More than 70 people belonging to both Hindu and Muslim communities have been killed in the past three months in the violence-ridden Muzaffarnagar, and thousands have been forced to flee to relief camps. Anup Verma reports from ground zero
The lives of Zakir Khan, Kapil Saini and Brahmpal Verma are no longer the same. They lived together, played together, watched films together. They would even join each other in their festivals, and merrily share sweets. For them, friendship was more than their family bonding. Their discussions over a cup of tea would include their family matters, education and even politics of the day. Their faith was never an issue. The recent riots in Muzaffarnagar, however, have changed their lives forever. Their conversations have now been limited to a few minutes, and that also they do quite secretly, evading the prying eyes of their coreligionists.
Zakir is a law student, while Kapil and Brahmpal are pursuing graduation in a local collage. Today, they prefer to talk to each other over phone to know their well-being. Their’s is just an example of how communal clashes have taken a toll on the social fabric of the region. “Wounds inflicted by rioters hoodwinked by vested interests may take years to be healed,” says Kapil. The two others nod their heads in support.
Most of the inhabitants of the violence-ridden Muzaffarnagar — traders, government servants, businessmen, farmers, school-going children and housewives — have heart-rending stories to tell. More than 70 people belonging to both Hindu as well as Muslim communities have been killed in the past three months. Thousands have been forced to flee to relief camps. Women were raped and elderly and children were rendered unattended. In the absence of appropriate medical attention, aged patients and ailing children died in relief camps before they could be shifted to hospitals. Traders suffered immense monetary losses as miscreants forced them to shut their shops and business operations for weeks. Both business and humanity have taken a back seat in Muzaffarnagar.
“Monetary losses are temporary which can be recovered in days or months, but in communal violence we have lost our basic human values. A rift has been created between people of both communities living here for years without any dispute. Influential political leaders are involved in widening the gap between the two major communities to gain political mileage,” says Zakir, adding that these incidents have made him quite scared. “We feel that if some mischief-makers of our community see us with our Hindu friends, then they will make our lives a hell. So, we are trying to avoid meeting them publicly. Though our family members have no problem in our friendship, these elements are targeting poor people like us to fulfil their vested interests,” says he.
“We are childhood friends and have spent a lot of time together in the past two decades. During festivals and marriage ceremonies, even our family members would join us in greeting our Hindu friends and their families. But owing to the recent communal flare-up, we have been stopped to have any communication with them. We can neither meet them publicly, nor visit their homes. We were even stopped from participating in Ramlila this year. Hardly 50 people gathered during Ramlila this time, while the number used to be anything between 500 and 600 in the past,” says Zakir.
Brahmpal echoes a similar sentiment when he says, “Though we want to continue our relationship with our Muslim friends, we are being threatened not to do so. This year we could not participate in Muharram.”
The traders and kolhu owners, too, share the same sentiment. Their business has been reduced to 50 per cent of what it was before the riots. “There are hundreds of kolhus in rural belts in which people from both communities were working together. This year, they have not approached us for work due to fear posed by people of their own community. Most of them have moved to other States for earning money,” says Jahid Hasan, an owner of kolhu located in Tawli village.
Those involved in sugarcane farming are also ruing as their crops are still lying in the fields. Around 2,500 bighas of land, belonging to Muslims, are also lying unused in various parts of the region. More than 1,000 bighas have been set ablaze while nearly 250 tubewells have been vandalised by the rioters which have affected irrigation badly. These owners of sugarcane farms are desperately looking for labourers to harvest the crop. Generally, these labourers belong to the Muslim community and are today living in make-shift camps. “We are suffering a huge loss due to rift between the two communities,” says Rajbeer Singh, a resident of Kutba village where 10 people lost their lives in communal clashes.
Mojpal Saini, principal of Saraswati Shishu Mandir, located near Shahpur, says that about 80 Hindu children and 40 Muslims study in the school but after the violence, no one is attending the classes. This has compelled him to close the school for some time. “Though this institution doesn’t discriminate on the basis of caste, creed and community, the recent communal fighting has badly hampered its functioning. Parents are reluctant to send their kids to the school now,” says Saini.
The Hindu-Muslim rift could be gauged from the fact that around 12,000 refugees are still living in 17 relief camps across the region and are reluctant to go back to their native places. The Divisional Commissioner of Saharanpur has also informed the Supreme Court that these people are not willing to return to their homes due to fear of their life. Till the time Muzaffarnagar doesn’t return to normalcy, Zakir, Kapil and Brahmpal would continue to live a constrained life. The three are, however, hopeful that things would improve in some time. The three are biding time, and they are not alone in this waiting game.