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| Resisting communalism and globalisation | |||||||||||||||||
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4. The toiling daily wage-earners and self-employed (hawkers, etc.) loose their earnings during riots due to curfews. Those venturing out are targeted by communal elements and harassed by the police. 5. Women face the double brunt of communalism and patriarchy. Apart from the hardships in managing the house, they are sexually targeted by communalists. Furthermore, communalism gives a golden opportunity to the patriarchs to discipline the women and confine them into the house. | ||||||||||||||||
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2. Communalism, Caste and Class Communalism has acquired dangerous dimensions in the recent years and practice of caste-based discrimination continues inspite of the democratic and secular polity. As a result, social harmony has come under severe strain. Not only that, the society immersed in continuous social conflicts and strifes has driven the agenda of poverty alleviation on the back seat. The political parties are preoccupied balancing their forces keeping these considerations in mind, almost missing their raison de etre, of bringing about deep-rooted and sustained social and economic equalities in the highly unequal society. Amidst these confusions, the urban elites, in favour of economic globalization that would expand their wealth, are vigourously pursuing their agenda, to the exclusion of the poor (the underclass) immersed in sorting out the communal differences and fighting for their rights to survive. It appears that there is some design, of the elites to pursue their economic agenda while the majority of the population are busy fighting political battles, more often than not on the streets. Communalism and caste are included in this analysis from this perspective. Manipulation of communal differences has been a feature of ruling class politics since 1947. But, the increasing communalization of the polity and society during the last decade has led to unprecedented communal violence in almost all parts of the country. Communalism is indeed a complex phenomenon expressed along religious lines. It draws sustenance from a variety of factors, which are ideological, political, cultural and economic. Essentially a modern phenomenon, communalism found its early expression during the colonial period. It, however, does not follow that communities or groups identified with different religions, sects and castes always had a harmonious existence during the pre-colonial phase. The reality was far from it. In fact, it would have been surprising, if they had. History records tensions and conflicts between members of different sects and religions. There were, for example, conflicts among the Shaivites and the Vaishnavites; the Buddhists and the Jains. Yet these conflicts did not seriously impair social relations, nor did they intrude in the political do-main. As mentioned earlier that community differences and tensions along the religious divide have existed in India all through the India history, these were never a direct part of the body politics. Today, communalism has become a force that has eroded the democratic space of the poor. It has fractured the communities and reduced their capabilities to unite for common actions of their immediate concerns. The minorities have certainly lost their right to protest against economic injustices. They fear that any such action will be construed an act of communalism and they will have to face the wrath of the organized violence by the ideologues of the majority community . Riots and trail of violence has caused hardships and sufferings particularly for the very poor and the marginalized. The livelihoods of lakhs of people have been affected and the fabric of the of social relations between people, almost torn asunder. That people have survived, have tried to rebuild the fabric of their social relations and their lives as individuals, families and communities has been due to the basic resilience of the ordinary people and their indomitable courage to withstand adversity. The older civil society institutions have been unable to cope with the situation . Instead in some instances new organizations have come up to forge the unity and maintain a semblance of sanity. In the communally charged and caste divided urban society of India, it is hoped that these organizations will have an important role to play. Communalism has given an ideological tool to discriminate against the minority community in all walks of life. They have been marginalized from the employment, them getting jobs generally in the firms belonging to their own community. It is alleged that, as a result, unemployment rates among the youth of the community has increased. Many of them have diverted to seeking employment in the illegal activities. But evidences of this phenomenon are hard to find. Such evidences are available in fragments, for example, investigation of Bhiwandi riots in late eighties, in which Asgar Ali Engineer points out to the economic cause of riots. Reports after reports, the recent one under media light, Srikrishna Committee report on Bombay riots of 1992-93, bring out the systematic attack on the minority community, which eventually lead to their segregation and complete denial of their human rights. With this background, we will briefly narrate the history of communal riots in Ahmedabad. We do not have evidences of the impacts these riots have had on the minority community in Ahmedabad due to lack of systematic research. It was not on the agenda of this report to carry out such a primary research. 2.1 Communalism in Ahmedabad In the post-independence period, the first communal riot in Ahmedabad was in 1969. These riots made a major dent on the social structure and ushered an era of using communal politics in the struggle for political power. In a real sense, these riots cannot be described as riots between two communities. They were massacres committed by the Hindu communalists against the Muslims, with the police and the State either actively instigating the Hindu communal forces in their carnage or conniving at the atrocities. Some of the important riots are mentioned below. 1969 riots This has been the most dreadful and violent riot in the history of Ahmedabad and Gujarat, taking a toll of more than 660 human lives, 1,084 persons injured, 27,750 Muslims rendered homeless and pushed into refugee camps, and property worth Rs. 42.3 million ransacked and pillaged. Labour areas in the eastern part of the city were targeted by the communalists. Large number of Muslim labour activists were exterminated and the poor, mainly dalits and Muslims suffered. Some of the major reasons for the riots, as per Naidu include: * Congress split and the nationalization of banks by Indira Gandhi * Increasing strength of CPI(M) in the city's politics * Competition for textile employment between labour from UP and local Muslim and Dalit labour. * Muslim protest actions against mosque desecration in Jerusalem irking Hindu communalists. * Communal mobilization by RSS. * Role of the Gujarati press in stoking communal passions. Riots of the Eighties After the dreadful massacres of 1969, communal forces gathered sufficient momentum in the city. The RSS and VHP, took up relief activities for the Hindus as well as stepped up the communal propaganda to consolidate the anti-Muslim passions of the Hindus into a communal movement. But during the seventies communal politics was forced to take a backseat by the widespread economic and political movements such as Navnirman movement against price-rise resulting in the ouster of Chimanbhai Patel's government and the anti-emergency movement resulting in the Congress ouster. The 1980s saw the anti-reservation riots by upper caste people protesting against the OBC reservation policy promulgated by the Madhavsinh Solanki Government (on the basis of the Baxi Commission Report). Instead of targeting the government or the OBCs, the casteists poured their wrath on dalits, who were hardly concerned with the policy. In 1985, the caste riots turned communal. March 18, 1985 was observed as Gujarat bandh by anti-reservationists. In the evening, communal riots erupted in Dariapur and Nagina Pol (two communally sensitive areas in the walled city). Later on, they spread to other communal-sensitive regions of Ahmedabad and other cities of Gujarat. The damage done by the first phase of the riots in March were : * 19 people killed (14 in police firing, 5 stabbed) * 52 injured (15 in police firing , 28 in stabbing, rest in arson) * 57 houses and 115 shops set ablaze, 32 houses and 8 shops damaged. * Approximate Rs. one to three crores worth property destroyed. * Police fired 174 rounds on 20 occasions. * 1150 persons arrested, of which 120 for arson, looting and stabbing. * Various walled areas of the city under curfew for 7 to 9 days. Dariapur, Nagina Pol and Vadigam areas were the most hit during the riots. These areas consist of Patels, Dalits and Muslims. The Muslims are extremely poor and work in unorganized sector, factories and small shops. For quite some time, Dariapur has been an area of several gambling dens and massive trafficking in illicit liquor and drugs, run by both Patels and Muslims. With the textile crisis, the unemployed were gainfully absorbed in this illegal economy . These areas got repeatedly engulfed in communal riots and have repeatedly come under the conditions of curfew. On the reasons for the riots, an excellent investigation by Lok Adhikar Sangh (LAS) observed: 1. About the origin of the communal riots, it is very difficult to come to a definite conclusion. All sorts of theories were put forward to explain the starting of the riots. One theory was that the communal riots were pre-planned and were deliberately started by pro-government forces as a counter measure to anti-reservation agitation and to convert it into communal riots. Another theory is that these communal riots were started by Hindu communal elements predominantly in Dariapur and Kalupur areas who were also active in anti-reservation agitation. This is because the anti-reservation agitation had from the very beginning communal overtones also. The third theory was that these communal riots were started by some of the dissidents of Congress(I). There was also a fourth theory, viz. that these riots were the handiwork of anti-social elements who were running the gambling houses and liquor dens in the said areas. 2. The atmosphere in the walled city was so surcharged with passions that communal riots spread like fire in the areas of the walled city within 2 to 3 hours on 18th March. 3. Communal disturbances were mainly confined to burning and looting of shops and houses rather than big clashes among mobs or attacking members of the opposite community. 4. The police were totally ineffective in controlling rampant loot and arson. Moreover, in many places they actually connived at the incidents. In some cases, they are reported to have instigated people, particularly the majority community in indulging in these activities. It is generally believed that the police totally failed to render protection mainly to the minority communities. 5. Inspite of widespread property damage and tension, there was no intense communal frenzy in these localities. The communal incidents were strongly disapproved by the local people. 6. The political forces definitely played a very important part, but it is very difficult to ascertain accurately their role in starting and spreading the communal riots. 7. It is also believed that the government called the Army very late and mishandled the whole situation. The people from different walks of life believed that the government and the police could have controlled the situation immediately if they really wanted to do so . Rath Yatra of 1986 (9th July) turned communal triggering off riots. Some of the Rath Yatra processionists were fully armed with lathis, trishuls and other weapons. There were more than one lakh people in the procession. Communal forces, led by the Sangh Parivar were bent on creating trouble. As the procession entered the Muslim areas, a section of the processionist shouted anti Muslim slogans to infuriate the Muslims. In the Muslim lanes, they started pelting stones and attacked the Muslims. A major riot broke out once again. The propaganda machinery of the communalists spared no efforts to spread rumours and communal hatred in the city. Some of the religious organizations sympathetic to the Sangh Parivar stepped up their campaign for an inquiry into the violence during the Rath Yatra (allegedly done by Muslims). The tactical blunder by the Chief Minister in refusing such an inquiry stoked the flame. July 12 Gujarat Bandh call given by Hindu communal organizations and even supported by the Majoor Mahajan turned out to be a nightmare for the Ahmedabadis. Over 20 lives were lost, mainly in the labour areas. More than 5000 Muslims had to flee from their houses into refugee camps. A mob of over 5000 persons roamed around freely looting, burning and destroying Muslim houses and shops in the northern areas (Asarwa, Chamanpura, Naroda Road, Saijpur Bogha, Meghaninagar). In the Civil hospital two Muslims were thrown down from the second floor and then burnt to death. The Congress government declined to pin the blame on the communalists, especially the BJP and Sangh Parivar. Chief Minister Amarsinh Chaudhary proved too weak to put down the communal violence with determination . Ayodhya and the new phase of communal politics The national level mobilization on the Ayodhya issue by the Sangh Parivar once again set the city reeling on a communal whirlpool. Since 1989, the Sangh Parivar mobilized support for the mosque-demolition programme through the Ram shilan pujas, the kar seva and Advani's Rath Yatra. The campaign was well organized with a plethora of publications and leaflets, audio-video mass mobilizations, rumour mongering and a well-orchestrated press campaign. There were riots in Ahmedabad during March 1990 after the shilan pujas claiming 34 lives. Again there was violence after Advani's rath yatra was blocked by the Laloo Prasad government in Bihar. October 30 was declared Gujarat Bandh by the Sangh Parivar. The police was turning a Nelson's eye to the communalists looting shops and disrupting peace. All houses of Muslims in the predominantly Hindu areas of western Ahmedabad were looted or belongings razed to the ground. The communalists achieved this programme of completely driving away the Muslims from these areas by identifying them through voter's lists or local RSS units. The purpose of the communalists to ghettoize Ahmedabad on communal lines was complete. Land speculation and property development by leading city builders and developers in Juhapura-Vejalpur led to the carnage of poor Hindus and Muslims. Gujarat and Ahmedabad again reeled under riots after the demolition of Babri Masjid. The Sangh Parivar cadres once again assumed centre-stage disrupting peace. Even a peaceful demonstration by secularists of Ahmedabad protesting against the Masjid demolition was attacked. The police stood nearby watching, saying that the secularists were creating a law-and-order problem. The Sangh Parivar successfully mobilized large sections of the Hindus to openly come out and celebrate the demolitions and the riots in a festive mood. Women too came out in large numbers, thanks to the efforts of the Rashtrasevika Sangh and other communal women's organizations. Violence on Women Women have always been targeted by the communalists as "symbols of honour of the community", to be abused as part of the communal programme . The rumour-mongering machine of the communalists as well as the local press freaks out with titillating fictitious accounts of the sexual abuse of Hindu women by Muslims during riots to enrage the Hindu men and mobilize them for greater violent offensives. The women's fact-finding team of AIDWA, CDWS, MDS and NFIW also confirmed the attack on women during the 1993 riots. They noted: "In Ahmedabad where we found the deepest communal polarization, filthy sexist slogans were written on the half-burnt walls of a few minority community houses. Women in a camp in the city recalled that they were surrounded by a group of men who unzipped their trousers and made obscene gestures." "...The team did not come across any cases of rape in any areas it visited in Ahmedabad. However, there were shocking tales of extremely obscene behaviour of the crowds that attacked and came shouting 'Bajrang Bali ki jai.' They made indecent and sexually suggestive gestures and as Nadira Bibi said 'Nangi galian bolte the' (they were shouting obscenities). Some opened their trousers/shorts and shouted to the women to come out." Post Ayodhya After the successful communalization of the city and the state, BJP captured power in Gandhinagar. Since then, there have been no communal riots. The BJP again split, giving way to RJP. Even the RJP having considerable clout with the communalists and the RSS has managed to avoid any communal trouble. But the threat of an impending communal disaster is always there, as even the RJP continues to appease the communalists by continuing with the BJP policies as well as successfully scrapping of Justice Chauhan Commission inquiring into the post-Ayodhya riots in Ahmedabad. While the Shiv-Sena/BJP government was forced by public pressure to continue a similar inquiry (Srikrishna Commission) in Mumbai, the RJP managed to subvert the probe without any serious challenge. | ||||||||||||||||
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