(Central Chronicle
March 14, 2007)
Editorial
No let-up in violence: Anti-socials threaten harmony
Continued violence in Indore is a matter of concern not only for the state government but also for all the law abiding peace-loving people. While on Sunday, a mere incidence of eve-teasing at a public tap turned violent in the Razvi bazar area, on Monday itself in Chhatripura area at Kagdipura a motorcycle-rickshaw collision took an ugly turn resulting into a communal outbreak. Thus stone-pelting on rival groups, arson, loot and rampaging mob forced the district administration authorities to take stringent measures to bring the situation under control. Only recently Indore city had seen similar violence laced with communal passions threatening the very fabric of cultural amity which the state population is known for. Clearly, the apathetic attitude of the district police has given a chance - a free run in fact, to those anti-social elements who have hardly any regards for societal amity and peaceful co-existence. Had it not been so, in a peaceful multi-cultural city like Indore, violence had not occurred so spontaneously. These sporadic instances certainly contradict the claims of the state government of having control over the crime. Not only the state government but an alert district administration should always be ready to stop any such occurrences in the future. For, providing security to each and every citizen of the state is the universal duty of the state government. Unless the police administration is vigilant people will not feel safe which is also very important for peace in the society.
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The Hindu
Mar 14, 2007
Tension in Indore
Staff Reporter
BHOPAL: Tension prevailed in Indore on Tuesday following a clash between members of two communities over a minor incident on Monday.
Heavy police pickets have been posted there to keep the situation under control.
According to reports received here, the clashes started at Dargah Chowki and soon mobs began pelting stones in the Taatpatti Bakhal and Ramdas Pura areas falling under the Chhatripura police station. The police used force and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the violent group on Monday night.
Several persons have been rounded up. Petrol bombs and sharp-edged weapons have been seized by the police.
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The Times of India
13 Mar, 2007
Communal tension in Indore town
[ 13 Mar, 2007 1116hrs IST PTI ]
INDORE: Members of two communities indulged in stone-pelting following a minor accident, forcing the police to open fire in air and lob teargas shells in the Taatpatti Bakhal area in Indore.
The clash occurred late Monday night after a minor accident between two persons belonging to separate communities, leading to tension in the area, police said on Tuesday.
The situation was under control and no untoward incident has been reported since then, Additional SP Manoj Singh said, adding police have been deployed in the area and other sensitive places.
A case has been registered in this regard, but no arrests have been made so far, he said.
On March 11, tension gripped the Toda area of the city over a petty issue of filling up water from a tap, resulting in heavy stone-pelting.
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HindustanTimes.com » Print Editions » Bhopal » Metro » Pg 1: Front »
Communal flare-ups reek of a sinister design
Punya Priya Mitra
Indore, February 19, 2007
Over a week after it witnessed a communal flare-up, Indore appears quiet on the surface. But beneath the deceptive calm in the City lurks a growing fear of any trivial incident triggering off communal violence. The fear stems from the recent experience. The communal frenzy was not the outcome of any spontaneous outpouring of anger. There was an unmistakable method in the madness.
Take for instance the suspected eve-teasing incident on February 12 that took no time in assuming a diabolical turn. It was alleged that Munna Mohammad teased a girl near his shop at Narsingh Bazar. When one Neelu Panchal protested, Munna slapped him. Later, a BJP worker Laddu beat up Munna. The brawl sparked off communal violence that engulfed several parts of the City.
Ironically enough, neither Munna nor Neelu was arrested for the alleged quarrel. About the girl, who was allegedly teased, no one has any clue.
IG Rajendra Kumar admitted that the police were not sure who exactly the girl was. No one had lodged a complaint on the incident.
The Gautampura incident reeked of a more sinister design. Here communal violence flared up after the head of a calf was found near the Saraswati Shishu Mandir on February 10 afternoon. A mob of saffron hooligans soon gathered to demand the arrest of the “culprits” who belong to the Muslim community.
Even as senior officials were discussing the issue with protesters, the mob targeted shops of Muslims. Some vehicles were also damaged and burnt.
The post-mortem report on the calf revealed that it had died of some disease. SP Anshuman Yadav confirmed that the calf was beheaded after its death. This leads to the suspicion that some mischievous elements may have put the head in front of the Saraswati Shishu Mandir to provoke communal frenzy.
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The Hindu
Curfew lifted in 4 violence-hit areas in Indore
Indore, Feb 14. (PTI): Curfew was on Tuesday lifted in four violence-hit areas and relaxed for two hours in three other affected localities to allow women to make necessary purchases, as no untoward incident was reported from the city.
As many as 163 persons were rounded up on charges of rioting in which seven persons were injured on Monday, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Indore) Madhu Kumar Babu told PTI.
Curfew was lifted in Raoji Bazar, Sadar Bazar, Central Kotwali and Sarafa areas where prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were still in force, he said.
Curfew restrictions were relaxed for two hours in seven localities including Chhatripura, Pandarinath and Malharganj, he added.
The situation remained peaceful and women turned in large numbers to buy essential goods, Additional District Magistrate Rameshwar Gupta said.
Admit cards of students were being treated as curfew passes to allow them to appear in examinations being conducted in some schools and colleges, he said.
Violence had erupted after two groups pelted stones at each other in Bombay Bazar area, the police said, adding that agitated mobs damaged vehicle and ransacked shops prompting the police to fire in the air and lob tear gas shells to gain control.
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The Times of India
Communal violence rocks Indore again
[ 13 Feb, 2007 0132hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
BHOPAL: Authorities imposed curfew in three police station areas in Indore city on Monday following a communal flare up over an eve-teasing incident. This was the third incident of communal violence in Indore in the last 10 days.
According to additional DGP (law & order) Surendra Singh, rouble began when a woman from the majority community was molested allegedly by a minority community member at Lodhipura.
People from both communities soon gathered at Lodhipura and clashed with each other, Singh said, adding that vehicles were torched and shops were vandalised.
The unrest then spread to three police station areas Malhargunj, Pandrinath and Chhatripura, Singh said, adding that the police had to fire teargas shells and lathicharge to disperse the irate mob. Additional security forces have also been deployed in the area.
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Central Chronicle
February 13, 2007
Shoot at sight in Indore
Chronicle News Service
Indore, Feb 12: Eve-teasing incident sparked communal flare up and curfew has been imposed in three police stations Chatripura, Malharganj and Pandrinath here today. A shoot and sight order has been issued following the incidents, according to the administration.
According to sources an eve-teasing incident with a girl around 1.00 O clock created communal scene in the city and people were indulged in violent activities in various parts .
Arson, firing, loot and sword wielding were reported in the sensitive areas.
The people went berserk and damaged several vehicles and two-wheelers and also set few vehicles on fire.
As the news of violence spread, several market areas downed their shutters.
Prohibitory orders were soon clamped in three areas here today following stone pelting between two groups, which prompted the police to use mild force and teargas to disperse the crowd.
Teargas shells, whipping swords and violence in two groups and pelting stones at each other were seen in Narsingh Bazar, Bombay Bazaar, Chhatribagh, Raj Locality, Malganj, Malharganj etc. Besides, Rajbara, Pardesipura, Patnipura, Malwa Mill, Bhanwar Kuwa and other areas too were put under constant vigil.
The police used mild force to disperse the crowd, Superintendent of Police Anshuman Singh Yadav said. The police were keeping watch in several areas.
No injuries were reported, he said adding the circumstances that led to violence were yet to be ascertained.
Prohibitory orders under section 144 were clamped in Pandrinath, Chhatripura and Malharganj police station areas as a precaution, Additional District Magistrate Rameshwar Gupta said.
Senior police and administrative officials have reached the spot and a tight vigil was being maintained to prevent any further flare up, he added.
Meanwhile, the state PWD Minister and local MLA Kailash Vijayvargiya while talking to a channel said that precautionary measures were taken to control the unruly mob in the city. He said the petty issue has turned into violence and added that the situation was however under control.
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Indian Express
February 13, 2007
Battlelines drawn over Indore’s Karbala Maidan
Milind Ghatwai
Hindu groups want a temple at the ground traditionally used for Muharram rituals
INDORE, FEBRUARY 12: The Karbala Maidan in Indore, traditionally used for Muharram rituals, has become the turf of a bitter communal dispute in which the administration is uneasily caught. Hindu groups are pressing for permission to build a new temple in the middle of the ground and renovate another old one there.
Uma Bharati’s Bharatiya Janashakti Party wants to organise a Ramlila here and local BJP MLAs are saying the administration is giving in to the minority community and stonewalling temple-construction attempts.
The Hindu organisations want to construct a temple of Nagdevta on the ground and, a few days ago, had attempted to build an earthen mound. An alert administration, however, stepped in to level the spot. After that round-the-clock security has been deployed at the site.
The maidan till now mainly hosted a three-day mela at the time of Muharram. At one end stands a mazaar frequented by both Muslims and Hindus, and at the other, a small Hanuman temple where Hindus congregate in small numbers every Tuesday.
The open space around is used by the washermen to dry laundry. Official records make no mention of any temple and identify the ground as a place used to immerse tazias during Muharram. When the small rivulet behind the mazaar dried up, worshippers started burying the tazias there, a practice going on for years now.
The tension this year was the result of the first day of the Muharram mela falling on a Tuesday. A couple of years ago, it was the last day of the mela that fell on a Tuesday and the administration had invited the wrath of Hindu organisations by trying to control the maha-aarti at the Hanuman temple.
The Muslims say the land is notified as belonging to the Wakf Board. They want to build a wall that will leave the existing Hanuman temple outside its perimeter. Nasir Khan, secretary of the Karbala Committee, said that in addition to the wall, the committee also wanted to erect a “Hussaini Gate” at the entrance. He said the washermen could be relocated elsewhere.
According to him, the Hanuman temple came up only in 2001 and the maha-aarti programme started only two years ago. He claimed the number of worshippers hardly crossed double figures on Tuesdays and any new temple would turn the ground into a constant source of friction between the two communities.
Collector Vivek Agrawal says if at all a compound wall is required there, it will be put up by the government because the land belongs to it.
He said there was no question of allowing a Ramlila because permission could be granted only for functions being traditionally organised on the location.
Angered by the administration’s attitude, local BJP MLA Laxman Singh Gaud has warned of serious consequences if the majority community’s interests are not taken care of. “We want to repair the Hanuman temple and want worship to continue at the Nag temple,” he says. Agrawal, on the other hand, said no Nagdevta temple had ever existed there.
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