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Kanpur riots
By Obaid Nasir, Lucknow
‘Tactlessness’ on the part of
administration and ‘senselessness’ of Muslim youths are mostly
responsible for the Kanpur tragedy that left behind itself a trail of
death and destruction. It is also the failure of Muslim leadership in the
communally sensitive city of Kanpur. Either they failed to rise to the
occasion or they were shouted down by zealots within the community who
took over the leadership and held it at ransom for their own petty
considerations. Whatever the fact, the Muslims in Kanpur paid a heavy
price with about 30 persons dead and properties worth millions of rupees
destroyed.
It is alleged that the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) is behind
the entire episode, while the SIMI says that it has nothing to do with the
developments on that day. Instead it had called for demonstrations next
day and the Congress was organizing the demonstrations on that fateful day
against Tehelka.com revelations. This Congress demonstration took an ugly
turn when unknown elements joined it.
The administration in Kanpur, which seemed to be in deep slumber at the
initial stage, became rudderless and finally communal. Protest is our
democratic right. Like every citizen Muslims too are free to use this
democratic right whenever they feel the need to air their demands. Why the
Kanpur administration did not allow the burning of effigies whereas their
counterparts in the state capital allowed this. When the administration in
Kanpur was chasing Muslim youths and stopping them from exercising their
democratic rights, hundreds of political workers belonging to different
political parties were burning the effigies of the PM and other leaders in
front of the state assembly building in the presence of administrative and
police officers. The main cause behind the trouble in Kanpur is this
double standard on the part of the local administration.
Two points deserve to be probed thoroughly (1) wether not allowing the
burning of effigies and (2) the lacklustre approach were part of a
conspiracy to teach the Muslims of Kanpur a lesson..
The final stage of administrative action is much more serious and
dangerous. The entire administration seems to be after the blood of
Muslims. It lost all sense of impartiality and fair play and let loose a
reign of terror against Muslims. Their shops, business establishments,
houses and places of worships were singled out for destruction whereas
their youths were selectively gunned down.
Kanpur was in no way a communal riot. Instead it was a police action
against Muslims. The police used the services of Hindu anti-social
elements to fulfill its nefarious designs, which is a dangerous and
entirely new phenomenon which should be probed and checked at all cost.
Newspaper reports are full with all kinds of concocted stories. Kanpur’s
Muslim-dominated areas are being presented as a second J&K where writ
of terrorist outfits runs large! Hindustan Times particularly is
religiously busy in placing the entire blame on SIMI. It seems as if HT
reporters are much more informed than the intelligence sleuths of UP and
India. The replacement of PAC with RAF and other central forces helped in
bringing about peace in this communally sensitive city but the wounds will
take long time to heal. q |
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