#harmony #wethepeople The unsung heroes of Muzaffarnagar- an untold story Muzaffarnagar: The bus windows smashed to smithereens, the heavy police contingent, the downed shutters. They tell a familiar story. Of a night when a mob went on the rampage after a man was shot dead in Shahpur market. The tinderbox of suppressed bitterness between two communities in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts needs just a spark. A meeting between Jat and Muslim leaders on November 6 is cancelled. The proposed meeting had raised hopes that there would be efforts to build peace between the two communities. In this vitiated atmosphere of fear and rumours, there is another not so familiar story, a story that is far more significant. Of ordinary individuals who adopted a pro-peace agenda from day one. An agenda that needed extraordinary courage. Just 15 km from Shahpur is Dulhera village with its pradhan Sanjiv Kumar Baliyan, who is a Jat. As always, his residence is a favourite spot for both Jats and Muslims who drop in for a chat and a cup of tea. Baliyan is not married but says he has over 7,000 children. A number that matches the population of Dulhera village. Of them 3,000 are Jats and 1000 Muslims Two months ago, when a wave of sectarian violence began to engulf villages across Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, Baliyan realised his village was vulnerable. A motorbike had been set afire by some outsider. Sanjiv Kumar Baliyan said, The riots and killings started at 8 am on September 8. Many Muslims had been killed and they were scared. About ten of us got together and brought the families to my place so that they could feel safe. We told them to stay for a few days and go home once the situation normalised. On September 8, 350 Muslims were given shelter in a building owned by the pradhan and food was cooked right there for them. Similar arrangements were made for them in four houses owned by jats. However, the Muslims were terrorized. They told us we should take them to some other place. We too were worried. Any of them could have suffered a heart attack, says Baliyan. Through the day the families stayed there. No one knew how the events would unfold. Baliyan took out his tractor trolley and drove those who wanted to go to the nearest relief camp set up at the Basi Kalan madrassa. Over the next few days, he visited them at the camp, finally convincing them that they could return to the village safely. Within a week he brought them home in batches, the same way that he had left them- on his tractor trolley. Babu Mistry, a plumber, said, The Pradhan and the villagers were on our side. According to Baliyan, If some Muslims have committed crimes, why blame innocent people? They are human beings like us, they were born in the same village as us. How can we think of attacking them? We have eaten together, studied together, played together. It is the same even today. For Baliyan, it has been a challenging task to maintain harmony. His only regret is that a few families have not yet returned. When we visit them, they say theyll be back in one or two days. But again a shooting takes place somewhere or the other and there is panic. In the Jat dominated Kudana village in Shamli district we meet Satinder Malik, and ex-serviceman and Delhi police constable. An injury on his leg brought him to his village to recuperate. Malik, who is a Jat, says the Muslim families in his village were poor and landless, and worked as agricultural labour or looked after cattle for Jat families. Satinder said, After the riots in Shamli, Muslims in my village started talking about shifting to relief camps. It was crucial to change this thought process. Two or three buses were ready to leave with them. We reasoned with them, requesting them not to leave their homes. We said everyone could co-exist peacefully in the village. The proactive step by residents of the village helped to maintain communal harmony Mohammad Shafique, a resident of the village, said, Village elders are responsible for the peace in our village. In neighbouring villages, there have been riots and bloodshed. But there were some young people who seemed to resent the initiative. Rajinder Malik, the Pradhan of Kudana village, said, A group of young people had got together in the village and were on the verge of creating trouble. We told them that if they were to take this step, everything would suffer- their work as well as business. They treated us like their elder brothers and took heed of our advice. Satinder adds, Whenever we felt young people in our community needed to be kept in check, we did not shy away from the task. We were very strict with them. A few days later, Satinder learnt that an 18-year-old Muslim girls marriage in his neighbourhood was being cancelled. The family was fearful of organising a wedding at a time that tensions were so high. Satinder stepped in, offering to host the girl Anwaris marriage at his residence on October 4. Anwaris family is desperately poor and work as brick kiln workers. Rahisu Ansari, Anwaris father, said, When Satinderji said he would spend on the wedding, I accepted his offer. We were living in terror. He gave everything for the dowry. Satinder decided to send a strong message by organising the marriage. The symbolism of the event was significant. Some people asked me why I had not organised the marriage of a Hindu girl. I told them that for me Hindus and Muslims were the same. I have been in the Army and have learnt to respect all castes and religions. There are villages in our neighbourhood that have witnessed riots. But no one is happy there. Neither community is happy or peaceful. This spirit of humanity finds a resonance in the Muslim dominated village of Basi Kalan. Of its 12,000 strong population, only five per cent are Hindus. Most of the caste groups are represented. There are no Jats however. The pradhan, Haji Mursalin, said, We didnt allow the riots to affect our village. Village elders visited Hindu homes and assured families of their safety. It was only when the situation worsened that some Dalits left for Kamalpur. It was September 9 when 350 Hindus decided to leave the village of Basi Kalan dominated by Muslims and go to the Hindu dominated village of Kamalpur. Though they were assured they would be safe in the village, they were too traumatized. Mursalin said, We brought them back to the village after 10 to 12 days. We went to bring them back. They are our Hindu brothers, weve lived together since generations. The fact that they were living somewhere else out of fear was bringing dishonour to our village. The pradhans efforts to reach out to the community were backed by local policemen. Jagdish Prasad, a Hindu brick kiln worker, said, We would hear of reports of firing in every direction. But it has stopped now. Everyone has returned. This sense of normalcy, however, eludes over a thousand others who have sought refuge at the madrassa in his village. Two months on, they are terrorized by what they witnessed in their villages. Whats worse are reports that nearly 10 pradhans have FIRs lodged against them by victims. Mursalin said, What can we do, its all politics. People dont want to fight among each other, but politicians are instigating these riots. In nearby Taoli village, which too was the site of a relief camp for Muslims, theres a strong sense of amity among both communities. Of the population of 20,000, 75 per cent are Muslims and 25 per cent Hindus. Here too there are no Jats. Villagers started patrolling the streets. No outsider could gain entry in the dark. The result: There was no incident of violence and no Hindu family left the village, even temporarily. Taoli village is barely 10 km from Kutba village which has seen the worst of the riots, but it didnt stop them from protecting the minority Hindus in the village. Zubair Ahmed, who is the son of the pradhan, said, No, there was no tension here. Everything was normal. People continued to live like always. There were never any differences between communities here. Luv Kush, a management student and resident of Taoli village, said They are trying to make us throw stones at each other and create a divide. We need to retain our bonds. There was no tension in our village. If every village handled things the way we did, the situation would have been different.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 04:21:26 +0000
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