Background
The alleged incident occurred on September 8, 2024, near Variavi Bazar Police Station in Gujrat’s Surat district where it was reported that a group of 5-6 Muslim minor boys allegedly pelted stones at a Ganesh Chaturthi pandal near Variavi Bazar Police Station. The incident sparked a communal clash between two groups in the city. The incident resulted in property damage, injuries, and arrests. The Surat Police intervened, using tear gas and lathis to restore order having accused of biased and intentional lethal actions against the members of Muslim Community. After the incident, six juveniles were detained for stone-pelting, and around 28 others were arrested for rioting. The incident has sparked widespread condemnation and calls for peace and harmony.
Findings of report:
A fact-finding report conducted by Minority Coordination Committee, Gujrat over the Surat Stones Pelting incident, has raised serious questions over the handling of incident by district administration and police action in Sayyedpura area. The report highlights discrepancies in the official narrative about the incident, including why the children involved were taken to Sayyedpura Police Station instead of the nearby Variavi Bazar Police Station. Additionally, the driver of the auto-rickshaw, belongs to Hindu community transporting the children was not arrested, sparking concerns of selective targeting. The report also notes that the detained individuals were found at home, not at the scene of the alleged incident, and that the 500–700-meter distance between the incident location and their residences raises doubts about their involvement in stones pelting incident.
The report also highlights that the Ganesh Pandal where the stones were allegedly thrown is located on the main road with no construction nearby. This raises doubts about where the stones came from, suggesting the story may be fabricated.
Allegations on Surat Police’s selective arrest and biased action over the matter
On September 9, around 2 AM, the police entered the Muslim area of Sayyedpura. Policemen forcibly broke the main gate of Al Ilaf Apartment, entered the flats, abused the women and children, and detained the men. They then proceeded to Roshan Park. As report reveals.
Furthermore, the FIR was registered hours after the detentions, fuelling suspicions of fabrication. The report also criticizes the confiscation of CCTV footage by police without explanation. These findings have sparked concerns about communal bias and arbitrary action. A disturbing incident unfolded in Surat city. The children, who arrived in a Hindu-driven auto-rickshaw and accused of stones pelting were apprehended by the public and handed over to the police.
Instead of taking them to the nearby Variavi Bazar Police Station, the police took them to the Sayyedpura Police Station, about 250-300 meters away. In this incident, FIR No. 11210061240446, dated 9-9-24, has been registered. In this FIR, the children have been named as accused, and the case has been filed under sections 189(1), 189(2), 190, 298, and 299 of the IPC. The report found that no action has been taken against the police officers and staff who brutally beat the individuals who were detained.
Police stoles CCTV DVR, which recorded police’s illegal action
It has been alleged in the report that police also stole the CCTV DVR, which recorded their actions. The police reported the incident as occurring at 9:45 p.m. on September 8, 2024. All the detainees were arrested in the early hours of September 9, 2024, but the FIR was only registered at 6:30 a.m. on the same day i.e. September 9, whose number is FIR No. 11210061240447 in which it is written that a crowd of Muslims gathered and they carried out vandalism while we can clearly see in the video that the crowd of Hindu people is being instigated by the leaders, in the first FIR 27 Muslim people have been named and a crowd of 200-300 has been written and FIR no. 11210061240448 in which a crowd of 70 to 80 people has been accused of vandalizing vehicles, there is no named accused in this, in this FIR 3 Hindu people were arrested and granted bail.
The report points out that no action has been taken against the police officers who confiscated the CCTV DVRs from the apartments and roadside cameras.
Mob insisted authorities to demolish houses of Muslims
According to the report, a crowd of Hindu community gathered at Sayyedpura Police Station, mobilized by Hindu community leaders via phone. The mob repeatedly chanted demands such as handing over the children to the mob, demolishing the houses of Muslims, and other aggressive calls. Surat North MLA Kanti Balar, Mahila Morcha leader Sezal Ben, Corporator Rakesh Mali, Aarti Ben Patel, Mayor Dakshesh Bhai Mavani, and other leaders also arrived and gave provocative speeches through a microphone.
Surat Administration defying Supreme Court direction, carried out demolition
On September 9, in a shocking and retaliation move, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) carried out a demolition drive in Sayyedpura area allegedly forced by Hindu community leaders and mob gathered near the police station, despite Supreme Court’s order (staying all the demolitions and bulldozer actions without due procedure) dated 02.09.2024. The move has been condemned as a form of punitive punishment, raising serious questions about the rule of law, due process and direction of the Hon’ble Supreme Court violated by the Surat Administration. The Supreme Court’s warnings have been blatantly ignored in this incident.
Full story may be read here
BJP MLA Kanti Balar delivered inflammatory speeches and provoked mob
A video also surfaced in social media that BJP MLA Kanti Balar while addressing the crowd in the presence of the police said that no Muslim will be spared and Bharatiya Janata Party is also with you. He said that “No Muslim will be spared, I am with you, those who have been caught will not be released, we will not engage in stone pelting, and we don’t want to do this either.” After this, a police officer whispered something to the MLA, who then said, “Repeated stone pelting at any place will not be tolerated; I am with you, and the Bharatiya Janata Party is with you.”
Following the provocative and inflammatory statements made by BJP MLA Kanti Balar and other leaders, the mob vandalized and burned vehicles and carts selling snacks. The mob repeatedly shout for the accused children to be handed over to them. Later, the mob also pelted stones at houses of Muslim community and mosques. When the mob was gathered there, the members of the Muslim community contacted police officers for protective measure but appropriate action was taken by the police. The police arrived but remained passive. It was alleged that no action has been taken against MLA Kanti Balar, who gave a provocative speech in front of the police.
A video surfacing on X, posted by Gujrat Police shows plainclothes officers smashing gates and locks allegedly to apprehend suspects. In the video, state Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi is also shown vowing to take strict action and arrest the people over stone pelting allegations before sunrise. The video shows those arrested could not walk properly suggesting that they were subjected to violence in the police custody.
September 9, 2024
कानून व्यवस्था सभी के लिए समान है, शांति प्रिय गुजरात में अशांति फैलाने वालो को जरा भी नहीं बख्शा जाएगा।#GujaratPolice pic.twitter.com/PUPfagp7iq
— Gujarat Police (@GujaratPolice) September 9, 2024
However, Minority Coordination Committee’s fact-finding report highlighting State-sponsored mobocracy in Surat incident, demands that;
- An FIR should be registered against the police personnel who entered the houses without proper authority or an FIR at the time of detainment. The authority and order for such actions should be investigated.
- An FIR should be registered immediately against the policemen responsible for breaking the doors and windows of the houses.
- An FIR should be registered immediately against the policemen who entered the houses and abused the women and children present.
- An FIR should be registered against the policemen who stole the CCTV DVRs from the apartments and roadside locations.
- An FIR should be registered immediately against Surat North BJP MLA Kanti Balar for giving an inflammatory speech in front of the police, and he should be arrested.
- If the incident occurred near Variavi Bazar Police Station, the reason for transferring the children to Sayyedpura Police Station should be investigated to determine if it was intended to harass Muslims.
- The mobile phones of Hindu community leaders who mobilized the crowd at Sayyedpura Police Station should be examined. An FIR should be registered against them for inciting mob violence.
- Compensation should be provided to the owners of all damaged and burned vehicles, trucks, and property, including doors and windows of houses.
- The police officers and employees who brutally beat the detained individuals should be arrested, and an FIR should be registered against them.
- Given the suspicions surrounding the incident, a fair and impartial investigation should be conducted by a sitting judge of the High Court.
Notably, the police produced the accused in court on September 10, 2024 at 4 p.m. During this time, the police severely beat the accused, rendering them unable to walk properly, and did not permit them to meet their family members. As the report disclose.
The report can be read here:
Related:
“Bulldozer barbarism”: Demolition drive in Surat after stones thrown at Ganesh pandal
“Bulldozer Injustice”: Authorities demolished huts and makeshifts in Kutch’s Kandla port area