Skip to main content

Aurangabad communal clashes: Would Fadnavis deviate from the course already charted by his mentors in Nagpur?

By Adv Masood Peshimam
Riots in our country are routine. The allegedly partisan role of the police is routine. Delegates of different hue and colour feverishly rushing to the concerned authorities is routine. Authorities assuring that the guilty would not be spared is routine. Concerned authorities promising to set up inquiry committee to probe the multiple reasons contributing to the growth of communal violence is routine. No consequent follow up is also routine. On top of it the guilty remaining immune from punishment many a time, particularly the law enforcers, too, is routine.
Following the recent outbreak of communal violence in Aurangabad in Maharashtra, there have been allegations of police supporting the violent crowd to target Muslims, with the administration failing to take preventive measure to halt the drift in the law and order situation. There are allegations of indiscriminate arrest of innocent Muslims.
Against this murky scenario Muslim MLAs had an audience with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at his Varsha Bungalow in Mumbai. The Muslim MLAs termed the occurrence of communal violence as part of larger conspiracy. They presented video clips and other material showing the alleged culpability of the police in supporting the rioters. They explained to Fadnavis the failure of the law enforcing machinery to take corrective measures to nib the growing trouble in the bud well in time.
It is good to note that the Maharashtra CM gave an instant ear to the MLAs. He assured that a committee would be formed to probe the pros and cons of the communal trouble in Aurangabad headed by Additional DIG Law & Order Bipin Bihari. The CM vociferously stated that the guilty would not be spared.
On the occasion, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA said that the evidence presented shows that the police appears to have sided with the rioters in targeting Muslims. MLA Imtiaz Jalil said that he saluted 98% police for its good performance and blamed only 2% police which has tarnished the image of the entire police force.
It is not clear how the 2% police prevailed upon 98% police force to allegedly damage the prospect of peace. Jalil owes an explanation for this. The MIM MLA needs to explain what has 98% police force has done to prevent the spread of communal narrative, thus exacerbating the situation.
Another Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, sharing the concern of innocent Muslims, demanded their immediate release. He said that Lachchu Phelwan had threatened Muslims to forcibly close shops, and despite compliance, no action was initiated against the accused. Others who met the CM were Waris Pathan, Amin Patel and Asif Shaikh.
Fadnavis assured the delegates to undo the injustice with the promise that those mishandling the situation would not escape the punishment. So far so good, but the question is, would Fadnavis deviate from the course already charted by his mentors in Nagpur? Would his pronouncements match with action, which amounts to curbing the hawkish communal forces in the state? Would he act against divisive agenda sparking Aurangabad?
Time alone would show the credibility or otherwise of the promises made by the CM. If history is any guide, no seriousness is shown to restrain aggressive communal forces. It’s the absence of the genuine action on the part of the authorities which has culminated in to the scenario which has witnessed the rise in the occurrence of communal violence at a regular interval.
The MLAs visiting Fadnavis is welcome, but what prevented them including the non-Muslim MLAs and other luminaries and intellectuals? The induction of non-Muslims in the delegation would have helped in securing the secular tone and tenor. What has prevented the Muslim MLAs like Amin Patel and Aslam Shaikh of Congress to rope in the eminent Congress MP Milind Deora and others, as these MLAs leave no stone unturned to promote the electoral fortunes of the Congress?
In their protest they should have contacted Mumbra MLA Jitendra Ahward in the team to test the waters. Jitendra Ahward has the huge impact in Mumbra and his regular victory explains that people’s enthusiasm has not turned into disillusionment.
The induction of non-Muslim luminaries would have given more leverage, and more seriousness would have factored in the presentation of grievances. A delegation with different shades would have made government more accountable. Otherwise, the outcome of such meeting is the display of photo with the CM in the Urdu media, and the situation remains grim.
Meanwhile, at the press conference held in Aurangabad, Irfan Engineer, NIhal Dhabade, Siddihi Pendke, Adv Abhay Taksal, Budddah Priya Kabir and Ashfaque Salami blamed extortion and role of Shiv Sena with an eye on future election, and an effort to inculcate the feeling among Hindus that Shiv Sena is only the guardian of their interest, and Shiv Sena can save Hindus from Muslim onslaught. Attached with the Centre for Study of Society & Secularism, they accused Shiv Sena of inciting the violence in Aurangabad. They visited Aurangabad on a Fact Finding Team mission.
There was also Bhima Koregaon Fact Finding Team, which equally blamed the police siding with one community. The Bhima Koregaon Fact Finding Committee desired the arrest of MP Chandrakant Khare for his alleged role in the Aurangabad communal violence.
Earlier, some other delegates met top Police Officials with CCTV footage showing the police supporting the alleged miscreants. Some in the police doubted the authenticity of the CCTV footage. The evidence relating to electronic record is referred in section 65-A of Indian Evidence Act, 1872 which says that the contents of electronic records may be proved in accordance with the provisions of section 65B. CCTV footage has helped in cracking many criminal cases, and it has facilitated in achieving breakthrough in the process of investigation.

Comments

TRENDING

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas*  November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.  

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Outreach programme in medical education: Band-aids for compound fractures

By Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Recently, the National Medical Commission (NMC) of India, introduced two curricular changes in medical education, both at the undergraduate and the postgraduate levels, ostensibly to offer opportunities for quality medical education and to improve health care accessibility among the underserved rural and urban population.

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. 

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad*  The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.