Conviction of Basha in Coimbatore Bomb Blasts
by Irfan Engineer
S.A. Basha and 34 persons have been convicted for the conspiracy of bomb blasts in Coimbatore for a life term. There were 4 bomb blasts in Coimbatore on 14 th February 1998. There were 12 blasts in which 54 innocent people died. One of the suicide bombers was to target L.K. Advani, however he did not activate the bomb which was aimed at L.K. Advani as Advani's flight was delayed and had not reached the venue of the meeting on the fateful day. Basha was head of Al Umma, an extremist organization in Tamil Nadu formed in 1993, which had been accused of masterminding the bomb blasts. Till the eighties, there were hardly any extremist organizations in Tamil Nadu. However, after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, Islamic extremism spread to Tamil Nadu and Al Umma was one such organization. Al Umma targeted RSS headquarters on 8 th August 1993 to take revenge for demolition of Babri Mosque on 6th December 1992 by the Sangh Parivar. Demolition of Babri Mosque has plunged even the South in a spiral of violence. In early nineties, several extremist organizations came into existence in Tamil Nadu, including Al Umma, Jihad Committee, and the IDF adopt and espouse violence, extensively using coercion, extortion and intimidation to achieve their goals. The goals of extremist organization generally includes "protecting" Islam and Muslims by retaliation against the Hindu extremists. However, often the victims are innocent persons. An important aspect of Islamist fundamentalist mobilisation in Tamil Nadu is that it has often been directed more towards countering the activities of Hindu extremist organizations, and is not entirely impelled by an independent vision, or by the mischief of external agencies. Extravagant and aggressive celebrations of Vinayaka Chaturthi, direct verbal attacks on Islam and Muslims by the Hindu Munnani and Hindu Makkal Katchi leaders, contributed to a sense of insecurity among the Muslims. Every year the Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations create large-scale disturbances within the local community. Every year there is tension during these festivals, especially with regard to securing permission for the procession. In recent times, the security agencies have become more conscious about such problems and provide maximum security during this period in order to avert the growing tension between the two communities.
Karunanidhi made it clear that the state government had not received any specific information from the central agency on involvement of Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence activists in the blasts.
Provocative speeches and conflicts over the passage of religious processions had aggravated the animosity, and the state government had to intervene on many occasions to prevent untoward incidents.
Even the white paper published by the Tamil Nadu Govt. admitted that the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in December 1992 had upset the Muslims in the state and led to the spread of fundamentalism.
Referring to the communal violence preceding the February serial blasts, the white paper referred to the murder of Jehad Committee founder-leader Palani Baba at Pollachi in 1997 by certain RSS activists.
This triggered a series of incidents of communal violence in Coimbatore in which four Muslims and two Hindus lost their lives. The police swung into action and took into custody 43 Muslims and 27 Hindus. The textile city was rocked by communal violence again in November 1997 following the murder of police constable Selvaraj, allegedly by Al Umma activists.
I was part of the fact finding team of PUCL after the communal riots in Coimbatore in 1998. We met the victims, police officials, Hindu Munani leaders and other members of civil society organizations. The events which led to killing of 27 Muslims in police firing are as follows: On 29 th Novenber 1997 stopped bike of Jehangir, a member of Al-Umma for traffic violation. Jehangir failed to produce his driving license and communal abuses were hurled upon him. When leader of Al-Umma – Mohammed Ansari intervened, he was beaten with lathis. Inflamed members of Al-Umma stabbed the traffic constable – Selvaraj to death. Large force of Police came to arrest the culprits of Selvaraj's murder. The community leaders intervened and told the police force that it was late in night, and that if the police returned, they would themselves hand over the culprits wanted by the police next day by 11.00 a.m. While returning, the police burnt Muslim platform shops and posters and banners put for mobilization of meeting to be held on 6th December in commemoration of destruction of Babri Masjid. All Muslims, including Al-Umma had condemned murder of Constable Selvaraj. The three accused wanted by police for Slevaraj's murder were handed over next day morning, i.e. on 30th November 1997. On the same day, about 100 policemen wore black badges and staged a dharna for about an hour at Ukkadam, where Selvaraj was murdered, and then proceeded towards Govt. Hospital in a procession demanding that the body of Selvaraj be handed over to them and permit them to take a procession through Kottaimedu locality, which was inhabited by Muslim majority. Muslim shops all over the city were being looted with active instigation by the policemen. Many dalits told us that they were encouraged by the police to loot Muslim shops. There were rumours that Hindu Munani accompanied by policemen in procession would enter Kottaaimedu and therefore Muslims also gathered in anxiety as they were hearing the news of their shops being burnt and looted. Ayyub Khan, District Secretary of TMMK (Tamil Muslim Muntra Kazhgam) was pleading the Muslim mob gathered to retreat and they had begun retreating, when a police force led by a DCP at around 12.20 p.m. asked the police to fire on the unarmed retreating mob. The police force entered Poompuhar, then Eswaran Temple Street, Vandikara Street, Vincent Road, Naz theatre lane, Perumal Koil Street and Ukkadam and fired indiscriminately to kill and take "revenge" of Selvaraj's death. 27 Muslims were killed and over 100 persons were injured. Hindu Munani all throughout was with the lawless policemen extending all possible assistance to them and extending moral support. Hindu Munani followers had also gathered in the campus of Government Hospital and attacking all the injured victims of police firing who were brought for treatment. The DMK MLA C.D. Dhandapani was also gheraoed by policemen in mufti and Hindu Munani activists inside the Govt. Hospital Compound and attacked. Some critically injured Muslims died as they could not be treated in time.
By 1st of December, Administration called in Rapid Action Force and CRPF and situation was somewhat brought under control. However, some policemen from Coimbatore managed to shoot at Mohammed Ali who had ventured out to buy Milk for his daughter and at K.N. Annamalai, employed as a driver in State Transport and who was going for his duty. However, there were number of policemen who helped protecting lives of Muslims.
Unlike the communal riots in Mumbai, the society at large was not communalized. Even the victims did not blame Hindus in general for whatever happened in Coimbatore, nor had any love lost between members of the two communities. Ordinary Hindus within and outside Kottaimedu had no dislike for Muslims, though they viewed the Al-Umma activities with suspicion and disapproval. Even the dalits who were encouraged to loot Muslim shops and business did not have any communal prejudice against Muslims.
There are many similarities between the bomb blasts in Mumbai on March 12, 1993 and those in Coimbatore in the year 1998. Both the bombings in Mumbai and in Coimbatore were carried out by some misguided Muslims. Tiger Memon and Dawood Ibrahim being prime suspects in the case of Mumbai blasts and Al-Umma, a Muslim extremist organization which attracted a few Muslim youth in Tamil Nadu, in case of Coimbatore bombings. Both bomb blasts followed the communal riots in which majority of sufferers were Muslims. Victims of the communal riots in both the cases did not get justice nor did they have any hopes of getting justice through our criminal justice system. Consequently, some of the victims could be easily mobilized to carry out the bombings in Mumbai and in Coimbatore. In Coimbatore as well as in Mumbai, the police and the politicians showed extraordinary zeal in bringing the guilty of the bombings to justice and utterly failed and neglected their constitutional duty to bringing the guilty of communal riots to justice. This establishes a sort of pattern. The right wing Hindu organizations could target minorities with impunity and some of the communalized police officers could also join the right wing Hindu organizations without fearing any reprisals or action against them. If some hot headed Muslim youth or victims of communal riots wrongly decided to "avenge" the riots by violent means like bombings, targeting innocent persons of Hindu community, they would be quickly brought to justice and the police would act overzealously in marshalling all the evidence to convict those guilty of the violent and criminal acts undertaken by some members of minority community.
The only way to break this spiral of violence is for the state to intervene in enforce law without impartially and take action mandated by law against the guilty of bombings as well as communal violence or any hate crime committed by member any community, sect or group or professing any identity.
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