<< Prev Page    |    1    |    2    |    3    |    4    |    5    |    6    |    7    |    8    |    9    |    10    |    Next Page >> 5 Issues Role of political parties and their performance in the areas known to be “sensitive” Role of political parties and their performance in the areas that is “sensitive”. The political parties have played an important role in both instigating existing communal tension causing large scale riots, and allowing internal party rivalries to cause riots. Using existing communal feelings In many situations, parties have used the animosity that already exists between two communities, instigating one against the other, for their own benefit. In Hubli where there is long history of feuds between the Pategar community and the Muslims, the BJP has tried to use this traditional rivalry for its own political gain. Again, in Hubli, the BJP tried to use the Idgah Maidan controversy for its own gain, by sidelining the Muslims to win over the Hindus so as to keep the issue of ‘the other’ burning. Efforts were first made to dispute its ownership and secondly to test the patriotism of the Muslims by centering the issue around the hoisting of the national flag. They tried to bring themselves up as protecting the ‘honour of the flag’ and showing the Anjuman-e-Islam as an unpatriotic group. After the Anjuman themselves hoisted the flag in 1995, the BJP tried to again use this to show that their point had been proven and said that this had just vindicated their fight to hoist the flag. Internal conflicts There have also been situations where political parties allow rivalry, both within the party and between parties to culminate into communal riots. In Belgaum, the riots that took place in April 1992 (see under: settling private scores), it is argued that the internal opposition within the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) ranks which resulted in a Kannadiga being elected as a Mayor of Belgaum for the first time in 1991 may have been a contributory factor to the riots, with rival factions trying to settle scores. It was also noticed that there was a marked increase in tension, after the 1991 Lok Sabha elections, when the BJP lost the election from the Belgaum Parliamentary Constituency, but was able to gather sizable support from the Belgaum Town segment. The group clashes that occurred in May 1997, in Kurtakoti and Antur-Bentur villages in Dharwad, where at least three men were axed to death was mainly a result of a long-standing rivalry between two communities, owing allegiance to different political parties-the group led by the slain men belonged to the Janata Dal and the other, a dominant community of the village, to the Congress. The hatred they had nursed exploded in the ugliest form after the elections to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees in which Congress-backed candidate won despite Dal’s majority in the local gram panchayat. The immediate provocation was the alleged insult hurled at a 75 year old Congress worker, Mahantappa Byahatti, by 3 Dal workers. A group of men wielding sickles, axes and other weapons headed where the leader of a rival gang waited, dragging them to the middle of the street, and chopping the limbs of 3 men. The mob then ransacked the victims houses and set them on fire. The supporters of the deceased arrived on the scene and both the gangs fought pitched battles leaving many seriously injured. Visits of politicians During the 1993 riots in Bhatkal, after the first bout of violence settled down, the CM’s visit and his spending time in Yahya’s (the then Higher Education minister and accused of having in a role in the riots) house, resulted in renewed violence. Soft Hindutva In the 1988 Kolar riots, one mandal member who belongs to a major political party had openly admitted that after hearing the news of attack on Hindus by Muslims, he had gathered 500 people and moved towards the Durga on 12th December night. But the police successfully prevented and sent them back. It is evident there that most of the political parties maintain a sort of soft corner approach towards culprits belonging to majority community. They have no hesitation to hobnob with communal organizations like RSS. Hence, most of them will not antagonize these elements with the dubious intention. Causing riots Differences between two prominent Ministers, S. Yahya and R.N. Naik, and inter party rivalry between the Congress and BJP were the main reasons for the long riots that took place in Bhatkal in 1993. Role of rumors The judicious use of rumours to precipitate a riot in an already communally charged atmosphere besides spreading and sustaining the riot is seen in almost all riot situations. In the 1988 Kolar riots, violence broke out during a procession taken out by the RSS. This spread to other parts of Hubli and nearby villages as rumors started spreading. Out at the four versions floated around, most of them opined for the cracker incidence version was the cause of the riot. But everyone agreed that only after the announcement by the RSS leaders, the rioting had started. There rumors that were floated around: i. Some people had spread a rumor that a lorry driver, who was bringing the participants from a nearby village in his lorry, was attacked. This news was given a big announcement and caused rioting ii. A rumor had spread that two bike riders who were piloting the procession were kidnapped by the Muslims, when actually the bike raiders had temporarily gone out of the procession on their own. This mis-propaganda made the processionists rush to the Muslim shops. For instance, in Kolar in September 1990, during the Ramjanam Bhoomi movement, the police prevented the Ramjyoti yatra being taken through Muslim dominated areas in Srinivaspura. This was capitalized on by RSS/VHP in giving statements and spreading rumours against Muslims. The rural masses were thus instigated and over the next week about hundreds of acres of mango orchards were destroyed around Kolar. Immediately, a month later, a quarrel between the organizers of Id-Milad and RSS activists regarding decorations ended in some Muslim youth pelting stones on buses and a Maruthi car with a pregnant woman inside being badly hit. This incident was blown up and all sorts of imagination were packed into it, and rumors that the pregnant woman was hit and womb ripped open was circulated among rural folk to instigate them against Muslims. And thus began clashes and violence on Muslims. This can be seen in the riots that took place in Dharwad in 1992 following the Babri masjid demolitions. After the demolitions, the village remained largely peaceful. The first sign of trouble appeared when some Hindus alleged that a few stones were thrown at a temple on Hanuman Koppa (where 2 temples and 1 mosque are located next to one another). However the Peace Committee was able to soothe the frayed tempers and restore order. About 9 days later, the temple was rumored to have been stoned again. This sparked of riots, causing a large mob to come together with the intention of destroying Muslims and their property. It is important to note that inspections of the temple showed no signs of such stoning. In Bhatkal on 1st April 1993, violence was sparked off following rumours that three stones were hurled at Ramanavami chariot procession taken off from the Channapatna Maruthi temple. The violence claimed the lives of 4 people and injured 58 people. 147 houses were looted, 44 shops were gutted and 29 shops pillaged and 11 fishing boats were torched. Textile shops, a stone crushing unit, rice mills and a PVC pipe factory worth 2 crores were all ruined. Four places of worship were set on fire. Following this the situation gradually limped back to normal by the 20th. Following the visit of various politicians including the CM on the 28th, again on the night of 29th April, a rumour spread that stones had been hurled at the Ganapathi temple resulting in renewed violence in which 2 people were fatally stabbed. In Bhadravati, in August 1994, rumors played the main role in causing riots, starting from Bhadravati and then spreading to the neighboring villages, where the modus operandi was to spread rumors that the people of a particular community had indulged in violent attacks. Thus communal passion was aroused, and a sense of insecurity was created among people of a particular community. The situation worsened when news spread that a place of worship had been stoned by miscreants. What is interesting is that, the violence first started of in Bhadravati following the Id procession. In September 1997, riots broke out in Bangalore, in Jayanagar, when a bunch of rumour mongers spread the word that a place of worship had been razed to the ground. Trouble started when a section of people started pelting stones at another group, which had agreed in principle with the Corporation authorities to demolish an illegal structure near a place of worship in 4th Block, Jayanagar. A fight began and soon rumours spread that the place of worship had been demolished. BMTC buses were set on fire, scooterists were assaulted and cars burnt. In Hassan, in January 1998, violence was sparked by rumours that one community was trying to construct a place of worship. Trouble started in the morning, when a group of people started construction work at an open space between a place of worship and a school imparting religious teachings. As word spread, a 1,500 crowd gathered around the place opposing the construction. Vehicles were set afire, and two shops were damaged. Rumors were again the cause of the communal violence at Suratkal in December 1998. The group clashes at Kurtakoti and Antur-Bentur villages in Dharwad, in May 1997, the immediate cause for the violence to break out in large degrees was a rumor that spread, that a Congress worker had died of injuries he had got after a private row with rival party (Janta Dal) workers.    << Prev Page    |    1    |    2    |    3    |    4    |    5    |    6    |    7    |    8    |    9    |    10    |    Next Page >>