Citizens Sensed the Trouble, Acted in Time, Normalcy Restored
By Syyed Mansoor Agha
An incidence of an altercation between two persons on the issue of parking of a two-wheeler in a densely populated Lal Kuan area of Delhi on June 30 snowballed into a communal flashpoint. Rumours on WhatsApp kicked a flare-up. However, it was defused by the active involvement of non-political senior residents of both sides. People of the area also loudly spoke for peace and harmony. The false posts on social media were smartly countered by some sensible youngsters. Police also acted in time to control the situation.
It all started around 10.30 P.M. when one Mr. Aas Mohammed (20) parked his scooty in Gali Durga Mandirwali. A resident of nearby building Mr. Sanjeev Gupta (54), who makes sweets, rushed to stop him. Reportedly Aas Mohd tried to assure Gupta that he would return within 10 minutes, but Gupta insisted to remove it immediately. The latter said it is a place where Gau Mata rests. An altercation broke out between the two which soon led to a scuffle. At the call of Gupta, some other residents of the building also joined him. Aas Mohammad was beaten. However, he ran away but returned with some others. The heightened passions resulting in a street fight caused some injuries to both.
This followed rumours on WhatsApp groups. A message said the arm of Aas Muhammad was fractured. Another rumour appeared around 11.30 P.M., claiming lynching of the 20-year old Muslim in the area. Worried people gathered at P.S. Hauz Qazi to enquire. However, after police dismissed the rumours as mischievous, people dispersed a little after midnight.
This was followed by an unfortunate incident. As media and police said, some miscreants gathered outside Gali Durga Mandirwali at around 1.30 A.M. As the Hindustan Times reported, some people hurled bricks-bats causing damage to the glass panes of the enclosures. CCTV has captured the vandalising act and the Police have apprehended some suspects.
Again mischief on WhatsApp sensationalised the incident by falsely claiming that the Mandir was put on fire and the Pujari was thrashed by Muslims. That was bound to heighten the passions of the Hindu Community. Sensing the trouble, authorities deployed more than 1,000 personnel from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces armed with anti-riot gear. With the dawn, the area resembled a militarised zone. Police barricades were put at vantage points. As the daybreak, hundreds of Hindu and Muslim youth gathered on either side of Police barricades on the main road of Lal Kuan. They seemed ready to do or die. Police stood firm between them and sloganeering continued from both sides, sweltering heat. All the shops, including eateries and tea stalls, remained closed and residents stood worried.
The residents of Delhi know very well how to face such a threatening situation. They also understand what it will mean if the situation went out of hands. Postures on both sides were apparently combative but there was an undercurrent for peace also. Whenever a Hindu-Muslim riot broke out, Muslims were the greater sufferer. A retired senior IPS officer Vibhuti Narain Rai, elaborated in his book, “Curfew in the City” – based on his personal observations of a 1980 Hindu-Muslim riot in the city of Allahabad, how religious prejudice in the Hindu dominated police force and provincial administration led to Muslim citizens being viewed as enemies and thus becoming easy targets of brutality and murder.
This writer personally experienced the ordeal during prolonged curfews in Meerut and in Delhi when Muslim localities were converted into a virtual hell. The power supply was cut. Even to take the dead body to a graveyard had become a risky, challenging task.
After the incidence, Aas Mohammad was taken to hospital. His friend from hospital denied the report of any fracture. He told in a video that he had minor injuries. Similarly, rumour of vandalising a mosque was countered by a young man who uploaded his interaction with the Imam of Masjid Fatehpuri. The Pujari of the Mandir refuted on social media the rumour of having been beaten.
A resident of the area told a reporter, “It was a fight between two people. Such fights happen routinely but who knew that because one of them being a Hindu and the other a Muslim would be a problem?” Another man said, “I have lived here since I was born but this is the first time I have to identify myself by my (Hindu) religion. We lived here like a family.” Aas Muhammad’s neighbour, Irshad Ali, who is also a member of area RWA, told a reporter, “Gupta’s family members and some other residents thrashed Aas Mohammad. Some people from our area went to intervene when they learned about the fight. The issue was resolved at the police station itself. But the fake news of vandalism of the temple by some outsider miscreants triggered the communal tension. Nobody wants trouble and everybody wants this issue to end at the earliest and resolved amicably.”
A Hindu shopkeeper of the area said, “The business is already in trouble. If the situation did not improve, the whole business will be destroyed. All must understand it.”
The senior citizens sensed the need to be active and work to bring the calm back. And efforts by volunteers, caught in the middle of the warring groups, to urge the people to remain calm, to disperse, to talk, to negotiate peace did a lot. Although in the morning people were apprehensive, towards the evening a group of young social activists and some senior Muslims appeared carrying a banner for talks and for peace. Their unambiguous call for peace and amity was responded by sincere people of the other community and they also came forward. Delegations were drawn from both communities. They set together. The ticklish issue of Mandir vandalism was resolved according to the suggestion of Mufti Mukarram Ahmad, Imam Masjid Fatehpuri. Muslims assured that Islam does not allow anybody to vandalise the religious place of another community. So we are not averse to undo it if it was done by some ignorant Muslims. However, the police had already done the needful and replaced the broken glass pans. Both delegations agreed to jointly work to strengthen communal harmony and peace in the area. Police will do what is needful to maintain peace and harmony.
This was then followed by a press conference addressed by local residents Bittu Halwai and Bhai Jamshed Siddiqui. Both announced the agreement, embraced each other, and opened the seemingly closed road towards a peaceful atmosphere and normalcy.
On Tuesday, the market was again opened, and tea stalls and restaurants were doing brisk business. From daily wagers to businessmen, everyone took a sigh of relief. It should be acknowledged that the Delhi police played a sensible role and helped resolve the matter without taking sides, though Police Commissioner was reportedly reprimanded and reminded to “honour the sentiments of Majority Community.”
[The writer is a civil rights activist and a freelance journalist based in Delhi. [email protected]]