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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Untold story of riots: Attack on maulvi, a man who cried wolf by Apurva

Untold story of riots: Attack on maulvi, a man who cried wolf by Apurva

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published Published on Sep 22, 2011   modified Modified on Sep 22, 2011

The key to determining the events that led to the death of nine Meo Muslims in clashes in Bharatpur’s Gopalgarh on September 14 could lie with two figures, a Meo and a Gurjjar, both “underground” at the moment.

The Meo is a 47-year-old maulvi called Abdul Rashid, who was allegedly severely assaulted by the Gurjjars the day before the killings, which greatly agitated the Meos.

The Gurjjar is an unidentified man who burst into a meeting of the leaders of the two communities at Gopalgarh police station, screaming that Meos had shot and killed several Gurjjars in the main village square.

According to the Meos, the land dispute that government officials have repeatedly mentioned as lying at the heart of the unrest and firing, wasn’t the real issue.

Rather, it was the attack on Maulvi Rashid on September 13 night that inflamed the Meos. This is not disputed even by the Gurjjars and police in Gopalgarh.

What followed was mayhem that was exacerbated by poor policing, said many who saw the incident at close quarters, including several police officers themselves.

Senior police officers said that the district collector, who has since been transferred out, gave the police orders to fire. “About a dozen policemen got into a Vajra (the specially-built riot control vehicle police use) and made straight for the masjid, which they believed was the source of the trouble, and opened fire,” said a senior police officer.

“Since the road in front of the masjid is narrow, the Vajra drove on for a few kilometres before it could turn, and then came back and fired again at the masjid, before heading back to the police station.”

This police action, the police now believe, forced the Meos to retreat and begin to evacuate the area.

Sources in the police said the Vajra left for the masjid with no backup, and no forces reached the masjid for at least 30 minutes after the first round of police firing. “It was in this 30-40 minutes that we believe miscreants from the Gurjjar community entered the masjid and ransacked it,” said a police officer. “Though this is still a matter for investigation, we believe this is when three members of the Meo community were dragged from the masjid, set ablaze and dumped in a nearby well.”

Five FIRs have been registered at the Gopalgarh police station. Two of these are by the SHO, for rioting and provocative speeches at the masjid, one each by an injured Gurjjar and Meo, and a fifth by a head constable of the Gopalgarh police station against miscreants who allegedly assaulted the collector and SP.

Bharatpur Range Inspector General of Police Sunil Dutt told The Indian Express that unknown miscreants had flung chairs and acted improperly at the police station in front of the DC and SP.

Khurshid Ahmed, a Meo advocate and leader who was at the police station minutes before the Gurjjar youth’s dire message, said: “I was there and I saw it all. Several people had surrounded the SP and DC asking them to take action against the Meos. I saw a person grab the collector’s collar, and another snatch the SP’s phone.”

Gopalgarh sarpanch Sher Singh Gurjjar told The Indian Express that though the land dispute had led to mild tensions, it was the assault on the maulvi that ignited the fire.

“There was a lot of tension on September 14 and Meo leaders and I went around the town, begging people to maintain peace. Finally, we began talks at the Gopalgarh police station, and I publicly offered my apologies to all members of the Meo community,” Gurjjar said. The situation was immediately defused, he said.

“But no sooner had the sarpanch apologised when a Gurjjar youth ran screaming into the police station that Meos had fired at Gurjjars, killing at least 20,” said Ahmed. “The police immediately mobilised, took a vehicle straight to the masjid some half a kilometre away, and opened fire.”

The Indian Express, 22 September, 2011, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/untold-story-of-riots-attack-on-maulvi-a-man-who-cried-wolf/850035/


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