charge failed to yield desired result.

Witnesses said that irate youth in the crowds started pelting rocks and other missiles on the police

and CRPF personnel. The ding-dong streets battles continued till reporters last came in. “Already,

some people have been injured. I also saw a couple of policemen being removed from a scene of

clashes in injured condition,” a local reporter said over the phone from Tral. Reports also said that

several separatist second-rung leaders and activists who had managed to reach Tral addressed

people at the town’s Khankah-i-Faiz Panah during the Friday congregation. “After the prayers, people

began marching towards the home of slain youth Khalid Wani but when the procession reached the

Gole Masjid area armed policemen and CRPF personnel came in their way and used force to

disperse them which led to the clashes,” a resident said. Meanwhile, Syed Geelani has called for a

shutdown in Kashmir Valley on Saturday to protest against what he alleged was ‘cold - blooded’

murder of Tral youth. He also condemned Massarat Aalam Bhat’s arrest and placing him and others

under house arrest saying the move was “unjustified and inhuman”. Several separatist outfits and like-

minded groups have endorsed the strike call. (Asian Age 18/4/15)

Drunken brawl sparks rumours of communal tension (26)

NEW DELHI: A drunken brawl between two youths, followed by rumours and stone pelting between

two groups, sparked fears of communal tension in east Delhi's Trilokpuri on Saturday night. However,

cops swiftly brought the situation under control. No one was injured in the clash. Around 10.30pm, a

youth, Rahul, got into an argument with a few others at Block 27 over buying chicken. A scuffle

ensued and soon turned into a full-fledged brawl when other youths from Rahul's Block 26 joined in

and started pelting stones and bottles at each other. Locals said a few residents informed the Aman

Committee members who called the police. "I found a few men from the other side gathering stones

from a construction site and asked the youths from our block to stop retaliating," said Chand

Mohammand, a member of the committee from the block. He said that the cops arrived within a few

minutes and controlled the youth from both the sides. "When we had reached the spot there was no

one except the members of the Aman Committee who told us about the incident," said a police officer.

Joint commissioner eastern range, Sanjay Beniwal and DCP Ajay Kumar reached the spot and held a

meeting with both the groups. "We could not find anyone from the clashing groups and cordoned off

the area. The situation was brought under control within six minutes," said DCP east Ajay Kumar. Raj

Kumar, member of the resident welfare committee at Block 27 said that the incident had the potential

of turning into a communal clash but was prevented by them. "Several such incidents have taken

place since October last year and we remain careful that they do not flare up due to such petty

reasons," he said. A youth suspected to be involved in the stone pelting was detained by cops on

Sunday morning. "We have been able to identify the others as well and have launched a lookout for

them in the area," said a police officer. "All the youths who were involved in the clash were local

ruffians and usually got into regular fights. We have requested the police to arrest them as well," said

Raj Kumar, a member of the RWA. A case under sections of rioting, causing damage to public

property and criminal conspiracy has been registered against 8-10 youths. (Times of India 20/4/15)

1984 riots case: Delhi High Court grants interim bail for 10 days to convict (7)

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today granted interim bail of 10 days to Balwan Khokhar, one of the

three convicts serving life term in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, on medical grounds and to attend his

son's marriage. A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Ashutosh Kumar said Khokhar will remain on

bail for 10 days from the date of his release and listed the matter for further hearing on May 12.

Khokhar said in his bail plea that his son's marriage is scheduled to take place on April 30. The bench

granted him bail on the basis of a medical report submitted by Tihar jail authorities pursuant to the

court's earlier directions. On April 15, the court had called for a medical report after it was informed

that the convict broke his hand after falling down in jail. The court had on that day refused to grant bail

to co-convict Girdhari Lal. Khokhar was held guilty, along with four others, in a case related to the

murder of five members of a family in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984, a

day after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The ex-councillor has also

challenged his conviction and award of life sentence by the trial court in May 2013. The trial court had

acquitted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the case but awarded life term to retired naval officer

Captain Bhagmal, Balwan Khokhar and Girdhari Lal. The court had also awarded three years

imprisonment to two others — former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. The high court had

in September 2013 denied bail to Bhagmal. The convicts have filed their appeals before the High

Court while Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also filed its appeal demanding death sentence for

the trio, saying they were engaged in "a planned communal riot" and "religious cleansing". (DNA

21/4/15)

Government should deport Kashmiri separatists to Pakistan: RSS (7)

Jammu: The RSS today came down hard on separatists raising pro-Pakistan slogans, saying they

should be deported to Pakistan. “Those who are chanting pro-Pakistan slogans, especially the

separatists along with their families, the government of India shall not allow them to live on the soil of

Indian nation,” Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar said. “This may result in the peace and prosperity of

the Kashmiri nationalists. The government of India should deport all Kashmiri separatist leaders to

Pakistan,” he said. Kumar, who is also patron of Muslim Rashtriya Manch, expressed his views at a

seminar on the “Challenges before the country and the role of the India’s Muslims”, organised by the

Jammu and Kashmir unit of Manch. Kavinder Gupta, Speaker, J-K Constituent Assembly, was the

chief guest at the programme. Kumar further said that it is goodwill of people and government in India

that people who raise pro-Pakistan slogans are allowed to live on its soil but now the limit of tolerance

is over. Kumar also advised J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayed to focus on the development

and respect the mandate given by the people and the hand of support to the coalition government

forwarded by BJP. Government should work for overall development of the state in all

sectors…tourism, education, health, peace and development of the state, he said. Kumar expressed

his grave concern over the communal riots that have occurred since Independence in the country. He

said this has only resulted in the loss of life and property of the common man. He appealed to the

Muslim community not to get exploited in the hands of opportunistic groups like Hurriyat Conference

factions and other politicians. “These things add misery to the lives of the people and disturbance to

the peace process, prosperity, development, education system of Jammu and Kashmir. This also

leads to the increase in the gap between rich and poor,” he said. National Convener, MRM, Haji Mohd

Afzal also addressed the gathering and said that there have been only Muslim chief ministers in

Jammu and Kashmir and everyone has worked only for his personal benefits and gains. “Contrary to

this, MRM is working day and night for the welfare of the minorities of India especially of Jammu and

Kashmir,” he said. (Indian Express 24/4/15)

‘Won’t allow communal harmony to be disturbed’ (7)

NEW DELHI: Under attack over the 'ghar wapsi' campaign and recent attacks on churches, the

government on Tuesday said it would not tolerate anything that disturbs communal harmony and

sought to put the ball in the states' court, saying they should act against such activities as law and

order was their prerogative. Responding to questions in Lok Sabha over conversion, home minister

Rajnath Singh said the government wanted an anti-conversion law but noted that India was the only

country where minorities did not seek such a law. Replying to a debate on demands for grants of

home ministry which was passed, he responded to issues raised by the opposition, including concern

over attacks on churches, religious conversions, approach towards separatists in Jammu and

Kashmir, left-wing extremism and women's safety. "I want to assure, especially the minorities, that

government will protect them with all its might," he said. Singh, however, said law and order was a

state subject. "States should take strict action. How can the Centre intervene? If it happens in Delhi,

we will take strict action. I think justice is not being done to the Centre if it is blamed for what happens

in states." He referred to the recent attack on a church in Agra and said he was "sad" about it and

added that he was not aware of what action the state government had taken on it. The home minister

said attacks on religious places had been occurring for long and there were also instances of

vandalism and theft at temples. Hinting that the BJP government was being targeted for political

reasons, he said he had figures to prove his point but refrained from making them public as he was

not interested in doing politics over such a sensitive issue. "If I was interested in political gains, I

would have tabled all statistics over the issue. It will hurt feelings of many people. But it will create an

unnecessary controversy... I appeal to all not to do politics over the issue," he said. Minister of state

for parliamentary affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy referred to the church attack in Agra and said, "What to do

when one minority attacks another." As some opposition members drew his attention to the

controversial 'haramzada' remark of minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti made some time back, Singh was

quick to disapprove it, saying, "It is wrong, it will not be tolerated." In an apparent reference to latest

Census figures which showed increased share of minorities, Singh said, "India never expresses

concern about changes in demographic profile. No country will allow this change to happen." Leader

of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge said comments and actions by Sangh Parivar members, including

some ministers, continued despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi disapproving them. "Are they not

heeding the prime minister? Their modus operandi is such that they say one thing and do another," he

said, questioning why no action was being taken against such people. In his 75-minute reply to the

two-day debate, Singh also rejected the charge that the Modi government was soft on separatists. As

Kharge referred to hardcore separatist Masarat Alam, the home minister said he was put behind bars

immediately after he led a pro-Pakistan protest. (Times of India 30/4/15)

US Report Slams BJP for Communal Remarks, Praises PM Modi (7)

WASHINGTON: A new US report has slammed politicians linked to India's ruling Bharatiya Janata

Party (BJP) for making derogatory comments against religious minority communities, but praised

Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statement in support of religious freedom. The US Commission

on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), at whose recommendation the State Department had

revoked Modi's visa in 2005 for his alleged complicity in the 2002 Gujarat riots, on Thursday

described Modi's statement as a "positive development"."This statement is notable given longstanding

allegations that, as chief minister of Gujarat in 2002, Modi was complicit in anti-Muslim riots in that

state," it said referring to his remarks at an event honouring Indian Catholic saints in mid-February.

Modi's visa was revoked under a provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act that makes any

foreign government official who "was responsible for or directly carried out, at any time, particularly

severe violations of religious freedom" ineligible for a US visa. "Prime Minister Modi remains the only

person known to have been denied a visa based on this provision," USCRIF noted. However, saying

that "incidents of religiously-motivated and communal violence reportedly have increased for three

consecutive years", USCIRF its 2015 annual report has again placed India on its Tier 2 list of

countries, where it has been since 2009. USCRIF lists Tier 2 nations as those countries whose

governments engages in or tolerates at least one of the elements of the systematic, ongoing, and

egregious standard, but do not fully meet the countries of particular concern (CPC) standard. The

commission, which makes recommendations to the US State Secretary of State and the US

Congress, has placed Pakistan and seven other countries in its CPC list. These are defined as

countries where particularly severe violations of religious freedom are tolerated or perpetrated. "Since

the election, religious minority communities have been subject to derogatory comments by politicians

linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and numerous violent attacks and forced conversions by

Hindu nationalist groups, such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishva Hindu Parishad," the

report said. Christian NGOs and leaders report that their community is particularly at risk in states that

have adopted "Freedom of Religion Act(s)", commonly referred to as anti-conversion laws, it said.

"Based on these concerns, USCIRF again places India on its Tier 2 list of countries, where it has

been since 2009," the report said. (New Indian Express 1/5/15)

2000 booked for Saturday’s violence in Shamli (7)

MUZAFFARNAGAR: Ruling Samajwadi Party MLA Nahid Hasan is among two thousand people

booked by Railway Protection Force (RPF) for allegedly damaging rail property and disrupting

services during a violent protest on Saturday at Kandhla railway station in neighbouring Shamli

district. The protest was against the alleged assault on five members of the Tablighi Jamaat by some

youths on board a Delhi-Kandhla train on May 1. The mob had also laid a siege to a police station,

pelted stones and set afire vehicles. 16 policemen were injured in the violence. Assistant

Commissioner of RPF P.K. Pandey told reporters on Monday that two thousand people have been

booked under Section 174 of Railway Act for the violence while 12 persons have been named

including SP legislator Nahid Hasan and chairman of Kandhla nagar panchayat Haji Balu Hasan. He

said the protesters had turned violent, disrupting train services and damaging railway property at

Kandhla railway station. Meanwhile, in view of the alleged assault on the members of the community

onboard a train on Delhi-Saharanpur rout, security has been tightened on the trains. Inspector

General of Government Railway Police Dawa Sherpa told reporters that police and RPF personnel in

plain clothes have been deployed following the incident. Meanwhile, a delegation of Jamiat Ulema-I-

Hind met senior railway officials and sought adequate security on trains on the route and immediate

arrest of culprits in the assault case. He was assured that the accused will be arrested soon. The

incidents had triggered tension in the district. Muzaffarnagar and surrounding districts including

Shamli in western Uttar Pradesh were rocked by communal riots in September 2013 which had left

over 60 people dead and displaced thousands of others. (The Hindu 4/5/15)

Muzaffarnagar: Fear of setting riot-torn town on fire again drives Hindu boy and Muslim girl to

take their own lives (7)

Lucknow: Love does not come easy in Muzaffarnagar. Especially when lovers come from different

religions. Imrana Bano (18) and Rajneesh Kumar (21) knew this. But they fell almost helplessly in love

and started stealing time to meet each other. They hoped their relatives and society would accept

them some day, even if grudgingly. But the tinderbox that Muzaffarnagar is currently convinced them

otherwise. The Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013 left 59 dead and more than 50,000 homeless. Fearing

their love would make their communally-sensitive town burn again, this Harijan boy and Muslim girl

took the extreme step. Their bodies were found hanging from a Neem tree, united in death by the

same dupatta, in Bhaura-Khurd village on Monday. Inspector Singh, Circle Officer of Phugana, said:

"They were in love with each other. It appears that they entered into a suicide pact because society

was not willing to accept their relationship." Imrana's family members said the lovers were missing

since Saturday. The tree is in a compound owned by the girl's family that is on the outskirts of the

village. Huge police force was deployed in the village after large number of people from both

communities gathered in the area. There was palpable tension in the air. The administration said it

taken measures have been taken to thwart any attempt to stoke communal fire. The police have

recovered vermillion (sindoor) and some other cosmetics from the spot. Sindoor was also found on

the forehead of the girl. A sachet of poison was recovered from the spot. "They committed suicide

because the two families were not ready toaccept their marriage," said Mohammad Idris, Imrana's

uncle. Indicating there could be more than meets the eye, the boy's father Ram Kumar told

newspersons that he was not willing to buy the suicide theory. "They were found hanging from a

Neem tree that is situated on a compound owned by the father of the girl," he stressed. According to

the villagers, Imrana's parents had come to know about the affair five years ago and had sent her to a

relative's house. The father of the boy had also sent him to Rohtak to work in a factory. Imrana's

parents had recently caught her talking to Rajneesh from a mobile phone and beaten her up. They

had fixed her marriage with a youth from Kandhla area of Shamli district and had forced her to agree

to get engaged on Friday. Rajneesh, who was pursuing a graduation degree as a private student from

a college in Kandhla, had returned on May 2 to appear in his B.A. first year examination. He managed

to meet Imrana on Saturday. And decided perhaps that death was the only recourse. The alleged

molestation of a Hindu Jat girl by some Muslim youths in the Kawal area had triggered the

Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013. A few villagers, speaking on condition of anonymity, told newspersons

they are not willing to believe that it was a case of suicide because the couple could have easily

eloped to Rohtak instead of taking this extreme step. In the restive parts of UP, it doesn't take much to

start communal violence. In Agra, some clerics have convened a meeting on May 14 to force the

victims of the infamous conversion of December 8, 2014, to undergo fresh nikah with their wives to

protect their marriages. In Saharanpur, Muslims are accusing the police of protecting driver of a state

transport bus that ran over a seven-year-old on Saturday. In Aligarh, there is an order from the local

administration to stop the expansion of a mosque around Jama Masjid as there is a Ramleela ground

next to it. Some are bent on defying that order. (India Today 5/5/15)

US panel proved wrong, communal incidents actually dipped in 2014 (7)

NEW DELHI: Contrary to an assessment by the United States Commission on International Religious

Freedom (USCIRF) that communal incidents in India witnessed a rising trend in 2014, official data

released by the home ministry showed that such attacks were down to 644 from 823 in 2013. Also,

the US panel's claim in its 2015 report that religiously-motivated and communal violence in India had

increased over three consecutive years was proved wrong with the number of incidents in 2014 being

the lowest in the past three years. The USCIRF had, in its report on international religious freedom

released last week, noted that religious minorities in India were exposed to "derogatory" comments by

leaders of the ruling BJP as well as "violent attacks and forced conversions by the RSS/VHP since the

Narendra Modi government took over last year". It also slammed the "ghar wapsi" campaign and

accused "Hindu nationalist groups" of offering monetary inducements not only to Muslims and

Christians to convert to Hinduism but also to Hindus carrying out such "forced" conversions.

According to figures for communal incidents in the first two months of 2015, while 72 incidents were

recorded in January, they fell to 47 in February. Maharashtra continued to account for the highest

incidence of communal violence with 21 attacks in January and 10 in February, while the

corresponding figures for Rajasthan were three and six respectively. Bihar also remains a cause for

concern with 61 incidents in 2014, 12 in January 2015 and six in February 2015. The US panel, which

makes policy recommendations to the US president and Congress, was also proved wrong on its

assessment regarding trends of communal violence in many Indian states through 2012, 2013 and

2014. According to the panel, the states that tend to have the greatest number of incidents were

Andhra Pradesh, UP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,

Maharashtra and Rajasthan. However, as per home ministry data, Chhattisgarh recorded no incident,

while Andhra Pradesh witnessed five incidents and Odisha just three. Though incidents were the

highest in UP at 133, this was a big fall from the 247 incidents recorded in 2013. Communal violence

in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, however, witnessed a rise in 2014 as compared to 2013.

(Times of India 7/5/15)

Communal tension in Gujarat after priest kills one of the mob that attacked temple (7)

Vadodara: Nadiad town was tense after a former councillor of its muncipality succumbed to bullet

injuries allegedly fired from the licenced weapon of a priest of a temple situated in a Muslim

dominated locality. The bullet hit his chest and he died on Saturday. Ashok Bhuria, the priest of the

temple to Dalaram Bapa, a patron saint of local Dalit community, fired upon Sajid Vora, the ex-

councillor using his licenced .12 bore gun at around 2 am on Saturday alleging that Vora led a mob

that tried to storm the temple by pelting stones, police said. Bhuria lived in the temple premises along

with his family.Members of both the sides filed FIRs at Nadiad police station. As per FIR filed by one

Mohammad Imran, Vora and Bhuria had fought over parking of his two-wheeler after which Bhuria

took out his gun and fired at him. A cross-FIR filed by one Girish Giri stated that a mob armed with

sharp weapons attacked the ashram of Dalaram Bapa with the intention to damage the temple

property. People in the mob rushed towards the ashram pelting stones. Threatened by the mob, the

accused fired from his .12 bore licenced gun in self-defence, police said. The bullet hit Vora in the

chest. He was rushed to a hospital in Anand town where he died during treatment on later Saturday.

Kheda SP Sachin Badshah said the police being deployed in the locality to maintain law and order as

the body of the victim was being brought to his house from Anand hospital where he died. So far,

nobody has been arrested. Badshah said people of two communities clashed over an old matter, with

the accused firing from his licenced gun in self-defence when a mob of around fifty persons started

pelting stones at the temple where he lived. “The incident took place in a Muslim dominated locality

following some altercation over a motorcycle. We are yet to get the exact detail about the reason

behind the attack on the temple. But the locals in the area, which is Muslim-dominated, had in the

past fought with the priest and their family members who live in the temple. The gun was fired in self-

defence,” Badshah said. (Indian Express 10/5/15)

9 injured in communal clash in Begampura (7)

SURAT: Nine persons suffered minor injuries when groups of two communities clashed in Setranji

Wad locality of Begampura area on Sunday afternoon. Police said that some scuffle over playing

cricket led to stone-pelting by mobs from both communities. The injured were admitted to the New

Civil Hospital and Burhani Hospital for treatment. They suffered injuries in stone-pelting. Police

resorted to mild lathicarge to disperse the rioters and the situation was brought under control

immediately. "It was a small clash between the communities which was controlled and the situation is

peaceful now. People from one community were playing cricket while others objected to it and that led

to the tussle," said S M Patel, police inspector, Salabatpura police station. A group of youngsters had

gathered at a house in the area for some function. They started playing cricket to while away time,

sources informed. The ball hit a person from another community and people asked them to stop

playing. Police have deployed bandobast in the area to avert any escalation. "We are registering a

complaint and those responsible for the disturbance will be booked," said Patel. Recently, city police

commissioner Rakesh Asthana revived a 24-year old notification banning cricket on the roads as they

led to communal clashes many times. (Times of India 18/5/15)

Eight injured in Himmatnagar communal clash (7)

PALANPUR: Eight persons were injured following a communal clash in Himmatnagar town of

Sabarkantha district over a trivial issue late Tuesday night. The skirmish occurred in the Parbda

locality of Himmatnagar when some people objected to a youth Anand Chauhan from smoking at a

pan store. An angry Chauhan left the place and returned with his supporters carrying pipes and sharp

weapons and bricks. The other group was also equipped with weapons and bricks which was used

during the clash. K D Brhambhatt, police sub-inspector of the A-Division police station said at least

eight persons sustained injuries in the clash. More police force was deployed in the area following the

clash. Police have registered cross complaints from both the groups against a dozen people under

relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Since the accused are in the hospital no arrest could be

made, said Brhambhatt, adding that the situation was well under control. Top police officials including

superintendent of police Pravin Mal reached the spot and took stock of the situation, said sources. All

eight injured are recuperating at the civil Hospital in Himmatnagar. (Times of India 21/5/15)

Ratlam: 3 Muslim youths held for assault on Hindu activist (7)

Bhopal: Nearly two years after a murderous assault on a Ratlam-based Hindu activist, the police have

arrested three Muslim youths, including Rizwan Sherani, who was already in jail in connection with

the murder of Bajrang Dal leader Kapil Rathod, who was shot dead in September 2014. Rizwan was a

member of Ahl al-Suffah, a Ratlam-based Islamic proselytising and charity group that became active

after Muzaffarnagar riots. A breakaway faction of this group was recently busted in the communally

sensitive town for its members’ alleged affiliation to an Islamic State-linked Jihad cell planning strikes

in India. Rajesh Kataria, who was then convener of Hindu Chetna Manch, was shot by motorbike-

borne youths in Salakhedi on July 29, 2013. In his 40s, the right-wing activist survived the attempt on

his life though he was hit by one bullet.Rizwan, who allegedly fired the shots while riding pillion,

Sameer, alias Raja Barik Hanif Khan, 25, and Shahid Farid Khan, 32, were remanded in a day’s

police custody by a court Thursday. Sameer, a resident of Kazipura, and Shahid, a resident of

Sheranipura, had already been arrested. Their three-day remand ended on Thursday and they were

remanded in further custody for a day. Rathod was involved in cow protection campaign. He and his

employee were shot dead on September 27, 2013, a couple of hours after an attempt was made on

the life of a Muslim Congress councillor. The town was brought under curfew that day after arson and

rioting. Kataria had not named any suspects and the Station Road police had filed an FIR against

unknown persons. The police said they got a clue about attack on Kataria from some people who are

in jail in connection with the riots. (Indian Express 22/5/15)

Muzaffarnagar Riots: Hadoli Case Shifted to Sessions Court (7)

MUZAFFARNAGAR: A local court here has shifted to sessions court the Hadoli killing case of 2013

communal riots in which 25 people are facing trial. Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar has

directed the 25 accused to appear in Sessions court on June 3, the prosecution said. One person

was killed and several injured as rioters damaged property at Hadoli village under Bhorakala police

station in the district on September 8, 2013. Police had filed charge sheet against 25 people in this

case. The case is related to the communal riots that rocked Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring

districts, leaving 60 people dead while thousands of others were displaced. (New Indian Express

23/5/15)

Nagaur clash death toll rises to five (7)

The death toll in a clash between two groups at Dangawas village of Nagaur has risen to five with a

Dalit man, who was injured, dying of injuries in an Ajmer hospital on Saturday. Ganpat Ram, who had

sustained serious injuries in the clash over a land dispute on May 14, was in a critical condition. His

family members refused to take the body home since their demand of ordering a CBI investigation

was not met. “His family members have refused to take the body. They are staging a dharna outside

the mortuary demanding a CBI probe into the incident,” Jitendra Gangwani, station house office,

Ajmer Kotwali police station, said. Superintendent of Police Nagaur Raghvendra Suhasa said the

case was handed over to CID on Friday. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties has demanded a CBI

investigation. “The government is yet to take any step in this regard. Local police station staff have not

been suspended,” PUCL general secretary Kavita Srivastava said. Four persons — three from the

Dalit community and one from the Jat community — were killed in the clash. The supporters of

Kanaram Jat and Ratna Ram Meghwal, armed with sharp-edged weapons and guns, had clashed.

While Rampal had died of a bullet injures, Ratna Ram, Pokar Ram and Pancha Ram had succumbed

to injuries inflicted with other weapons. (The Hindu 23/5/15)

Hashimpura massacre: HC seeks UP govt response on NHRC plea (7)

New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of Uttar Pradesh government on a plea

by NHRC challenging a trial court's decision to acquit 16 policemen of charges of murder and other

crimes in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case, in which 42 people were killed in Meerut city. A

bench of justices G S Sistani and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal issued notice to the state government and

sought its reply by July 21 on the plea of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) which has

sought ordering of a further probe into the massacre in the Hashimpura locality of Meerut. NHRC in its

plea has sought that "registers, duty register, attendance registers, log-books and other documents

relating to the names, duty roster, posting and connected relevant details of PAC personnel" of the

platoon which was operating in that area on that day be placed before the court. It has also sought

that the report of the CB-CID inquiry and the findings of the Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice

(retd) Gyan Prakash which probed the massacre be also placed before the bench. The Commission

has sought a number of other directions, including "initiation of disciplinary proceedings against all the

concerned police officials".It has prayed for laying down of guidelines to be followed by investigating

agencies in cases of custodial killings and violence as well as a direction that "in cases of custodial

violence, a presumption of guilt be made against the accused police officer that the injury and/or

death was caused by the police officer having custody of the victim".NHRC has also sought

"separation of the investigative work of the police from the law and order functions" as well as carrying

out of a judicial inquiry "immediately and mandatorily" in all cases of custodial death. Prior to NHRC,

the Uttar Pradesh government as well as survivors and kin of the victims of the massacre have moved

the court challenging the acquittal of the 16 policemen. On March 21, a trial court gave the benefit of

doubt and acquitted 16 former Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel accused of killing 42

people in Meerut, saying lack of evidence has failed to establish their identification. Those acquitted in

the case were Suresh Chand Sharma, Niranjan Lal, Kamal Singh, Budhi Singh, Basant Ballab,

Kunwar Pal Singh, Budha Singh, Rambir Singh, Leela Dhar, Hambir Singh, Mokam Singh, Shami

Ullaha, Sarwan Kumar, Jaipal Singh, Mahesh Prasad and Ram Dhayan. According to the

prosecution, the PAC personnel had come to Hashimpura on May 22, 1987, and picked up about 50

Muslims as a congregation of 500 had gathered outside a mosque there. The victims were shot by the

accused personnel and their bodies thrown into a canal, it had said, adding that 42 persons were

declared to have perished in the massacre. The charge sheet was filed before the Chief Judicial

Magistrate (CJM), Ghaziabad, in 1996. 19 people were named as accused and charges for offences

of murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy were framed against 17 of

them by the court here in 2006, after the case was transferred to Delhi on a Supreme Court direction

in September 2002. The 16 accused acquitted in the case are the ones still alive. Three other

accused died during the trial. (Zee News 25/5/15)

Delhi cops on high alert to combat communal flare-up (7)

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police officials are on their toes and have put sensitive areas on high alert to avoid

any fallout of the Faridabad riots. Learning from past mistakes of not being able to handle communal

tension, cops are now better prepared to avoid incidents like Trilokpuri or Bawana. A 'Communal Riot

Scheme' has been prepared to handle riot-like situations. The plan highlights sensitive and communal

areas, number of pickets deployed and anti-riot equipment in police stations, among other things.

"Monday's communal violence in Faridabad took place for around an hour. However, with Shab-e-

barat approaching, border areas and sensitive places have been put on high alert and cops briefed

accordingly," a senior police officer said. Delhi Police said they will extend help to Faridabad police, if

needed. The Communal Riot Scheme is divided into three stages — prevention, operational and post-

riot. The first stage involves handling the situation at the micro level, including arranging meetings

with peace committees, RWAs, mohalla committees and community liaison groups. Cops in

plainclothes would be deployed at various places to keep a watch on rumours or exaggerated

versions of real incidents. Apart from increased foot and mobile patrolling, new pickets would be set

up in riot-prone areas. The operational stage would be put into operation when communal violence

has flared up. This involves setting up of a special control room and mobile communication unit near

the riot spot. Senior police officers would take stock of the situation and send forces to trouble spots.

An ACP rank officer and an inspector would rush to the spot with anti-riot equipment to control law &

order, manage the crowd and help in rescue operations. "This stage would also include arresting

rumour mongers and criminals who try to exploit the situation. Cops will be deployed to keep

surveillance over kerosene, petrol and chemical storage depots so that bombs aren't made. Drones

with cameras would be used to identify rooftops with bricks and stones. All police stations will keep a

reserve force ready with riot gear, arms and ammunition," said a senior police officer. In the final post-

riot stage, the focus would be on cleaning up of the area, removal of the dead and maintaining peace.

Peace committees would be formed and inter-religious activities would be held, like Hindus

volunteering in a Muslim festival and vice versa. Supply of essential commodities, such as milk,

vegetables and medical van, would be made available. (Times of India 29/5/15)

Ballabhgarh Communal Violence: Won’t return till rioters held, say Muslims (7)

New Delhi: Tension continues to simmer between Muslims and Hindus at Ballabhgarh after meetings

between the two communities on Sunday once again proved futile. Sources in the district

administration admitted that they might have to change their dispute resolution strategy soon. The

thorny issues in the ongoing tension are the Muslim demand for arrest of the accused and the

construction of the disputed mosque in Atali village — the site of the original flare-up. “The first thing

the Muslim community wants is the arrest of the Jat culprits. Only then will they return to the village.

While the Jats will allow the Muslims to come back to the village, the construction of the mosque at

the disputed site is not something most villagers are willing to concede,” a senior official, who didn’t

wish to be named, said. Police said they were still trying to arrest the accused in the case.“We want

the accused to be arrested promptly. There can be no talks until then,” Firoz Ali, a villager from Atali,

said. “We are going to arrest them very soon. We have told the Muslim community about our efforts.

The accused will not go unpunished. The situation is sensitive right now, so we need to proceed

carefully,” Subhash Yadav, Commissioner of Police, Faridabad, said. Sunday was the third

successive day when meetings to persuade the Muslim community to return to Atali village failed. The

families had fled the village following communal violence on Monday evening. They are presently

camped at the Ballabhgarh (City) police station. Like Saturday, a delegation of Jats, along with

members of the district administration, met the Muslims and promised them that there will be no

further violence. But talks failed once again as the construction of the mosque still continues to drive a

wedge between the two communities. While Muslims maintain that the mosque is being built on Waqf

land, Jats say the land belongs to the gram panchayat. The issue became the flashpoint for the rioting

that saw hundreds of heavily armed men torch Muslims homes in an hour-long rampage. While the

Jat delegation maintained that the construction of the mosque is not the issue, many in the village

disagreed. “I don’t know what those who went to meet the Muslims said. But we are not going to allow

the mosque to be built near the temple. First they wanted land for a graveyard. Now they want to build

a mosque and tomorrow they will take over the village,” Satish Singh, a farmer in the village, said.

(Indian Express 1/6/15)

Faridabad communal violence: Politicians demand immediate arrest of accused (7)

Faridabad: Leaders of different political parties on Monday demanded immediate arrest of the

accused in the recent communal violence in Atali village in Faridabad, even as the affected families

refused to return home and continued to stay at the relief camp in Ballabgarh police station. CPI(M)

central committee member Tapan Sinha, accompanied by state party leaders, and MIM leader

Akbaruddin Owaisi, who met the affected families, also slammed the governments at the Centre and

state and the district administration over the insecurity to the minority community. Sinha,

accompanied by Comrade Surender Singh, Secretary of state wing of the party and a team of party

members, accused a certain community of hatching a plan of violence well in advance. He said that

the violence against the minority community that left over 20 houses burnt, was a well thought out and

unprovoked attack. Confusion on the ownership of the land, where a mosque was being constructed,

was deliberately being created he said, adding that the land is owned by the Waqf from 1972. At least

five persons were injured and over 15 houses burnt on 25 May night when people from the two

communities clashed over construction of the religious structure adjacent to the other community's

religious site. A few years back there used to be a graveyard which was shifted elsewhere since the

area became densely inhabited. The graveyard was shifted to a place allotted by the government for

the purpose, Sinha said. He accused the police and administration of not taking enough steps for

preventing the riots, first and later, not doing the needful to nab the culprits. Sinha noted that the

arrangements were totally insufficient for the people in this scorching heat as women and children are

forced to live in tents with no arrangement for drinking water. He said the state government was

"totally indifferent" to the problems of minorities. Neither the Chief Minister, nor his senior ministers

have made any statement to console the aggrieved section of society, he said and demanded the

immediate arrest of the accused named in the FIR. He also called for immediate repair of houses

affected by the fire by the local administration and called upon the people of Faridabad to extend their

help to the victims in order to increase the mutual understanding between the communities. MIM's

Akbaruddin Owaisi after meeting the affected families accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not

taking care of the minorities despite giving slogans like "Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas".He said it was very

unfortunate that such communal violence has happened in a village 50 kilometers from the capital. He

also expressed dissatisfaction on the arrangements made for the victims in the relief camp even after

one week of the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the people responsible for the violence.

Hindu leader Sadhvi Prachi is also expected to visit the place later. (Firstpost 2/6/15)

Ten days after communal violence in Ballabgarh, Muslims return home (7)

Ballabgarh: Muslim families who had fled Atali village following communal clashes, returned home

after ten days with full police protection on Wednesday after talks between the two communities were

successful. Union minister and Faridabad MP Krishen Pal Gurjar, Haryana education minister Ram

Vilas Sharma and Haryana PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh were also present during the

talks.Though Hindus had already apologised for the May 25 incident and even agreed to allow

construction of mosque at the original site, Muslims were adamant on arrest of the accused. Hindus

again apologised on Wednesday and welcomed them to return their home. However, there were

heated arguments between the two sides during the talks before a solution was worked out. “During

the partition of 1947, the elders from Hindus of this village never allowed us to flee to Pakistan,” Mulla

Shabbir, an elder, said hinting towards the Hindus present in the meeting. “If they had to kill us, they

would have finished us during the partition. But they never did this,” he said. Both sides hugged

Shabbir for his words which broke the animosity of the last ten days between the two communities.

The ministers present at the meeting also announced that the mosque’s broken wall would be

reconstructed and compensation would be provided to the victims from Haryana government. Both

the sides later went to Ballabgarh city police station — where the Muslim families were camping for

the last ten days. The administration arranged three buses and all the families boarded the buses

towards Atali village amid tight security arrangements. “Security has been intensified in the village

after the families returned home,” said Subhash Yadav, commissioner of police, Faridabad. Apart

from the state police, jawans of the paramilitary forces have also been deployed in the village. On

Monday, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and CPI (M) MP Tapan Sen visited Ballabgarh city police

station demanding arrest of the accused in May 25 violence. Later, BJP leader Sadhvi Prachi also

visited Atali village. She lambasted state administration for ignoring the plight of Hindus in the village.

She said many women belonging to Hindu community were also injured when the clashes took place.

On May 25, the violence in Atali began following a five-year dispute over the construction of a

mosque. The mosque, adjacent to a temple, was torched and the Muslims of the village fled

overnight. (Hindustan Times 4/6/15)

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s poster pulled down (7)

Mumbai: A poster of the mid-1980s Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, that was put up at a

local gurdwara in Vikhroli (east) was removed by the local police before it could lead to communal

tension on Sunday afternoon. While no FIR or complaint had been registered, the police also denied

any tension in the area and maintained that the gurdwara’s office bearers were cooperating with

them. According to a PSI with the Vikhroli police station, they saw a news flash on a Marathi channel

on Sunday that reported having spotted such a poster when they rushed to the spot and removed it at

around 3.30 pm. The gurdwara is under construction and is located on route number 7 in Tagore

Nagar at Vikhroli (east). “It was a single poster with a photo of Bhindranwale and some text about

him. We believe some youth must have put it up. No FIR has been registered in the matter yet,” said

the officer. The officer maintained that the poster did not cause any tension with other communities

despite which they were still monitoring the situation with regular patrols in the area to prevent any

“potential” flare-ups. Cops also said they were likely to speak to the gurdwara’s trustees on Monday

before deciding on the further course of action. (Asian Age 8/6/15)

13 arrested for Fatehpura rioting, three cops injured (7)

VADODARA: At least 13 people were arrested for rioting that broke out in the communally sensitive

Fatehpura area in the Walled City late on Sunday night. Three policemen were also injured in the

clashes that were sparked after an idol in a temple was desecrated by some miscreants. As soon as

the news about the desecration spread, mobs from both communities started gathering on the roads

and entered into heated arguments. The situation snowballed and heavy stone pelting began in the

area. The violence was reported on the stretch between Champaner gate and Bhandwada area

during the rioting. The accused torched an old house owned by Narmada Rana in Fatehpura. There

were four persons present in the two-storied house when the arson took place but they managed to

flee safely. The mob also set on fire a motorbike, damaged two ATM centres and ransacked some

roadside stalls in the area. "The mobs targeted policemen too. We lobbed 28 tear gas shells to

disperse the rioters. The situation was brought under control within two hours," said assistant

commissioner of police C division Saurabh Singh. The rioters did not spare firemen too who rushed to

the spot to douse the house on fire. The police are trying to ascertain reasons behind the desecration

of the idol and also attempting to track down the accused. Singh added that 45 people have been

named in the FIR and combing operations are on in Fatehpura to track down other culprits. Three

companies of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) have been deployed in the riot- hit areas to avert

any escalation. Fatehpura is one of the most communally sensitive areas in the city. It has a mixed

locality with people from different communities staying close-by. Usually, it is among the first to

witness trouble during communal riots. Spots like Ranavas, Bhandwada and Lal Akhada are notorious

for trouble mongering during the riots. (Times of India 10/6/15)

Muzaffarnagar gangrape: Court representative of victims ‘threatened’ (7)

New Delhi: The Pairokar or the court representative of the seven women who were allegedly

gangraped during the communal violence that engulfed Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh in September

2013 was allegedly threatened by one of the accused at a local court on Wednesday. The Pairokar

had accompanied one of the women, whose case has recently been reopened, to the Muzaffarnagar

district court. Outside the court, Amarpal, one of the accused, allegedly accosted and threatened him,

after which the Pairokar drew his licensed revolver for self-defence. The Pairokar has worked closely

in the investigation of the cases and aided the Special Investigation Cell that probed the various

cases of communal violence, said sources in the police. He has received death threats earlier, when

he lived in Fugana village, where six of the rape cases allegedly took place, they said. Following the

threats, he shifted to Kairana area of Shamli district, while continuing to help the rape victims proceed

with their cases in the court. But the police have dismissed the incident at the court as a mere

“misunderstanding”. “The Pairokar saw the accused suddenly and thought his life was in danger. But

that wasn’t the case. There was a court hearing and both parties happened to be in the court at the

same time. We detained both parties and they have come to a mutual understanding, “ said

Muzaffarnagar SSP KB Singh. Advocate Vrinda Grover — the lawyer for the seven women — said

the incident raised questions about the safety of the Pairokar and the rape victims, adding that his

testimony would be “critical” in the trial of the gangrape cases. “The incident is a cause for concern.

The case is at a very critical juncture and the safety of the witnesses and the victims can’t be

compromised,” she said. After the incident, social activist Shabnam Hashmi and lawyer Ratna

Appnender have written to the Muzaffarnagar police and sought their intervention. The police should

ensure that the Pairokar “remains safe and is not selectively targeted due to the fact that he is the

Pairokar of the seven victims of gangrape during communal violence,” they stated in their letter.

(Indian Express 11/6/15)

Communal tension spread in Dhar town after inflammatory posters (7)

MHOW: Communal tension was spread in Khalghat village of Dhar district on Sunday morning after

inflammatory posters were found pasted on the walls in the village. Actually, posters were found

pasted on a large number of public and private buildings in Khalghat village, in which derogatory and

objectionable remarks and messages against a community were written. The posters were probably

pasted on Saturday night as they were noticed on Sunday morning. As the information reached the

residents, a large number of people gathered on the streets and the matter was reported to Dhamnod

police station, on which the police party reached there. The saffron leaders called for a meeting in

Dhamnod and the matter was discussed. Mahesh Karma, Dhamnod VHP president told that the

posters have certainly hurt the sentiments of the community. He said that such incidents have

occured earlier also and the cases were registered everytime but no action could be taken as the

miscreants were never identified. Sub Inspector Lokendra Chowdhry of Dhamnod police station who

is investigating the matter, told that till now, the police hasn't got any lead regarding the identities of

the people who had pasted the inflammatory posters. (Times of India 14/6/15)

Ballabhgarh Communal Violence: Muslims reject compensation of Rs 1 lakh per family as too

little (7)

New Delhi: Riot-hit Muslims of Atali village have refused to accept the compensation amount of Rs

27,46,000 offered to them by the district administration, as they alleged that it is far less than what

was promised to them initially. They also alleged that essential services such as transport and goods

were being “denied” to the community. Kapil Patwadi from the Ballabhgarh Revenue department said,

“The process of giving compensation to those in Atali has begun. A total amount of Rs 27,46,000 is

being given out to 28 families who were affected by the riots. The money has been divided based on

an assessment of the damage done.” While the Revenue department maintained that the

compensation had been accepted by the Muslim community, riot victims said this was not the case.

“The damage done to our homes and belongings is one thing. But we were also in a situation where

we couldn’t return to our homes for almost two weeks. Farming has suffered and those with

businesses have had to start from scratch. Before returning home, we were promised a total of Rs 1

crore to be divided among those affected,” Nizam Ali, a resident, said. National Minority Commission

member Farida Abdullah Khan, who had visited the Ballabhgarh police station and the village after the

rioting, also said that the compensation offered was “inadequate”.“Earlier, the administration talked

about giving compensation that amounted to a crore. This is very inadequate. If you go to the village

and see the damage that has been done, this will become apparent. Moreover, the lives of the

community has been completely displaced,” she said. Villagers added that the continuing denial of

essential services to Muslims was further leading to financial losses. “Auto-rickshaws driven by

Hindus do not stop for us. They (Hindus) are refusing to sell us the small things we need. So a lot of

people have begun leaving the village, while the old have simply stopped going into the city for work.

A few families, who are wealthier than the rest are supporting the entire community right now,”

Mohammad Ehsan, a villager, said. Members of the Jat community, however, denied that there was

any “official” decision to boycott services to Muslims. “There are some people who do not wish to

interact with the Muslim community since they are insisting on building the mosque. But there has

been no official decision. It is a personal matter,” Sudhir Sharma, a villager, said. Violence broke out

in Atali village on May 25 after 2,000 heavily-armed men selectively targeted Muslim homes located

near an under-construction mosque — which served as the flashpoint for the violence… (Indian

Express 15/6/15)

Communal violence: State govt. issues orders to drop 175 cases (7)

MYSURU: The State government has issued orders to withdraw the 175 cases of communal violence

booked during April and July, 2009, in Mysuru and during 2010 in Shivamogga and Hassan. The

Home Department, in its orders issued on June 16, directed the Director of Prosecution and

Government Litigation to take appropriate steps to withdraw the cases from the courts by submitting

necessary applications. The Government Orders, which follow a Cabinet decision to the effect earlier

this month, cites Section 321 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for dropping the communal violence

cases. Communal violence had broken out in Kyathmaranhalli in Mysuru after miscreants threw the

carcass of a pig at a place of worship in April 2009. A second round of violence gripped Mysuru in

July that year. Out of the 42 cases booked during the two bouts of violence, the government has now

withdrawn 40. Communal riots broke out in Shivamogga and Hassan in 2010 after the translated

version of author Taslima Nasreen’s article was published. Of the 117 cases booked in Shivamogga

during the period, 114 have been withdrawn. In Hassan, all the 21 cases have been withdrawn. Tanvir

Sait, Congress MLA for Narasimharaja Assembly Constituency in Mysuru told The Hindu that the

cases pertaining to murder had not been withdrawn. Meanwhile, the former Mayor and

Kyathmaranhalli councillor Srikantaiah, whose house was also attacked in 2009, has welcomed the

dropping of proceedings. The gesture will promote communal harmony and help people belonging to

different faiths to live in peace and harmony, he said. “Some political parties and organisations, for

their narrow political gains, had falsely alleged that only Muslims were getting a reprieve,” he said.

But, at least 30 per cent of the persons booked in Mysuru and Hassan were Hindus. In Shivamogga,

about half of the persons facing charges were non-Muslims, he added. (The Hindu 20/6/15)

Fatehpura resident arrested in connection with riots (7)

VADODARA: A resident of Fatehpura was arrested by the police in connection with the communal

riots that broke out in Fatehpura on June 7. The rioting began after a temple idol in Fatehpura was

damaged by some unidentified person. The cops had to lob 28 tear gas shells to quell the rioters and

control the situation. Deepak More, who is member of the trust that manages the temple, has been

arrested by the police. The cops said that More knows the person who had damaged the idol. "A

meeting had happened just three or four days before the rioting occurred and More had attended the

meet. Those who attended the meeting had planned to create ruckus in Fatehpura. We are now trying

to track down others who attended the meeting," said E Radhakrishana, city police commissioner.

When asked whether More had vandalized the idol, Radhakrishana said that they are trying ascertain

it. The police have arrested several persons for rioting but they haven't able to track down the person

who damaged the idol. Locals allege that the idol may have been damaged either due to property

dispute or to create disturbance ahead of the upcoming civic polls. (Times of India 21/6/15)

Religious violence still a concern: report (7)

Washington: Religion-based violence in Indian society “continued to be a concern,” during the first

year of Narendra Modi’s rule as Prime Minister, according to a report on worldwide human rights

abuses released by the U.S. State Department In its annual Country Reports on Human Rights

Practices unveiled on Thursday the Department said that the most significant human rights problems

were police and security force abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape; widespread

corruption that contributed to ineffective responses to crime, including those against women and

members of scheduled castes or tribes; and societal violence based on gender, religious affiliation,

and caste or tribe. The report alluded to “several instances” during the 2014 general elections, in

which individuals faced arrest for allegedly posting political comments on Facebook. It cited in

particular the case of Goa-based Devu Chodankar who was the subject of a complaint filed on May

23, 2014, allegedly for urging community members on Facebook not to vote for Mr. Modi. Following

this “police detained and interrogated Chodankar for allegedly accusing Modi of planning a holocaust

against Muslims and Christians… [and] confiscated Chodankar’s computer and other related items,”

the report noted. While the report referenced some states’ laws restricting religious conversion, the

Department also appeared to have closely tracked a report submitted to the Indian government by

three senior police officials from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and one Intelligence

Bureau representative entitled ‘Strategy for Making Police Forces More Sensitive Towards Minority

Sections,’ which the report said “acknowledged bias within the police force against Muslims and

reported the Muslim perception of police as communal, biased, and insensitive.” Last summer in

some areas such as Bastar district of Chhattisgarh numerous village councils passed resolutions

banning non-Hindu religious “propaganda,” prayers, and speeches in their villages, the Department

said. Additionally the report highlighted communal violence in Pune in late May, wherein social media

posts triggered multiple arson attacks on Muslim-owned shops and mosques and an assault against a

Muslim cleric. It underscored the June 2 incident in which a group beat Mohsin Shaikh, who was

returning from prayers in Pune, to death, allegedly targeting him for his “Muslim appearance.” In that

case police arrested members of the Hindu Rashtra Samiti and pressed murder charges against its

chief, Dhananjay Desai, the Department added. Similar to previous reports on religious freedoms

issued by the U.S. government, this week’s report also drew attention to concern expressed by civil

society activists “about the Gujarat government’s failure to hold accountable those responsible for the

2002 communal violence in Gujarat.” More broadly, other human rights problems of India that found

mention in the report include disappearances, hazardous prison conditions, arbitrary arrest and

detention, and lengthy pre-trial detention, all exacerbated by a judiciary that “remained backlogged,

leading to lengthy delays and the denial of due process.” (The Hindu 26/6/15)

Tension in Muzaffarnagar village, Muslims remained besieged in a mosque for half a day (7)

Muzaffarnagar: A group of Muslims from Bhumma village in Muzaffarnagar remained besieged in a

mosque for half a day after it was surrounded by angry villagers protesting the killing of a Hindu youth

nearby. The Muslims were rescued on Tuesday afternoon after police dispersed the mob with a

lathicharge and by firing shots in the air. Trouble began Monday night after four motorcycle-borne

assailants allegedly shot Satveer (25) outside his house in Bhumma. Soon, dozens of Hindus

gathered outside the victim’s house to protest police inaction. Three policemen were reportedly in the

area when the murder took place.Police said the mob pelted stones and even fired weapons. “Several

Muslims who live close to the area took refuge in the mosque. They remained there till Tuesday

afternoon till we rescued them after dispersing the mob,” a senior police officer said. He added that a

police constable was injured in the mob rampage. The protesters also torched a vehicle and damaged

several others. Police said two of Satveer’s assailants — Yaqub and Monu — have been arrested.

“We have arrested two persons, while a massive hunt is on to arrest the other two. The situation in

the town is tense but under control,” said Rakesh Jolly, Superintendent of Police (Crime),

Muzaffarnagar, who has camped in the area since Monday night. Meanwhile, Satveer’s family blamed

police inaction for his death. “He was shot dead in the presence of three policemen, including one

inspector, but they did not even attempt to nab the culprits, who managed to flee,” Arjun, Satveer’s

younger brother, told The Indian Express. Following the incident, the station house officer of

Meerapur police station, Shoaib, and three other policemen posted there have been suspended by

SSP H N Singh. Villagers are demanding that a murder case be lodged against them. “A

compensation of Rs 5 lakh has been announced from the Chief Minister’s discretionary fund, while a

note has also been forwarded to the government for a job for his younger brother Arjun. The locals

demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh initially but a settlement was reached,” said Ram Kishan

Sharma, ADM (Finance). This is the third incident that has led to communal tension in western Uttar

Pradesh in recent times…. (Indian Express 1/7/15)

Hindus, Muslims pelt stones at each other as violence erupts yet again in Ballabhgarh (7)

Ballabhgarh: Violence erupted at Atali in Ballabhgarh once again on Wednesday after Hindus and

Muslims in the village pelted stones on three separate occasions. At least four people were injured in

the violence, police said. Though police claimed that it was too early to identify the trigger for the

violence, residents said the first clash took place in the morning when namaz was being read at the

mosque. “We were praying at the mosque when stones were thrown. At the same time, the Hindus in

the adjacent temple were participating in a kirtan using loudspeakers and this sparked the violence,”

Nizam Ali alleged. The police said that at the time of the initial stone-pelting in the morning, six or

seven Muslims were present at the mosque and they took refuge at the residence of a community

elder. The violence that ensued lasted about an hour, with individuals from both communities climbing

atop buildings and throwing bricks, stones and bottles, the police added. The mosque, which had

been burnt during earlier riots, was once again desecrated on Wednesday, police said. While the

Muslim community maintained that they were attacked first when they were inside the mosque, the

Hindu community in the village denied the charge. “It’s completely untrue. They attacked the women

of the village, who were at the temple, with stones and two of them were injured,” Satish Chaudhury

said. The mosque had served as the flashpoint for communal riots in the village on May 25, as 2,000

heavily armed men allegedly set the mosque on fire as well as several Muslim homes and shops in an

hour-long rampage. Fifteen people were injured and almost 150 Muslim villagers camped at the

Ballabhgarh police station until June 3. While the administration and the police have consistently

maintained that the village has been peaceful following the riots, residents claim otherwise. “Ever

since we have returned, things have been tense. We were told that we could pray peacefully. But the

reality is very different. We have given written complaints to the police about the every day social

boycott we are facing, but no action has been taken,” Ali said. While seeming sporadic, residents said

the violence had followed a strict pattern through the day, coinciding with the timing of prayers at the

mosque. “After the initial violence in the morning, two separate incidents of stone-pelting took place

when we went to the mosque to pray in the afternoon and again in the evening. We also found that

they had desecrated the mosque when we went to pray in the afternoon,” Ehsan Mohammad alleged,

while adding that the community decided to break their fast for Ramzan indoors and not venture out.

Subhash Yadav, Commissioner of Police, Faridabad, said, “We have deployed additional forces at the

village and all roofs have been cleared. We have deployed personnel on roofs also.” .. (Indian

Express 2/7/15)

Communal violence: Police detain Jats in Atali over clashes (7)

New Delhi: After a second spurt of violence disturbed the calm at Atali village in Ballabhgarh last

week, police detained a number of members from the Jat community on Saturday. The village

remained tense after the detentions, which comes a day after a delegation of Muslims from the village

met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi. While most of the Muslims had left their homes after

the recent violence, the Jats in the village alleged that the police action was “one-sided” and “biased”.

Last Wednesday, violence once again erupted at the village after Hindus and Muslims pelted stones

at each other on three separate occasions. While four people were injured, a number of Muslim

families left the village, shaken by the fact that the violence took place in the presence of heavy police

deployment. A total of three FIRs were filed after the violence. Commisioner of Police (Faridabad)

Subhash Yadav said, “We have detained a number of people from Atali on the basis of complaints.

Police have rounded them up and the process of verification is going on. After this concludes, we will

be producing them in court and formally arresting them.” Yadav, however, refused to divulge the

number of people who have been detained. The village — now almost completely devoid of any

Muslim population — remained tense. Most Jat families alleged that police were biased and the

arrests reflected political pressure. “The Muslims went and met Rajnath, so police had to do

something. They arrested young boys from our community who had nothing to do with the entire

incident,” Manoj Chauhan, a resident, said. Others alleged that while complaints from the Muslim

community had been duly noted, Jats alleged that their complaints — pertaining to the violence —

had been ignored. “The violence was from both sides. Some Muslims came to our temple and

desecrated it. They abused our wives and daughters and threw stones at them. But police doesn’t

want to listen to us,” Satish Chaudhury, another resident, said. The Muslim community leaders are

quick to point out that though the police detention took place immediately after the meeting with the

home minister, their demands were yet to be met. “Our homes were burnt. Our lives destroyed. The

violence and ostracisation continues. Yet, police has made no arrests in the initial violence,” Isak

Lambardar, the community elder, said. The first incident of violence in the village on May 25 saw

almost 2,000 heavily-armed men allegedly setting fire to the village’s only mosque, Muslim homes

and shops. Fifteen people were injured and almost 150 Muslim villagers camped at the Ballabhgarh

police station until June 3…./ (Indian Express 5/7/15)

Prohibitory orders in Ambur (7)

AMBUR: Fearing communal tension may flare up again, the government on Monday clamped

prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Cr.Pc in Ambur and Vaniyambadi areas, which is returning to

normalcy after witnessing violence in the last week of June following a custodial death. Noticing that

discontent was simmering among the public in the Ambur taluk and surrounding areas, the district

administration has enforced the prohibitory orders till July 15. The order has stalled the plans of

Hindutva outfits to conduct protests and campaign this week following the good response to the

bandh by Hindu Makkal Katchi last Saturday against the riot by a section of Muslim outfits, which went

on a rampage injuring 38 police personnel, including the SP and damaging public property. A few

more Hindu outfits were planning to take out rallies and processions this week. The order, issued by

Revenue Divisional Officer (Tirupattur) Rangarajan, prohibits entry of any person with the intention of

organising or participating in any demonstration or meeting or procession and unlawful assembly,

which carries the potential of bringing unrest and threat to peace and tranquillity of public. BJP leader

Vanathi Srinivasan, who had come to Vinnamangalam near Ambur, was denied permission to hold a

press meet. The media contingent accompanied her in the train and interviewed her. Meanwhile,

Ambur was limping back to normalcy. As many as 131 Muslims have been arrested till now for

indulging in violence alleging custodial torture of Shameel Ahamed. The arrests continue with three

more being arrested on Monday. Meanwhile, the woman who went missing leading to the arrest of a

person and subsequently his death in Ambur last week will stay in a women’s hostel for the time

being. Pavithra (23) was produced before the Madras High Court on Monday before a Division Bench

comprising Justices S. Tamilvanan and C.T. Selvam, in the presence of her husband, her five-year

old child and her parents. (The Hindu 7/7/15)

Haryana: A month after communal violence, Atali lies deserted (7)

Atali, Haryana: A month after communal clashes engulfed Atali village in Haryana, all its Muslims and

most of the Hindu men have fled fearing more violence or the police. Only a few hundred Hindus are

still left in the village that once had a population of over 5,000, located 12 km from Ballabhgarh town

in Faridabad district that borders Delhi. Elderly men, young boys and women make up for most of the

Hindus still in the village, residents told an IANS correspondent. As for some 300 Muslim residents of

Atali, all have abandoned their homes and taken refuge in nearby villages to escape a communal

conflagration the village had never seen. Hindus still here complain of a "brutal police crackdown"

following a spate of clashes between them and Muslims over the construction of a mosque. Muslims

have said that the mosque was coming up on land belonging to a Muslim and Hindus should not have

objected. Hindus insist the mosque was illegally located on a Hindu's land. Like in most parts of

Haryana, Atali is a neatly laid out village, boasting of numerous two-storey brick-and-mortar houses,

each house having electricity connection. Some houses have inverters too. The streets are cemented

or laid with bricks -- and clean. Atali is primarily divided into three quarters -- one for Dalits, another for

Muslims and the larger area populated mainly by Jats. Violence over the mosque first erupted in May.

Tensions were rekindled when members of the two communities clashed again last week, around the

same time as serious communal clashes erupted at Palwal in Haryana. Amid criticism that Haryana's

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was biased towards Hindus, police and paramilitary forces

launched a crackdown on July 4, detaining many. Nine men were formally arrested. All of them were

Hindus. While the Muslim population had already fled, it was now the turn of Hindus to flee from Atali.

Villagers said those who have stayed back are staring at serious financial losses. Labourers refuse to

come to Atali and work on their fields. A farmer lamented that his and others' yields were going waste

as it had become difficult to find vehicles to transport the produce to the nearest towns. All four private

schools and two government schools here remain shut."The policemen didn't spare even the old and

minors," said a villager who did not want to be identified by name. Sanni, a labourer, sounded

desperate when he said that his 16-year-old son had run away. "I don't know what to do to persuade

him to come back." Rajwati, a sweeper, said she pleaded with the police not to take her 15-year-old-

son away when they broke the door of their house. Around 200 security personnel remain deployed in

the village, a grim reminder of what Atali witnessed. The seniors among them declined to speak to

IANS. "This violence has finished off the village," moaned Mangal Singh, 29, who recently started

growing unseasonal vegetables after taking a bank loan of Rs 1 crore. He puts his losses at Rs 6-7

lakh. Muslims too have suffered grave losses. When Noor Mohammed, 65, fled the village with his

extended family of over 35, they not only left behind their belongings and farm yield but also three

buffaloes. "I have lost so much money," he told IANS on telephone. His six sons and two daughters

and their families are now scattered in neighbouring villages. The two communities still blame each

other for stroking the violence. Village elders said they see no immediate end to the tensions.

Contractor Haji Shakir, 41, accused Hindus of boycotting Muslims. "If they don't want to talk to us,

what can we do?" Shakir told IANS. Mohammed said the BJP was to blame for the unrest. "Some

pandits (Hindus) think it is their government, so they can do anything." (Hindustan Times 10/7/15)

Communal clash in Belagavi: 10 injured including 6 police (7)

BELAGAVI: More than 10 people including six police personnel were injured and over 12 vehicles

damaged, including four cars, in a communal clash that took place in the areas of Gandhi Nagar, New

Gandhi Nagar, Durga Mata Road and Zakriya Mohalla on Sunday late night. Police arrested around

55 people of both groups in the background of clash till Monday morning. Clash began at around

11.30pm and continued till Monday 1am. Police used eight tear gas shells and fired into air to

disperse miscreants and take situation under control. Police blocked Pune-Bengaluru National

Highway-4 for an hour diverting its traffic, as a group of over 100 people engaged in stone pelting on

vehicles passing on highway. Meanwhile, miscreants damaged Cheeta vehicle of police department

parked in-front of Sankam hotel using large stones and set it into fire. After the clash began, MLA

Firoz Sait reached spot and appealed both groups to maintain peace. Speaking to the TOI, S Ravi

said reason behind incident is quarrel between children playing Cricket at government school ground

in Gandhi Nagar on Sunday afternoon. Till evening, silly reason grown up bigger and took communal

shape. "We are also finding it is the only reason or any other", commissioner said. Arrested have

been booked under sections 307, 353 (A), 336, 153 (A) and 149 IPC and Karnataka Prevention of

Destruction and Loss of Property Act-1981. City has fallen into tense after the incident during the time

of holy Ramzan Eid celebrations. Coincidentally, last time communal clash occurred on the next day

of concluding of legislature session in Belagavi in the month of January-2014 when around 30

vehicles had damaged and many people injured. This time, communal clash again haunted city

immediately after monsoon session concluded on Friday. (Times of India 13/7/15)

1 dead, 30 cops hurt in Harsul riots (7)

Nashik: Riots broke out in Harsul in the Trimbakeshwar tehsil in Nashik district on Tuesday in which

many shops, vehicles, and property was torched. One person died in the police firing, while 30

policemen, including two additional police superintendents were injured in the stone pelting. Earlier on

Tuesday, the Simhasth Kumbh Mela flag hoisting ceremony was held in Trimbakeshwar town in the

presence of Union home minister Rajnath Singh. The trouble started on July 8 when the body of

Bhagirat Choudhary from the Adivasi community was found in the well belonging to a Muslim farmer.

The deceased’s relatives claimed that Choudhary was a good swimmer and could not have drowned

and suspected murder. They demanded that the police conduct a post-mortem and announce the

cause of death. After this there were small skirmishes and unrest between the Adivasis and Muslims

in Harsul. On Tuesday, the situation boiled over when the Adivasis decided to have a morcha and call

for a bandh. The situation turned violent after the morcha began. The police tried to pacify the mob

but when it began to get out of control, used tear gas and lathicharged them. The rioters began

pelting stones at the police in which 30 policemen were injured. The police then fired, killing one man

identified as Ramdas Gangaram Buth (26). Mukthar Sayyed, a contractor who lost two excavator

vehicles in the rioting said, “Cloth shops, grocery stores and even roadside carts were not spared and

torched by the rioters. Roof tiles of several houses were broken in stone pelting,” he said. Many in the

town said that since the atmosphere was tense for the last few days, many Muslim families had

moved to other towns temporarily. Nashik (rural) SP Sanjay Mohite and other officials are in Harsul.

Mr Mohite confirmed one death in the police firing. “We are patrolling the area and the situation is

under control,” he said. (Asian Age 15/7/15)

Nashik riots spread to Maharashtra hamlet (7)

THANAPADA (Harsul): Even as riot-hit Harsul was limping back to normalcy, trouble-makers shifted

their focus to a neighbouring hamlet of Thanapada in Maharashtra's Nashik district. Several houses of

those from the minority community including that of Tausif Shaikh, who reportedly works for the

Rashtriya Muslim Manch and is an office-bearer of the BJP's minority cell, were damaged. The police

said a restaurant in the hamlet, which was set ablaze on Wednesday night, was again on fire on

Thursday along with a bakery. The hamlet, which is located 11km from Harsul, has a population of

4,000 people. The police said about 100 adivasis (tribals) descended from the hills behind the hamlet

on Wednesday night and damaged 25 houses belonging to Muslims. Shaikh's house was ransacked

and burnt down. Shaikh and his neighbours had taken shelter in a mosque, now guarded by the

police after violence had broken out in Harsul. They were about to end their fast on Wednesday

evening when they heard that their houses had been attacked. "I went to my house but saw it had

been ransacked. I called for police help and personnel were sent there. Despite this, the house was

set ablaze by miscreants later in the night," he said. "Why Thanapada? Whatever happened in Harsul

was an issue between two families and not a communal matter. And why target me? I am the one

who started Shiv Jayanti celebrations in the hamlet," Shaikh said. Rafiq Shaikh Mohammed, cleric of

the mosque, said that several Muslim families were rushed to Nashik after the violence broke out in

Harsul. "We are also trying to ensure that the mosque here is safe. The mosque was damaged during

riots in 1982. We are the very much natives of this land and village and our forefathers have been

living here since about 250 years. Better sense should prevail," he said. Two police platoons rushed

to Thanapada on Thursday after hearing about the attack on the restaurant and bakery. The police

fired plastic bullets and five rounds of teargas in an attempt to disperse the miscreants. However, the

adivasis used catapults to throw stones at the police. The police chased them up into the hills from

where they had come but they disappeared into the woods. One policeman was injuredMore than 200

police personnel, the fire brigade and a quick response team have camped in the hamlet. District

superintendent of police Sanjay Mohite asked the hamlet-dwellers to ensure that no outsiders were

present in the village at any point of time unless required. "There is a mob of around 400 people in the

woods up in the hills who are likely to create problems. The people of this hamlet know who these

miscreants are," he said.Mohite said non-cooperation by people living the hamlet was the reason for

the violence spreading from Harsul to elsewhere. Thanapada sarpanch Maya Sable promised all

support to the police. "Hundreds of people marched on the hamlet last night. The police did not do

anything when they hurled stones at houses near the mosque. How can you expect the villagers to

face the mob? However, we will take all measures to ensure that outsiders do not come here. But we

need help from the police," Sable said. (Times of India 17/7/15)

Tension in Rajouri over burning of IS flag by VHP, Bajrang Dal (7)

Jammu: Muslims in Rajouri threatened to observe a bandh on Tuesday if the police failed to arrest the

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal activists behind the burning an IS flag — which had

holy inscriptions written on it — on Eid. However, clarifying that it had no intention to hurt the

sentiments of Muslims, the VHP, on the other hand, asked the protesters to demonstrate against the

IS for writing holy inscriptions on its flag. “We had only burnt the IS flag. We did not know as to what

was written on it in Persian,’’ said the state VHP patron, Dr Ramakant Dubey, and its provincial

president, Leela Karan Sharma. Led by Khateeb (prayer leader) of the local Jama Masjid, Ghulam

Rasool, the protesters demanded the arrest of people who, as they claimed, first wrote the holy

inscriptions on the flag and then burnt it. It is being alleged that some VHP and Bajrang Dal activists

made an IS flag using a black piece of paper, and wrote the holy inscriptions on it by hand, followed

by the words “IS” and “Hai Hai’’. Later, local Muslim leaders clarified that while they had no objection

to the burning of the IS flag, they were protesting against writing of holy inscriptions by hand. The

protesters asked the police to register a case and arrest the culprits by Monday evening. With tension

mounting in the town, which is prone to communal flare-ups, the district administration has deployed

police and CRPF personnel at all vulnerable places. Several sensitive spots have been barricaded.

DIG (Rajouri-Poonch) A K Atri said the administration was trying to defuse tension by holding

meetings between leaders of both the communities. (Indian Express 21/7/15)

Communal violence shows 24% jump in first five months of 2015, shows govt data (7)

NEW DELHI: Communal violence in India has registered a jump with incidents rising by 24% and

related deaths too up by 65% in the first five months of 2015 as compared to the corresponding

period of last year, when the UPA government was in the saddle. As per latest data collated by the

Union home ministry, 287 communal incidents were reported from across the country this year until

May 31, as compared to 232 over the same period in 2014. Deaths due to communal clashes during

January-May 2015 rose to 43 from 26 and the number of injured too were higher at 961 from 701 in

the first five months of last year. The states that reportedly accounted for a major portion of the

increase in communal clashes were Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and West Bengal. This is

for the first time that data has reflected negatively on the state of communal harmony under the Modi

government. Earlier, a comparison of the annual data for the year 2014 and 2013 had shown a fall in

incidents to 644 from 823 respectively. Deaths in 2014 too dipped to 95 from 133 and injured were

fewer at 1961 as compared to 2,269 in 2013. Many argued that the lower communal violence in 2014

as compared to 2013 was not really a verdict on the effectiveness of Modi government to control riots,

considering that UPA was in power until mid-May 2014. (Times of India 22/7/15)

Communal tension erupts in Dhar city, normalcy restored (7)

MHOW: Communal tension erupted in Dhar city on Friday night after a group of miscreants attacked a

youth of another community in a city locality over an old case of enmity. The youth was critically

injured and was immediately rushed to a private hospital where he is undergoing treatment there.

Dhar kotwali police station in charge Ajit Tiwari, when contacted on phone, told TOI that the situation

arose in Dhanmandi locality at 10.30pm on Friday when a group of four youths attacked Shubham

Thakur, a resident of hanmandi square with rods and sharp edged weapons. In the incident,

Shubham received serious injuries in the abdomen and back. Soon after this, a large number of

people of the two communities gathered at the spot and stone pelting was started from one side. On

getting the information, Dhar collector Jaishri Kiyawat, SP Rajesh Hingankar along with a large police

force reached there and the situation was brought into control before any other untoward incident

could take place. As per the police and the administration officials, the situation in Dhar was normal

but police force has been deployed at all communally sensitive points in the town. (Times of India

25/7/15)

A deep divide vulnerable even to rumour (7)

Jamshedpur: To Many in Jamshedpur, the Sankat Mochan temple at Mango, where recent communal

riots began, marks the point where “Hindustan” ends. “What you see beyond this mandir and this road

in front is the territory of Pakistan,” said Goraknath Tiwari, pujari at the temple, as he points at a

couple of broken panes at the main gate. Mango beyond this point is dominated by Muslims with

small populations of Hindus an Sikhs. It is not the pujari who gave it the name “Pakistan”. From the

taxi driver and the auto driver to the police constable on the road and the worker in TISCO, many

others use this description. It is a pointer to how deep the divide runs and to how a small rumour

could trigger such violence. Various narratives qualify this “Hindustan-Pakistan” divide in various

ways. For one, said Bhalla, an old resident who admits having been booked for taking part in the

vicious communal violence of 1979, “at Hindu homes in Jamshedpur, you will find swords, lathis or, at

the most, choppers for self-defence. But at homes in Mango,” he guessed, “you will find revolvers,

rifles, firearms, bombs.” The divide appears to have become starker of late. Arun Singh, the VHP

convener for Jamshedpur city, accused Muslims of being involved in eve-teasing, snatching and

eloping with Hindu girls. He said it is these incidents that have led to rising anger among Hindus.

Singh has been booked in four FIRs for instigating violence, though he has not yet been arrested. On

the other hand, Sheikh Badruddin, a central committee member and a general secretary of Jharkhand

Mukti Morcha’s minority wing, accused Hindutva groups of recent whisper campaigns about growing

“encroachment” of Jamshedpur city. “One need not take the name of the community that is

supposedly encroaching. Muslims and encroachment are synonymous here,” said Badruddin. Police

investigations have concluded that there was no incident of any “eve-teasing of a Hindu girl”. It was

purely a rumour, its origin uncertain, police say. Senior superintendent of police Anoop T Matthews,

the area of whose jurisdiction, East Singbhum, includes Jamshedpur city, said the trouble actually

began with a fight between two groups of antisocials, one led by a certain Waris and the other by

Shibu alias Asif Akhtar. They clashed at Azadnagar on July 19 and at Mango on July 20. Both groups

are wanted for extortion, snatching, arson, assault and other such crimes. And both have Hindu and

Muslim members…… (Indian Express 29/7/15)

Communal violence increased in first half of 2015: Home ministry (7)

New Delhi: Incidents of communal violence in the country have increased in the first six months of

2015 according to data released by the Home ministry, with 330 total riots and a death toll of 51.

According to Home ministry data, there were 330 incidents of communal violence between January

and June, 2015 in comparison to 252 in the first six months of 2014. Altogether 51 people have lost

their lives and 1,092 others injured in communal violence so far this year. As many as 33 people had

lost their lives in first six months of last year. There were 644 riots during the entirety of 2014 in which

95 people were killed and 1,921 injured. Samajwadi Party-ruled Uttar Pradesh had the highest

number of 68 such incidents in which 10 people were killed and 224 injured. There were 133 riots in

UP in 2014 in which 26 people lost their lives and 374 wounded. JD(U)-ruled Bihar has witnessed 41

incidents till June 2015 in which 14 people lost their lives and 169 others were injured. There were 61

riots in Bihar in 2014 in which 5 people were killed and 294 others injured. BJP-ruled Gujarat has

reported 25 incidents of communal violence between January and June 2015 in which 7 people were

killed and 79 others wounded. In 2014, there were 74 incidents of riots in Gujarat in which 7 people

lost their lives and 215 others were injured. Maharashtra, another BJP-ruled state, saw 59 incidents of

communal violence in the first half of this year in which 4 people were killed and 196 injured. There

were 97 riots in Maharashtra in 2014 in which 12 people were killed and 198 injured. Congress-ruled

Karnataka saw 36 such incidents in which two people were killed and 123 others injured. In 2014,

there were 73 cases of riots in Karnataka in which 6 people lost their lives while 177 were injured.

(Hindustan Times 2.8.15)

2002 Gujarat Riots: State’s job to repair masjids, Centre tells Supreme Court (7)

New Delhi: Narendra Modi, 2002 Gujarat Riots, Gujarat Riots, 2002 Godhra Riots, Godhra Riots

damage, Godhra Riots masjids damage, masjids repairing, bjp government, gujarat govt, gujarat

masjids repair, Supreme court, gujarat news, india news, nation news In its earlier hearings, the apex

court gave an option to the Gujarat government for formulating a scheme for repairing religious places

damaged during the riots. When Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, the state

government had appealed against a high court order, directing it to repair and restore mosques,

dargahs and other religious sites damaged in the 2002 post-Godhra riots. Now, when he is the Prime

Minister, the central government has told the Supreme Court that it has no obligation regarding

restoration of religious places damaged in the communal riots and that the accountability has to be

fixed with the state government. In its first affidavit into the matter, the Centre has said: “It is primarily

the responsibility of the state government to maintain law and order in the state and to provide

security, relief, rehabilitation and to compensate riot victims.” Putting the onus on the Gujarat

government, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said that the ‘public order’ and ‘police’ are state subjects

and hence the state government was answerable to the queries of the top court regarding repairs and

restoration of mosques, dargahs, graveyards, khankahs and other religious sites. “The central

government, however, has provided ex-gratia to the victims of Gujarat riots in cases of death, injury

and damages to residential and uninsured commercial properties, on the pattern of the package

announced for the victims of anti-Sikh riots of 1984,” it stated. The Home Ministry added that the

report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the post-Godhra riots was forwarded to

the Gujarat Chief Secretary for taking necessary action after placing it in the state legislature. “Hence,

the main contesting respondent is the state of Gujarat,” it said. The affidavit has been filed by the

Ministry in the appeal by Gujarat government against the 2012 High Court order, directing it to repair

religious places damaged in the post-Godhra riots. While pulling up the state government for its

“inaction and negligence” during the riots, the high court had also ordered compensation for over 500

places of worships in the state on a PIL by Islamic Relief Committee of Gujarat, an NGO. After the

high court had criticised the state government for not tabling the NHRC report within six months of it

being prepared, the 2002-03 report was tabled in Gujarat assembly in March 2012, nearly 10 years

after the subsequent riots. In its report, the NHRC had censured the state. In its earlier hearings, the

apex court gave an option to the Gujarat government for formulating a scheme for repairing religious

places damaged during the riots on the lines of its earlier order where it had asked the Odisha

government to formulate a scheme for repairing churches damaged during the 2009 Kandhamal riots.

The case will be heard next on August 19. (Indian Express 5/8/15)

Communal violence higher in Jammu (7)

SRINAGAR: While Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed fewer riots than the average national level,

but around four to five cases of riots get reported on average daily in the state. A total of 72,126 cases

of riots were reported in India in 2013, with Bihar reporting the maximum 11,931 cases. Kerala was

second, reporting 10,042 riot cases followed by Maharashtra 9,610, Karnataka 7,237 and West

Bengal 6,142. According to the official details of the police department available with The Kashmir

Monitor, 1714 cases of riots were reported in 2013 in Jammu and Kashmir. During 2014, 1524 such

cases were reported in the state. A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group

lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property or people. Riots involve

vandalism and the destruction of property, public or private. Police sources said unlike states like

Bihar, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh, less number of communal riot cases have been reported from the

Muslims dominated Jammu and Kashmir. “In Valley, most of the rioting cases that have been reported

are vandalization of shops, cars, offices, during anti-India protests,” a senior police official told The

Kashmir Monitor. He said some of the separatists are also facing charges of rioting. “These leaders

have been found involved in destructing public and private property during protests in the Valley,” the

police official said. However, he said barring few sectarian clashes, the Valley didn’t witness any

sectarian or communal riots over the years. One such was the Budgam incident, where the sectarian

clashes broke out following dispute between two sects over construction of a village road. Then there

were incidents of arson during clashes prompting authorities to impose restrictions. “But maximum

cases of communal riots have been reported from the Hindu dominated Jammu region,” the official

said. During 2013 and 2014, one major incident of communal riots was reported in Kishtwar district of

the Jammu region. The communal riots sparked in Kishtwar on Eid Day after two communities started

targeting to each other. The pro-Hindu groups had alleged that the then MoS Home Sajad Ahmad

Kitchloo was behind these riots. However, the Muslim groups claimed that some pro-Hindu groups

had targeted shops and houses of Muslims in the district during these clashes. (The Kashmir Monitor

6/8/15)

IFTU blames Hindutva forces for clash at Khajuri Khas (7)

New Delhi: Likening it to the communal clashes that erupted at Trilokpuri last year, and demanding a

High Court-monitored probe into the incident, the Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) has

blamed “Hindutva forces with police collusion” for a clash between two communities at Khajuri Khas

last Friday. On July 31, several local residents and some policemen had been injured during a mini

riot at a spot just a stone's throw away from the local police station. The police had attributed the

incident to a gradual build up of tension between the two communities which was triggered in the

aftermath of the interception of a vehicle transporting animal skins and meat products. “The workers

(living in the locality where the incident took place) had left in the morning for their work place that day

and returned only at night. However they told the IFTU team that some incident had occurred

because people protested as the Muslims ’had cut up’ a cow. When asked if they had met anyone

who had seen this, or whether this routinely happened, they retracted,” the report states. “The police

is fully hand in glove with those Hindutva elements who attempted to provoke communal violence.

With a police beat box, a PCR van present in the area, a crowd cannot unnoticed block a road and

march up to the chowk and then beat up two Muslims and set two bikes on fire. The police chose not

to intervene,” the report, penned by Rajesh, secretary, Jai Prakash, joint secretary and Raja, west

Delhi IFTU, stated further. According to the IFTU fact-finding mission, the Aam Aadmi Party-led (AAP)

Delhi government's silence on the matter despite its willingness to “to take on the police and the

Centre when AAP legislators or their appointees are involved” was also suspect. The IFTU demanded

why the AAP government had not questioned “the veracity of the police story” attributing it to the

party's role in the Trilokpuri incident where the local MLA was missing in action. A senior Delhi Police

official denied the allegations levelled against the force by the workers' rights body. “Arrests of those

found involved in the incident were made soon after and local police personnel went beyond their

limited briefs to quell tension in the area – of any kind; further investigation is still underway and those

found guilty of alleged hate-mongering will be brought t book as and when their role is established,”

said a senior police officer. (The Hindu 6/8/15)

1989 Bhagalpur riots: Inquiry report blames Congress, police (7)

New Delhi: In what could provide the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) much needed ammunition against

the Congress ahead of Bihar Assembly polls, a report prepared by the inquiry commission probing the

1989 Bhagalpur riots has blamed the then Congress government and police for the massacre of

nearly 1000 people. The 1989 communal riots in Bhagalpur had claimed nearly a thousand lives and

left in its wake a trail of devastation. From the Archives: Bihar policemen go unpunished for role in

Bhagalpur riots The Justice NN Singh Inquiry Commission report, which was tabled in the Bihar

Legislative Assembly on Friday, holds the inaction by the Congress government led by Chief Minister

Satyendra Narayan Sinha responsible for the deadly clashes. The 1000-page report also raised a

question over the state police administration hinting towards a communal bias.More than 50,000

people were displaced as a result of the riots which started on 24 October 1989, and continued for

next two months. The violence affected the Bhagalpur city and 250 villages around it. Soon after the

report was introduced in the Bihar Assembly, BJP questioned chief minister Nitish Kumar's decision to

ally with RJD and Congress. Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi

asked Nitish Kumar to explain his 'secularism."Kumar must explain his secularism as well as his party

- JD(U)'s alliance with RJD and Congress as Bhagalpur riots had taken place during Congress regime

in which hundreds of Muslims were killed by the rioters, some of whom were absolved of all charges

in police probe during RJD rule in late 1990s," Kumar Modi told reporters. "Doesn't Kumar's

secularism stand exposed as he finds himself aligned with a party during whose rule the sordid

incident had taken place and another party which had given clean chit to some of the perpetrators,"

he asked. Modi also questioned chief minister Nitish Kumar's intent for tabling the judicial report on

the riots case in the Assembly at the fag end of his term and claimed that the latter was trying to kill

two birds with one stone, he said referring to the RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Congress, both of whom

espoused secularism. … (India Today 8/8/15)

Communal Tension in Jalalabad Town of Uttar Pradesh (7)

SHAHJAHANPUR (UP): A day after protests were held over teasing of a minor girl allegedly by two

youths in Jalalabad town of the district, cousin of one of the accused was shot at by some unidentified

men. Additional Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar said that the cousin brother of an accused

was shot at by some persons from the other community. He said that the youth, who sustained bullet

injury on his back, has been admitted to a hospital and the matter was being investigated. The police

officer said that Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) continues to be deployed in the area.

Yesterday, protests were witnessed in the town after the girl was allegedly teased and assaulted by

two youths of a community. One of the accused was arrested and PAC was deployed in the area. The

youths teased the girl, and later, when they failed to molest her they tore her cloths, police said.

Agitated over the incident, members of a community assembled at Khandahar police outpost and held

protest. The protestors also alleged that a police officer assaulted a youth of the agitating community,

after which they blocked Bareilly-Kanpur highway. Later, senior district administration officials and

police officers reached the spot and pacified protesters. (New Indian Express 13/8/15)

Low intensity bomb explodes in Jamshedpur, no damage reported (7)

Jamshedpur: A low intensity bomb exploded in a dustbin behind a temple in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand

Sunday late evening causing panic in the steel city which recently saw a communal riot. The

explosion ripped apart the iron walled dustbin scattering the garbage around a radius of 10 to 15

meters. "This seems handiwork of some uncouth element to disturb peace of the city," said deputy

superintendent of police Jacinta Kerketta. She said an explosive expert is collecting parts of the

explosives. "A team of experts have also left from Ranchi and would be reaching here late night", she

said. There has been no damage to life or property. Police said they will soon be able to locate the

culprits. Jamshedpur had witnessed communal riots last month following clashes over some youth

harrasing a girl from another community after which curfew had also been imposed in some parts of

the city. (Hindustan Times 17/8/15)

Political riots deadlier than communal ones: NCRB (7)

NEW DELHI: More people get injured or killed in political riots than in communal conflagration.

According to latest data released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2014, there were

over 2,400 victims of political violence, while 2000 people were injured or killed in communal riots.

According to the data, most communal incidents were reported from Jharkhand (349) followed by

Haryana (201). West Bengal and Tamil Nadu had over 100 incidents each while Maharashtra

recorded 99 cases. UP, which witnessed one of the worst communal riots in 2013, recorded only 51

cases last year but had maximum number of victims at 356. Maharashtra followed UP closely with

355 victims followed by Jharkhand with 349 victims. Caste clashes were the third biggest reason for

conflicts with over 1,800 people either getting injured or killed in riots on caste lines. Curiously,

however, conflicts of Dalits and tribals with upper caste resulted in far lesser injuries and deaths as

compared to other inter-caste conflicts. According to the data, 507 people became victims of riots

caused by clashes between people belonging to scheduled castes and tribes and those not from the

category. On the other hand, 1,346 people became victims of other caste conflicts. Most conflicts

between Dalits and non-Dalits were reported from Maharashtra with 147 riots and 183 victims. It was

followed by UP with 66 cases and 101 victims. Bihar, curiously, recorded no such cases. Maharashtra

again led the pack with 241 cases in other caste conflicts category followed by Tamil Nadu with 182

such cases. UP and Bihar had just nine and six such cases respectively. In the category of all riots

(including all categories), Bihar led the pack with 13,566 incidents and 16,810 victims despite

recording very few communal and political riots or even caste conflicts. The year also saw 170

industrial riots with 283 victims and 628 agrarian agitations that ended up in riots and injured or killed

1,319 victims. (Times of India 21/8/15)

NCRB data: Maharashtra tops arrests in caste conflicts (7)

Mumbai: Maharashtra had the highest number of arrests in communal and caste-related conflicts in

2014, reveals National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. The state also made the most arrests in

riots that pitted members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes against others. According to

data released by the NCRB, 2415 individuals, 2274 men and 141 women, were arrested in 2014 in

caste conflicts in Maharashtra. Madhya Pradesh followed with 1124 arrests. The data showed that 58

members of Scheduled Tribe were victims in 42 riots targeting them. Further, there were 224 riot

incidents aimed at Scheduled Castes, in which there were 293 victims, and only Uttar Pradesh

recorded a higher number of incidents, 266, in 2014. The data also shows that in the past year, there

were 902 arrests made by the police in riots that pitted members of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled

Tribe against others. Of those put behind bars, 858 were men and 44 women. Advocate Irfan

Engineer has attributed the high numbers to relatively higher level of education and awareness

among members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Maharashtra, compared to other

states. “Dalit movement has always been strong in Maharashtra. Awareness of rights is also relatively

higher. There exists a strong network of NGOs that puts pressure on police to arrest the culprits,” he

said. Engineer added that while filing of cases did not reflect the atrocities, laws were being utilised

better. “The atrocities faced by Scheduled Castes are in the form of boycott, parading women naked,

and denying access to sources of drinking water. There is a lot of pressure on victims to not file

complaints. At times, police do not file cases under the Atrocities Act,” he said. In 2014, all cases of

riots in the state in which Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe members were targeted were

registered under the Atrocities Act, data shows. According to the NCRB, Maharashtra recorded the

most number of arrests last year in communal riots, apprehending 850 men and 11 women. Professor

Abdul Shaban, the Deputy Director of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ Tuljapur campus attributed

these numbers to communal violence spreading southwards after independence. “Until 1952,

communal riots took place mostly in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and West Bengal. In the last few years,

regional patterns have changed. Gujarat and Maharashtra have emerged as leading figures,” he said.

According to Engineer, communal violence has been spreading to rural areas from urban areas.

“There is also a lot of low-intensity violence, and slow polarisation along communal lines there. Small-

time extremist Hindutva elements behave with impunity. There are a large number of small incidents

rather than a few large incidents,” he said. A senior IPS officer said the number of arrests reflected

cases of rioting registered in the state. “Maharashtra has been registering cases of rioting, and

making arrests without any issues. A procedure is in place and arrests are made only after complaints

are verified,” he said. (Indian Express 25/8/15)

Supreme Court hears state liability on riot damages relief (7)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to examine whether courts can direct a state

government to pay compensation for damage caused to places of worship like temples, mosques and

churches during riots due to failure of law and order. A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C.

Pant is hearing an appeal filed by Gujarat against the Gujarat high court order passed on a writ

petition by Islamic Relief Committee of Gujarat (IRCG) to pay compensation for the damage and

destruction caused to religious places during the 2002 communal riots. The high court directed

Gujarat to pay compensation for religious structures. If the structures are already restored by now, the

government should reimburse the amount spent on their restoration. Senior counsel Yusuf Muchala,

appearing for the IRCG, submitted that the 2002 communal riots was a result of constitutional

breakdown and if the state failed, then it is obliged to pay compensation. (Asian Age 27/8/15)

Communal conflagration breaks out in Muzaffarnagar (7)

Muzaffarnagar: Two years after a series of communal clashes ripped the region apart, the fragile

peace in Muzaffarnagar and its vicinity has again become vulnerable. Communal conflagration broke

out on Friday, seemingly a mere coincidence, on the second anniversary of the riots, making people

apprehend another cycle of violence in a reminder of the deadly violence of 2013. The incidents

include attack on an influential cleric of the area and alleged attack on riot victims when they went to

the Jat-dominated Kutba village to take the bricks of their abandoned houses. Exactly two years ago,

in the first week of September, violent clashes started between Jats and Muslims which went on for a

week or so, killing 62 people and displacing 50,000 Muslims in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts of

Uttar Pradesh. What triggered the tension is the attack on the vehicle of Nazeer Ahmad Qasmi, a

popular cleric of Muzaffarnagar by some workers of Bajrang Dal on Thursday nightwhen he was on

his way home from Delhi. The news of the attack on the cleric, who belongs to Jansath block of

Muzaffarnagar, soon spiralled into a series of rumours in the city. Muslims in Jansath gathered after

Friday prayer and demanded stern action against the Bajrang Dal activists. Muslims in Jansath called

for a mahapanchayat on September 1 at a prominent madarssa in the region if the attackers of the

cleric are not arrested in the next two days. It is to be noted that Maulana Nazeer was called by the

Samajwadi Party government during the time of the riots to Lucknow through a helicopter when the

party supremo was consulting leaders of several religious communities. Later, the Akhilesh

Government provided Qasmi 'Y' security category claiming that he faced threats to his life based on

the input of intelligence agencies. "The State patronage given to Nazeer Qasmi is nothing but

ridiculous appeasement of Muslims. Why should the State government give something to Muslims if

not for vote bank politics," said Virendar Singh, a local BJP leader. Asked about security to the riot

accused MLA Sangeet Som, Mr. Singh justified it saying he is an elected public representative.

Meanwhile, clashes broke out once again in Kutba village which was one of the worst affected

villages during the riots. Muslim victims of the 2013 riots who fled Kutba were allegedly beaten by Jats

on Friday when some of them came back to the village to get bricks from their homes they abandoned

in 2013 to build new houses in other villages where they have settled. The move was allegedly

opposed by the Jat residents of Kutba and who later allegedly attacked the victims. Angry victims

went to the police and when nothing worked they blocked the main road which resulted in them

getting involved in violent clashes with Jat youths. (The Hindu 30/8/15)

Old insecurities and new fears in Manipur violence that killed eight (7)

The Churachandpur violence that killed eight people this week was a reaction to three Bills passed

unanimously by the Manipur Assembly on August 31. The Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015, the

Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015, and the Manipur Shops

and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015, were brought in as substitutes to introducing the

Inner Line Permit, or ILP. (Explained below) The day before the special House session, tribal

organisations across the state came together for the first time in years to call a strike across the five

Hill districts. On August 31, highways, schools and businesses were closed and, around 6 pm, within

hours of the Bills being passed, protesters clashed with police on the streets of Churachandpur town.

Churachandpur is the headquarters of the tribal Churachandpur district, which is dominated by the

Kuki tribe, but is also home to Paiteis, Zomis and Hmars. According to tribal bodies, the Manipur Land

Revenue and Land Reforms amendment has been brought by the “communal Manipur government”

to acquire tribal land in the Hill districts. Land in the Hill districts is protected by Article 371C of the

Constitution, under which the land and its resources are controlled by its tribal inhabitants. No non-

tribal can buy land in Manipur’s tribal areas. The Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015, has

identified original inhabitants of Manipur as those who settled in the state before 1951.

Churachandpur is especially affected because the Kuki and Zomi peoples belong to the same Indo-

Chin racial stock as the Burmese people — and many Burmese families are believed to have entered

the state and settled in Churachandpur. For the past three months, Imphal valley has been gripped by

agitations under the umbrella of Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit, demanding that ILP be

introduced to prevent or restrict the entry and movement of non-Manipuris in the state. The ILP,

introduced by the British to protect their interests in tea, oil, etc. in the Northeast, is still applicable in

Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. Manipur and Meghalaya have seen sporadic demands

for its implementation. The agitation in Manipur escalated after 17-year-old Robinhood Sapam was

killed by a teargas shell fired by the police at protesters on July 8. The government gave assurances,

and withdrew the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers Bill, 2015, which the

JCILP had strongly opposed on the grounds that it didn’t fulfill the demand for the ILP. But the

protesters were not pacified. While Manipur is yet to make public the contents of the Bills that have

been passed, a government source said the contentious amendment in the Manipur Land Revenue

and Land Reforms Bill, 2015, simply puts strong restrictions on the sale of land to outsiders.

According to the amendment, an application must be made to the Commissioner of the district, which

must then by passed by the Manipur Assembly. The Bill does not, however, specify whether the law

will be limited to the four districts of the Imphal valley, or will be applicable to the entire state, the

source said. Tribal organisations maintain that as long as Article 371C exists, no land Bill brought by

the Manipur government can be applicable in any of the five Hill districts. An assurance by Manipur

Education Minister and spokesperson M Okendro that the law will be applicable only to the four valley

districts has failed to convince the tribal bodies. …. (Indian Express 3/9/15)

Justice continues to elude Kandhamal (7)

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It is a matter of shame and sorrow that the Christian community in Kandhamal is subdued not

because of its lack of courage but on account of the failure of the Centre and the State, the

investigative agencies and the criminal justice system, including courts, to ensure it justiceIt is seven

years since the horrific communal violence against the Christian community engulfed the district of

Kandhamal in Odisha, in August 2008. Recently, thousands of survivors gathered at the panchayat

headquarter town of Raikia under the banner of the Kandhamal Peace and Solidarity Committee. It

was not to relive the past. Survivors of communal violence rarely want to experience the trauma and

the pain which rises to the surface of their hearts and minds with every retelling of those dark and

terror-filled days. On the surface, things look better. In the 2014 Odisha Assembly election, the

Hindutva forces suffered a resounding defeat in this district, losing in all the three Scheduled Tribe

reserved Assembly segments. In the previous elections in 2009, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had

put up Manoj Kumar Pradhan, a man accused in two cases of murder of Christians and another 10

cases of arson and violence. He won from G. Udaygiri despite being in jail. The BJP reaped the

harvest of the blood of innocents. Pradhan came out of jail within weeks of his election and it was an

open secret that he used his clout to sabotage the processes of justice — by intimidating witnesses

and instructing the police to go slow in the cases. But this changed in 2014, when the Congress and

the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) emerged victorious. The Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat, which was won by the

BJD candidate, comprises the Phulbani, G.Udaygiri and Baliguda Assembly segments in the district.

The BJP candidate was relegated to third place. In the Assembly elections, the Baliguda seat was

won by the BJD candidate. In G.Udaygiri, the Congress candidate won, while in Phulbani, the BJD

emerged victorious. But it would be quite wrong to assume that the agenda of communal polarisation

has weakened in any way following the electoral defeats. Leaders of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

(RSS)-led organisations were freed within months of their arrests and have since resumed their toxic

agenda of dividing equally poor communities, the majority of whom are below the poverty line, as they

had done earlier, mobilising the largely tribal Kui community against the Dalit Pana community. This is

ostensibly against the latter’s demand for inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes, but when in reality

it is targeting Dalits on a communal agenda as around 20 per cent of them are Christians. Tribals from

the Kui Samaj who are Christians are also targets. An important aim of the BJP and the RSS and its

front organisations was to ensure that their people who had led and instigated the mobs in 2008

would be saved from punishment, and be available in order to further the communal agenda. In this

they have largely succeeded; they have literally got away with murder.The facts speak for

themselves. First, let’s take the issue of compensation. It was said at the time that over 6,000 houses

were burnt. The government revised this and brought the figure down to 4,818. Surveys of the extent

of damage were made, much like in Gujarat, when the inmates were not present. How could they be

present when they were displaced and living in the squalor of 14 relief camps that had been set up? It

was estimated at the time that there were over 56,000 men,women and children, all Christians, who

had to flee their homes. They lost all their belongings and the compensation package did not take

stock of the goods burnt. The belongings of the poor are assumed to have no value. For a house

partially damaged, the compensation fixed was just Rs.20,000 from the State government and

another Rs.10,000 from the Central government. For a fully damaged home, the compensation was

Rs.50,000 from the State and Rs.30,000 from the Centre. The price of building materials is so high,

that with this measly amount, it would be strange if one thought that the victim survivors could rebuild

their homes. In reality, they could manage only makeshift structures. Today, these are there for all to

see, dotting the landscape of this beautiful region, as asbestos or tin roofs over unplastered, half brick

walls. None has a window or a door frame, no grills for security — the evidence of callousness. In all

these years, the State government has disbursed only Rs.13 crore as compensation for damaged

houses. A petition filed on behalf of the survivors is pending before the Supreme Court. In the

violence in 2008, scores of churches and educational institutions were destroyed. The only positive

aspect is that while the Gujarat government is still fighting a case in the Supreme Court against giving

compensation to rebuild the large number of mosques that were destroyed across that State following

the 2002 riots, in Odisha, the BJD government, in principle, has accepted the Supreme Court

suggestion for compensation for damage in Kandhamal, though the amount disbursed was negligible

— Rs.70 lakh. .. (The Hindu 4/9/15)

Caste violence in Haryana: Mirchpur probe panel blames police .. (7)

Chndigarh: The Justice Iqbal Singh Commission of Inquiry which probed the Mirchpur violence in

Haryana's Hisar district has blamed the cops for acting as "mute spectator" and "failing" to act on time

to prevent the horrific incident. The one-man Justice Iqbal Singh Commission pointed out that police

acted as "mute spectator" and "failed" to control the situation. On April 21, 2010, 70-year-old Tara

Chand and his physically challenged daughter Suman (16) got burnt alive in their house while several

other people were injured when a mob went on rampage torching several houses. Fifty two persons

were injured in the incident, in which 18 houses were also damaged by the mob. The Commission in

its report noted that the "duty magistrate and the police failed to prevent the (Mirchpur violence)

incident.." The report, submitted to the State government nearly a year back, but tabled in the ongoing

session of the Haryana Assembly here on Friday, has noted that tension had build up between Dalits

and the members of the pre-dominant Jat community after the altercation between them, but the

police "failed" to understand the gravity of the situation in the village and take appropriate action. A

spat between some youths of village Mirchpur belonging to the Jat community with a Dalit family over

a trivial matter erupted into a major row later. The inquiry report was based on spot visits and the

statements of many people, including the victims, witnesses and the local villagers. The incident was

reported in media and was also raised in Parliament. Committee on the welfare of Scheduled Castes

and Scheduled Tribes visited the village after the incident. "Police did not act properly rather acted

very casually and allowed the situation to go out of control," the report tabled in the Assembly,

said."The police personnel who were requisitioned some of whom were armed with self loading rifles

ran away from the spot which further gave an opportunity to the mob to burn the houses. Had the

police officials of the police station Narnaud (Hisar district) deployed adequate force and took

preventive action this unfortunate incident could have been prevented. "It failed to understand the

gravity of the situation and took it lightly in the initial stage and further failed to take appropriate action

which resulted into incident on April 21, 2010," the report said. (DNA 6/9/15)

Shamshabad limps back to normalcy after communal violence (7)

Agra: Shamshabad tried hard to regain normalcy on Saturday. Locals moved out for work and

Janmashtami celebrations. After several requests by the police, traders too opened shops and

worked till the late afternoon. Police held several peace meetings and banners with appeals to

maintain calm were pasted across the block to gain the confidence of people who were afraid of a

riot-like situation. The festivities, fun and fervour were missing from the area as people were afraid of

anti-social elements who tried their best to create a riot-like situation in the area after Thursday's

violence. Police managed to convince locals to leave their homes during the day but the roads were

again deserted after sunset. A huge police presence was seen at every nook and corner of

Shamshabad. Special force was deployed in the villages attached to the block to avoid any untoward

situation. SSP Agra Rajesh Modak camped in the locality since the wee hours of Saturday. Modak

made several rounds of inspection in the locality and requested people to join work and traders to

open their shops. "People were afraid of each other till Friday, but police teams worked hard to gain

their confidence. Senior police officials held several peace meetings and appealed to people to

maintain law and order. We expect that the situation will be normal by Sunday," added SSP Modak.

The policemen were seen pasting peace appeal banners outside homes, shops and in busy market

areas. Phone numbers of all the senior police officials were shared with residents. Communal

violence occurred in Shamshabad on Thursday when a group of people from a particular community

forced shops to shut after some men from other community thrashed a boy over an "offensive" post

he had put up on Facebook. The mob got angry when the other community's men tried to hang the

boy in public by putting a rope around his neck. The mob that forced shops to shut also went about

setting fire to some makeshift structures. On Friday, the communal violence took a turn for the worse

as miscreants attacked mosques and tombs of saints in the area. Stone pelting occurred even as

police and administrative officials, including the DIG, SSP and the DM camped in the area and

conducted flag marches to control the situation. The person who was thrashed was Akash Sharma

(24), owner of a jewellery shop in Namak Ki Mandi locality who made an offensive Facebook

comment in a group made by him on the social networking site. The boy was being tracked by a

group of Muslim men who caught him passing through Shamshabad on Thursday afternoon. The

locals informed that the group of Muslim men started beating the boy and later put a rope around his

neck. The public claimed that the Muslim group actually wanted to hang the boy as punishment. The

shopkeepers who was watching all this happening stopped the accused, who ran away. When

Sharma told the shopkeepers why had been beaten bloody, they got annoyed and forced the market

to shut. Miscreants then started pelting stones and firing on each other. Five persons were injured by

gunshot and were admitted in SN Medical College, while several others were injured by stones.

(Times of India 7/9/15)

Nagaur reeling under caste politics, clashes, unrest (7)

AJMER: For the last six months, Nagaur has remained a sensitive region of the state with incidents

like fleeing of notorious criminal to Dangawas bloodshed, swelling incidents of caste unrest in this

district. With this, other incidents like a carcass of cows being found at Kumhari village followed by

another incident where an attack on a businessman was reported in Nagaur, added to the reasons.

Centrally located district of Rajasthan, such incidents have left Nagaur reeling under the pressure of

caste politics. "The Dangawas bloodshed incident in which people were killed added to the unrest

within the Dalit community of this region, widening the gap between the Dalit and the Jat community

for a long time," said a local source. He added that post the incident, fear among people can still be

sensed in the nearby villages as people do not want to talk about that incident. Just after the

Dangawas incident in May this year, the carcass of cows found outside the Kumhari village in the end

of May, created tension in Khimsar and nearby villages. The communal tension was controlled well by

the state government and police but the incident created enough gap between some communities.

Another incident resulting in further unrest was a call for a bandh. "Just around the same, an attack on

a businessman Kamal Gangwal in Naguar was reported leading to various organizations taking to the

roads and demanding a bandh. This again affected the peace of the district," added source. The

recent fleeing of criminal Anandpal Singh from judicial custody worsened the situation as panic and

tension gripped the district with different groups of Jat community demanding immediate arrest of

Anandpal. Following the incident, MLA Hanuman Beniwal accused the government of negligence and

expressed fear of another bloodshed at Nagaur. Nagaur, otherewise, till now was believed to be a

peaceful and a cultured district of Rajasthan, where Jats enjoyed a majority followed by Rajputs and

other castes. While Dalits also have a majority, they have not got a prominent status yet. "With a

number of cases reported of atrocity on Dalits in Nagaur, the community continues to be a

downtrodden one," said Ramesh Bansal, coordinator of Center for Dalit Rights. Congress and Jat

leaders have played an important role in the politics of this area with BJP too now showing interest.

While earlier, there were fewer incidents of clashes reported between Jats and Rajputs, but the

incident of Didwana firing in 2006 created rifts amongst some groups. "The major reason that can be

attributed to it is the fact that Rajputs are coming up with political power in this area, and With dozens

of villages being led by Rajputs in Nagaur, power clash between them and other communities is

natural," said a source. Meanwhile, on the development front, Nagaur awaits industrialization, and

importantly, a good drinking water supply system, as major parts of this district are facing water and

fluoride affected water problems. "The major economical contribution of Nagaur is minerals and

farming with cattle grazing. Still, it remains far behind as compared to other cities of Rajasthan,"

added a source. ( Times of India 14/9/15)

Centre to states, UTs ‘Beef up security before festivals’ (7)

New Delhi: Ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi and Eid-ul-Zuha, the Centre issued an advisory to all states

and Union Territories to beef up security and maintain special vigil as preventive measures to thwart

any communal tension or law and order situations. According to the advisory, Ganesh Chaturthi will

be celebrated throughout the country from September 17 to September 27, and “during the festival,

provocative sloganeering, especially near mosques and dargahs, installation of idols and observance

of the festival at disputed places, procession through non-traditional routes and forcible collection of

donations, eve teasing etc., often trigger communal incidents/tension. Besides, crowded pandals and

immersion processions also remain soft targets for saboteurs.” (Indian Express 15/9/15)

Quran copies found burnt in Panipat (7)

KARNAL: Tension prevailed in Panipat on Tuesday as around ten copies of holy book of Quran were

allegedly burnt by unidentified miscreants in the industrial city on Monday. A large number of Muslims

gathered at Panipat secretariat and demanded action against those responsible for the act. While

assuring a strict action against the culprits, deputy commissioner Sameer Pal Srow has appealed to

all sections of the society to maintain peace. Irfan Ali, a Muslim leader from Panipat, told Hindustan

Times over phone on Tuesday that 10 to12 copies of the holy book were found missing on Monday

from a shop hired by Muslims living near Kutani road for community recitation of the holy book. The

set was allegedly found burnt in a tandoor kept at an adjacent dhabha. He alleged that Ram Singh, a

local resident, quarrelled with some Muslims on last Thursday and had threatened them. However, he

clarified that Singh was in an inebriated condition and the community had not pointed a direct finger at

anyone for hurting its sentiments. "We had duly registered the incident of verbal duel and it is up to

the police to verify if Singh had any direct or indirect role behind the crime. But it is a matter of fact

that Ram Singh was providing free water service to the Muslim gathering before our prayers," said Ali.

He said that on Monday, it was found that holy books kept at the place of community prayers were

missing and later these were traced in a burnt condition at a nearby dhabha. Police sources said as

the dhabha owner came to his shop he found fire in the tandoor outside. On sifting through the

ashes, he found traces of the holy book. "The material used in the printing and binding the holy books

does not get burnt completely. The quality led us to trace the book remains from a heap of ash," said

Ali. He said that some people from various communities might try to give communal colour to the

unfortunate incident, but the local Muslims had made an appeal to everyone to maintain peace.

Meanwhile, the Panipat DC met a Muslim delegation and assured them administration's full support.

In a statement, the DC said that a police complaint had already been registered and nobody would be

allowed to disturb communal harmony in the district. "The administration urges various sections of the

society to contact the district authorities for any complaint. They should not allow anyone to take

political mileage out of this condemnable incident," said the DC. (Hindustan Times 15/9/15)

DMs, SPs to be directly responsible for communal incidents, says Akhilesh Yadav (7)

CHIEF MINISTER Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday warned district magistrates and police chiefs (SSP,

SP) that they would be held directly responsible if any communal incident takes place in their

respective areas. Akhilesh, who came unannounced to a law and order review meeting in Lucknow ,

said: “Maintaining law and order is the first priority of the government and there will be no compromise

on it. In case any communal incident takes place in any district, the DM and SP will be held directly

responsible.”In his 20-minute address, Akhilesh asked DMs and SSPs to keep district officials on alert

ahead of upcoming festivals and panchayat elections in the state. He also told officials to take

effective steps to control crime and ensure that correct facts appear in the media in cases of heinous

crimes. “The image of the government depends on the performance of administrative officials. Law

and order, power, health, food and civil supplies departments are directly connected with the people

and hence, the working of these departments should be appropriate,” he said. Claiming that he comes

to know about the working of officials across the state through his own sources, Akhilesh said he has

all details of decisions taken by different state departments. “Even a common person in this modern

era knows about the working of officials in his district,” he added while stressing upon the need to

make tehsil, police stations and block officers free of corruption. Akhilesh further told principal

secretaries and secretaries to visit districts to inspect the progress of development works and

implementation of welfare schemes every two months and submit reports in this regard.

“Performances of principal secretaries and secretaries will be evaluated on the basis of action taken

by them while executing the government’s development agenda,” he said. The CM went on to claim

that the SP government has given its officials the most favourable atmosphere to perform and

execute responsibilities without any pressure and stress. A source said Akhilesh maintained that

taking action against officials every time was not the solution as it delays the execution of projects.

But the CM said that officials having the habit of ignoring duties will have to face consequences, he

added. (Indian Express 20/9/15)

Damaging statues become easy way to incite communal tension (7)

MADURAI: Desecrating statues of communal leaders has become a sure-shot way of inciting trouble

in the region. Without adequate protection, these statues and portraits have become easy targets for

attack. In the latest incident, protests broke out in Narikkudi near Tiruchuili in Virudhunagar district on

Saturday after miscreants put a garland of slippers around a portrait of Marudhu brothers, the

erstwhile rulers of Sivaganga. More than 500 members of a particular community made their way to

Narikkudi from neighbouring villages, raising slogans demanding action against the miscreants. Police

protection had to be upped and force had to be used to disperse the angry crowd. Similar instances of

damaging statues have abounded in the southern districts, which have become hot beds of caste-

based violence. Every time something happens, security cover to the statues is increased and vigil is

intensified. However, hardly any steps have been taken towards finding a long-term solution to this

problem. Many statues are still without protection covers in Madurai and other southern districts.

Nagai Thiruvalluvan of Tamil Puligal alleged that there was discrimination towards statues of dalit

leaders in the state. "When B R Ambedkar's statue in Avaniyapuram was desecrated, there was no

help from the government or police. We were asked to take care of things like installing CCTV

cameras and other protection measures. Even then, the statue is not protected well enough," he said.

A higher police officer said it would not be possible for police to give round-the-clock protection to all

the statues. However, they were focusing on the important statues. People who come forward to

establish statues of their leaders do not show the same enthusiasm when it comes to protecting it.

They can always install grill gates, ensure proper lighting and install CCTV cameras to avert attempts

to create damage, he said. There are 42 statues in the Madurai district police limit alone. Most of the

statues are of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar. There are three statues of Marudhu brothers and

one statue each of dalit icons Kakkan, Immanuel Sekaran and B R Ambedkar. Madurai district

superintendent of police Vijayendra S Bidari confirmed that security for statues in the district had been

increased following the unrest in Narikkudi in Virudhunagar. (Times of India 21/9/15)

13 held, 3 policemen suspended over U.P. riots (7)

Meerut: The Uttar Pradesh police arrested 13 persons in connection with the communal riots on

Wednesday in Gonda, U.P. District Magistrate of Gonda, Ajay Kumar Upadhyay, suspended three

policemen for their failure in controlling the violence in which several people were injured. What

triggered the violence was an alleged attack on the religious procession of one community by

members of another community on Wednesday. It led to stone throwing, burning of vehicles and

arson. The mob chased away administrative officers when they went to control the situation. The

suspended police officials include the Station House Officer of Kaudia, Alok Dubey, the station in

charge of the Badgaon police station, Digvijay Nath Shahi, and head constable Ramesh Rai. Mr.

Upadhyay said that the administration would consider giving financial assistance to affected people.

The communal clash in Gonda is part of a series of communal violence which the State has

witnessed in recent times, especially ahead of the local body polls. More than three dozen cases of

communal violence have been reported from western U.P. alone in the last three months. (The Hindu

25/9/15)

Muzaffarnagar riot victims hail panel report (7)

MEERUT: While the BJP has slammed the Vishnu Sahai Commission, which has reportedly blamed

the Muzaffarnagar communal riots of 2013 on politicians and the local administration, riot victims have

hailed the reported findings of the commission and said the panel was right in indicting politicians.

Saleem Shahpur was headed to his home in Kakra village on September 7, 2013 when he saw a rally

with thousands of armed people. "It was a terrifying sight. A procession of thousands of people was

headed from Muzaffarnagar to Budhana via Mansoorpur Road. Most of them were armed with

countrymade weapons, but many had automatic weapons. A former pradhan of my village was also

present in the rally, along with local politicians. I decided to hurry home. All I could think of was the

safety of my wife and two sons," he said. While the findings of the report have not been made public,

Shahpur said, "I read that the report blamed the riots on politicians. I agree with it. There was a clear

political character to that procession, after which there was an incident of stoning of a mosque where

a young boy died. When I reached home, the night was tense. Nobody left their house and it was

eerily quiet. On the morning of September 8, we decided to leave the village for good. Our fellow

villagers were spared the carnage that other villages like Phugana had to witness. They destroyed our

houses after we had left but I am glad that my family is safe." Around 5,000 people had been

rendered homeless after the communal riots in August and September 2013. Shahpur said the report

was also right in concluding that the local administration did not do enough to control the riots. "If the

police had dispersed the crowd during the rally, the carnage could have been avoided. The district

administration is also to blame." Another riot victim, on condition of anonymity, said, "There was a

panchayat meeting near Kawal village, which was the flashpoint of the riots. This was at the

beginning, when the clashes were in the initial stages. I saw at least three major BJP leaders,

including Sardhana MLA Sangeet Som, at the panchayat. They were delivering inflammatory

speeches. Shortly after that meeting, mobs used to do the rounds of our villages and shout terrifying

slogans about wiping out our entire community. The report is right in claiming politicians were behind

the riots." Shahpur added that one of the main reasons why the riots spread through five districts was

inflammatory videos being circulated through WhatsApp. "People from the other community, who we

had lived peacefully with, used be huddled around mobile phones and would grow quiet when we

approached. Those messages were being circulated at the behest of politicians." (Times of India

26/9/15)

Clashes erupt in Ranchi following communal tension (7)

RANCHI: Section 144 was imposed in few parts of the state capital on Saturday morning following

clashes between two groups in different places. A few people sustained minor injuries but the

situation is now under control. The clashes erupted after prohibited meat was thrown outside a temple

late on Friday night by unknown miscreants. The day began with protests leading to multiple clashes

so far. Ranchi DC Manoj Kumar said the situation is largely under control and appealed to all sections

of people not to create panic. "Over 50 people trying to spread rumours and create trouble have been

detained," Kumar said. The Hindu outfits have called day-long band and their supporters are trying to

enforce it. All shops in MG Road, Doranda, Birsa chowk, Albert Ekka chowk, and in few other parts of

the state capital are closed. SSP Prabhat Kumar said CRPF, SSB, SISF and district police have been

deployed in sensitive places. A group of protestors however smashed windshield of the vehicle of city

SP Jaya Roy but she escaped injuries. The situation continues to be grim even after many preventive

arrests. A few journalists sustained injuries and dozens of bandh enforcers were injured in police lathi-

charge. (Timesofindia 26/9/15)

VHP leader, other 3 arrested in connection to communal riot (7)

BELAGAVI: After arresting Mujmil Ahamad Iqbal Doni, councillor of Ward 35 of Belagavi City

Corporation on Wednesday, Belagavi police arrested four activists of right wing organizations on

Thursday, in connection to Monday's communal clash in city. Police arrested Maruti Sutar, leader of

Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other activists Sandesh Jangale, Bharatesh Shindholkar and Mahesh

Basarikatti. With these arrests, number of arrested has increased to 21. In a communal riot that broke

out at Khadak Galli on Monday late night, 12 persons had injured including five police personnel and

Market CPI Ramesh Gokak. (Times of India 1/10/15)

Dadri lynching: Women residents throw stones, chase media out of village (7)

Dadri: Fresh violence erupted in Bisara on Saturday — five days after Mohammad Akhlaq was beaten

to death and his son severely injured — when a mob of women residents from the village pelted

stones at journalists and damaged media vehicles. On Saturday morning, the women surrounded OB

vans and cars parked on a street close to Akhlaq’s house, demanding that they leave Bisara. While a

group started banging on cars, other groups heckled mediapersons and asked them to leave the

village. Minutes later, the mob began pelting stones at mediapersons while chasing them. Sources

said a meeting had been held in the village on Friday, where residents had expressed their concerns

about media presence in the area. “The meeting was attended by village elders. They expressed

displeasure about the presence of media and coverage of the incident. As a preventive measure,

security in the village had been increased,” said a senior police officer. Even as the village remained

inaccessible to mediapersons on Saturday, some managed to go back to Bisara during Chief Minister

Arvind Kejriwal’s visit. While police said they were trying to bring the situation under control, a media

car was attacked during Kejriwal’s visit. Alleging that the media was biased in its reports on the

incident, a woman resident said, “Why do you go to his (Akhlaq’s) house? Why are you not listening

to what the other residents have to say? The men in our house are being picked up by the police.”

(Indian Express 4/10/15)

Security beefed up in Pratapgarh village after 2 communities clash (7)

Allahabad: Tension erupted in Bhulsa village under Hathigawan police station area of Pratapgarh

district on Friday after a clash between two communities over a minor dispute, following which heavy

security force along with several senior officials were rushed to the area to avoid communal flare-up.

Cross FIRs were registered on two complaints by those who indulged in the fight and two persons

were arrested from both sides. The police said heavy security was deployed in the area, where a land

dispute was already going on between the two communities. According to police, one Jubair Ahmed

wanted to build an Idgah on a land, which he claimed belonged to him. However, a dispute had arisen

on the said land after the gram sabha claimed to be its owner. The dispute had led to a fight nearly a

fortnight ago, in which one Chhabe Lal was attacked. However, he managed to escape unhurt.

Subsequently, suspecting rise of some communal tension, adequate police force was deployed in the

village. The revenue officials also carried out land measurements of the village. On Friday morning,

one Tariq had gone towards his father’s grave to pay obeisance when Nanhe Lal Saroj also reached

there with his pigs. Tariq objected to Nanhe allowing pigs to roam around the graveyard. This led to a

fight and both of them sustained minor injuries. Immediately, the PAC deployed in the village alerted

senior officials. “We reached with extra force along with several senior officials. But, when we reached

there, we realised that it was a dispute limited to two people. They lodged formal complaints on the

basis of which both of them have been arrested under preventive sections,” said Circle Officer

(Kunda), Kavindra Narayan Mishra. Mishra added that the land measurement will now be carried out

from the village’s borders. “It will take some time, because officials also have to deal with panchayat

elections. The force is deployed and the situation is normal,” he said. (Indian Express 4/10/15)

Uttar Pradesh on boil: 330 communal incidents since July 2014 over ‘cow slaughter’ (7)

New Delhi: At least 330 incidents of communal violence over alleged cow slaughter have been

reported in Uttar Pradesh since June 2014, according to sources in the state police. In Gautam Budh

Nagar — the district where Mohammed Akhlaq was killed by a mob over rumours that he stored and

consumed beef — 12 such incidents were reported since June 2014, sources said. Of the 330

incidents recorded by the state police, 216 were reported from western UP, which includes Gautam

Budh Nagar and Muzaffarnagar. According to police records, the regions that witnessed the most

number of cases are Awadh (64) and Meerut (40). In a four-part series in August 2014, The Indian

Express had reported how low-key violence had kept the communal pot boiling in the run-up to

bypolls in 12 constituencies in UP. Quoting police records, the series had reported that during the 75-

day period between May 16, 2014 and July 31, 2014, 605 incidents of communal violence were

reported, 60 of which were related to alleged cow slaughter. State intelligence sources said eastern

UP, which borders Bihar, is now being considered a sensitive area since inter-state cattle smuggling

could lead to communal flare-ups. Ahead of assembly polls in Bihar, the state police have alerted

eastern districts of Gorakhpur division to be on high alert. In August this year, The Indian Express had

reported that in the last one year, the Bihar Police recorded at least 10 incidents of communal

violence over beef being allegedly found near temples. (Indian Express 8/10/15)

In South, Karnataka tops in communal violence (7)

BENGALURU: Reflecting a surge in communal violence in the past few years, several such incidents

were reported in Karnataka in the last week of September. The rioting almost coincided with the

Centre's advisory to the states to have zero tolerance towards communal violence. Between January

2011 and June 2015, Karnataka recorded the highest number of communal violence cases among

the southern states. Union ministry of home affairs statistics show there were 321 incidents of

communal violence in Karnataka, injuring 939 people and killing 16. Of these, 36 incidents occurred

between January 2015 and June 2015, leaving two dead and 123 injured. During the period,

Karnataka recorded 10.54% of the 3,045 incidents of communal violence in India. Between 2010 and

2013, there were 222 incidents of communal violence in Karnataka. Among the southern states,

Karnataka is followed by Kerala (131 incidents), undivided Andhra Pradesh (114) and Tamil Nadu

(91). On September 27, a Ganesha idol procession in Kadolkar Galli of Belagavi turned violent. Just

days before, a similar procession had turned violent in Bagalkot's Mudhol town, which witnessed a

full-fledged riot. In the same week, communal violence was reported from Chikkodi (Belagavi) and

Surpur (Yadgir). Karnataka's image of a peace-loving state has taken a beating since the 2008 church

attacks. Senior police officers, however, insist this only indicates proactive measures adopted by the

state. "In many states, a lot of cases are not reported. We have a clear mandate to prevent,

investigate and solve all such cases. Which is one of the reasons the number of cases could be high,"

an officer noted. The nerve centre of communal incidents in Karnataka has been the coastal region.

Muneer Katipalla from Mangaluru, an activist who has faced threats in the past, says: "When the

Congress came to power, there was a hope that a proactive approach will curb people from indulging

in such acts, but that is yet to be seen." "...As we speak, I am getting out of the Highland Hospital,

Mangaluru, where a cattle trader who was beaten up by communal forces is nursing his injuries," he

told TOI. The cattle trader now faces the threat of being arrested as soon as he is discharged. "Such

is the control these (communal) people have on the system that they can get a victim to look like an

accused," Muneer claimed. The incident occurred in Karkala taluk of Udupi district. Speaking to TOI,

home minister K J George said: "Legal course will determine the facts of the case. Investigations will

happen and reveal the truth." On the overall increase in the number of communal incidents, George

said: "As far as I remember, there was an incident in Shivamogga, a couple in Mangaluru, and one

each in Sira and Raichur since we took over. Sometimes, the central government calculates many

cases that are registered under one incident." (Times of India 9/10/15)

Udhampur truck attack part of larger plan to engineer communal tension: Police (7)

Jammu: Taking the lid off a conspiracy to engineer communal tension in Jammu and Kashmir, four

youth — arrested in connection with a petrol bomb attack on a Valley-bound truck in Udhampur on

Saturday — revealed the formation of a “Maya Gang’’ for carrying out potentially disruptive activities

in the district. Significantly, none of those arrested owe allegiance to either the BJP or the RSS and its

affiliated organisations, official sources told The Indian Express. While they are believed to be

supporters of two local politicians, having even campaigned for them during the last Assembly polls,

sources added that the police were yet to find any evidence to establish a direct connection between

the politicians and the accused. Pointing out that their interrogation was a work in progress, sources

said that these youth were indoctrinated by some outsiders who visited the district recently. According

to sources, they were shown video clips of alleged Muslim groups carrying out activities against

Hindus, especially forcing their girls embrace Islam and indulging in cow slaughter. A senior official

said that the group got youth to carry out its activities on the ground, while some state government

staffers — including teachers and engineers — helped it arrange funds. The official added that these

young boys were from the town’s affluent families, and one of them even lived in the neighbourhood

of the Udhampur Deputy Commissioner, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary. Even the petrol bomb used for

attacking the Kashmir-bound truck was prepared at the home of one of the accused, he said.

According to DIG, Udhampur-Reasi range, Surinder Gupta, the attackers were led by one Kaka. Two

persons had received burn injuries when a Kashmir-bound truck was attacked with a petrol bomb

outside a local hotel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Saturday. The victims — Zahid

Ahmed (19) and Showkat Ahmed (35), both residents of Anantnag – were rushed to Delhi for

treatment. The night before to the truck attack, members of the Maya Gang had reportedly attacked a

Tavera near the Railway Station. During the interrogation, the arrested accused revealed that they

had planned more such attempts in the district to create communal tension. While the boy who threw

the petrol bomb had been arrested, police sources said a hunt was on four other accomplices

involved in the attack. In view of the startling revelations by the arrested youth, the district

administration on Sunday put up posters across the town appealing people not to get carried away by

rumours and also warned rumour mongers of detention under the Public Safety Act. Additional

reinforcements were also deployed at vulnerable places. Meanwhile, except for Tikri where people

observed bandh on Sunday, situation remained peaceful all over Jammu region during the day.

(Indian Express 12/10/15)

Congress smells conspiracy in communal incidents, seeks NHRC probe (7)

NEW DELHI: Congress will petition the National Human Rights Commission against the rising

incidents of communal violence, urging it to investigate them to reach the bottom of the conspiracy

behind their occurrence. At a meeting of its legal and human rights department on Tuesday, Congress

passed a resolution expressing concern that the country was faced with a threat to its secular fibre

since the formation of new government after 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Tracing incidents of violence

through Ranchi, Kanpur, Agra, Dadri, Mainpuri, parts of Haryana and Maharashtra, the resolution

said, "We will request the chairman of NHRC to constitute special teams of senior officials to go to all

the states where such incidents have happened and the communal tension has been caused, to

thoroughly investigate and book the conspirators." The party said it will also ask the human rights

watchdog to constitute high-level independent teams to check communal hate material on social

media. (Times of India 14/10/15)

SGPC employees pray for peace, religious harmony (7)

AMRITSAR: Employees of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Sunday

offered prayers for peace and communal harmony in Punjab. The prayers were offered during the

‘bhog’ of the ‘akhand paath’ held in memory of the two Sikhs who were killed in police firing at

Kotkapura during a protest dharna over the sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The ‘bhog’ was held

at Manji Sahib Hall in the Golden Temple complex here. Among those who participated included

SGPC secretary Manjit Singh, Golden Temple manager Partap Singh and several other senior

officials of the gurdwara body. Meanwhile, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh has asked all

Sikhs who could read and recite the Sikh scripture to offer prayers for repentance of the sacrilege of

the scripture. This would involve reciting the ‘Japji Sahib’ five times by every Sikh. (Hindustan Times

18/10/15)

In a first, pandits back separatists’ shutdown (7)

Srinagr: In a first in 25 years, a Kashmiri Pandit outfit has endorsed the shutdown call for Monday,

issued by various separatist parties and other Valley groups to mourn and protest the “murder” of

Zahid Rasool Butt. For the first time, in past 25 years, a pandit outfit called Kashmir Pandit Sangarsh

Samiti (KPSS) which represents a few thousand Brahmin Hindus of the Valley who stayed put when

majority of the community fled it following the outbreak of insurgency in 1990, has supported a strike

call on an issue issued by separatists. KPSS president Sanjay K. Tickoo said in a statement here,

“These acts demoralise and destabilise the society we live in. These acts need to be checked as soon

as possible and it should be, by all means, responsibility of the government and those who hold

positions in state as well as at the Centre to check the law and order problems created by some

communal-headed people.” “KPSS will not tolerate any innocent killings in the state on communal

grounds. We endorse the shutdown call given by various organisations against these heinous acts

designed to divide the people,” he added. (Asian Age 19/10/15)

Maintain peace, communal harmony must be ensured: Harsimrat Kaur (7)

Bathinda: Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday appealed for peace and communal

harmony as she condemned desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in various places in the state. The

minister for food processing industry and SAD MP demanded harsh penalties for the guilty. Noting the

repetitive nature of desecrations, she said: "It was clear that some external agencies were trying to

destabilise the Punjab government".She warned people of the state to remain wary of such

“elements” and warned them against believing rumours. She assured them the state government

would catch the guilty. She said: "Being a humble and devout Sikh, my sentiments have been deeply

outraged by recent desecrations of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji and subsequent happenings have left me

emotionally shattered"."These sacrilegious acts are an unpardonable offence and no one associated

with this ghastly crime will be spared at any cost," she said. She also told people to remain vigilant

and report suspicious activities immediately. — PTI (The Tribune 20/10/15)

Communal tension in Kanpur over jagran posters (7)

Lucknow: Communal tension was reported in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh when some Hindu groups took

to the streets on Saturday after some posters and banners of Bhagwati Jagran were found ripped off

the walls in a locality. Police said some posters of a Jagran were found torn in Babupurwa locality late

Friday night, triggering protests in many parts of the city on Saturday. The agitated groups demanded

the guilty should be booked. Agitated people jammed the road where Muslims' Tazia procession was

to be taken out. "Some people were injured when stones were pelted and angry groups vandalised

property. Following this, district administration clamped prohibitory orders across the city and security

was stepped up," a police official said. A home department official said the situation was tense but

under control. The BJP state unit accused the Samajwadi Party-led Uttar Pradesh government of

failing to maintain communal harmony. "This type of callousness has been the hallmark of the

Akhilesh Yadav government over the past three years. They have not only publicly sided with one

community but have also allowed small issues to spiral out of control into major flash points," BJP

state spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up across the

state following communal flash points in many parts of the state over the week. Violence had erupted

in Banda, Ambedkarnagar, Kannauj and Fatehpur following communal clashes. (Zee News 24/10/15)

Communal tension in Rajasthan cities (7)

Jaipur: Tension gripped the cities of Sri Dungargarh and Bhilwara in Rajasthan since Friday night

after the occurrence of separate incidents of communal tension in the two cities. In Sri Dungargarh in

Bikaner district an incident of communal clash was reported on Friday night when groups from two

communities collided while they were undertaking their individual religious processions. The clash

began over loud music being used by one group and soon the people from both communities began

pelting stones. Police force was deployed after violence broke in Sri Dungargarh. Some shops were

looted, few others were set ablaze after which the police resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed tear gas

shells to bring the situation under control. Bikaner district collector Punam said that arrests were

made on Friday night and Saturday, and an indefinite curfew had been imposed in the city. Over 50

arrests had been made till Saturday evening, Ms. Punam said. In Bhilwara, at a distance of about 430

kilometres from Sri Dungargarh, the situation remained tense after the alleged killing of 20-year-old

Islamuddin on Friday night. On Saturday, around 500 Muslims collected in the hospital where

Islamuddin’s body was kept for post-mortem and prohibited the authorities from sending the body for

post-mortem until the suspected persons were arrested, a source in the Bhilwara police station said.

On Saturday, an FIR was registered in the Bhilwara police station by Islamuddin’s family, Bhilwara

district Collector Tina Kumar said. On Saturday evening Ms Kumar said to told The Hindu, “The

situation has been brought under control and Islamuddin’s body will now be sent for a post-mortem.

However, Section 144 [of the Criminal Procedure Code] remains imposed [in Bhilwara] and internet

services will remain suspended for 24 hours.” (The Hindu 25/10/15)

Riot breaks out after Muslim barber refuses to shut shop on Tuesday (7)

Bengaluru: A Muslim barber refused to shut shop “as per custom”, triggering a riot by indignant

members of the Hindu community at Nelliyadi village, 70 km from Mangalore, in Karnataka on

Tuesday. Though the violence was brought under control a few hours after it erupted around 4 pm,

dozens of people were injured and property worth lakhs destroyed in the melee. Bajrang Dal leader

Ravi Ballya told HT that the trouble started when the barber, Salman, refused to “respect local

sentiments” and keep his shop shut on Tuesdays. “It is well-known that Hindus don’t cut their hair on

Tuesdays. Salman was initially a nice boy. He used to respect our wishes and close his shop then.

But in the last few weeks, he stopped doing that because some PFI (Popular Front of India) leaders

filled his head with poison,” Ballya said. Thukrappa Shetty, the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader,

had a similar story to tell. “Uday Kumar, the leader of the barbers’ association, went to Salman’s shop

and politely asked him to shut shop. But Salman and some others abused him instead. It was a clear

provocation. What happened next was a spontaneous reaction from local Hindus who had been hurt

by their behaviour.” According to Superintendent of Police Dr SD Sharanappa, a large mob led by

Ballya then attacked Salman’s shop as well as other Muslim-owned establishments in the Nelliyadi

Jumma Masjid complex. In retaliation, another mob led by the PFI simultaneously indulged in arson

and vandalism. Kempi Mustafa, the head of the local masjid, said this was not the first time Kumar

and Ballya had stoked communal tension in the area. Alleging that both are accused in criminal

cases, he said this was just the latest in a string of incidents aimed at disrupting the communal

harmony of coastal Karnataka. Though available on the phone, Ballya was reported absconding by

the police. Meanwhile, the situation continued to be tense in at least four villages near Nelliyadi –

Kokkada, Patrame, Golithottu and Ballya. The police have so far arrested nine men from both

communities, and imposed curfew in the area. The coastal region of Karnataka has witnessed at least

153 incidents of communal violence since January this year. (Hindustan Times 28/10/15)

SAD to Centre: Ensure justice for kin of 1984 riot victims (7)

CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal on Tuesday urged the Centre to ensure that justice is being

served to the kin of innocent Sikhs killed in Delhi and other parts of the country during November

1984 riots. In a resolution passed by the Core committee of the party at a meeting held here under the

chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Party President Sukhbir Singh

Badal, the party expressed grave concern over the fact that even after more than three decades, the

culprits have not been punished as per the expectation of the aggrieved families. The party also

demanded that along with exemplary punishment to the guilty, the Union government should also

expose the complete "conspiracy" hatched at the behast of Congress party, the resolution stated.

Party Secretary and Spokesman Daljeet Singh Cheeman said that the core committee appreciated

the strong efforts put in by the Punjab Chief Minister as well as the Deputy Chief Minister for

maintaining peace and communal harmony in the state. The committee reassured the people of the

state that SAD will not allow any body to disturb the hard-earned peace of Punjab at any cost,

Cheeman said. The committee also appealed to the people of the state to be beware of the nefarious

designs of certain anti-social elements, who are hell bent on disturbing peace in the state, he said. He

further said that the core committee also lauded various decisions taken by the state government to

ensure peace and communal harmony in the state. In an important decision taken by the core

committee, the party will hold "Sadhbhawna Rally" in each district of Punjab. Giving details of the

rallies, Cheeman said that first such rally will be organized at Bathinda on November 23, followed by

Moga on November 28, in Gurdaspur on December 1, Jalandhar December 4, Tarn Taran December

7 and Sri Amritsar on December 20. The schedule for the remaining district will be announced later

on. The core committee also appreciated the procurement of paddy as well as the distribution of relief

for cotton to the affected farmers, the statement said. In a special resolution passed in the meeting,

the core committee facilitated the Chief Minister as well as the Deputy chief Minister for the successful

completion of Progressive Punjab Summit-2015 and praised the hard work and efforts done by the

Deputy CM to make it is successful, the statement added. (Times of India 3/11/15)

BJP man threatens to behead Karnataka CM over beef, held (7)

SHIVAMOGGA/BENGALURU: Politics over beef plumbed new depths on Tuesday when a BJP

functionary from Shivamogga threatened to "behead" Karnataka's Congress chief minister

Siddaramaiah and "play football with his severed head" if he ate cow meat. S N Channabasappa,

Shivamogga BJP secretary and a former municipal councilor, was promptly arrested. He made the

remarks on Monday in reaction to the CM's statement that no one can stop him "from eating beef,

pork or any other meat". A red-faced BJP sought to play down his statement saying Channabasappa

was an "inconsequential" figure. Instead, it targeted Siddaramaiah for "endorsing" beef-eating.

Channabasappa was arrested following complaints by Shivamogga Congress chief R Prasanna

Kumar and youth wing chief K Ranganath. Doddapet police arrested Channabasappa and charged

him under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 353 (assault or criminal

force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation)

of IPC. Channabasappa had made the statement at a protest organized by BJP on Monday night

daring Siddaramaiah to come to Shivamogga and eat beef. "I will behead him and play football with

his severed head," he had threatened. BJP state chief and Dharwad MP Prahlad Joshi said, "BJP

condemns the statement made by our leader from Shivamogga. We also condemn the CM's

provocative statement. Statements from people like Channabasappa are deplorable and the party

disowns such utterances. That said, the CM's public statement of planning to eat beef or pork is also

condemnable. It has hurt the feelings of lakhs of people." A week ago, Siddaramaiah had said no one

can stop him from eating beef, pork or any other meat. "Till date, I have not eaten beef. If it suits me,

I'll do so. Nobody can stop me. I am not one to be cowed down by BJP's protests," he had said. On

Tuesday, the CM stood by his statement. "I have not seen the video (of Channabasappa making the

statement). If he has said this, I will mull legal proceedings," Siddaramaiah said. "I never said I eat

beef or pork. I have never eaten till now. I had said no one can stop me if I want to eat meat." ..

(Times of India 3/11/15)

Headmaster lynched for ‘stealing cow’; shutdown call in Manipur (7)

Guwahati: A Muslim organisation’s refusal to bury a madrasa headmaster lynched on Monday for

allegedly stealing cattle has put the Congress-led Manipur government in a fix. The organisation has

also sought the centre’s intervention in what it calls a Dadri-style killing besides calling for a state-

wide shutdown on Thursday. Md Hasmat Ali alias Babu, 55, was clobbered to death by a mob near a

village in Manipur’s Imphal East district early Monday morning. Villagers had allegedly spotted him

with a calf that went missing from one Khumallambam Brojen’s shed. Ali’s body was taken to the

Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in state capital Imphal for autopsy while the

calf is being kept at the local Irilbung police station. “Ali, a kind-hearted and honest teacher, was killed

after being accused of a crime he could not have committed. The police know who his assailants are

but are not taking action. We will not take his body from JNIMS for burial until justice is done,” Md

Rajauddin, convenor of a joint action committee against Ali’s killing, told HT. He added that the

committee has called for a statewide shutdown on Thursday besides appealing to New Delhi for

prodding the Manipur government into action. A district police officer said tension prevailed in the

Muslim-dominated Keirao Makting area of Imphal East district though the situation has been brought

under control. Locals had tried to storm the Irilbung police station on Tuesday. According to the 2011

census, Muslims account for 8.32% of Manipur’s population. A majority of them belong to the Pangal

community, considered ethnic Muslims, dominating certain pockets of Imphal East and Thoubal

districts. Thoubal is also the home turf of Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh. The Pangals and

the majority Meiteis have co-existed uneasily in the state’s Imphal Valley since 1993 when a major

communal riot claimed the lives of 150 people. The riots led to the creation of several Islamist rebel

groups, the most potent of which was People’s United Liberation Front (PULF). Another such group,

the Islamic National Front, merged with PULF in 2007. (Hindustan Times 5/11/15)

Kodagu Shuts Down in Protest Against Tuesday's Communal Riots (7)

MADIKERI:The Kodagu bandh called by the VHP on Wednesday was peaceful. Owing to heavy rain

and Section 144, people stayed indoors. Medical shops were open. Nellthambi (50), a BJP worker,

was found dead in Nellihudikeri of Siddapura. It was alleged that he was murdered. Communal riots

had erupted in Madikeri on the occasion of Tipu Jayanti in Kodagu on Tuesday claiming two lives.

The deceased were identified as Kodagu Vishwa Hindu Parishad organising secretary D A Kuttappa

and Raju of Kannadabane in Madikeri. Kuttappa was killed due to stone pelting and Raju died of

caning, sources said.Meanwhile,protests were carried out and bandhs were observed against the

statement of writer Girish Karnad in Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan and several other parts of the state. In

Davangere, BJP leader and former minister Renukacharya said Girish Karnad’s Jnanpith award

should be taken back for his outburst against Nada Prabhu Kempegowda. Mysuru: Braving rain, BJP

workers staged a massive protest in the city against the celebration of Tipu Jayanti and killing of a

VHP activist in Madikeri. The workers slammed Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad for his statement that

the government should rechristen the Bengaluru International Airport after Tipu Sultan. Fearing

violence, the district administration cancelled the procession carrying the portrait of Tipu Sultan from

Kote Anjaneya Swamy temple to Kalamandir in the city. Belagavi: At a press conference here, Sri

Ram Sena chief Pramod Mutalik said the violence in Madikeri on Tuesday was state-sponsored in the

name of Tipu Jayanti celebrations. (New Indian Express 12/11/15)

Communal clashes erupt over crackers, stoning of mosque (7)

MEERUT: In yet another incident of communal violence over fireworks, clashes erupted here after

some Muslims objected to Diwali firecrackers on Thursday. This led to stone pelting during the night

and early on Friday morning. Late on Thursday evening, some Muslims leaving a mosque at Saini

Lane near Bhumia ka Pul in Brahmpuri area objected to fireworks being burst by some Hindu youths.

They asked the latter to set the fireworks off some distance from the mosque. This led to a verbal spat

between both groups, which led to stone pelting and hurling of bottles. The mayhem, said police

officials, led to half-a-dozen persons being injured. It was only after a huge contingent of police

personnel arrived at the scene and wielded lathis to disperse the crowd that the situation was brought

under control. Late on Thursday night, elders of the two communities were called upon to settle the

issue. On Friday morning, however, a few miscreants threw some stones inside the mosque, which

again led to clashes between the two communities. Due to the presence of adequate force, situation

was brought under control once more. City SP Om Prakash said, "Controversy over firecrackers led to

the clash but now everything is under control. We have RAF columns also well in place along with

PAC and local police." However, the entire day, rumour mills continued to fuel tension in the area. At

some places people began to stock up food provisions fearing that full-scale riots were inevitable. Asif

Bharti, a resident of Saddiq Nagar, said, "All sorts of rumours are doing the rounds. The repeat of

Thursday's clash on Friday morning has complicated matters and created a sort of panic. People are

stocking up food provisions fearing that curfew could be imposed any time." (Times of India 13/11/15)

Mangaluru communal clash: 14 arrested (7)

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Police have arrested 14 people in connection with the communal clashes

in Bantwal near Mangaluru that resulted in the death of one person. The coastal region witnessed

sporadic communal clash in the wake of Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary celebrations. While 10 people

have been arrested in connection with assault on activists of the Social Democratic Party of India

(SDPI) in Bantwal on Thursday night, another four are linked to the stabbing of Harish Poojary on the

same night. The coastal region is limping back to normalcy with no fresh incident of communal clash

reported from any of the communally sensitive areas. Meanwhile, the SDPI has urged the government

to seize all arms and ammunitions allegedly in possession of the Sangh Parivar outfits. The SDPI

contended that Shahul Hameed, who died because of a bullet injury in Madikeri last week during the

communal clash, was killed by a member of the Sangh Parivar. (India Today 17/11/15)

Communal tension in Bharatpur village (7)

Jaipur: Situation remained tense at Bharatpur district’s Jhantali village, on Tuesday, after the death of

one Khaleel Khan, who was injured during a clash between two groups at Jhantali. On Sunday night

in Jhantali village — that lies under Bharatpur district’s Sikri police station area — a clash erupted

between two groups when a girl allegedly scared away pigeons that belonged to the other group. The

girl was beaten up by the group and later her family members collected to fight with the people who

had beaten her up. The fight escalated and people from both groups were injured due to stone pelting

and use of lathis. A total of 12 persons from both the groups were injured during the clash but 40-

year-old Khaleel, who was severely injured, was admitted at a hospital. On Tuesday morning, Khaleel

succumbed to the injuries and it is feared that his death might worsen the situation at the village.

Police forces have been deployed to keep the situation under control. Bharatpur Superintendent of

Police (SP) Rahul Prakash said, “People were injured in the clash and one person died [on Tuesday]

but currently, the police is making sure that the situation remains under control.” On Tuesday,

Khaleel’s family registered an FIR in the Sikri police station. Station House Officer (SHO) of the Sikri

police station Rameshwar Dayal said, “An FIR has been registered by Khaleel’s family against 35

persons.” No arrests had been made till Tuesday night as all persons named in the FIR were

absconding, Mr Dayal said. (The Hindu 18/11/15)

Day before Nitish Kumar takes charge, communal violence and clashes keep a town on edge

Lalganj (vaishali): A lethal cocktail of local politics, rumour-mongering and communal faultlines led to

the violence in Vaishali’s Lalganj over the last 48 hours during which a 17-year-old was killed in police

firing and an officer lynched by a mob, according to officials and residents. They said the sequence of

events was triggered by an accident on Tuesday when 19-year-old Mohammed Rizwan lost control of

the pick-up van he was driving and rammed into the house of a 60-year-old businessman, killing him

and his 8-month-old granddaughter. The incident acquired a communal tone on Wednesday when

word spread that Rizwan had been let off by police after preliminary inquiries, residents said. Within

hours, they added, nearly 1,000 people were engaged in clashes that led to 17-year-old Vikas Kumar

being fatally injured in police firing and Sub-Inspector Ajit Kumar lynched. On Thursday, a day before

the new Nitish Kumar-led government takes charge, police said they had “re-arrested” Rizwan and

intensified deployment in the locality to put a lid on the simmering tension.“Our first priority is maintain

law and order. All top police officers have visited the spot and we are looking into all possible angles,”

said Bihar DGP P K Thakur. “We are studying video footage of the incident to identify the culprits. No

one has been named so far in the FIR. But we are suspecting the involvement of people with political

affiliations from either community,” said a senior police officer. Lalganj police and local residents told

The Indian Express that the conflict had its origins in political rivalry. “The owner of the pick-up van,

Nanhe Khan, was a supporter of the JD(U)’s Mahaghatbandhan. There had been some tension after

the NDA candidate, LJP’s Rajkumar Sah, defeated JD(U)’s Annu Shukla, wife of local leader Munna

Shukla, in the recent assembly elections,” said Manoj Kumar Yadav, a local resident. “Some anti-

social elements are trying to give this politics a communal colour,” said Mohammed Iqbal, another

resident. Describing Tuesday’s accident, police said Rizwan’s vehicle broke through the wall of the

home of tent-house owner Rajendra Sah, killing him and his granddaughter Maya instantly. Within

hours, police said, a mob targeted the houses of Khan, Rizwan and their three relatives nearby. The

situation deteriorated on Wednesday morning as rumours spread of police releasing Rizwan,

residents said. Ignoring pleas that Rizwan had been shifted to another police station, a mob once

again targeted the houses of Khan, Rizwan and three of their relatives, torching a four-wheeler and a

two-wheeler outside. Soon, police said, over 1,000 people had gathered and begun indulging in arson

and vandalism. As the situation spiralled out of control, police opened fire with bullets hitting Vikas

Kumar, a resident of Ataullapur, and another 13-year-old boy. Kumar succumbed to his injuries later

at Patna Medical College hospital. The firing inflamed the situation further and led to Belsar outpost

in-charge Sub-Inspector Ajit Kumar, who had rushed over to assist his Lalganj colleagues, being

targeted by a mob, residents said. Describing the incident, an eye-witness and local resident Ramesh

Kumar said: “The police officer hid in a house and tried to escape but he came out in the open on

seeing a group of people engaging in arson. He was caught and beaten to death by wooden sticks

and bricks.” Said an officer at the Lalganj station: “SI Ajit Kumar had gone with a police team to the

spot but was left behind. By the time we saved him from the mob, he had suffered massive internal

injuries.” Lalganj police and residents, meanwhile, dismissed rumours of Muslim families moving out

of the Agarpur locality in the Hindu-dominated area following the clashes, and said only Rizwan’s

relatives had left. “We had sent our women to the houses of our relatives in Muzaffarpur on Tuesday

evening… the men stayed away for a few hours on Wednesday. But all of us came back when we

realised that the grudge was against five Muslim families. No one touched us,” said Mohammed

Sadiq, a resident of Badi Masjid chowk in Agarpur. (Indian Express 20/11/15)

Minorities with means mull over migration (7)

NEW DELHI: With the Union government facing criticism for not doing enough to overcome the

feeling of religious persecution, a section of people from Muslim and Christian communities with

decent incomes have started weighing the option of moving abroad but are not fully convinced to

make the move yet. After actor Aamir Khan reopened a debate about intolerance on Monday by

saying that his wife recently suggested moving from India, The Hindu interviewed a dozen people,

mostly Muslims and a few Christians, who can afford to migrate. Though they abhor the idea of

leaving, they are still considering it to ensure that their children grow up in a society free from religious

prejudice. The first round of migration among elite Muslim families — those who would hang out with

people like the “Ambanis and Tatas” — happened in the early 1990s, after the demolition of the Babri

Masjid and the subsequent riots. It was largely Mumbai-centric with several families moving to Europe

and the Gulf. Their children struggled to establish ties with the new world, but as they grew up they

began to make peace with their “Non-Resident Indian” (NRI) identity. Rashid Rehman, a 42-year-old

footwear importer from East Delhi, said the thought of leaving did occur to him, but he quickly brushes

it aside with his unflinching faith in secular India, which strengthens when he sees countless number

of Hindus speaking up for the minorities and condemning hate crimes. “I don’t think we will leave

[India]. Until our Hindu friends are talking on our behalf, until we understand that their hearts don’t

want us, we are not going anywhere,” he said. However, the recent violence inflicted on Muslims

makes him anxious and then obtuse statements coming from senior ministers who “either tacitly

justify the violence or come up with vague statements to ensure accountability”. “The fear factor is

there,” he said. Mr. Rehman said he is not sure what kind of future his children will face if “the Hindu

versus Muslim mentality is systematically nurtured”. Many on social media argue that India has gone

through several bouts of religious violence and yet its secular character has remained. A Delhi-based

computer engineer, who is a Christian, said he was contemplating moving out “if the situation remains

the same”. He was quick to add that the reason for his migration was not just communal tensions but

“other forms of intolerance as well”. (The Hindu 26/11/15)

Palwal clash 'classic example of intolerance': Riot victims (7)

CHANDIGARH: Members of the Muslim community have termed the violence at Tikri Brahman village

in Palwal in July, as a "classic example of the intolerance and intimidation meted out to people of

minority community in Haryana".In an affidavit filed before the Punjab and Haryana high court on

Thursday, they have said that if the true genesis of the riot is not exposed, the consequences may be

a multiplication of similar planned attacks on minorities. A number of mostly Muslim houses were set

on fire by an angry mob on July 5 after some youths allegedly passed lewd remarks on a woman who

had gone to fetch water at a hand pump on the outskirts of the village. It all started with a minor

scuffle between the youths but soon blew up into a full-scale riot. Countering the status report of

Haryana police, submitted before the high court on November 5, the victims have claimed that the

state police fabricated facts to show the violence as an altercation when it was "actually a planned

and sustained attack on the minority community". "It is shocking to see that the investigating agency

has termed it altercation," submitted the victims on Thursday. The case is pending before the high

court after Mohammad Haneef and four other residents of Tikri Brahman filed a petition, seeking a

CBI probe in the violence. In the status report, police had termed the violence as an altercation

between villagers, which was projected by some anti-social elements as a communal riot. The report

also claimed that the main intention of the incident was loot. A document signed by the "peace

committee" of the village on October 10 was also produced, claiming all was well in the village. The

cops claimed that the petition had been filed just to take undue benefit in upcoming panchayat polls.

Questioning the police investigation, the petitioners submitted that documents of the Palwal fire

brigade reveal that all 17 houses set on fire in the violence belonged to Muslims while no property of

other communities was touched. "Had there been any incident of setting ablaze the houses of the

majority community by the people of the minority community, the same would have been reflected in

the damage report of the Fire Department," the petitioners have told the court. "The failure of the

investigating agency to collect this document in their investigation is not inadvertent but deliberate,

and consistent with the partisan and tainted investigation." The petitioner also denied holding of

meeting of the peace committee and submitted that the signatories of the joint statement mostly

belonged to the majority community. (Times of India 27/11/15)

Communal incidents have 'declined substantially' during NDA government: Kiren Rijiju (7)

New Delhi: The number of communal incidents in the country have declined "substantially" since the

NDA government has come to power, the government said in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Responding to a series of supplementaries on communal incidents in various parts of the country,

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said between 2013 and October this year, the number of

communal incidents reported have come down "substantially." As opposition members questioned his

remark, the minister said so far this year four major communal incidents have taken place. "In fact, the

incidents have gone down and not come up since our party has come to power," he said during

Question Hour. Amid heated exchanges between the opposition and treasury benches, he said while

there has been some rise in incidents between 2014 and 2015, but compared to 2013, they have

come down. He said he was comparing the number of incidents since 2013 as NDA was not in power

for the entire of 2014 but only part of it. He also said he would not like to comment on the communal

incidents which took place during the UPA rule. In the written reply, government has explained that

'major events' are classified as those where over five persons have been killed or 10 injured or which

lead to multiplicity of fatalities and extensive destruction of property. 'Important events' are classified

where at least one person has been killed or at least 10 persons are injured. According to the written

reply, in 2014, 644 'communal incidents' took place, including 133 in UP, 72 in Rajasthan, 97 in

Maharashtra, 56 in Madhya Pradesh, 73 in Karnataka, 10 in Jharkhand, 74 in Gujarat, 7 in Delhi, 61

in Bihar and 16 in West Bengal. This year, between January and October, 650 incidents have taken

place with a maximum of 139 taking place in Uttar Pradesh. While 97 incidents were reported from

Maharashtra, 86 from Madhya Pradesh, 79 from Karnataka, 24 from Jharkhand, 47 from Gujarat, 59

from Bihar and 24 from West Bengal. Rijiju rejected suggestions by Congress leader in Lok Sabha

Mallikarjun Kharge that there have been more communal clashes in states where BJP has "more

presence" such as Gujarat, Karnataka and Bihar. "It is not a fair comment. What Kharge says does

not tally with the figures. It is the responsibility of state government or MPs," the minister asked.

Saugata Roy (TMC) wanted to know whether there are plans to "control" remarks of ruling party

members which fuel communal differences. Observing that he does not agree with Roy's statement,

Rijiju shot back saying, "an artificial atmosphere of intolerance is being created in the country."

Responding to a supplementary by Sushmita Dev (Cong) on whether the government will come up

with a fresh definition of communal riots based on the statement of Home Minister Rajnath Singh that

secularism actually means 'panth nirpeksh' and not 'dharma nirpeksh', he said as of now there is "no

proposal" to change the definition. He also said government has no plans to set up a committee to

investigate communal riots which have taken place in the last five years and identify the culprits. Rijiju

said the responsibility of maintaining law and order rests with the state governments and the Centre

assists them in a variety of ways such as sharing of intelligence, sending alerts, advisories and

deploying central forces after consulting them. Responding to a question on 'major'/'important'

communal incidents in the last two years, Rijiju said one incident each was reported from Uttar

Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and Haryana in 2014. Till October this year,

an incident each was reported from Haryana and UP in May and October respectively. (Zee News

1/12/15)

Communal incidents: Home ministry probes why its data is different from NCRB tally (7)

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has taken serious note of discrepancies in data on

communal violence collected by its human rights division and the National Crime Records Bureau

(NCRB). The Indian Express had on Tuesday reported that communal violence figures for 2014

revealed by the government in Parliament were almost half compared to those recorded by the NCRB

for the same year. The home ministry is now investigating how this happened. Sources said the issue

was discussed in the home ministry on Wednesday and a reply was sought from the NCRB as well.

“The matter is being discussed. Our effort will be that in the future, a consolidated single data is

released without any discrepancies,” said home ministry spokesperson K S Dhatwalia. On Tuesday,

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, while replying to questions on intolerance and communal

violence in Lok Sabha, said that 2014 had witnessed 644 communal incidents which had risen to 650

in 2015. The NCRB figures, however, had showed that there were 1,227 communal incidents in the

year 2014. This was almost double the figure of 644 that Rijiju presented in Parliament. Data on

communal violence is collated by the home ministry periodically by asking states to furnish such

details, and also based on reports from the Intelligence Bureau. The NCRB, on the other hand, relies

on First Information Reports lodged in various police stations in a state and categorises offences

according to relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code invoked in the cases. 2014 was the first time

that the NCRB had put out data on incidents of communal violence. (Indian Express 3/12/15)

Vellappally hints at tie-up with BJP (26)

PATHANAMTHITTA: Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary

Vellappally Natesan, who is leading the Samathwa Munnetta Yatra from Kasaragod to

Thiruvananthapuram, has hinted at a possible tie-up of their yet-to-be-launched political party with the

Bharatiya Janata Party. Mr. Natesan was addressing a crowd at the Municipal stadium at Chengannur

on Wednesday. Mr. Natesan said that the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and the Congress-led

United Democratic Front had made the Hindus fight each other, by keeping them in different

compartments. “It is time to strive for Hindu unity,” he said. “The Samathwa Munnetta Yatra, as its title

suggests, is not against Muslims or Christians as is portrayed by the CPI(M) and the Congress. The

yatra is aimed at ensuring equal justice in society.” Mr. Natesan alleged that the move to book a case

and arrest him was a political decision jointly taken by the LDF and the UDF following his sharp

criticism of the encroachers of lakhs of acres of forestland and other government land at the Idukki

meeting. His statement seeking equal justice, in the backdrop of the compensation announced for the

victims in the Kozhikode manhole accident, was only a smokescreen created by the Congress and

the CPI(M), Mr. Natesan alleged. He lambasted the media for “holding serial debates, picking lines

singled out from his speeches and trying to portray him and fellow travellers as terrorists who are out

to destroy communal harmony.” Addressing the march, Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha State general

secretary T.V. Babu alleged that the “arrest threat against Mr. Natesan was nothing short of State-

sponsored terrorism.” In his presidential address, Kerala Yogakshema Sabha president Akkeeramon

Kalidasa Bhattathirippad said the “people of Kerala would give a fitting reply to those trying to malign

the initiatives taken by Mr. Modi for national development.” (The Hindu 3/12/15)

Communal tensions rise over war of words (7)

Meerut: Muslim pockets of western Uttar Pradesh like Deoband, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and

Shamli are tense after the State Hindu Mahasabha chief Kamlesh Tiwari’s statement against Prophet

Mohammad, which a section of the Muslim community has found “objectionable”. The statement has

been widely circulated and discussed on social media and Whatsapp, sparking protests in several

cities. The Hindutva activist had targeted madrasa institutions and also made a statement against the

Prophet in response to a statement by Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan against the RSS.

The SP leader had earlier this week allegedly called RSS activists “gay”. While students of Darul

Uloom Deoband staged a protest march in Deoband town, the religious seminary issued a statement

demanding strict action against Mr. Tiwari. A case was registered against unnamed Deoband

students after the protest. The fact that Mr. Tiwari was arrested after he made the statement helped

the administration persuade the students to withdraw their blockade of the GT road in Saharanpur. A

Deoband spokesperson clarified that there was no violence during the protest during which students

raised slogans against the Hindu Mahasabha leader and burnt his effigy.Meanwhile Hindu groups

have scheduled retaliatory protests against the “hooliganism” of the madrasa students. Demanding

their under the IPC, the local Bajrang Dal leader Vilas Tyagi said the State administration had

remained “silent” when the students blocked the GT road. A meeting was organised on Friday by the

local Hindutva groups to chalk out a strategy after Mr. Tiwari's arrest. “The SP government controlled

administration allowed the irate madrasa mob to indulge in hooliganism. Why were the students

allowed to raise slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi? The administration is helpless when

it comes to Muslim hooliganism,” alleged the Hindutva leader. “Mr. Tiwari made a statement against

madrasa in response to Azam Khan's objectionable statement against the RSS. If Mr. Tiwari

committed a crime then Mr. Khan should also be behind bars,” Mr. Tyagi asserted while announcing

that protests would be organised demanding the arrest of the madrasa students and Mr. Khan. Shiv

Sena chief of Saharanpur city Kuldip Pundir also said protests by madrasa students would not be

“tolerated.” “The administration should have handled the situation better. Why did it allow the madrasa

students to come in the street and protest? It is being done to polarise the voters ahead of the

Assembly by polls in Deoband and Muzaffarnagar,” he charged. The Saharanpur administration has

taken necessary precautions to ensure that the protests do not snowball with police personnel widely

deployed. (The Hindu 5/12/15)

1 lakh Muslims gather in Muzaffarnagar, demand death for Kamlesh Tiwari (7)

MEERUT: There is no end to the troubles of self-professed Hindu Mahasabha chief Kamlesh Tiwari,

who courted controversy with his statement against the Prophet Mohammed, as close to one lakh

Muslims gathered in communally sensitive Muzaffarnagar to protest against him. The protestors

demanded the death penalty for Tiwari and asked for a stricter law against hate speech. "Kamlesh

Tiwari has offended Muslims across India and he needs to be punished. We cannot hear any such

words against our Prophet. The sentiments of Muslims should be respected. We demand that action

be taken against Tiwari at the earliest. This kind of venom cannot be allowed to spread in society,"

said Haji Ehsaan, a leader of the Ittehad-e-Mliiat, a Muzaffarnagar-based Islamic organization. The

organization printed pamphlets, inviting people to gather at the city's Shiv Chowk to protest against

Tiwari's remarks. Close to a lakh people gathered at the spot. Javed Ansari, Samajwadi Party's media

convener for Muzaffarnagar, said, "Our demand is two-fold. Firstly, we want nothing less than the

death penalty for Kamlesh Tiwari. Anyone who insults our Prophet in such a manner deserves nothing

else. He should be hanged unto death. The second demand is that we want a stricter law against

such instances of hate-speeches. Nobody from any community, whether Hindu or Muslim, should be

allowed to pass such comments. We want that people's sentiments should be respected. Those who

spread such hatred and animosity should be punished." Muzaffarnagar's city magistrate Ravinder

Singh, who was at the spot to observe the situation, said, "We have ensured heavy police deployment

in the area to ensure that we are able to deal with the situation if any communal tension leads to

violence. However, all the protestors were peaceful. They registered their protest in a lawful manner

and we are not against that." (Times of India 11/12/15)

Tension in Malpura over FB post, 4 held (7)

JAIPUR: Police arrested four persons in Malpura town of Tonk district on Saturday for disturbing

peace. On Friday about 200 people were on their way to give a memorandum to the authorities over

Facebook post on their religion. However, during this time, some anti-social elements shouted

slogans in favour of IS which was objected by the members of the other community. Though there

were reports that the members of a community were shouting slogans to protest the arrest of

Mohammed Sirajuddin by the ATS for his alleged links with IS, the Tonk police refuted such reports.

"Actually, 200 people gathered in the town and were protesting against a Facebook post which was

against Prophet Mohammad. While they were on their way to meet the sub-divisional magistrate

(SDM) to submit a memorandum, 22 youths started shouted slogans in favour of IS. Based on the

complaint we have registered a case under Section 153-A (disturbing communal harmony) against 22

people and have arrested 4 persons in this connection so far," said Deepak Kumar, superintendent of

police, Tonk. He clarified, "This has nothing to do with the arrest made by ATS in Jaipur." He added

that the members of the community are cooperating with the police. Tension prevail in Malpura over

FB post; police lodges case against 22 for disturbing communal harmony (Times of India 14/12/15)

Hindu temple and houses gutted in fire, leads to communal tension (7)

Jammu: An ancient temple and two houses belonging to Hindus were gutted in a fire that broke out

under suspicious circumstances at two different locations, leading to tension in Kishtwar town on

Tuesday. Giving details, police said that fire first broke out at the houses of Malal Chand and Rajesh

Kumar at Chhan Siri village around 2 am. The residents, who were asleep at that time, however

escaped unhurt, sources said. They added that the village was inhabited by Hindus. Nearly three

hours thereafter, an ancient temple of Mehar Devta was gutted in fire in Mughal Maidan area around

5 kms from Chhan Siri. Significantly, the single storey wooden structured temple had no electricity

connection. There was also no civilian population nearby. According to police, while anti-social

elements appear to be behind the gutting of temple, electric short circuit can be the cause of fire at

Chhan Siri. However, separate cases have been registered and investigations started. No arrests

have been made so far. The incident led to tension in Kishtwar town, with Hindus observing bandh on

the call of local Sanatan Dharam Sabha in protest over the incidents. The Minister of State for Home

Sunil Sharma along with Inspector General of Police for Jammu zone, Danish Rana, rushed to

Kishtwar to take stock of the situation. No untoward incident was reported from anywhere the town as

both Sharma and Rana assured prompt investigations into the incidents and stern action against

those found guilty. The former also assured adequate compensation to the people whose houses

were gutted in fire. (Indian Express 16/12/15)

Jammu: Kishtwar town tense after temple, 2 houses gutted (7)

Jammu: Following two incidents of fire, including one at a temple, in Kishtwar on Tuesday and a

rumour of cow slaughter the next day, Jammu and Kashmir Police suspect that attempts were being

made to engineer communal tension in the sensitive Chenab Valley region. Police suspect the

involvement of some miscreants behind the burning of the temple and two houses in Chatru area.

Pointing out that the incidents indicate a pattern, official sources said that forensic experts called from

Jammu have ruled out short-circuit as the reason behind the fires. Police sources said the fire first

broke out at the houses of Malal Chand and Rajesh Kumar at Chhan Siri village at around 2 am.

Though both the houses have electricity connection, there was no power supply in the village at that

time. As a result, nobody from the affected families could notice any suspicious movement. Nearly

three hours later, the ancient temple of Mehar Devta at Mughal Maidan area, around 5 km from the

village, was gutted. Sources said the single-storey wooden structure has neither electricity connection

nor any inflammable material stored within its vicinity to have caused the fire. Also, there is no civilian

population living in the nearby area. While timely intervention by civil and police administration

ensured the situation was under control, tension prevailed in Kishtwar again the next morning

following reports of a cow slaughter in the town. Hindu merchants closed their business

establishments in protest and vehicular traffic also remained off the roads. As senior police officers

swung into action to locate the carcass, the reports turned out to be rumours. However, the police had

a difficult time convincing people. Following the incidents, Minister of State for Home Sunil Sharma

along with Jammu zone Inspector General of Police (IGP) Danish Rana rushed from Jammu and

assured people of stern action. To keep the situation under control, Sharma also announced Rs 1

lakh for the reconstruction of the temple and Rs 10,000 each to the affected families. He also assured

release of Rs 1 lakh each for the reconstruction of their houses under Indira Awaas Yojana. Union

Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh announced Rs 5 lakh out of his MPLAD fund for the reconstruction

of their houses. Besides, the IGP announced the constitution of an SIT headed by Kishtwar Additional

Superintendent of Police Abdul Qayoom to investigate the incidents. Additional SP Qayoom, when

contacted, admitted the incidents in the district during the last two days appear to have a pattern. “We

have taken these incidents seriously and have intensified our vigil,’’ he added. Meanwhile, former

minister and opposition National Conference MLC Sajjad Kitchloo cautioned people against “divisive

forces that are hell bent upon dividing people on communal lines”. Describing the recent incidents as

“politically motivated”, Kitchloo complimented the people for maintaining peace and brotherhood. He

also called for action against those behind incidents of arson and rumour mongering. (Indian Express

18/12/15)

SP, Muslim Community Accuse VHP of Creating Tension (7)

Ayodhya: In the backdrop of two stone-laden trucks arriving in Ayodhya, Samajwadi Party today

accused "saffron forces" of trying to disrupt communal harmony even as BSP supremo Mayawati said

it is the responsibility of the state government to ensure peace. Prominent members of the Muslim

community also alleged that the VHP, which had almost six months ago announced its nationwide

drive to collect stones for construction of Ram temple, is "openly making mockery of

judiciary"."Saffron forces are trying to create communal tension to divert public's attention from

development works undertaken by the state government," Ayodhya MLA and State Forest Minister

Tej Narain Pandey told PTI. Reacting to the news of two stone-laden trucks reaching Ayodhya, BSP

president Mayawati said, "It is the responsibility of the state government to maintain communal

harmony amid increased activities of the saffron forces." Vice-Chairman of Babri Masjid Action

Committee (BMAC) Mushtaq Ahmad Siddiqi feared the activities of the VHP may hurt the sentiments

of the Muslim community and urged the state government to take preventive steps for maintaining

peace and communal harmony.Another member of BMAC, Haji Mahboob, warned "Muslims will also

be bound to collect stones for the construction of Babri Masjid if the VHP is collecting stone for

building Ram temple." Babri Masjid case main plaintiff Hashim Ansari alleged that while Muslims are

peacefully awaiting the court verdict, "the VHP was trying to flare up communal atmosphere (in

Ayodhya)". "If we want to repair a mosque in Ayodhya, the local administration doesn't allow us to.

But the VHP is free to do anything which is a big threat to communal harmony," Haji Asad Ahmad, the

only Muslim corporator in Ayodhya, said. (Outlook 21/12/15)

Communal unrest: Karnataka town tense (7)

Bengaluru,: Gokak, a town in Belagavi district in northwestern Karnataka continues to remain tense

following communal clashes on Thursday evening. The police have sent additional platoons to

maintain the law and order situation in the town. Around 7 pm on Thursday, when a Eid-Milad

procession was passing through the Sangolli Rayanna junction, miscreants pelted stones at the

participants. A few people were injured in the incident and in retaliation, they attacked the

neighborhood residents. Seven buses, two police vehicles and scores of two- wheelers were

damaged in the violence. Three people, who were seriously injured, have been admitted to a local

hospital. The police have imposed prohibitory orders in Gokak town. (Indian Today 26/12/15)

It was mutton, not beef: Dadri probe report (7)

MEERUT/NEW DELHI: An enquiry by the U.P. Veterinary department revealed that the meat over

which Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched on September 28 was mutton. What was recovered from the

house of the lynching victim in Dadri was not beef, but meat of “goat progeny,” a preliminary inquiry

by the Uttar Pradesh Veterinary Department has found. The “mutton sample” has now been sent to

the forensic laboratory in Mathura for ‘final diagnosis,’ says the report. Mohammad Akhlaq, 52, was

beaten to death on September 28 in Bisahra village in Dadri district by a mob infuriated by rumours

that he and his family were eating beef. Akhlaq’s son Mohammad Danish, who was also beaten up, is

recuperating. “To the best of my knowledge and after a proper physical examination, it appears the

meat [about 4-5 kg] is of goat progeny,” said the veterinary officer in his report. BJP MLA Sangeet

Som, who had visited the village after the incident, said he did not have faith in a State-supervised

probe and demanded a CBI investigation. Mr. Som, also an accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots case

of 2013, had earlier offered to fight the case for the accused. During the course of the investigations

and even when it filed a charge sheet against the 15 accused last week, the Uttar Pradesh police

refrained from using the word ‘beef’ anywhere in its correspondences. Neither did the State, from

whom the Ministry of Home Affairs had sought a report. It said there were allegations that Akhlaq was

killed for consuming pratibandhit pashu ka maans [meat of an animal whose slaughter is banned].

The incident had provoked the Ministry of Home Affairs to send a strongly worded letter to all the

States asking them to keep a check on incidents of communal violence and work on improving the

relationship between communities. Mr. Som refused to directly comment on the veterinary

department’s report. “We do not have any faith in the State-supervised probe which will never be

independent and objective. The person who died should get justice, but innocents should not be

punished in this process. The Samajwadi Party government is not capable of doing justice in this

case,” he said. “The area was communally charged when the incident took place and we did not want

to add to the tension by declaring anything about the confiscated meat,” a senior State government

official told The Hindu. “It was decided to stick to the procedure. Instead of jumping the gun, we

decided to wait for the forensics report which has made it clear that it was indeed mutton and not

beef.” The report is now part of the charge sheet filed last week against 15 persons, including Vishal

Rana and Shivam, son and nephew of local BJP leader Sanjay Rana. Vishal and Shivam allegedly

spread the rumour that resulted in the mob attack on Akhlaq’s house. “This we have been saying all

along. The meat in the fridge was mutton sent to us by one of our relatives,” Sartaj, Akhlaq’s elder son

who works for the Indian Air Force, told The Hindu. “My father was a victim of mass hysteria created

by some people who stood to benefit from the politics over beef. He won’t come back. My only

request to the people is that an incident like this should not happen again.” .. (The Hindu 28/12/15)

Shamli: Ashram head arrested for sparking communal tension (7)

Kandhla (shamli): THREE DAYS after a mahapanchayat was held over a missing Hindu woman, the

Shamli police on Monday arrested Acharya Jasveer Maharaj, a local sadhu who is alleged to have

made an inflammatory speech that led to communal tension in the area. The mahapanchayat was

attended by BJP MP Hukum Singh and MLA Suresh Rana. “We received information about Jasveer

Maharaj planning to carry out a march in connection with the incident. Based on the information, the

team arrested him from Muzaffarnagar district,” said Vijay Bhushan, SP, Shamli district. Jasveer, who

runs a local ashram, has been sent to police custody. The mahapanchayat was called on Friday over

the Shamli police’s “failure” to trace the 23-year-old Hindu woman, who went missing with a tenant of

her family on November 28. The woman has since been traced.According to police sources, the

woman has alleged that the accused, Mohammad Asif, took her to Delhi on the pretext of finding her

a job. Asif allegedly told her that he was a chartered accountant and had contacts in Delhi. The

woman, in her statement to the police, has alleged that she was locked in a room in South Delhi. The

police have registered a case against Asif and his family members, including his wife, brother and

mother. While Asif and his brother Arshad have been arrested, his wife and mother have fled the

village. On Saturday, the police registered a case against Jasveer and others, based on a complaint

filed by the local cleric, Maulana Ehtaramul Hasan. The police registered an FIR against Jasveer

under IPC Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot), 153 A (promoting

enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), and 188 (disobedience to order duly

promulgated by public servant). Naresh Saini, a social worker from Kandhla who organised the

mahapanchayat, claimed Jasveer “had just begun speaking about Prophet Muhammad” when he was

stopped by the others. “He had just begun his speech and referred to the Prophet. However, he was

stopped by the members on the stage,” said Saini. Asked if Jasveer was invited to the

mahapanchayat, Saini said, “No. In fact, most of us don’t even know who he is. He came here after

the news of a mahapanchayat spread to the bordering districts of Shamli. He was not asked to speak

at the gathering. We also did not know what he was going to speak about.” However, Hasan, the

complainant in the case, said: “Why was Jasveer allowed to speak at the event? On whose behalf

was he invited to the event? The BJP, Bajrang Dal leaders shared the dais and watched him deliver

an inflammatory speech. The Muslim community does not have a problem about a mahapanchayat

being organised. But if this is done only to hurt the sentiments of Muslims, police have to take action.

His speech was not just inflammatory but also derogatory. We demand that the National Security Act

be slapped against him for referring to the Prophet.” (Indian Express 29/12/15)