Khaleequr Rahman: Oct 6, 2011

The Gopalgarh (Kasbah) mosque

Gopalgarh Kasbah (a small town) comes in the Assembly segment of Kaman in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district. I have many friends who come from Mewat from whom I have taken the grass root details of the shocking incident of secular India in a Congress ruled state in which ten members of the Meo Muslim community were killed on September 14, 2011 when the police fired at the mosque while rioters belonging to another community attacked them. According to the sources, of the 23 people injured in the violence, 19 were Meos.

This eastern part of Rajasthan is contiguous with the Meo Muslim-dominated areas of Haryana. The Meos of Bharatpur share many cultural traits with other communities living in perfect harmony , and such violence in the area had not been reported in the past.

I was told that the dispute that triggered the violence was over a few bighas of land behind the mosque, which also included a “Kuvan” i.e. a waterhole. The violence seems to have been one-sided because all the dead and most of the injured belonged to one community and were all killed in police firing. This very clearly shows that the police colluded with the rioters otherwise an incident of this nature would not have happened. Unfortunately the State Home Minister Mr.Shanti Dhariwal defended the firing by the police. No wonder, the RSS seems to have planted its men in Congress too and Mr.Shanti Dhariwal seems to be representing RSS in the Rajasthan cabinet. It really shocks me that even after 21 days of the incident, the Home Minister still continues to be a Minister and has not been sacked. Mr.Ashok Gehlot, the hon’ble CM of Rajasthan has the secular credentials and he should sack the Home Minister without further delay. I really applaud the efforts of the Rahul Gandhi and his office in swinging the entire official machinery into action. This is highly commendable. His office has been working 24/7 to monitor the situation and doing justice with the victims. As the saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way. This gets proved by the actions of the Rahul Gandhi ji and his team which has come to the rescue of the Meo muslims and restored their confidence. This shows that the minorities especially the muslims will be safe under the Congress regime and the dynamic and the most secular leadership of Rahul Gandhi ji.

The mosque in question was used, along with another one in Gopalgarh, by people from the surrounding 38 villages. Members of the Gujjar community asserted their claim to the waterhole, which they used for their livestock. In response to a case filed by Meo Muslims in the Pahadi district court, the tehsildar of Pahadi issued on September 13 an order under Section 30 of the Land Revenue Act asking the Gujjars to vacate the land. The agitated Gujjars allegedly beat up the imam, Abdul Rashid, who lived in the Gopalgarh Kasbah near the mosque after news of the order spread. Tempers rose, and soon agitated groups of the two communities got together to debate further action.

The next day, leaders of the two communities met to try and resolve the matter. However, rumours seemed to fly thick and fast, and members of both communities reportedly gathered near the mosque. It is not known what provoked the police action which was not required all and where the issue could have been resolved with the delibrations. The police version is that they fired to prevent an armed confrontation between the two groups. The mosque, built about a decade ago, is constructed on a mound. It is flanked by an idgah, a burial ground and a smaller mosque in the rear.

Some Unanswered questions

Most versions suggest there were no deaths before the police arrived on the scene and started firing at the mosque. Besides, most of the victims were Meos, a fact that seems to suggest a deliberate attack on the community rather than a fight between the two communities.

There are other disturbing suggestions left by the violence. The leading newspapers report that their visit to the mosque briefly, found it badly vandalised. Most of the victims were apparently killed inside the mosque, and there were bloodstains on the floor. An iron door had deep serrations on it, indicating that an attempt had been made to hack it open. A metal trunk lay unlocked; its contents had been looted and the lid had deep marks on it, suggesting that an axe or some sharp tool had been used to prise it open. Two bodies, burnt beyond recognition, were found in a well in the idgah compound; ropes and an empty fuel canister were found nearby. Footage of the burnt corpses, taken by an organisation called Anhad of Shabnam Hashmi much before the police spotted them, were given to the media.

Though Meos form the numerical majority in Gopalgarh, Gujjars and other caste Hindus have a sizable presence and many of them live in the Kasbah and the adjoining area. There are also a few Meo families in the Kasbah, mostly of the butcher (kasai) caste, including that of the assaulted imam. The mosque, which is among the more imposing structures in Gopalgarh, is less than 700 metres from the local police station.

Questions are being raised on how matters could reach such a stage with the police station so close, and why the police action had such a tragic consequence.

Local Meos who witnessed the violence are unhappy with the police action and the administration's role. It is said that the people had assembled at the mosque for evening prayers when a police vehicle driving down the Sikri road began firing towards the mosque. The people inside the mosque saw armed Gujjars descending from the end. Some makeshift shops owned by Meos in the Kasbah were also vandalised. There is a feeling among ordinary citizens that the administration is always partial.

It is said that about half of the 19 policemen at the local police station are Gujjars. Meos, therefore seldom approach the police station for help. Zahida Khan, the Congress legislator from Kaman Assembly segment, was present at the meeting where the two communities were trying to come to a settlement on September 14 before matters went out of hand. Anita Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Nagar Assembly segment, was also present at that meeting. So was, according to local people, Gyan Chand Ahuja, the BJP MLA from Ramgarh in Alwar district. He reportedly played a role in stoking the fire. There were also others who wanted a flare-up, according to local Meos, and they included advocates and teachers owing allegiance to right-wing Hindutva groups.

The State government has ordered a judicial inquiry. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been asked to investigate the incident. The Meos have traditionally voted for the Congress. But members of the Meo community expressed unhappiness that a Congress delegation comprising Members of Parliament Rashid Alvi, Viplove Thakur, Deependra Hooda and Vijay Bahaguna spent very little time interacting with witnesses and families of the victims. The delegation blamed the police for the excesses and was also critical of the State Home Minister.

In 2005, the Haryana government carved out Mewat district from Gurgaon and Faridabad. Mewat has borders with three other districts, Gurgaon in the north, Rewari in the west, Palwal in the east, and also with Rajasthan in the south. The Mewat region spreads over three States, and the populations of Meos are roughly equal in Haryana and Rajasthan. There is therefore cultural as well as geographical contiguity. The region as a whole is considered backward in terms of social indices, especially education. The Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot may not be biased against any community, but it has given out no indication of a strong political will to deal firmly with such issues. It is not just a law and order problem in Gopalgarh or the Mewat region as a whole. It is the selective application of the use of force by the law enforcement agencies that is deeply worrying. In the Bharatpur case, for instance, a CBI probe was ordered only after vociferous demands were made by several groups.

It is the duty and the responsibility of the state government to provide the security to the muslim community from the police and the Rajasthan's Home Minister should have been sacked by now. The PM's fifteen point program clearly says that "In the areas, which have been identified as communally sensitive and riot prone districts and police officials of the highest known efficiency, impartiality and secular record must be posted. In such areas and even elsewhere, the prevention of communal tension should be one of the primary duties of the district magistrate and superintendent of police. Their performance in this regard should be an important factor in determining their promotion prospects.". This is not being implemented in any of the state in India. I through your platform urge and appeal to the government to make the implementation of such rules more effective by monitoring directly from the centre in co-ordination with the state governments. The PMO should call for an explanation from the state government.

Khaleequr Rahman

Khaleequr Rahman

Thursday, October 6, 2011

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