Sunday, Oct 13, 2002
Sunday, Oct 13, 2002 |
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Maharashtra
By Mahesh Vijapurkar
In areas where there is no curfew, the Shiv Sena called a bandh, adding to the fear psychosis in a town which otherwise has not seen any major communal incident in recent times. The toll in the continued trouble, sparked by an earlier bandh called by a Muslim organisation, is 11 lives lost, 150 injured and 500 vehicles and 40 houses damaged. The bandh was to protest the reported blasphemous remarks against Islam by an American evangelist. When Muslim groups forced Hindu shop-owners to close, trouble started. More forces have been brought into the town to help the embattled local police cope with the situation. Officials said the situation was ``tense, serious but under control.'' The curfew, the Sena-sponsored bandh and the fear among the people ``have minimised the losses on both sides; it could have been worse.'' But a whole lot of youth have taken to the streets to wreak vengeance on members of the rival community. Prakash Yelgulwar, former MLA, said the situation was threatening to spiral out of control. Several political leaders who went around, trying to bring peace among Hindus and Muslims were heckled by people. A Muslim leader who tried to enter his old constituency was asked to get out. Says R. R. Patil, ``guardian Minister'' for Solapur: ``Leaders agree there should be peace; people don't seem to listen to them. Everyone is angry. Tension continues. This has to end.'' Retaliation came swiftly. The office of Mohammad Sheikh, a journalist who runs Bandhu Prem and organised the Muslim bandh — and is now under arrest — was burnt down today. A local Sena member was brutally murdered. A former Muslim league corporator was done to death. Both sides, sources told The Hindu, had ``become quite aggressive.'' There is a suggestion that a case of eve-teasing, with the boy and the girl belonging to different communities, resurfaced and using the bandh call, scores were sought to be settled but another version is that ``the bandh's violent enforcement is itself the cause.''
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