New Delhi, March 15: A CPI(M) delegation visited the violence-affected area of Banbhoolpura, Haldwani, and submitted its fact-finding report to the Governor of Uttarakhand on Thursday, demanding impartial probe.
The memorandum urged the Governor, Lt. General Gurmit Singh to set up “a probe which must include as its first term of reference what we consider, the wrong, unjust, disastrous decision and its implementation to demolish the Masjid and Madrasa without waiting for the court decision.”
The delegation led by Brinda Karat, Vijoo Krishnan, Rajinder Negi and others visited the affected area of Banbhoolpura and met scores of residents, including families of those killed. It met journalists who had been injured. It also met police personnel who had been injured.
The memorandum said, “The unfortunate events of February 8, leading to violence, police firing, loss of lives, injuries, loss of livelihood was a consequence of the decision and action of the administration to bulldoze a Madrasa and a Masjid, even while the case was posted for hearing on February 14, by a Bench of the High Court. The argument of the administration that the plea for a stay on the demolition was not accepted by the High Court thus the demolition was legal, itself shows the flawed approach of the administration. The case was not dismissed by the Court, it was posted for hearing and instead of waiting for the court hearing, the administration moved in with bulldozers within a few hours, which was both thoughtless and provocative.”
It added, “The manner in which the demolition was done is also questionable. Instead of first removing the holy books kept in both the Madrasa and the Masjid before starting the operation, the books were removed only after the demolition had already started. The delegation saw video evidence of this. Rumours spread that the holy books had been damaged. This was not the case, but passions were inflamed.”
It said, “The first finding of the delegation is that the administration must be held responsible for a wrong decision and further, insensitive implementation. The entire incident was totally avoidable.”
The memorandum mentioned, “The delegation met police squads who had been caught in the violence including a brave young woman police personnel, Vandana. She said she was surrounded by the mob and was abused and threatened in vile language. She also suffered injuries through stone pelting. She told the delegation that she was saved by people of the community and she was given shelter along with other police personnel by a Muslim family who, she said, helped her. She is a brave lady as she was back on duty in the same area in a few days. She should be awarded as also the Muslim family who gave her and others shelter.”
It said, “We heard a similar experience from journalists who were also caught in the mob violence. Many have lost their cameras and some told the delegation that their two-wheelers had been burnt… The journalists told the delegation that they were protected by members of the community who took them to a nearby Masjid and gave them protection. This is a clear indication that there was nothing communal in the violence but a reaction to the demolitions.”
“The second finding is that there was a spontaneous outburst of anger at the demolitions and the rumour that the holy books had been damaged. There was no pre-planned conspiracy. In this context the use of UAPA against the rioters is questionable. While all those involved in the violence must be punished, indiscriminate arrests using the draconian provisions of UAPA must be reconsidered,” the memorandum observed.
The delegation met families of five of the six persons who were killed, and observed, “The third finding is that it appears those killed were not involved in the rioting and violence. Their families are in deep distress. Compensation and help is urgently required.”
The delegation also met the family of Haji Fayeem who was shot dead by his neighbour, and observed, “The fourth finding is that this case clearly was a communal killing. The police have shown a bias in its handling of the case to protect the accused. This requires your urgent intervention to bring justice to the family of Fayeem.”
The delegation met many women who were victims of police brutality following the incident. It observed, “The fifth finding is that having suffered injuries in the condemnable stone-pelting attacks by the mob on February 8, the police took it out on members of the community. Innocent women, children and young men were subjected to severe beatings. The delegation also saw videos of policemen throwing stones and bricks.”
The delegation’s concluding finding said, “The delegation is concerned that the arrests, already over 100, are being made ostensibly on the basis of video evidence but the “evidence” is more in the nature of presence in the area. When the delegation inquired as to why six women had been arrested, which included an ailing sixty-five-year-old and also a breastfeeding mother, the police said they were “inciting” the crowd.”
