For many years, the neighbouring villages of Chandan Khedi and Kanwasa in Madhya Pradesh's Malwa region were known for their communal harmony. Things changed, however, last year.
In Malwa, the region which includes MP cities such as Indore, and Ujjain, at least 12 incidents of communal tension have been reported since September 2020 where section 153 A (promoting enmity between different different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth etc) of the Indian Penal Code was invoked. At least 70 people have been charged, at least 70 booked, and the National Security Act has been invoked against 18 people, said the police.
The December 29 chain of events only deepened the communal scars. That day, a fund-raising rally for the Ayodhya temple was allegedly attacked, and some Muslims homes torched in Kanwasa. Chandan Khedi sarpanch Ashok Parasiya said he had never seen communal tension before the December violence. 'Wounds may have healed and houses are being reconstructed but what about the trauma?' he asked.
Saddam Patel, 35, a resident of Chandan Khedi village, whose house was burnt down in the December violence, and suffered a gunshot wound in the leg, said, 'On December 29, people held a rally to collect fund for the construction of Ram temple and shouted slogans against our religion. We objected so they burnt our houses and vehicles. Neither police nor the administration supported us. Instead, they jailed people from our community in a fake case. They also invoked NSA against four of us.'
Four cases have been reported this August itself in the region, with two hitting the headlines -- the assault on bangle seller Taslim Ali in Indore, where he was eventually charged with sexual harassment, and the alleged raising of anti-national slogans at a Muharram procession in Ujjain, which has seen arrests even as questions were raised on the authenticity of video proof. Both Hindu and Muslim organisations have hit the streets in protest over the past week over both the incidents. At least 2,600 people have been booked for attending events held without permission amid the Covid protocols.
Muslim organisations allege that it is the BJP's 'hard Hindutva' at play, with mostly Muslims being charged with NSA. Hindu organisations, however, claim the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) are stoking tensions.
Hindu Jagran Manch, Malwa in-charge Dheeraj Yadav said, 'The minority communities are being misguided by Muslim leaders, especially of PFI and SDPI. They are giving a communal angle to every incident -- whether it is sexual harassment of a minor or sedition. They are trying to create a rift between the communities.'
PFI state president Kafeel Raza countered this with, 'The state government introduced MP Freedom of Religion Act against Love Jihad that give a message to the society that Muslim men are targeting Hindu women.'
Some political experts believe the BJP, which lost its stronghold of Malwa in the last assembly elections, is trying to win it back by following a model based on UP's Yogi Adityanath government even as some Muslim organisations are seeking to establish themselves before the local body elections.
BJP, which won 56 out of 66 seats in Malwa Nimar region in 2013 assembly elections, lost 28 seats in 2018. It salvaged its position a bit by winning six out of seven seats in 2020 by-elections, but still has only 34 seats in the region.
Political expert LS Hardenia said, 'BJP-led state government of MP is following the UP model. BJP leaders in state are trying to win the next assembly election by promoting hard Hindutva. Meanwhile, AIMIM is trying to contest local body election in MP and that's why, its chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted about the Indore incident as he wanted to stay relevant by showing sympathy.'
Senior Congress leaders said the BJP is misusing power to create tension in the area. 'Taslim Ali was beaten up in the afternoon and police registered the case at night...There is no doubt that BJP leaders are trying to create disturbance in the society to rule... They are misusing power to harass people of a minor community,' said JP Dhanopia, spokesperson MP Congress Committee.
The BJP, however, calls it a political conspiracy. 'If we go back in 2015, a sudden spurt in communal tension was reported in Malwa ahead of the local body elections. Again, with these polls in a few months, some local parties are trying to do the same now,' he added.
Home minister Narottam Mishra, who has spoken of banning PFI and SDPI, said,'Congress and some anti-national organisations are trying to create disturbance not only in Malwa but across the state.'
Senior police officials in Indore said social media is being used as a tool to promote communal tension. Indore and Ujjain police departments have issued at least six warnings against spreading incorrect messages on social media in the recent past.Indore inspector general of police HN Mishra said, 'The number of cases is increasing as people of both communities misuse social media to circulate videos and photos with wrong captions. A small incident is being blown up so much that people react, leading to tension. But we have been able to control the situation in Indore.'
(With inputs from Neha Jain in Indore)
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