That the film had no Bollywood trappings of special sets, superstars, or publicity, yet at a special screening of the film made on a shoe-string budget by Nasir Shaikh, directors like Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap were spotted in a front row screening way pack in 2011. It depicted a desi version of Hollywood’s Superman whose mission is to save the textile hub, Malegaon from a tobacco-addicted villain. In a cruel twist of fate, Shafique Shaikh, who played the lead, was addicted to tobacco, and succumbed to mouth cancer six hours after the film screening. He was merely 25-years-old and is survived by his wife and two young daughters.

Several visits to the town, that has now a chequered communal history, reveals scars of a people that have been plagued by intra-community clashes since 1984 with the growth of aggressive Hindutva and response from a reactionary minority politics, community elders speak with nostalgia (and anger) of the contribution to the resistance against colonial rule. In fact, a monument in the town is testimony to this.

With a significant Muslim population, Malegaon that is today an important market for agricultural produce houses a historic 18^th century fort and was centre of the vicious bomb blasts in 2008 that has simultaneously exploded here and in Modasa, Gujarat

City Forgotten, is a 15-minute film of an entirely different genre: this film made through the eyes of residents, local activists, and citizens. It tells the rather sorry story of Malegaon’s fall from what was its stature as ‘the Manchester of India’ to a town in decline, blighted by sharp communal polarisations.

Located in north-western Maharashtra, Malegaon is part of the Nasik urban agglomeration and is located on the Girna River and on the highway between Mumbai (Bombay) and Agra (in Uttar Pradesh state). While Malegaon is situated on the bank of the Girna river with Mosam River flowing through middle of the city dividing it in two parts

Malegaon was an early centre of the hand-loom industry. It rapidly industrialised and has recorded remarkable growth since the 1940s. It is now an important market for agricultural produce. Cotton and silk goods are exported to Mumbai, Pune, and Satara. The city has several colleges affiliated with the University of Pune.

June 2023

A controversy had erupted about a month ago with wild allegations of students being influenced to convert to Islam being made by some outfits. Following protests, an FIR was filed by the police against the principal. A politician of the ruling coalition of Eknath Shinde SS-BJP, Maharashtra’s Ports Development and Mining Department Minister, Dada Bhuse, also demanded action against those responsible for the seminar.

The principal has been accused of trying to attract students towards Islam under the guise of a career guidance seminar in the college. According to reports the programme had begun with the recitation of a small Islamic prayer. Towards the end of the event, many people entered the hall claiming that the event was an attempt to propagate Islam.” Dr Subhash Nikam is the principl with the FIR against him.

2008 Malegaon

In 2008, on the significantly day of Shab-e-Barat, September 29. 2008 blasts had shaken the town killing 7 people in the city of Malegaon. The blasts took place near Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon, Maharashtra. Almost simultaneously, another blast occurred in Modasa, Gujarat. The blasts were also timed for the eve of Navaratri. A total of 80 people were also injured in Malegaon and on the same day a 15-year-old boy lost his life in simultaneous blasts in Gujarat’s Modasa town. The blasts appeared like a blast that occurred in the New Delhi just three days before this.

In the Malegaon blasts of 2008, two low intensity bombs were fitted on a Hero Honda motorcycle and rigged to detonate in Malegaon. The motorcycle used later led the police to the accused. Initially, the blasts were suspected to be a work of Muslim extremists. The Mumbai Anti-Terror Squad was deployed to help the Malegaon police in investigation. The ATS team was led by ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who was later killed in the 26/11 attack by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba terrorists in Mumbai.

Through the motor cycle used, the ATS collected evidence which pointed to the involvement of Hindu extremist groups behind the attack. On October 24, 2008, the police arrested 3 people in connection with the blast- Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Shiv Narayan Gopal Singh Kalsanghra and Shyam Bhawarlal Sahu. The investigations have reached a dead end now in 2023 with much of the evidence collected lost.

2002 Malegaon

In June-July 2003, Communalism Combat carried a special edition of its magazine devoted to the peacemakers of Malegaon city and its environs. The extract from the introduction to a book by a local journalist originally in the Urdu and Hindi language, Abdul Halim Siddiqui, ‘Aman ke Farishte’, i were translated into English by Javed Anand, co-editor of the magazine:

“I feel proud of the peacemakers of Malegaon, and of fellow journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai, Nalin Mehta, Prabal Pratap Singh, Sanjay Bargata and Teesta Setalvad who reported on the Gujarat carnage (2002) impartially and fearlessly, free of communal bias. Rising above the confines of religion, they served the cause of humanity well and set new standards for others to emulate. I hold them as my ideals and salute them for their work.

“Had the peacemakers not gathered and come forward in Malegaon and the villages, the casualties would have amounted to hundreds. That’s when I resolved that the inspiring deeds of these people must be placed before the public and began work in earnest.

“While placing these accounts before readers, I hope to have fulfilled the social responsibility of a journalist and a writer, to provide oxygen to the flames that symbolise hope for humanity flickering in the storm of hatred and rage, to dispel the prevalent atmosphere of fear and insecurity and instead inspire trust and create a sense of security. I hope, too, that the accounts of these messengers of peace from my native place, who no doubt are inspired by the message of universal brotherhood given to us by our sants and sufis, become an inspiration to people from the rest of India.

“I toured some 25-30 villages, met hundreds of people – Hindus and Muslims, men, women, and children – and listened to what they had to say. Having spoken to so many of them, I feel more convinced than ever before that the common man, whether Hindu or Muslim, is peace loving and desires to co-exist with others in amity and harmony. But people from both communities are terrified of the mob. They are scared of the communal forces who could create problems for them in future. It is for this reason that a lot of the Muslims and Hindus I spoke to, and who had stood by their neighbours, sheltered, and fed them at the risk of being themselves targeted by the frenzied mobs, requested that I do not mention their accounts in my report.

“This untold story of the Malegaon riots uncovers the other side of violence. For me, this is not the culmination but merely the beginning of a new effort. I am sure that after going through these accounts, my readers will draw my attention to other positive accounts which I will publicise through Fateh-e-Alam, the monthly magazine that I edit.”

Stories of #Everyday Harmony and #Peacemakers are what is needed to revive memories of goodwill and understanding and focus on the reality of inter-dependence in everyday life.

Related:

Sakal Hindu Samaj: Another video surfaces, speaker openly calls for violence against Muslims in Malegaon

Maharashtra: Threats of violence made, anti-Muslim insults used at the Hindu Janakroash Morcha in Malegaon

Three instances of Bajrang Dal members breaking the law with impunity reported on a single day

The post Malegaon targeted by arrows of hate has seen a rich and varied past appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Every month, at least 2-3 big events are organised by the Sakal Hindu Samaj in Maharasthra. This week, an event was organised in Malegaon a city in Maharashtra. At the beginning of this week SabrangIndia had reported on one video from this event, where two speakers could be seen making vile and derogatory statements, which can be viewed here. Now, another video from the same event has surfaced wherein Milind Ekbote of the Samast Hindu Aghadi organisation has delivered an anti-Muslim speech. In the video, accessed by us on July 4, the speaker has made open calls for committing violence against Muslims in India, stating “Agar gai kate gi, toh kasai kate ga (If a cow is killed, then those who kill the cow will be killed as well).” It is purported that the said event was attended by BJP functionaries too.

Excerpts from the speech:

“If you make our Hindu girls study ‘Kalma’ in Sayajirao Gaekwad College, we will also come to your madrasa and read Hanuman Chalisa. Friends, I have come here to tell you that the whole of

Maharashtra is with the Hindus of Malegaon. For many years, these ‘Jihadis’ committed atrocities in Kashmir, but eventually, all their atrocities came to an end and the tricolour was hoisted at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. The Modi government has created a peaceful revolution and has done wonders by giving laptops to those who had guns in their hands. And just as the Hindus of Kashmir got justice, similarly the Hindus of Malegaon should also get justice.”

“I bow down to all the Hindus of Malegaon, not just with folded hands, I bow down fully, because even after facing so much opposition, so much injustice, so many atrocities, you did not give up your pride for Hinduism.”

“There is nothing in this whole world as valuable as a cow and as virtuous as a cow. And these cows are slaughtered, the same cows that makes no distinction based on religion, it does not give half a litre of milk to a Muslim and one litre to a Hindu. That cow gives equal milk to everyone. That cow follows all religious equality. But that same cow is mistreated.”

“At this stage, I would like to tell you, and I would also like to remind the government that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not only considered a God in Maharashtra but of India. At the age of 12, he broke the arm of a butcher who was cutting a cow in Bijapur city. That is why, I am making an announcement from this holy platform- if a cow is cut, the butcher will be cut. The government should implement such a policy.”

“The conspiracy of ‘love-jihad’ is going on here. Our Hindu mothers and sisters are cheated and trapped through ‘love-jihad’. This is a big topic. What do you think is their actual wish? Their desire is to reduce the population of Hindus. A petition filed in the Supreme Court has said that if the number of Hindus in this country decreases, the population ratio of all religions deteriorates, then there will be no democracy in this country. Hindus are the majority in India, so India is a democracy.”

“Hindus are the majority in India, so there is socialism. Since Hindus are the majority in India, the slogan of Sarvdharma Sambhav is raised, but if Hindus become a minority, it will be a betrayal of the country’s unity. So, Rane ji (referring to BJP leader and MLA Nitish Rane), I request, that while enacting the law against ‘Love-Jihad’, consider a ‘Love Jihadi’ to be a true traitor, and if that person is caught, he should be kept in jail, and if possible, should be hanged. The one who does ‘love-jihad’ is a traitor, as he betrays the unity of India.”

“Cow slaughterers insult Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. Whoever commits ‘love-jihad’, insults Babasaheb Ambedkar’s constitution. That is why a strict law should be implemented against them. And leaders, you should also keep in mind that the population of Hindus should never decrease. If they do ‘love-jihad’, then you also remember your Bajirao Peshwa ji, who made Mastani his wife. If you don’t stop ‘love-jihad’, we will start community marriage ceremony of Bajirao Mastani in every village.”

(The speech was given in Marathi, and has been translated into English)

The video can be viewed here:

Location: Malegaon, Maharashtra

Milind Ekbote of Samast Hindu Aghadi organisation delivers anti-Muslim hate speech at Sakal Hindu Samaj event.

“Agar gai kate gi, toh kasai kate ga (If a cow is kiIIed, then those who kiII the cow will be kiIIed as well),” Ekbote said. pic.twitter.com/dldOXtYyPx

— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) July 4, 2023

Related:

Bombay HC issues notice seeking response from Maha government on formulation of inter-faith marriage committee

One month after Purola, another threat to drive out Muslims issued by right wing extremists, this time in Kurukshetra

Targeted attacks continue as Bajrang Dal’s disturbing trend of violence against Muslims goes unchecked

Gujarat: HC questions state on public flogging of Muslim men in Kheda

Maharashtra: Threats of violence made, anti-Muslim insults used at the Hindu Janakroash Morcha in Malegaon

Three instances of Bajrang Dal members breaking the law with impunity reported on a single day

The post Sakal Hindu Samaj: Another video surfaces, speaker openly calls for violence against Muslims in Malegaon appeared first on SabrangIndia.

First speaker:

The first speaker in the video can be seen donned in orange from head to toe, and delivered a highly offensive, derogatory and provocative speech. In her speech, she also used ill-words and slurs for the Muslim community. Furthermore, she issued open threats to the minority community, seemingly proud of the fact that they stood in a Muslim dominated area and could make these statements.

The speech:

“If these people think that we will sit quietly while these people trap our daughters and sisters in Love-Jihad, then they are wrong, we will kill them like dogs. If they look at our daughters will bad intentions, they will be slain.”

“To those dogs, I want to tell them that look at me, I am standing in your Malegaon (a Muslim dominated area). Today, I am here, where have you cowards hidden yourself? Just Like a lion does not cower in fear, a Hindu mother never gives birth to a traitor.”

“We are the devotees of Ram, we are not afraid of anyone.”

“These jihadis stopped the meetings that had been organised by T. Raja Singh and Pragya Thakur.”

“I just want my Hindu brothers to take an oath to live and die for your religion and dharma, and to live your life like an unafraid lion, instead of a cat or a dog like them.”

Second speaker (Neha Patel):

“To see my Hindu brothers and sisters attending this gathering in such large numbers, I am sure that these people dreaming of committing Love-jihad, forced religious conversions and cow slaughter can see what will happen if we all unite and take on the roads.”

The video can be viewed here:

Location: Malegaon, Maharashtra

Sakal Hindu Samaj organized Hindu Janakroash Morcha, where participating speakers delivered communal speeches peddling anti-Muslim hate and bigotry.

One far-right leader explicitly called for kiIIing people involved in “love jihad”. pic.twitter.com/Fkcr1zDPgy

— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) July 3, 2023

Related:

Multiple incidents of Muslims being targeted by extremist reported, attacks included hate speech and discrimination

Theirs & ours, how Indian cities discriminate against Dalits & Muslims

Three instances of Bajrang Dal members breaking the law with impunity reported on a single day

Another cow lynching in Nashik, one dead 

The post Maharashtra: Threats of violence made, anti-Muslim insults used at the Hindu Janakroash Morcha in Malegaon appeared first on SabrangIndia.

With the fervor against the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) growing, the women of Malegaon, Mumbai, have also taken to the streets to protest the religiously discriminatory law.

Last week, on Monday, January 6, 2020, reportedly 300,000 burqa-clad women thronged the streets protesting peacefully against the CAA and NRC holding the tricolor and some holding black flags to express their displeasure with the proto-fascist regime and its policies.

https://twitter.com/VazeIndian/status/1216259276068421634

Salute to Thousands of Women Who are Protesting against CAA /NRC Peacefully.

The brave women of Malegaon.
…More power to you all. You’ve taken this movement far and beyond!#CAA_NRC_Protests#CAAExplained#NRC_CAA_Protests #IndiaAgainstCAA_NRC pic.twitter.com/ovrXLG8HRV

— परवेज़ M (@VazeIndian) January 12, 2020

Taking inspiration from their friends at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, the women of Malegaon raised slogans of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ and ‘RSS se azaadi’ while holding posters of ‘No CAA and NRC’. They also recited Faiz’s poem Hum Dekhenge which has now become the rallying cry resounding throughout India to challenge the government about its divisive policies.

https://twitter.com/Iqbal63894000/status/1216028032827371520

This is Malegaon where 300000 women took to the streets against NRC CAA CAB NPR and the facist BJP regime.

Tharoor take a look at this pic.twitter.com/1hHILOQQ9v

— Iqbal (Azadi) (@Iqbal63894000) January 11, 2020

The rally, organized by Dastoor Bachao Samiti (Save Constitution Committee) in Malegaon saw a massive number of women march from Jamea-Tus-Swalehat Chowk to Shahidon ki Yaadgaar Chowk.

The convener of the organising committee and Janata Dal (Secular) corporator Shan-e-Hind, called for a “non-cooperation movement” to protest CAA and NRC on Republic Day. Sultana Begum, the great grand daughter-in-law of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar also joined the rally, reported Maktoob Media. At the rally she asked, “The Mughals rued over India for 800 years but never divided people on religious lines. That is why they could rule for so long. They did not change names of cities. So what gives the BJP government the right to change the names of cities and roads? And why is it only changing those which were named after Muslims?” 

The post More than 300,000 women take to the streets against CAA and NRC in Malegaon appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Malegaon witnessed its second massive protest against the Citizenship(Amendment) Act  (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) on Monday, with only women — 50,000 as per the organisers — taking to the streets. The police, however, pegged the figure at 10,000. Speakers also called for a “non-cooperation movement” on January 26, Republic Day.

On December 15, 2019, CJP secretary Teesta Setalvad addressed the press in a hour long interaction before giving a public address at a maidan in Malegaon. In her speech, she said that Citizenship was our Constitutional right and this right was being attacked because of this government’s policies and the recent amendment to the Citizen Amendment Act 2019. She went on to say that because of Citizens for Justice and Peace’s vast experience in Assam (NRC) they were there to inform people and not let them be prey to divide and rule politics of the government.

Thereafter, on December 19, a massive protest rally was taken out against CAA and NRC in Malegaon. The rally was attended by around 60,000 people — both men and women — the police had said. Shops and schools in the area had remained shut as part of the protest.

Large sections of Muslims in Malegaon have been rushing to get their identification documents in order ever since the NRC exercise in Assam excluded 19 lakh people in September 2019. Since then, there had been a six-fold rise in applications for birth certificates submitted to the Malegaon Municipal Corporation.

This Monday’s protest saw women marching from Jamea-Tus-Swalehat Chowk to Shahidon Ki Yaadgar Chowk. The women, many of whom were accompanied by young children, began to congregate at Jamea-Tus-Swalehat, Malegaon’s oldest madrasa for women, around 2 pm. While they waited, a young protester recited Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmad’s poem Hum Dekhenge — one of many anthems at anti-CAA and anti-NRC rallies that is being studied by IIT-Kanpur for allegedly being “anti-Hindu”. Sufi Ghulam Rasool of Malegaon’s Kul Jamaati Tanzeem, a Muslim organisation, urged the protesters forward.

“Jab khawateen bahar nikalti hain tab inquilab hota hai (When women come out, there is a revolution),” he said. When the hour-long march ended, Mufti Mohammad Ismail Qasmi, the Malegaon Central MLA and patron of the Dastoor Bachao Committee, urged each woman to prepare for January 26. “On the 70th anniversary of the Republic of India, we will unfurl the National Flag on 70 buildings in Malegaon and sing the National Anthem. We will also hold protests to urge people to protect the Constitution. On Republic Day, no one should buy petrol and everyone should empty their bank accounts. Give this message to everyone in your family,” he announced.

Shan-e-Hind said that the organisers intend to emulate Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement during the struggle for freedom. “The government only runs on money and because we give our sweat and blood. We will make as many sacrifices as necessary to save our Constitution and our country,” she added.

The organisers also invited Sultana Begum, the great granddaughter-in-law of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, to the rally. Speaking about the need to remain united, she said: “The Mughals rued over India for 800 years but never divided people on religious lines. That is why they could rule for so long. They did not change names of cities. So what gives the BJP government the right to change the names of cities and roads? And why is it only changing those which were named after Muslims?”

At the protest, a group of students from JAT Girls College came bearing the day’s most critical posters. First-year BSc student Zulfa’s poster said — “My document has been stolen by the same thief who has stolen Rafale files.” “During the Rafale controversy,  Rajnath Singh had said that he could not release information about the deal because the file had been stolen. If a minister can say that, so can I about my identification papers,” she said.

Her friend Qudsiya urged people to donate a copy of the Constitution to Home Minister Amit Shah. “The home minister said recently that he will not change the articles of the Constitution that concern the northeastern states. He clearly does not know that the Constitution is applicable to the whole country. He needs to read it,” she said. They now plan to organise a students-only rally later this month.

The post Huge rally of women in Malegaon against CAA, NRC appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In the video, one of the assailants was seen slapping the victim and demanding him to say “jai Sri Ram”. (Source: ANI)

A group of cow vigilantes thrashed two meat traders in Malegaon area on suspicion of possessing beef. The incident that happened on Friday saw the men assaulting and abusing them. The whole incident was captured on mobile camera and made available by news agency ANI. In the video, one of the assailants was seen slapping the victim and demanding him to say “jai Sri Ram”. They were later heard talking about taking the victims to the police station.

In Maharashtra, it is illegal to slaughter bulls, bullocks and buffaloes after the state government introduced a ban in 2015. However, it is not illegal to possess meat from the animals. The Bombay High Court in January this year struck down relevant sections of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act that prohibited possession of the
meat.

#WATCH: Cow vigilantes thrash 2 traders for allegedly possessing beef in Malegaon area of Maharashtra's Washim(26/5) (NOTE: STRONG LANGUAGE) pic.twitter.com/7L2eZRjhlE
— ANI (@ANI_news) May 29, 2017
 
 
 

The post Again, Two Meat Traders Thrashed by Cow Suspicion of Beef Possession: Malegaon appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image: Inquilab

The textile town of Muslim majority Malegaon remained tense on Wednesday following ugly incidents on Tuesday when Hindutva mobs backed by the BJP targeted Muslim youth under the pretext of saving cows and progeny of cows, reports the Urdu daily, Inquilab.

Rightwing Hindutva outfits demonstrated on the streets on Wednesday and attempted to enforce a bandh in the city. Muslim homes and shops were stoned while Muslims passing through Hindu localities were beaten up in several cases.

The police force deployed for bandobust acted sternly in its effort to control the crowds. But in some places the agitationists had their way.

Meanwhile, butchers from the Quresh community registered their protest against the unlawful action of the gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) by keeping their shops shut for the day. As a result no meat was to be had in the Muslim predominant localities of the town throughout the day.

Posses of armed police were deployed on Wednesday in the sensitive localities of Malegaon to ensure peace. The five persons who were injured during the incidents of Tuesday are undergoing treatment in different hospitals. One of the injured is a cow vigilante while the other four are Muslims.

Activists of the Gau Raksha Samiti, VHP and Bajrang Dal took out a procession on Wednesday morning and staged a sit-in outside the office of the Additional Collector, Malegaon. They demanded police action against those indulging in slaughter of progeny of cows and arrest of persons responsible for attacking the gau rakshaks.

Leaders of BJP, RSS, VHP, Shiv Sena and Hindu Mahasabha addressed the demonstrators. No police permission was taken for the demonstration and it was evident they were itching to create a law and order issue.

After submitting a memorandum to the authorities, the demonstrators headed towards a Muslim locality but were blocked by the police. The agitators then tore up banners put up near the statue of Jyotiba Phule and hurled stones at Muslim homes and shops in the locality. Fruit carts were looted and incendiary, anti-Muslim slogans raised.

Background to the conflict:

On February 14, VHP activists intercepted a pick-up truck which was suspected to be transporting cattle from Manmad to Malegaon. The two occupants of the vehicle, Mohammed Farooq and Shaikh Rahim were pulled out and badly thrashed. Farooq was so badly beaten by the armed assailants that he had injuries all over his face and body.

Farooq then lodged a complaint with the police naming one Machinder Shedke of VHP and three others. Taking cognizance of the complaint the police lodged an FIR. Shedke for his part filed a counter-complaint against Farooq and a few others at another police station.

Meanwhile, after thrashing Farooq and Rahim, VHP activists had attempted to block traffic on the national highway on Tuesday. The agitators raised inflammatory, anti-Muslim slogans. This resulted in a skirmish between the VHP activists and some Muslim youth from the area.

A local journalist told Sabrang India today that the situation in Malegaon is now under control.
 

The post Malegaon tense after ‘gau rakshaks’ go on the rampage, Muslim youth thrashed appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Malegaon (Maharashtra): Over the last two decades, the world has seen dramatic changes – people have moved from landlines to cellphones, from writing letters to using email – but little has changed for Nandan Pagare, a 41-year-old power loom worker. Pagare, who looked much older than his age, has been working in Malegaon’s power loom industry, 270 km north of India’s commercial capital, Mumbai, since he was 18 years old.

He has graduated to living in a pakka (or cement) house, in Sayni Bhadruk, a village 6 km from Malegaon, but still earns Rs 1,800 a week for spending half his day working in a large factory, whirring with 200 looms. Now, with looms working three times a week instead of six (Friday is the weekly off), Pagare earns half of what he used to. “We are careful with our expenses now. We spend only on the most urgent items,” he said.

High electricity costs, international competition, and widespread violation of complex, unreformed labour laws (144 central and 160 state) – these were the issues the government never addressed in Maharashtra’s northern textile town of Malegaon. Firms stayed small and the industry on an economic knife-edge. Now, the government’s decision to withdraw Rs 14 lakh crore – 86% in value of India’s currency in circulation – has dealt a hard blow to 80,000 workers, whose economy was defined by cash. Before notebandi, despite a growing downturn, the town soldiered on.

Source: Multi-Sectoral Development Plan for Malegaon Town by Tata Institute of Social Sciences; Households data, Census 2011; Poverty Estimates 2011-12, Planning Commission; Primary Census Abstract For Slum, Census 2011; Workers and work participation rate, Census 2011.

But when IndiaSpend visited Malegaon, the town’s market – usually bustling with shopkeepers, hawkers and roadside eateries on a normal day – was desolate. There was silence in the lanes, where until November 2016, the loud buzz of power looms usually masked all other sounds.
 

Source: Census 2011

Since power loom is the largest industry in Malegaon, directly employing more than 20% of Malegaon’s 386,000 adult population, a recession in the power loom industry affects the economy of Malegaon.

Textile industry struggles with international competition, high input prices

“The Malegaon power loom industry has been under pressure because of high cost of cotton, the main raw material; temporary shutting down of over 700 textile units in Rajasthan, where cloth made in Malegaon would be dyed; and international competition,” said Iqbal Amarveer, 44, a third-generation power loom owner.

Amarveer doesn’t believe his looms in Malegaon will last long enough for his children to take over the business.  
 

Iqbal Amarveer, 44, a third-generation power loom owner, doesn’t believe his looms in Malegaon will last long enough for his children to take over the business.

The textile industry is the second largest employer in India, after agriculture, employing more than 25 million workers, according to the 2015 annual report of the textile ministry. The textile industry, of which decentralised power looms and knitting are the largest components, contributes 2% of India’s gross domestic product. Maharashtra, with over 1.1 million power looms, is one of the largest power loom hubs in the country.

Overall, the Indian textile industry is challenged by falling exports, low productivity and rising prices, IndiaSpend reported in July 2016.

“Textiles produced in Indian power looms are not competitive compared to Chinese and Bangladeshi textiles, which is why there is less demand and lower prices for Indian goods,” said Dinesh Patole, the state  government’s labour officer for Nashik and Malegaon divisions.

Why looms work three times a week, instead of six

Most of Malegaon’s 1.1 lakh power looms are micro, and small enterprises, each with nine to 12 power looms, according to the 2012 economic report on the Malegaon power loom industry, submitted to the Maharashtra Minority Commission. These looms, many of which are outdated, function in small garage-sized rooms with tin roofs.

In the weeks following demonetisation, power looms, known to work 16-18 hours in a day for six days a week, were working only three days a week – Saturday, Sunday and Monday – halving the wages of thousands of workers.

Most of the transactions in the power loom sector are in cash – power loom owners buy raw material in cash, disburse wages in cash, and  sell in cash. While many owners tried to work on credit, they couldn’t sustain the same level of production without cash for long, they told IndiaSpend.

“Payments are delayed since owners do not have new notes to give us,” said Pagare. Many other workers were being paid in old notes, they told IndiaSpend on December 8, 2016. Many workers were fired as looms were working fewer days, or had remained shut for weeks, due to a cash crunch and fall in yarn prices.

Poor working conditions in factories, unaddressed by government

Even before the withdrawal of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the 100-year-old power loom industry in Malegaon, which earned more Rs 10 crore every day, was known for treating its workforce with apathy. The situation is worsened by India’s complex labor laws, and the small size of the power loom businesses.

Pagare is treated as a casual worker, not regularly employed or entitled to benefits of a regular worker, in spite of being in the industry for over 23 years. He is paid weekly wages in cash, has not been registered under the Employment State Insurance Scheme, has no paid leave, and no health insurance. He is forced to change his job every couple of years to negotiate a raise as there are no hikes or promotions in the industry. Spending 12 hours working on the noisy power looms, without ear plugs, has taken a toll on his hearing, he said.
 

Even before the withdrawal of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the 100-year-old power loom industry in Malegaon was known for treating its workforce with apathy. Workers in Malegaon, on average, work twelve hours or more in a day. Most power looms do not have facilities for drinking water or even tea.

“The work is very strenuous and there is lot of running around to handle eight machines,” said Pagare, adding he would have liked to to do another job but has few options as he is educated only until grade 4, and has no other expertise. Pagare is the sole earning member in his family of five.

“Power loom workers usually work 12-15 hours a day in poor conditions, without overtime or any protection, under the constant threat of losing their job,” said Sunita Kulkarni, president of the Malegaon division of the Indian National Trade Union Congress, a trade union affiliated with the Indian National Congress. A survey by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences found that the average monthly income of a loom worker in 2011 was Rs 911.

“Most workers are illiterate and unaware of their rights. All they know is the power loom owner, their work and wages,” she added.

There is widespread child labour in Malegaon, with children working in businesses from tea stalls to factories, said Patole, the government’s labour officer. Amanveer, the handloom owner, said that in many cases children come to the looms with their parents, and want to be trained. “We do not make them work (in our factory),” he said.  
 

Small factory size makes it difficult to upgrade technology, improve labour conditions

Businesses in Malegaon are small– 40% of looms have an investment of less than Rs 5 lakh, and 50% of looms have an investment of between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh . Less than 10% of the owners access funding from banks, since many banks are unlikely to give loans to unregistered, or very small enterprises.

The small size of power loom factories in Malegaon makes it is difficult to upgrade machines and provide better facilities for employees. Less than 19% of the power looms have upgraded looms, called auto or shuttle-less looms, which would make the workplace safer and increase productivity, according to the 2012 report on the textile cluster of Malegaon.  
 

The small size of power loom factories in Malegaon makes it is difficult to upgrade machines and provide better facilities for employees.

Further, as many as 83% loom owners said there is a shortage of labour in the industry, as few young workers are willing to work for low wages, according to the same report.

India’s complex labour laws: 144 central laws, 160 state laws

India’s labour laws are rigid and complex, with about 144 central government legislations, and 160 state legislations. “Although the regulations are meant to enhance the welfare of workers, they often have the opposite effect by encouraging firms to stay small and thus circumvent labour laws,” according to one World Bank report. Restrictions on hiring and laying off workers, dealing with trade unions, and closure of plants incentivises firms to employ fewer workers and use capital-intensive approaches, according to this 2014 report.

For our continuing coverage of #notebandi see Currency Chaos.

(Yadavar is principal correspondent with IndiaSpend. Video produced in partnership with Video Volunteers, a global initiative that empowers disadvantaged communities with story and data-gathering skills, and trains them to use video as a tool to mobilise for change.)
 

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