A vessel with half-cooked dal still stands on the stove in the Barki household after Friday’s violence.
The two-storey house of Wasim, Nasim and Salim, sons of the late Barkatullah Barki, a prominent businessman in Kasganj, was looted and ransacked by a mob on January 26, hours after 22-year-old Chandan Gupta was killed in communal clashes that swept the western Uttar Pradesh town, 250 km from Delhi.
The family is still missing.
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Gupta, who was associated with NGO Sankalp Foundation, was killed just metres from a police station, in front of the Barki home. It is alleged that shots were fired from the house. The police say a bullet hit Gupta’s right shoulder and punctured his lungs.
“We are waiting for the forensic report to ascertain how he was killed,” said Additional Director General (Agra) Ajay Anand, who has been camping in Kasganj.
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On Monday, the city with a population of 1.4 lakh was teeming with anti-riot Rapid Action Force (RAF) men and local police.
At a condolence meeting for Gupta, a Tricolour is hung from the table on which his photograph was kept. Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Manoj Kumar joined the family in prayers.
Bike rally
In another part of Kasgunj, Asif, who stays in the lane where the confrontation took place, said, “We had organised a flag-hoisting ceremony at Veer Abdul Hamid Chowk, next to a primary school. Every year the event is organised but on a small scale. This time we decided to do it on a grand scale.”
“When the celebrations were on, over 100 motorcycles with riders holding the Tricolour and saffron flags converged at the spot and wanted to make their way through the spot where the function was on. When we objected that this was not the main road, they used expletives and asked us to go to Pakistan,” said Asif.
Residents claimed that on August 15 last year, a similar attempt was made to foment trouble. Around 10 to 15 motorcycles had passed through the Muslim dominated area, with riders shouting slogans.
“The motorcycle rally is a new phenomenon. Earlier it was done on a small scale and used to pass through the main roads. Like we witnessed on last Independence Day and this year, motorcyclists wanted to go through these congested lanes,” said Mohammad Yasin, owner of a readymade garments shop. The narrow inner road leads to the famous Chamunda Devi temple.
Refusing to comment on whether the motorcyclists had permission to carry out a rally, ADG Anand said, “It is a matter of investigation. Let us not forget it was Republic Day and there are certain things that are unforeseen.”
Police inaction
Gupta was killed around three to four km away from the Veer Abdul Hamid Chowk where the trouble began.
When asked why the police couldn’t stop the violence since the clashes took place barely 100 metres from the Kotwali police station, Mr. Anand said, “Since it was Republic Day, the entire force was present at Police Lines for the official function.”
Residents said this was the first time a communal clash had taken place in Kasganj town with a majority Hindu population. “We never saw this kind of tension even in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. There has never been any trouble between the two communities. We suspect some outsiders created problems,” said Vijay Chandra Chauhan, whose son Anukalp is missing.
Several Hindu families claimed their sons had been picked up by the police. “My son Saurabh Gupta used to run a computer centre and was coming out of his shop when he was detained by police,” said Mamta Gupta.