Victims of communal violence knock on the door of New Delhi for justice
Abdul Bari Masoud | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — “Modi Uncle hum bhi aap kay parivar ka hissa hain, mere Papa kay qatilon ko giraftar karo” (Modi Uncle we are also part of your family, arrest the killers of my Papa). This passionate appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was made by an 8-year-old girl whose father Amjad Khan (40) was killed in gunfire during a BJP membership drive in a minority-populated area of Maksi town in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh on September 23.
Her maternal uncle, Junaid, also suffered and was left in a coma in the gunfire. Amjad, 40, has two daughters; 8 years and two years while his wife has one leg disability.
The orphan girl made the appeal to the prime minister at a press conference at the Constitution Club here on Saturday as families of the victims were brought to Delhi by Congress MP and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh. The senior congress leader highlighted two recent incidents of communal violence in the state to allege that the BJP government was playing a partisan role and compromising the integrity of the administration. He strongly urged the prime minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene.
Over the past ten years, the number of incidents of communal violence in the country has risen dramatically. The ruling party-backed organisations are sabotaging communal cohesion through sponsored efforts.
“Since 2014, the ‘double-engine’ (BJP-ruled) states have filed false cases against innocents while letting criminals go scot-free. They have a narrow vision in which just one community is punished and harassed,” Singh said at a presser alongside rights activists and victims of the violence in Ratlam and Maksi towns of Madhya Pradesh.
When a Hindu procession of Ganesh Chaturthi took an unauthorised route in front of a minority house of worship on September 7, there were tensions between the communities in Ratlam.
On September 23, gunshots were allegedly fired during a BJP membership drive in a minority-populated region of Maksi, killing Amjad Khan and leaving Junaid in a coma. In 2010, Junaid’s brother lost his life in communal violence.
“Fundamentalist and extremist groups claimed that a stone had hit the idol during the procession in Ratlam and they started setting fire to shops and attacking a mosque,” Singh added, citing video footage and testimonials of the victims. Rahul Lodha, the superintendent of police (SP) of Ratlam, detained the rioters after concluding that no Muslims were involved. Within hours the SP was transferred, Singh said.
“In Maksi, a man named Anees along with his colleagues went to the police to report the violence that had taken place because the BJP members were forcing people to join their party. Instead of taking any action, he was arrested and the people who committed the violence were taken to hospital. No action has been taken against the SP or the town inspector,” the former chief minister said.
He also dispatched a letter to the prime minister, and the home minister demanding impartial probes on complaints of victims from any community, rehabilitation and compensation for the victims and kin of the deceased, disciplinary action against errant cops, cases against rioters and provocateurs, and adherence to the Centre and the Supreme Court’s guidelines on handling riots.
He concluded the letter by saying: “You will definitely pay attention to the facts mentioned in this letter and show self-confidence to fulfill your resolve to protect the rights given to every citizen of India by the Constitution and make the slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas aur Sabka Prayas’ come true in true sense.”
Singh was flanked by Khan’s family, including his eight-year-old daughter Maida, who held a placard saying, “We want justice.”
Speaking to Clarion India, Mohammad Asif Meo (Engineer), president of Muslim Samaj Ratlam, said during the Ganesh Chaturthi procession, a rumour was spread that people of a particular community had pelted stones on the procession. Even such a big lie was spread that the idol of Ganesh was broken. “All these rumours were proved wrong when the police officer of the district, SP Rahul Lodha, examined all CCTV footage; he did not see any Muslim pelting stones on the procession, nor did anyone break the Ganesh idol,” he said.
The police registered an FIR against more than 10 named and about 250 unknown people. The name of the District Vice President of BJP Yuva Morcha is also included among the named accused, which cannot be a mere coincidence, but seems to be an experiment. Due to the wisdom of a senior IPS officer in Ratlam, communal violence did not erupt and he succeeded in maintaining peace and harmony. Instead of appreciating the police action, the BJP state government transferred the SP immediately, Asif said.
The second incident arose from the membership campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maksi of Shajapur district when BJP leader Sameer pressurised Anees and his family to take membership of the BJP, resulting in a clash.
Javed Dipty, a high court advocate, told Clarion India that after the incident people went to meet SP Yashpal Singh Rajput but he was not available. The delegation returned after meeting Additional SP. The SP did not take this matter seriously. As a result, on 25 September, Sameer along with Vishwa Hindu Parishad and BJP workers fomented communal tension in the area in which Amjad Khan died of bullet injury and the bullet got stuck in Junaid’s head, who is still battling for his life. In this entire case, the role of the police of Shajapur district was suspicious due to which a person lost his life, Javed Dipty, who accompanied the victims, said.
Due to the incompetence of the Superintendent of Police, Shajapur, a violent dispute erupted in Maksi, once known as the “peaceful island” of Madhya Pradesh, following a threatening statement: “Join BJP or face bullets.” On Monday, 23rd September 2024, former BJP Municipal President Representative Mahendra Patel allegedly led a group that forcibly entered the Muslim neighbourhood and opened fire, pressuring residents to join the party. Despite complaints from the victims at Maksi police station, the station in-charge refused to file a report.
The next day, members of the Muslim community submitted a written complaint to the Superintendent of Police, Shajapur. This angered BJP leaders, who allegedly organized an armed attack on the complainants. The attackers, reportedly acting in the presence of police, opened fire with the intent to kill. The victims included Amjad, Iqbal, Junaid, Abrar, Abuzar, Rizwan, and Javed.
All injured individuals have been referred to Indore for treatment. The police have been accused of shielding the attackers and are allegedly planning a cross-case against the victims to cover up their failures. The negligence of the Maksi station in-charge and the Superintendent of Police, Shajapur, is being blamed for this tragedy.
Had the police arrested suspects from both sides, as they did with Anees from the Muslim side, the situation might have been prevented. The accused include Kalu Patel, Arun Patel, Sumit Patel, Mahendra Patel, Rahul Jain, Bittu Jain, Arjun Patel, Kuldeep Khati, Zoyab, and Sameer.
No action has yet been taken by the state government against responsible officials, nor has any financial assistance been provided to the victims’ families. No inquiry commission has been established to investigate the incident.
Digvijay Singh said that the administration, which watched in silence, is equally accountable for the Maksi tragedy as a whole, in addition to the police. This episode demonstrates the extent to which the RSS and its political organisations are actively working to sow discord, he said and added that all options are open to us including that of taking a communal harmony march from Maksi to the CM’s residence in Bhopal where this family will ask him if he can give them justice.”
In response to a Clarion India question, Singh said he would raise the matter in the forthcoming winter session of the parliament.
