A week after communal clashes at Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, a fragile calm is prevailing under police watch. The situation is under control but it is yet to get back to normal.
What happened?
On January 26, workers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a students organisation affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) took out a ‘Tiranga yatra’ without permission from the administration. According to the police, when the participants of the motorcycle-borne yatra reached Badu Nagar, a Muslim-dominated area, residents who were getting ready to hoist the Tricolour as part of the Republic Day celebrations, objected to certain “provocative slogans” raised by the ABVP and VHP workers.
Have they clashed before?
Kasganj, over 200 km from Delhi, is a district in western Uttar Pradesh, which was created by dividing Etah district on April 17, 2008. It borders Farrukhabad in the east, Aligarh in the west, Etah district in the north and Badaun in the south. The sleepy town of Kasganj, which has about 20% Muslim population, mostly poor, has had no history of communal clashes.
Why the flare-up?
What began as a verbal clash over the right of way soon flared up into a bigger confrontation and went out of control. According to Kasganj Additional Superintendent of Police Pavitra Mohan Tripathi, the police separated the two groups. However, the rally participants regrouped and took a detour to reach Tehsil Road, another Muslim-dominated area, where residents thought they had arrived to retaliate. This led to violent clashes and exchange of fire between the two groups, in which two persons were injured. While Chandan Gupta, 22, died of injuries, Noushad was admitted to a hospital in Aligarh district after he was shot in the leg. Akram Siddiqui was thrashed by the mob, and he has lost sight in the right eye. Many residents from both sides alleged that a “provocative” speech by the local MP, Rajveer Singh, added to the tension, but no action was taken against him.
How was it managed?
The government moved in forces from nearby places to control the violence and bring peace to the area. A team of senior police officers from Lucknow was sent, along with several units of the paramilitary and the Rapid Action Force. The clashes spread in the district, despite the imposition of curfew and deployment of police and paramilitary forces. Rioting and arson went on sporadically till Monday. To control the spread of fake news and rumours, Internet services were suspended in Kasganj and neighbouring districts.
A Special Investigation Team was constituted to probe the violence. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged the people to maintain peace and harmony and directed the officials to take strict action. On January 29, three days after the violence broke out, the government sacked the district police chief for negligence. Witnesses alleged that the police took too long to bring the violence under control. The police have so far filed five FIRs and arrested 112 persons.
What happens now?
The government gave ₹20 lakh in compensation to Gupta’s family, who demanded that he be given martyr status. The police have arrested all the prime accused named by Sunil Gupta, the father of Chandan Gupta, in the murder case. Governor Ram Naik described the violence as a “blot” on the State, and said the “shameful” incident was the first of its kind since the BJP entered office in April last year. While police officers said peace had been restored, residents of both communities say they live in fear. Muslims and Hindus are apprehensive of a breakdown in law and order and worry about unexpected violence. They hope that the police will act against the rioters, who torched their shops and destroyed their livelihood.
