Clashes in Moradabad on July 4 could have been avoided if the Bharatiya Janata Party had stuck to an agreement it had publicly signed the day before and forgone its attempts to organise a Hindu Mahapanchayat at the district subdivision in Kanth. These clashes between party members and the local police have reignited tensions that continue to simmer weeks after the violence abated.
The violence in Moradabad's Kanth area had been fuelled by tensions that had been simmering in Nayagaon Akbarpur Chedri village since June 26, when the police removed a loudspeaker from a temple in a Dalit-dominated locality.
Subsequently, activists from the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Jagaran Manch assembled in Kanth to protest the police action. The party also called for a Mahapanchayat at Kanth on July 4, in an attempt to restore the loudspeaker. But on July 2, Anis-ur Rahman, an MLA from Kanth who represents the Peace Party, and Sarvesh Singh, the BJP MP from Moradabad, agreed to organise a meeting of Muslims and Dalits the next day to resolve the issue peacefully.
At the meeting, both sides agreed on a five-point formula in the presence of Sarvesh Singh, Anis-ur Rahman, Kanth Sub-Divisional Magistrate AB Singh and other prominent residents. The meeting was also attended by hundreds of villagers, who were signatories to the document.
Both sides decided that “the loudspeaker, seized by the local administration, will be given to the Dalits and will be put up on the temple after Eid on August 3”.
The document also laid down the rules under which this loudspeaker would be used, in order to avoid future confrontations. “It has also been decided that the loudspeaker will be used for 15 minutes in the morning and evening," said the document. "During Ramzan, the loudspeaker won’t be used at all. However, if any Dalit festival falls in the month of Ramzan, they would be free to use it.”
The document clearly stated that in light of the agreement being reached, “the Mahapanchayat scheduled for 4 July would be called off”.
Despite this, on July 4, the BJP went ahead with its decision to organise a meeting to agitate for the loudspeaker to be reinstalled immediately.
When asked about the breach, BJP MP Sarvesh Singh fumbled for words. “Why? Do Hindus have no right to live in this country?" he asked. He went on to say that men belonging to the local administration had entered the temple with their shoes on, a grave sign of disrespect. “Can anyone dare do this in a mosque?” he demanded.
If the BJP had stuck to the pact, events might have played out peacefully.
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The violence in Moradabad's Kanth area had been fuelled by tensions that had been simmering in Nayagaon Akbarpur Chedri village since June 26, when the police removed a loudspeaker from a temple in a Dalit-dominated locality.
Subsequently, activists from the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Jagaran Manch assembled in Kanth to protest the police action. The party also called for a Mahapanchayat at Kanth on July 4, in an attempt to restore the loudspeaker. But on July 2, Anis-ur Rahman, an MLA from Kanth who represents the Peace Party, and Sarvesh Singh, the BJP MP from Moradabad, agreed to organise a meeting of Muslims and Dalits the next day to resolve the issue peacefully.
At the meeting, both sides agreed on a five-point formula in the presence of Sarvesh Singh, Anis-ur Rahman, Kanth Sub-Divisional Magistrate AB Singh and other prominent residents. The meeting was also attended by hundreds of villagers, who were signatories to the document.
Both sides decided that “the loudspeaker, seized by the local administration, will be given to the Dalits and will be put up on the temple after Eid on August 3”.
The document also laid down the rules under which this loudspeaker would be used, in order to avoid future confrontations. “It has also been decided that the loudspeaker will be used for 15 minutes in the morning and evening," said the document. "During Ramzan, the loudspeaker won’t be used at all. However, if any Dalit festival falls in the month of Ramzan, they would be free to use it.”
The document clearly stated that in light of the agreement being reached, “the Mahapanchayat scheduled for 4 July would be called off”.
Despite this, on July 4, the BJP went ahead with its decision to organise a meeting to agitate for the loudspeaker to be reinstalled immediately.
When asked about the breach, BJP MP Sarvesh Singh fumbled for words. “Why? Do Hindus have no right to live in this country?" he asked. He went on to say that men belonging to the local administration had entered the temple with their shoes on, a grave sign of disrespect. “Can anyone dare do this in a mosque?” he demanded.
If the BJP had stuck to the pact, events might have played out peacefully.
