Responding to this, the PUCL in a detailed statement has outlined how, the views encapsulated in paragraphs 185-188 seek to delegitimize the work of Human Rights organisations around legal aid, fact finding visits and monetary aid. These are vital Constitutional tools that independent organizations use to establish facts, fix accountability and ensure succour for victims of communal strife. By casting aspersions on organisations, the hon’ble court is taking recourse to the baseless narrative of “anti-national” interests working against the State.

This statement by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) provides a comprehensive response to the observations made by the Special NIA Court, Lucknow; against the PUCL and other Human Rights organisations. (FIR 60/2018; Case numbers 1049/2022, 1758/2022 and 2766/2022)/ The statement has been issued by President, PUCL, Kavita Srivastava and V Suresh, General Secretary.

The contentious points in paras 185 to 188 of the judgement delivered in January 4, 2025 are as follows:

• The court observed that ‘the Prosecutors have expressed concern that in NIA courts across the country, when accused in cases under the UAPA or other anti-national/terrorist activities are brought for trial, NGOs—primarily advocating Muslim interests—promptly provide legal aid. This contradicts constitutional principles, as it boosts the morale of undesirable elements.’

• The Court went on to observe that human rights reports by written by various NGOs like Alliance for Justice and Accountability (New York), Citizens for Justice and Peace (Mumbai), Indian American Muslim council, Washington DC, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (New Delhi), Rihaee Manch (Lucknow), South Asia Solidarity group, London and United Against Hate (New Delhi), ‘exert undue pressure on the judiciary and the communal sentiment with stealth creep into the realm of ideas.’

• The Court went on to castigate ‘lawyers from NGOs’ for representing cases of national security, terrorism etc.’ Shocking the Court violates the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court by stating that it’ is not the right of an NGO to provide free legal aid to the accused who are involved in heinous crimes’… NGOS providing legal aid and lawyers is resulting in promoting a point of view which is very narrow and dangerous.’

• The Court concluded that, ‘Citizens for justice and Peace, Mumbai, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, (New Delhi), Rihaee Manch, (Lucknow), United Against Hate (New Delhi), along with NGOs located abroad, like in America and the Great Britian, like the Alliance for Justice and Accountability, New York, Indian American council, Washington, DC), South Asia Solidarity Group (London), were “bogus”, not legitimate human rights organisations. As the Court put it, what could be their interests? Where is their funding coming from, and what are their collective objectives? To investigate this, prevent their unwarranted interference in the judicial process, and to take necessary action to stop them, a copy of this decision should also be sent to the Chairman of the Bar Council of India and the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India”.

 The PUCL in their statement thereafter states as follows

1. Courts should not make adverse remarks against individuals or groups without giving them an opportunity of being heard: Supreme Court of India

Firstly, it should be noted that, none of the implicated organisations were before the Court or were put to notice that observations were likely to be made against them. The Supreme Court has laid down time and again that Courts should not make adverse remarks against individuals or groups without giving them an opportunity of being heard.

In the case of Teesta Setalvad V. State of Gujarat (2004) 10 SCC 88) Supreme Court observed that: “Time and again the supreme Court has deprecated the practice of making observations in Judgments, unless the person in respect of whom comments and criticisms were being made were parties to the proceedings and further were granted opportunity of having their say in the matter, unmindful of the serious repercussions they may entail on such persons. ……Observations should not be made by Courts against persons and authorities unless they are necessary or essential for decision of the case.”

The PUCL has stated that, “We are shocked to note that the ruling has passed prejudiced, unsubstantiated and potentially damaging comments about the role of human rights organisations in general and PUCL in particular, when these comments are not germane to the issues in the criminal trial nor were they based on evidence led during the trial. Apart from the fact that these comments are in the nature of an obiter dicta, the fact that such comments have been incorporated into the ruling in a criminal case, which is bound strictly to the facts on record which have been tested during cross-examination and trial, raises doubts about fairness and impartiality in delivering justice in the specific criminal case.

Further the detailed statement issued by the human rights platform founded by Jayprakash Narayan states that, “It should be pointed out that third parties to the criminal trial don’t have any role or scope to intervene in specific criminal cases. Thus, while parties to the criminal case have the option of filing appeals in higher courts both to challenge the verdict of the trial court and also to challenge comments made in the trial court’s judgment, such is not the case with third parties.”

Besides the PUCL statement makes the following points:

2. Conducting Fact Finding, not unconstitutional or unlawful

Secondly, the incident pertains to communal violence which happened in Kasganj in U.P. in 2018. UP has been a hotbed of growing communal tension and violence since even before the Ram Mandir Agitation that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid. There have been allegations against the State authorities and the police of helping, provoking, aiding and abetting, communal tension more particularly targeting the minority religious communities. A biased narrative is built up by the authorities invariably blaming the minority community for any violence and then engaged in targeted arrests. It is in this context that it is vital that every such conflagration be investigated by independent civil society organisations to bring forth the true facts. PUCL has been involved in large number of fact findings throughout the country irrespective of the party in power and its fact findings have great credibility. In any case, fact finding, giving legal aid to accused and victims or even providing financial aid to accused or victims can by no stretch of imagination be considered as anti-national activity as sought to be conveyed by the Court. Campaigning on issues, bringing out an alternative viewpoint and public discussion are essential work of civil society organisations, an exercise of constitutional freedom and a key contribution to the idea of an associative democracy.

3. Promoting by peaceful means civil liberties, harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood, agenda of the PUCL 

Thirdly, it should be noted, that even when it comes to the present case as regards PUCL the only action it had taken pursuant to the violence was to act according to the objects of the PUCL Constitution which has as its aim and objects, ‘To uphold and promote by peaceful means civil liberties and the democratic way of life throughout India’

The visit to Kasganj was in pursuance of this object. The aim of the visit is to take forward the fundamental duty enjoined upon all citizens under Art 51(e) which is ‘to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities.’ As such, the PUCL has only acted in accordance with the values of the Indian Constitution and such actions do not merit such prejudicial judicial comments.

The judicial censure seeks to mark and target citizens for forming organisations exercising their right under Art 19(1) (c) and getting together and putting forward a collective voice in defence of the ideals envisaged in the Constitution! As Babasaheb Ambedkar put it, ‘constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated’. The PUCL activities under its Constitution, aims to cultivate the constitutional morality embodied in the principle of ‘harmony’ and the ‘spirit of brotherhood’. This we submit is the responsibility of the state as well as members of civil society.

The UN Declaration on human rights defenders has also unequivocally recognised that, ‘Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels.’

4. The Public Interest work of the PUCL, through Public Interest Litigation (PILs) in the HC and SC strengthened the basic rights of citizens.

The fact that the PUCL has been a petitioner before both the Supreme Court and High Courts in numerous cases highlights the constitutional work of the PUCL and further exposes the unwarranted and prejudicial nature of the judicial observations. A number of judgments of the Supreme Court which ensure basic rights for citizens including the right to food, freedom from bonded labour and liberation of persons in manual scavenging have had the PUCL as the petitioner. PUCL has also worked towards enhancing the quality of our electoral democracy and has been the petitioner in the Supreme Court decisions recognizing NOTA as a valid option. The PUCL is also the petitioner in the decision of the Supreme Court recognizing that the voter has a right to know the antecedents of their candidate including the assets he or she possesses as well as criminal antecedents.

5. Facts overlooked by the Court 

Fourthly, the judicial comments also violate the judicial discipline of basing conclusions on facts which form part of the record. It should be noted that in terms of ‘facts’,

PUCL did not prepare a fact-finding report, nor did it provide any financial or legal support to families and accused. Though PUCL has in effect done none of the above, we strongly assert that conducting a fact finding is not a crime, providing financial or legal support to families and accused is a humanitarian task and completely within the bounds of the Constitutions.

It is also important for all to know that the PUCL is an unregistered citizens organization and gets no Institutional funding, foreign or Indian and works through contributions of its members and well-wishers and therefore the allegations of funding are baseless.”

Finally, the detailed statements sum up that the stated observations by the NIA court are a) lacking in factual substance; b) attack the credibility of human rights work and c) seek to actively discourage perspectives rooted in the Constitution which seek to expose the state for not abiding by the Constitution. “In the interests of fidelity to the constitutional values of freedom of speech, expression and association, and in the interests of truth and reason, we hope that these prejudiced and invidious observations are suo moto deleted from the reported judgment. “

Related:

Convictions in Kasganj communal riots by NIA Special Court

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On Republic Day this year, Kasganj town of Uttar Pradesh became the scene of violent communal clashes where a young man Chandan Gupta lost his life. While it was initially claimed that the riot was triggered by members of the minority community who tried to prevent members of the majority community from taking out a bike rally, this turned out to be far from the truth. This special investigation unearths a dark conspiracy wherein the police showed their communal colours and actually tried to frame the Muslims and save the Hindus.

The report titled Truth of Kasganj: Sham Police Probe Protects Hindus, Frames Muslims is endorsed by several human rights organisations such as Alliance for Justice and Accountability, New York • Citizens for Justice and Peace, Mumbai • Indian American Muslim Council, Washington D.C. • Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties, New Delhi • South Asia Solidarity Group, London • and United Against Hate, New Delhi.

According to this report, the violence had broken out at Abdul Hamid Chowk were members of the Muslim community were about to hoist the tricolour, when bike borne members of the Hindu community interrupted them and started heckling them using obscene slurs. But even though it was just one instance of violence, the police registered two FIRs; the first about the clashes, the second about the death of Chandan Gupta. It is the second FIR that exclusively names Muslims as accused, even though Hindus were also carrying and discharging firearms. Moreover, even though the incident occurred a mere stone’s throw from the local police station, the FIRs were filed after 12-14 hours.

Interestingly, a wounded Chandan was first taken to this very police station and it was the police that arranged his transfer to the hospital where he was declared dead. The hospital also sent a memo to the police station informing them about Chandan’s death and yet the FIR wasn’t filed at that time. In fact, in a huge procedural lapse, an autopsy was carried on Chandan’s body without the FIR having been filed!

Interestingly, though police arrested 19 Muslim youth within two weeks of the incident, no Hindu was arrested for over two months! This brings the report to the manner in which Anukalp Chauhan, the young man who organised the motorcycle rally was let off with just a slap on the wrist. First during the FIR stage, the police declared him absconding. Yet he was present at the funeral of Chandan Gupta the following day. Then on February 2, an officer met Chauhan to record his statement in connection with the second FIR. In a mockery of justice, while we was made an accused in the first FIR, he was made a witness in the second! He was finally arrested after two whole months and then promtly released on bail!

There are also discrepancies in the recording of location (Bilram Gate Crossing vs Abdul Hamid Chowk) and timing of the clashes (9:30 am vs 10 am). The police have allegedly not taken the CCTV footage into account and three accuse dallegedly have alibis. The report concluded by asking for quashing the tainted FIRs, a fresh investigation, a high level inquiry into police failure to prevent violence as well as their alleged complicity in framing members of the minority community. The entire report may be read here:

Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) has in a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), urged a suo motu notice and investigation into the perpetrated violence against minorities in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh. A copy of the complaint may be read here.

Related:

Ensure Justice in Kasganj: CJP moves NHRC
Kasganj Violence Planned
Why are Muslims arrested in Kasganj

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The post Kasganj Riots: High Court Grants Bail, DM Slaps NSA appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The story so far is that in Kasganj in Shahid Abdul Hamid chowk a program was organized by minority community to celebrate the day, chairs were laid etc. The motorbike rider youths nearly 90 or so belonging to RSS affiliates ABVP came, carrying tricolor and the saffron flags. They also had clubs and other armaments as per some reports, videos. They insisted at the Chowk to remove the chairs as they had to pass from there. The local Muslims asked them to join the program rather than disturb it. The clash ensued. The tricolor-saffron flag wielding youth shouted the slogans, ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ (Death to Pakistan), Hindi Hindu Hindustan, Katve Bhago Pakistan, (Muslims go to Pakistan) ‘Is Desh Mein Rahna hai to Vande Matram kahna Hoga’ (If you want to live in this country, you will have to say Vande Matram). In the clash and bullet firing that followed, two men received bullet injuries of which Chandan Gupta, who was also a participant of the bike rally died and other Muslim labourer Naushad is being treated in hospital, having been severely injured.

A section of TV and other media presented it as if Muslims were resisting the tricolor hoisting so they opposed the bikers and forced them to shout pro Pakistan slogans, something which is far from truth. The role of a section of media is very negative in communal violence. Police as usual did not stop or control the inciting mob. On the following day Rajveer Singh, BJP MP, at the cremation of Chandan Gupta further added to the fury after which the mobs resorted to selectively burning vehicles and shops in the Muslim locality. Yogi Adityanath Government has by now announced a compensation of 20 Lakhs for Chandan Gupta, hopefully compensation for other injuries and damages will be forthcoming.

An interesting sidelight took place this time around. Raghvendra Vikram Singh the DM of Bareilly in his Hindi Facebook post criticized the event saying that “by now it has become a trend to take out procession in Muslim localities and shout anti Pakistan slogans. Are these people Pakistanis?” The post was taken down after intimidating trolling and the state administration expressing displeasure over the post, he wrote, “I apologize if some sentiments were hurt by what I said, but there is no denying that our secular ethos is at stake; there are things which need to be protected at all cost.” Another officer, Rashmi Varun (Deputy Director, Statistics, Saharanpur) in another post said that Chandan has been killed by saffron politics. (Hindustan.com)

The tragic violence has led to loss of one innocent life; injuries to few and loss of social property. The compensation so far has been selective. The whole incident and the Facebook post of DM reveals the deeper dynamics of how the violence gets orchestrated. The mechanisms of these do keep changing over a period of time, but what is constant is an evil innovation of techniques to target the vulnerable minorities. Earlier it had been taking the procession with loud music in front of the mosque and putting beef in temple. With time one saw that in Mumbai violence of 92-93 Maha Artis (Invocation Prayer) were devised to mobilize Hindus, the dispersing mass after the prayer would indulge in anti-minority violence. One has also seen the issue of love jihad being used in Muzaffarnagar violence. The girl who is supposed has been victim denied being harassed by the Muslim boy, but the mobilization of Jats-Hindus continued nevertheless. One can see the changing pattern of issues which are used to incite the violence.

What strikes one in Kasganj is that anatomy of violence is very clear. Seems this may be a preparation for the elections which are in the offing a year later. The tiranga (tricolor) issue is quite paradoxical for Muslims. They hurl it or abstain from it, both ways they are damned. What is more interesting is that tricolor, which was opposed by RSS at the time of independence on the ground that number three is evil as per Hindu ethos and that the real flag of Hindus is saffron alone, today stands to use the same tricolor to browbeat and to make it a vehicle for polarization, through its affiliates like ABVP and VHP.  It seems as a follow-up to what happened in Kasganj, RSS is now organizing rallies in different cities and towns across the state. The rallies at this juncture look to be a “show of strength” in which uniformed cadres of the RSS and its affiliates in the Sangh Parivar will be marching with sticks.

To cover the whole thing BJP leadership wants to project that minorities opposed the tricolor and shouted pro Pakistan slogans! One knows that all through BJP electoral strength has been going up courtesy violence and consequent polarization. The society needs to protect itself against such aggressive abuse of tricolor for inciting violence, and be careful not to fall in the traps of provocation on any ground whatsoever.

The post Kasganj Violence: Unveiling the Anatomy of a Riot appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The matter was raised during the Zero Hour and demand was supported by Congress and the BSP members.
 
Compensation demanded for Victim
Mr. Chowdhury also said, “I am talking with proof that shops were burnt and a particular community was targeted and the police were involved in it. The VHP, Bajrang Dal and similar organisations deliberately attacked Muslims due to which violence erupted and one person died in the firing.”

 Demanding Rs. 50 lakh compensation for victim’s family and said that those affected should be compensated by the government without any discrimination.
 
However, his claims were refuted by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna who claimed that the incident of January 26 in Kasganj was an unfortunate incident which took place because of the blocking of the way of a “TirangaYatra”
 
“The yatra was being taken out according to the tradition of 25 years. The way of the yatra was blocked by some persons by putting chairs… When those taking out the yatra insisted on following the same route, an argument took place leading to clashes in which Abhishek alias Chandan Gupta died. Had they been given way for the yatra, the incident would not have happened. There was no communal tension earlier. It was a government order that no new tradition is started but old practices are permitted,” he said.
 
Opposition Dissatisfied with Prohibitory orders
Mr. Khanna also said that it was wrong to say that police encouraged and that FIR was lodged against the accused. “The Opposition is trying to vitiate the atmosphere. We ensured that there is no reaction to this incident,” he added. He said that prohibitory orders have been enforced in Kasganj till March 10 and alleged that the “Samajwadi Party did not want peace in the State”.
 
This elicited a drastic reaction from the Samajwadi Party members, who rushed into the Well of the House and sat there leading to disruption. They prompted Speaker HridayNarain Dixit to adjourn the House for 10 minutes initially and later extend it. When the House met again, Mr. Khanna assured that the entire matter was being probed by SIT and no guilty would be spared. But the Opposition was not satisfied with this and staged a walk out in which SP, BSP and the Congress participated.
 

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These are the main conclusions of a fact finding team of 13 lawyers and activists set-up by the group ‘United Against Hate’ and led by the retired DIG police, SR Darapuri that toured Kasganj on February 2. Its report was released simultaneously in Lucknow and Delhi on Monday.

 “After talking extensively to local people of both the communities, it became clear that the situation in Kasganj was not any spontaneous clash between two communities but was a carefully planned attack”, said the report.

It may be recalled that on January 26 one person — Chandan Gupta — succumbed to bullet injuries while another — Naushad – was seriously injured. According to the report, it remains unclear as who had fired the shots that killed Gupta and injured Naushad.

“The police and administration, as testified by locals and ground evidence, played a partisan role, and allowed the mob led by Sankalp Foundation and ABVP to run amok and indulge in organized violence, specially targeting Muslim-owned shops and property, including two mosques,” said the report. In calculated fashion, Muslim property adjoining property owned by Hindus was spared for fear that the flames from the former might engulf the latter.

As further evidence of police bias, the report points out that the FIRs are silent on the attack on two mosques and only Muslim localities were sealed by the police. On January 25, the police stood as mute witness as Muslim shops were looted and gutted immediately after the funeral procession for Gupta.

The report also blamed the police for not naming the culprits despite the fact that a video that has gone viral clearly shows them marching menacingly towards a Muslim locality with some of them carrying country-made guns.

On Monday, two police constables on bandobust duty were suspended after the door of a mosque was torched.

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An organisation called ‘Sankalp’ was at the epicentre of the violence.

The post Kasganj Violence Was Not A Spontaneous Incident: Urmilesh appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The family members of 21-year-old Chandan Gupta, who died of bullet injuries in clashes that broke out during an “unauthorised” ‘Tiranga Yatra’ leading to communal violence in Kasganj town in Uttar Pradesh on 26 January, has demanded that the deceased be granted the status of “martyr”.

“Sarkar se to paise maange hi nahin hai; hamari ek hi demand hai ki ladke ko shaheed ka darja diya jaye kyunki use 26 January ke din goli mili aur woh Bharat Mata Ki Jai kahte hue shaheed ho gaya (We have not asked for an ex-gratia payment, our single demand is that the boy be declared a martyr as he got a bullet on 26 January, Republic Day, and he died chanting the slogan Bharat Mata Ki Jai),” said Chandan’s father Sushil Gupta, a compounder working with a private nursing home, to Newsclick.

The state government has paid Rs 20 lakh to the victim’s father as compensation.

“He (Chandan) had thought that the state has Yogi government and the Centre has Modi government. Therefore, no one will stop him (from taking out the illegal motor bike rally in the name of ‘Tiranga Yatra’). But he was wrong. He did not know shouting Bharat Mata Ki Jai has now become a crime,” said Sushil, sitting in the drawing room of his single-storey house at Shivalay Gali located in the middle of the main market in the western UP town.

Who was Chandan Gupta?
Chandan, said his father, was pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree (final year) from KA PG College. Chandan was among the founding members of a local NGO called ‘Sankalp Foundation’ which, according to family members, is involved in people’s welfare work such as organising blood donation camps, blanket distribution, etc.
When asked about the controversial bike rally that is said to have instigated the riots, Chandan’s father said it was an “age-old” practice. 
“Youngsters organise the ‘Prabhat Pheri’ (a procession organised by school students with the National Flag and patriotic songs) every year on Independence Day and Republic Day for quite a long time. They pass through streets and roads with the Tiranga (tricolour) in their hands chanting slogans like Vande Matram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” he said.

However, he added, “Jis raste pe woh gaye, wahan kabhi nahin jaate the (They had never taken the route they took this year).”

The bike rally was passing through a narrow lane of Baddu Nagar, a Muslim-majority locality. When it reached a tri-section (called by locals as Veer Abdul Hamid Tiraha) in the area, preparations of the flag-hoisting ceremony were underway with a decorated pole erected in the middle of the trisection and some chairs for people to sit.

“We requested them to join the celebrations but they asked us to give them way or let them hoist a saffron flag as well,” a Baddu Nagar resident, speaking anonymously, told Newsclick.

“We tried to persuade them that chairs had been put and removing all the chairs to make space for around 100 motor bikes was not possible. And we categorically told them that we won’t allow them to hoist saffron flag. This enraged them and they began shouting slogans such as Hindustan Mein Rahna Hoga, Vande Matram Kahna Hoga, Pakistan Murdabad, etc. This led to an altercation, after which some rode away while others fled on foot, leaving their bikes behind.”

The first reports of gunfire being exchanged came from the Balram Gate area, around 1km away from Baddu Nagar, around half an hour after the initial argument had taken place on January 26. Two persons, identified as Chandan Gupta and Naushad, received bullet injuries. Gupta died in the hospital, while Naushad was later sent to Aligarh, where he is still under treatment.

Video footage of the clash – accessed by this website – corroborates the locals’ claims. Youths carrying saffron flags along with the tricolour can be seen shouting the inflammatory slogans.

While trying to know more about Chandan and Sankalp Foundation, this correspondent met a Nadrai Gate resident named Ram Pandey, also a student of B.Com (second year) from the same college, who said, “Tiranga Yatra mein wahi log the, jinke andar Hindutva aaj bhi bacha hua hai (Only those participated in the ‘Tiranga Yatra’ who still have the Hindutva ideology remaining in them).”

One of Chandan’s friends, who was his senior in college and one of the office-bearers of Sankalp, said the NGO did work for people’s welfare. 

“Though Chandan, as far as I know, was not officially associated with any other organisation besides Sankalp, he was part of a rally that was planned only on 25 January night. The intention was well-known and I had alerted the district administration, the UP chief minister and the Union home minister in advance through Twitter. But it appears that they did not take it seriously,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Asked how the “intention was well-known”, he referred to a Facebook war between two of his friends belonging to two communities. 

“One of my Facebook friends was extremely angry with the government order to uninstall loudspeakers from temples while they were left untouched in mosques. He wrote it on Facebook. The post received reactions and a war of words began that continued for around two weeks. This became so bitter that both communities challenged each other to dare to enter in their respective localities. The challenge was accepted by the writer of the post in a thread of comments that reached over a thousand,” he said.

Disturbed at the turn of events, he called both groups and tried to pacify them. They had assured him that they would not do any harm to each other. “Despite that I alerted the UP Police, CM and Union Home Minister about the comments five days before the incident took place. Unfortunately, none of them took it seriously,” he added.

He contradicted Chandan’s father, who had said the youth of the city associated with Sankalp organised ‘Tiranga Yatra’ every year on the two national days. “The NGO came into existence in 2017 and I was informed about the rally on 25 January night, despite the fact that I am the senior-most office bearer of the organisation,” he said.

“But fearing that it will take a violent turn, I politely turned down the request of joining it.”

Meanwhile, a video has now surfaced that shows the Hindu youths marching towards the Muslim-dominated area on January 26 morning carrying guns. The footage, accessed by Newsclick, shows several rounds being fired. In the video, shot from the roof of the local tehsil office, gun shots can be heard. It also shows many in the group holding clubs and sticks.

The police are examining the footage. Chandan, they said, was shot in the same firing.

The FIR filed by Kasganj Kotwali SHO Ripudaman Singh states that “the youths (from the Tiranga Yatra) were challenging men from the other community after the latter stopped them from passing through their colony”.
“They did not listen even after the police intervened and tried to pacify them. Meanwhile, bullet shots were heard from the alleyway, after which the group (that took out the rally) started pelting stones on people from the other community and both groups exchanged fire and even targetted policemen,” says the FIR.

Meanwhile, the police arrested the main accused in Chandan’s murder on 31 January morning. “Salim Jawed, the main accused, was taken into custody this morning from the city,” said Aligarh Range IG Sanjeev Gupta.

So far, at least 118 people have been nabbed in connection with the violence while security forces were maintaining a tight vigil.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in
 

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Image: Hindustan Times

Communal riot in Kasganj was pre-planned, which is evident by the events of that day. On the said day, on the occassion of 26th January, Muslims of Kasganj PS area had organised a meeting at Abdul Majeed Chowk. At the same time, approximately 100 youths belonging to Hindu Yuva Vahini, ABVP and RSS arrived there on Motor Cycles holding Tricolor and Saffron Flags, shouting slogans. They asked the organisers to hoist the saffron flag instead of the Tricolour. At this point, Muslims requested them to take the other route, but they insisted on using that way only and ruined the rangoli made there by the motor cycle.

On this, quarrel started between both the groups, at that point the people from that ‘Tiranga March’ started shoutingw objectionable slogans like “If you want to live in India, You will have to say Vande Matram” and “Mullas deserve only one place : Pakistan or Graveyard”. As things escalated, stone pelting and firing from both the sides srarted in which a boy from one side died and two people from the other group also got shot. One person who has sustained the bullet injury has said that he recieved it when a Sub-Inspector of the Police fired at him. After this all, rioters from one side burned one bus, one tractor, and one stall. This is mentionable that the so called Tricolour March was being carried without any permission. After this incident, heavy police enforcements were posted in the town.

The next day, after the last rites of the deceased youth, the BJP MP gave this incinting speech that “We cannot forego the death of our this youth on any condition.” After this speech of his, even after the presence of heavy Police force, the riot again started and a house and six shops belonging to muslims were burned. It has come to the notice that even after the presence of heavy police force, shops and vehicles belonging to the muslims have been again burned. It is a matter of concern that how this arsoning could take place in even in presence of the Police Force. Role of the Police is also under doubt.

It is clear from these events that the communal riot in Kasganj was a part of the riot politics of BJP.

Courtesy: http://www.indiaresists.com
 
 

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Image: NDTV

Imagine the scene. Its January 26, Republic Day. In a Muslim neighbourbood of some small town, residents are setting up chairs at a chowk named after Veer Abdul Hamid, in preparation of hoisting the national flag. It was Havildar Abdul Hamid, remember, whose act of extraordinary courage and sacrifice gave the Indian army a crucial edge during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. For this he was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest military honour any Indian can aspire for.

Imagine the symbolism embedded in this scenario. Away from the media gaze, Indian Muslims are quietly displaying their respect for the national tricolor, recalling with pride the sacrifice for the country of a fellow Muslim. What more “proof” does one need of Muslims’ love for their motherland?

This, however, does not fit the image of the Indian Muslim that the RSS has been projecting before the nation for nearly a century now. Hindus alone are the legitimate inhabitants of India, wrote the most revered Guru of the sangh parivar, MS Golwalkar in his We, or Our Nationhood Defined in the late 1930s. Some two decades later in his Bunch of Thoughts, he warned Hindus to beware of Indian Muslims, their “enemy number one”. The internal enemy, he pointed out, was worse than any external enemy. For the sangh parivar the Indian Muslim remains a “Pakistani within” whose patriotism is forever suspect.

On a separate note, as is well-known Golwalkar and the entire sangh parivar were staunchly opposed to the national tricolor. “Indian tricolor will never be respected and owned by the Hindus”, Golwalkar wrote in the RSS mouthpiece Organiser in 1947. “The word three in itself is an evil, and a flag having three colours will certainly produce a very bad psychological effect and is injurious to a country”, he added. Golwalkar also hated the Indian Constitution.

Accordingly, the RSS refused to unfurl, pay respects to the tricolor for decades after independence. In recent years, however, political expediency has dictated that the sangh parivar “respect” and “own” the tricolor. And now that it “owns” the national flag, how can it tolerate the sight of Muslims affirming their “co-ownership” of the same?   

Understand this and you have a clue to the likely perpetrators and their motive in triggering the communal clash that erupted last Friday – Republic Day — in Kasganj town of UP. 

Even as Kasganj struggles to return to normal one thing appears certain: There was nothing spontaneous in the flare-up on January 26 in a town with no history of Hindu-Muslim conflict. It was a riot by design, a pre-meditated act with deliberate intent to provoke Muslims.

Consider this. On the morning of Republic Day, Muslims from Badu Nagar (a Muslim-predominant neighbourhood) in Kasganj are lining up chairs at the Veer Abdul Hamid chowk, in preparation of hoisting the national flag. Out of nowhere, a “tiranga rally” with activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) riding motor-cycles descend on Badu Nagar. Police say no permission was asked or given for the rally.  

The bikers demanded that the chairs be removed for them to pass through. The Muslims instead invited them to join the locals in the hoisting of the flag. The bikers then resorted to raising provocative slogans which have been videographed: “Hindi-Hindu Hindustan! “Katwe bhago Pakistan!”, “Jai Shri Ram!”! “Hindustan mein rehna hoga toh Vande Matram kehna hoga!” (India is for Hindus! Muslims go to Pakistan! Jai Sri Ram! Chant Vande Mataram if you wish to stay in India).

Some news reports have quoted the VHP-ABVP activists as alleging that Muslims raised pro-Pakistan slogans. The Muslims say this is an outright lie adding it even defies common sense to suggest they would raise pro-Pakistan slogans at a function they themselves have organized to salute the national tricolour.
On Friday morning the provocation had its intended effect. In the heated argument that followed, finding themselves outnumbered the VHP, ABVP activists left the scene. Reportedly the bikers who were then joined by others descended on Bilram Gate area about a kilometer away from Badu Nagar. It is here that reportedly both Hindus and Muslims resorted to firing in which two persons – Chandan Gupta and Naushad — received bullet injuries. While Gupta died in the hospital, Naushad was moved to a hospital in Aligarh where he is undergoing treatment.   

The situation took a turn for the worse on Saturday morning following a highly provocative speech during the cremation of Gupta by Rajveer Singh, BJP’s MP from the Etah constituency. Immediately after Gupta’s cremation, mobs selectively set Muslim shops and vehicles on fire. By Saturday evening, just when the administration claimed the situation was under control three more vehicles were torched.

On Sunday, the Yogi Adityanath government announced compensation of Rs. 20 lakh to be paid to the parents of Chandan Gupta. No compensation has been declared for Naushad or for others injured or for those whose property has been destroyed.

The UP police meanwhile have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. An impartial probe into a criminal incident requires that the crime be explored from all possible angles. Here are two possible motives that the SIT should consider exploring. One, the “Hindu nationalists” deliberately disrupted the flag unfurling ceremony by Muslims as it does not sit well with their agenda of constantly demonizing Indian Muslims, projecting them as pro-Pakistani, anti-nationals. Two, could the communal conflict be part of the sangh parivar’s rehearsal for the 2019 polls?

Looking at how the incident is now being exploited to the hilt by Hindutva’s hate-mongers on the social media, it seems clear that the Kasganj flare-up has served the intended purpose. Twisting the tale hyperactive trolls are busy peddling their propaganda that Muslims opposed a “Tiranga Rally”, refused to sing Vande Matram, raised pro-Pakistan slogans and therefore their nationalism is suspect.  

The post Message from Kasganj: Muslims, damned if they unfurl the tricolour, damned if they don’t appeared first on SabrangIndia.