Rajasthan: Communal flare up around Barawafat - Attack on Muslims in Bhilwara Dist : Kavita Srivastava PUCL

Posted below is text of e-mail message from Kavita Srivastava of PUCL Rajasthan:

On Sun, Jan 27, 2013 at 3:44 PM

Dear friends,

All of you must have heard about the attack on the Muslim community that happened in the three kasba towns of Asind, Gulabpura and Hurda of Bhilwara district on the 25th, 2013. A more detailed report will be put together by us and we will send to you, however, it is clear that what happened in Asind in particular was a completely planned attack. The BJP MLA Ram Lal Gurjar, Mohra Sapanch Harji Ram Gurjar , Criminal History Sheeter Mansukh Gurjar instigated the crowd of RSS, BJP, VHP and the Dev Sena lumpens led by Manhsukh Gurjar in the presence of the Police and the administration to attack and burn and loot the shops of the Muslims between 1.00pm and 4pm on the 25th, when most of the Muslims were in the Masjid, carrying out the Friday namaz. . The crowds also gehraoed the homes of the Muslims which the police then prevented them from attacking.

It is Important to know that on the 13th of January, 2013 there was a Triveni Sangan Path Sanchalan by the RSS. The Procession of the RSS and the VHP and the Dev Semsa, went through the Muslim area. Although the Muslims has objections still hey peacefully let the procession pass through the area, however, the lumpen boys of the Dev Sena created a hungama, shouted abuses while passing through the mohalla of Muslims resulting in the Muslims asking the police to take action against them. The police assured them but nothing happened.

On the 23rd the District Collector and the SP led a meeting of the local Administrations and Police to plan for the law and order bandobast for the Barawafat festival procession in the area on the 25th, Friday. The Muslims raised their objections regarding the unruly acts o the Dev Sena, however, they were told to take it easy and finally the two sides reconciled and hugged each other as an act of starting a fresh. The Muslims were assured that the Police and Administration would not allow it again. IT was fixed that the Barawafat Jaloos would be taken out only between 9 and 11 am and the route was also fixed which included that they don’t go near the temples of the town. Everybody was ok and the meeting finished.

According to some eye witnesses the attack was planned in advance as Mansukh Gurjar invited a lot of people from outside as a dinner for several thousand people was cooked and many saw that large numbers of sacks of Atta and cans of oil had been kept at Mahaver Bhojan shall where the food was cooked and supplied to the people staying all over Asind and Sawai Bhoj and around.

On the 25th morning even before the Muslilm men actually woke up for their Jaloos which s a traditional thing happens year after year, they were shocked to find that tyres were burning at all chaurahs and in the Bazaar. They realized that the RSS, VHP and Deva Sena had had their way and that there would be no procession for them as there was already tension.. So they all stayed back in their homes and did not step out. They saw the police which included the Dy SP and the SDM just stand as a bystanders and watch it all. They knew that their procession was not to happen.

They called the DM and the SP and others. At one pm the Muslims wanted to go to their MAsjid for the Friday Namaz. When the they went towards the bus stand, they were shocked to see that the crowds near the marker place had swelled. They had to take that road to the Masjid. There was some confrontation. Shortly after they saw that the MLA Ram Lal Gurjar came and provoked the people against the Muslims. He was carried around on his shoulder and soon after that the people went bersek and shops of the Muslims were identified at both the Old and new Bus Stand and were burnt down. With the Police over looking and allowing the RSS and others to do what they wanted more than. 20 shops and four motorcyles were burnt down. There was no loss of life.

Even two days after the people are extremely frightened as there is an eleven year history of communal tensions in the region with the same Mansukh Gurjar, involved in carrying out the demolition of the four hundred onld Kalandari Masjid in the Sawai Bhoj Complex, of the Gurjars. There was a lot of Communal flare up with the BJP leaders RAmji Lal Gurjar and Harji Ram Gurjar and the congress leaders led by Lakshmi narayan leading the anti Muslim opinion after that. The VHP President Praveen Topgadai them came to the area and fueled it further by distributing trishuls.

Things had settled down in the last few years in Asind and though the Bhilwara District was continuously under communal tension. The senior Muslim leaders were being hounded by the police, but not in Asind.

This has now once again changed as we are in the pre elections period It clearly means this is the beginning and that there maybe more riots and attacks on the Muslims.
Asind is under curfew since the last three days. More information will follow soon. These are just quick notes to all of you to tell that the pattern in the country is the same, whether Bhilwara or Dhulia.
In Gulabpura too the procession was stopped and so in Hurda. It flared up in the former place that curfew is still imposed there. Hurda has section 144 CrPc.

WE need to do a quick fact finding. [. . .]