Commissions - Shirking away from the findings

I'm posting on my blog after almost an year. I must thank a young accquaintence of mine by the name of Sai Krishna for he gav d blogger in me a lift sayin he wud like to copy some of ma wordings 2 relate his own xperiences. But on a serious note wat compelled me into posting again were d recent developments .

For those of you who follow the news , you must have noticed that the longest commission in Indian judicial history , Justice Liberhan Commission has finally tabled it's report. Politically aware Indians all over the world are anxiously awaiting the tabling of the report in the budget session of parliament.Now the Liberhan commission probed into the Babri masjid incident. The incidents that occured on december 6, 1992 will foreover live in infamy and personally i'm of the opinion , no other incident can ever match up to the way december 6 changed the face of India and affected all Indians. I kno a lot of my friends must be thinking of 26/11 Bombay attacks or d post-godhra riots, but babri masjid is d perennial spring from which fundamentalists on both sides of the divide continue to water n nourish their harvest of hatred .

Coming back to the Liberhan commission, it sat for a staggering 16 years,399 sittings and 48 extensions. It is my most cherished hope that the present UPA government(for whom i didnt vote) bring those indicted to book and uphold the trust of the people who presented them with such a resounding mandate.

I would like to draw the attention of my readers to the findings of the Justice Sri Krishna Commission, this commission probed into the post babri riots that rocked Mumbai(then Bombay) during december 92 - january 93. The reason for me to delve into this is the fact that justice sri krishna has done a commendable job in shattering certain myths used to justify the violence that was unleashed by the sangh parivar and Shiv Sena combine on the muslim community of Bombay. The point i would like to drive home is that INSPITE OF A COMPLETE AND IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF THE ACTS OF VILOENCE WHICH OCCURED SUCCESSIVE STATE AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE CONTINUED TO SHY AWAY FROM TAKING ANY SUBSTANTIAL ACTION. The detailed findings of the commission are available on http://www.sabrang.com/srikrish/intro.htm , I implore ma readers to go through it.

I would like to quote from the commissions findings:

“From January 8, 1993 at least there is no doubt that the Shiv Sena and Shiv Sainiks took the lead in organising attacks on Muslims and their properties under the guidance of several leaders of the Shiv Sena from the level of Shakha Pramukh to the Shiv Sena Pramukh Bal Thackeray who, like a veteran General, commanded his loyal Shiv Sainiks to retaliate by organized attacks against Muslims. The communal violence and rioting triggered off by the Shiv Sena was hijacked by local criminal elements who saw in it an opportunity to make quick gains. By the time the Shiv Sena realised that enough had been done by way of ‘retaliation’, the violence and rioting was beyond the control of its leaders who had to issue an appeal to put an end to it.” (Pg. 20, para 1.27–ii).

It's essential to realize the factors that led upto the riots , India during late 1992 was a politically and communaly charged cauldron, the BJP aided by the facist sangh parivar was gaining political space due to the then inept functioning of the congress party, L.K.Advani's rath yatra throughout the nation had left a trail of bloody riots in it's wake. The ramjanmabhoomi movement was gaining in strength and feelings of communal majoritism were being whipped up at fever pitch. The report thoroughly investigates, documents and thereafter passes judicial comment upon the manner in which communal sentiments were kept on the boil by the BJP and its allies in the sangh parivar for six months prior to the demolition of the mosque at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

In both Chapter I and Chapter II, Volume I of the report, the Judge elucidates how particularly from July 1992 onwards these obviously political campaigns were charged by slogans like, “Is desh me rahana hoga, to Vande Mataram bolna hoga”, “Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain”, “Hindustan Hinduonka, nahi kisike baap ka”

the immediate causes were, “the demolition of the Babri Masjid”, “the aggravation of Muslim sentiments by the Hindus with their celebration rallies” and, “the insensitive and harsh approach of the police while handling the protesting mobs which initially were not violent”. (Pg. 20, para 1.26)

at 2.30 p.m. on December 6, 1992, the first communal incident that took place in Mumbai after the demolition of the mosque at Ayodhya was in Dharavi, where it was not angry Muslims but rampaging Shiv Sainiks led by Sena leaders Baburao Mane and Ramkrishna Keni who caused the first provocation. The local police allowed Shiv Sainiks to conduct a cycle rally of 200–300 persons. The rally passed through several communally–sensitive, Muslim–dominated areas in Dharavi and terminated at Kala Killa, where a meeting was held and addressed by the local activists of the Shiv Sena. Provocative speeches were made at this meeting. (Pgs. 7, 94 & 197)

A detailed reading of Volume II of the report reveals important instances about similarly provocative rallies, meets and processions held in various parts of Mumbai on December 6, 1992 by the saffron combine after the demolition at Ayodhya. Given the surcharged atmosphere, these were nothing short of provocative. The police administration and the state government committed a fatal error by failing to act decisively against the organisers even at this late stage.

“The police appear to be either naive, gullible or partisan in ignoring the dangerous implications of speeches of this kind. That this kind of propaganda was carried out from July to October 1992 is not in dispute. It is obvious that the atmosphere in the Pydhonie area became communally charged on account of the continuous barrage of propagandist processions, meetings, speeches and other activities of the Hindutvawaadi parties. This resulted in the atmosphere being so charged that it needed but a spark to ignite and explode”. (Pg.171–172, para 23.5).

There were also several stabbing incidents carried out by professional criminals in different areas of the city, with the intention of whipping up communal frenzy, in which the majority of the victims happened to be Hindus The stabbings appeared to be executed with professional accuracy intended to kill the victims. The killers had not been then identified in several cases, though it was presumed, at least in the cases where the Hindus were victims, that the killers were Muslims.

On January 1, 1993, an article appeared in the Shiv Sena organ edited by Bal Thackeray, Saamna, under the heading “Hindunni Akramak Vhayala Have” (Hindus must become aggressors), openly inciting Hindus to violence

On January 6, 1993, the situation in Mahim went out of control at 9 p.m. Hindus attacked Muslims in Muslim pockets in Mahim area led by Shiv Sena Corporator, Milind Vaidya, and a police constable, Sanjay Gawade, openly carrying a sword. There were serious riots in which frenzied mobs of Hindus and Muslims attacked each other.

These were the incidents that led up to the riots, the acts that followed were beastial in nature and would put any true patriot at shame. I would like to list out some of the incidents as detailed by the commission.

December 12: Four dead bodies, all of Hindus, having multiple stab wounds on vital organs and in highly decomposed condition, were recovered from the gutter along A.K. Marg —Nirmal Nagar in Bandra–East. In yet another incident, one Hindu woman by name Shevantabai was found murdered with her throat slit and her body was dumped in the open compound of National Girls’ High School adjoining Behrampada. Two more bodies, one of a male Hindu and another identified as that of a uniformed Muslim Police Constable attached to the Nasik Rural Police Head Quarters, were recovered from the septic tank of the public latrine in Behrampada on 20th and 21st December 1992 respectively. These bodies also bore multiple stab injuries. It would appear that there was a systematic attempt to stab and murder Hindus and the policeman, though a Muslim, became a victim of the anger of the Muslims directed against the uniform worn by him. (Pg. 159, para 21.18). Testiment to the fact that both sides lost lives in this pogrom.

January 1: “In January 1993, the first incident of communal disturbance occurred on January 1,1993 during which a mob of violent Hindus attacked Muslims behind Jaihind Nagar and Gausiya compound…and threw stones on vehicles plying the Western Express Highway ….probably the immediate target of attack was the Gausiya Masjid and the Muslim residents in close vicinity thereof and the police were attacked because they tried to prevent it.This attack is of some significance as it belies the theory of the Shiv Sena, the state and the police that the Hindus resorted to violence by way of retaliation only after the grisly Radhabai Chawl incident at Jogeshwari. (Pg. 159, para 21.19).

January 7: On January 7, 1993 a taxi in which three Muslims were travelling was set on fire in Pratikshanagar in the Antop Hill jurisdiction resulting in all the inmates being burnt alive. (Pg. 54, para 2.14).

January 10: There was a serious incident at the Hari Masjid in the RAK Marg jurisdiction on January 10, 1993 in central Mumbai in which six persons, all Muslims, were shot dead by the local police as they offered their Friday prayers and one Hindu died as a result of burns. (Pgs. 178–181).

January 12, 1993: A gruesome incident occurs in Devipada in Kasturba Marg jurisdiction (Borivali, Mumbai North). A Hindu mob surrounds, strips and assaults two Muslim women. The older woman manages to run away. The uncle of the younger woman who comes to rescue the young girl of 19, and that girl, are beaten and burnt alive by the violent mob. The names of the miscreants are disclosed to police by a Hindu lady in the locality. (Though the miscreants were arrested and tried by the Sessions Court at Bombay, later on they were all acquitted on the ground that the panchanamas were defective and that the eye–witnesses were not produced). (Pg. 16, para 1.15).

Acts of Muslim aggression have also been documented in the report. The commission states “As far as the December 1992 phase of the rioting by the Muslims is concerned, there is no material to show that it was anything other than a spontaneous reaction of leaderless and incensed Muslim mobs, which commenced as peaceful protest, but soon degenerated into riots. The Hindus must share a part of the blame in provoking the Muslims by their celebration rallies, inciting slogans and rasta rokos which were all organised mostly by Shiv Sainiks, and to a marginal extent by BJP activists. "

This comment is of much importance as it debunks the Sangh parivar theory that muslims acted on ISI backing and instruction.

For the January round of violence, the Shiv Sena has been held squarely to blame. Turning to the events of January 1993, the Commission’s view is that though several incidents of violence took place during the period from 15th December 1992 to 5th January 1993, large–scale rioting and violence was commenced from 6th January 1993 by the Hindus, brought to fever pitch by communally inciting propaganda unleashed by Hindu communal organisations and writings in newspapers like Saamna and Navaakal

Dharavi: “There were meetings held on October 21 and December 1, 1992 by the Muslims advocating protection of the Babri Masjid and opposing the construction of Ram Mandir at the disputed site at Ayodhya. These meetings were held in Naiknagar on L.B. Shastri Marg… One of the speeches advocated that if the Hindus were to snatch away the Babri Masjid from Muslims, there would be no stopping of disintegration of the country; that if Hindus were to build a Ram Mandir at Ayodhya and usher in Ram Rajya, then the Muslims would, through the Babri Masjid Committee, fly the green flag on the Red Fort at Delhi and rule the country.

Dongri: Is a predominantly Muslim area with the reputation of being communally–hypersensitive. It is also the haunt of several illegal activities including drug peddling.“During the period 8th December 1992 to 31st December 1992, 23 cases of communal incidents were registered by the Dongri police station in which Hindus were aggressors in seven cases and Muslims were aggressors in 16 cases. Contrary to the police perception that during the December 1992 phase of the riots, it was only the Muslims who were aggressors, it appears that the Hindus also contributed their share towards riots and communal incidents during this period. Out of the seven cases in which Hindus were aggressors, four were cases in which Muslims were stabbed; in two cases there was looting and one involved looting and arson of a Muslim establishment. During the same period, out of the 16 cases in which Muslims were aggressors, nine were individual stabbing cases, and seven were cases of looting of different Hindu establishments.” (Pg. 108, para 11.21).

Mahim: “On December 25, 1992 a pamphlet in the Urdu language was distributed around Jama Masjid area in Mahim. This pamphlet, without doubt, is communally provocative and incites Muslims to fight against the atrocities committed on them by Hindus, starting with the demolition of Babri Masjid and calls upon the Muslims to resolve that, if the Babri Masjid had to be constructed with blood, they should be prepared to do so. The police have registered a case in this connection. Though there was a sizeable Muslim population in this area, the intelligence gathering machinery of police with regard to Muslim activities in this area was totally ineffective. There was only one Muslim police person attached to this police station, even he could not read Urdu and keep tabs on the activities of the Muslims in this area.” (Pg. 151, para 19.13).

Pydhonie: Once the riots erupted in January 1993, several known criminals from the area, though undoubtedly Muslims, took advantage of the situation and fanned the fires of communal hatred. Groups led by Salim Rampuri, Abdul Rauf alias Rauf Chacha and others moved around the locality instigating the Muslim youths to come out and help in looting the godowns of Hindus. This area saw the circulation of pamphlets containing incendiary communal material urging Muslims to communal violence and also calls given on loudspeakers fixed on Masjids urging Muslims to come out in large numbers with arms and attack ‘Kafirs’. The police has been remiss in not keeping tabs of the activities of known Muslim organistions, Jamait–E–Islam–E–Hind, Muslim League and SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India), who were known to have participated in some of the previous protests. Similarly, no watch appears to have been kept nor intelligence gathered about the activity of Raza Academy. The slogans shouted by the mobs invariably indicated their anger at the police.”

The report also mentions bias exhibitted by the Bombay police

The report says , “While the police were prompt in arresting Muslim miscreants at all levels, they showed a marked reluctance to arrest any of the miscreants connected with the Shiv Sena. In fact, the assessments in the Crime Reports suggest that if accused belonging to the Shiv Sena were arrested, there was a likelihood of a flare–up in the communal situation and therefore it was decided that no Shiv Sainik should be arrested. This view was taken not only by the lower police echelons, but also had the approval of the Assistant Commissioner of Police and the zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police. Thus there have been cases where the accused Shiv Sainiks were charge–sheeted even without arrest and interrogations, apparently under the orders of DCP, Pande. It appears to the Commission, that repeated morchas and flexing of muscles by the Shiv Sena hierarchy and the crowds led by them, affected the police morale and psyche. (Pg.162, para 21.27).

Within the Antop Hill jurisdiction, after three Muslims were burnt alive in a taxi within barely 150 feet of the police picket on January 12, 1993. (Pg. 54, para 2.14). On January 15, 1993 the police arrested two persons in connection with this incident and on the same day a morcha of about 3,000–4,000 men and women led by Sena Shakha Pramukh, Prahlad Thombre, Sena MLA, Kalidas Kolamkar, Congress MLA, Eknath Gaikwad, Sena corporator, Krishna Vishwasrao, Congress corporator, Karuna Mhatre and others came to the police station and to secure the release of one of the accused, Bal Thombre.

The commission also includes the then additional commissioner of police V.N.Deshmukh's testimony of bias prevalent in the Bombay police force.

“A significant fact admitted by Deshmukh is his assessment of the deep–rooted and biased belief among 80 percent of the lower echelons of the Mumbai police that Muslim youths were more prone to crime though he was quick to add that there was no such impression among senior officers.” (Pg. 201, para 4.7).

Al that i have included are part of the commission's findings. Goin through the commission's findings left me deeply disturbed and spurred me to pass on this information to friends and readers. What i implore is that we abandon reiligious and communal alleigences and analyze these events, the futility, the sheer waste and the monumental tragedy involved. Countrymen turned on country men, nieghbours spewd venom on neighbours, the irony is unspeakable acts of horror were commited in the name of a holy God. As of today the findings of these commissions have not been acted upon. Shiv Sena and BJP mafiosi who publicly gave call to arms and violence continue to be in offices of power or under the public eye evading arrest and trial. The Bombay riots sent a wave of disilluisionment throught the psyche of the Indian muslim, it may be noted that most of those involved in the subsequent Bombay blasts of 1993 including prime accused Tiger Memon were affected by the Bombay riots. In fact Muslim fundamentalist and militant organizations still use the Bombay riots rhetoric to draw cadre.

Sadly the political class of our nation still havent learnt from Bombay riots, no action was taken this manifested in growing muslim resentment which reached breaking point after the post-godhra riots of 2002. As a result attacks on Indian soil by Islamic fundamentalist organizations having INDIAN cadre has gone up considerably.

To my readers and friends i would say, we as a nation are at political crossroads, the political space of communal outfits is decreasing rapidly as illustrated by the drubbing received by the BJP in the recent elections. As we are young and are goin to be the vote bank for at least another 4 decades or more it's imperative we take certain measures.

1.Be politically aware

2.Refrain from voting for parties contesting on communal or caste based factors, majority or minority, always vote for centrist or secular parties

3.Spread the word, discuss with friends, it's not uncool to talk about these stuff, it's your duty as responsible adults and citizens

I conclude ma post with the fervent hope that we as a nation are able to arise from these dark passages of history, fight the enemies(internal and external) of the present and rise to be the superpower we all know we have the potential of being of.

JAI HIND

- Mohammed Akram Akbar