'RANE AND PARRIKAR ARE BOTH CRIMINALS' Victims of Sanvordem When Godhra happened, Gujarat had a BJP government. Goa is ruled by a party Muslims trusted blindly till they were blinded last Friday.
Does anyone care to listen to the voice of the Muslims in Sanvordem and Curchorem? This is their verdict. You want to know why? Here's why. Nighar Agha was asked to leave her rented house by her landlady cos she was forced to by Hindu mobs. She ran away with her 4-year-old daughter with a heart problem. Seeing her run, the mob snatched away the medicine bag of her daughter. She could have died running from the mob. Noorjah Sheikh broke her back but managed to cover the mouths of her children so that they didn't shout, Sheikh Rafiq locked himself and his family, but the mob came, broke his garage and damaged both his cars and 2 of his shops. The Sheikh brothers screamed out to the police to help when eight of their shops were ransacked and looted. Not a single policeman came forward. We looked for these victims in Sanvordem, Curchorem, Margao and at the Margao railway station to present voices that would have otherwise been numbed By Preetu Nair [EMAIL PROTECTED] MARGAO/SANVORDEM /CURCHOREM: It was the greatest test of endurance for Nighar Agha last Friday. The images of the riots will haunt her forever. Living alone in a rented house at Sanvordem, Nigar has three little kids. Her husband is in the Gulf and her four-year-old daughter has a heart problem and is easily susceptible to infection. "On that unfortunate day, my daughter got an eye infection and fever. I was scared and worried about her health. Though I wanted to take her to the hospital, I couldn't and her condition worsened. In the morning, our landlady, a Catholic, came to my help. She took my daughter to the hospital. But when she returned, she advised me to vacate the house as people from the majority community in the area were threatening to attack us," she recollects and pauses. Taking a deep breath, she again continues with the horrors she underwent on Saturday afternoon. "Along with some boys, who had taken shelter in my house, and children, I walked to my brothers' house as no one was ready to give us lift and it was impossible for my brothers to enter Sanvordem. Four boys lifted my ill daughter and we walked for nearly 6 km, when a mob surrounded us and abused us. One man snatched the bag containing my daughter's medicine and threw it in the field. They beat two boys and said, "We will ensure that you people are not able to raise your head for atleast another 10 years". When I pleaded and cried, they allowed us to go." 57-year-old Noorjah Sheikh still squirms in pain. "We were scared and helpless. When we heard that mobs were attacking our homes, we armed ourselves with the masalas and utensils. But when they started pelting stones and shouting slogans we got scared. So I rushed upstairs in the dark (they didn't switch on the light that night) to collect some sticks but lost my balance and hurt my back and neck. Though in pain, I didn't scream, lest the mob heard my cry. I was scared for the lives of the young children at home. I was really scared and helpless," she reveals. She admits that it is shocking that majority of people from the mob were people whom they knew, if not by name, but atleast by face. Revealing his tale of woes, Sheikh Rafiq from Sanvordem reveals that he was at the mosque when he got message that homes and shops of minority community were being ransacked. So he rushed home to be with his family of 10. "I locked the door from outside. We switched off the lights and were too scared to even breathe. Around 8 pm, we heard noises and a mob of youngsters approaching our home with torch, shouting "Jai Mahadev". They broke open the garage and destroyed two cars, while I stood near my window as a hapless and speechless spectator. We were so scared that women held the mouth of our children, lest they make any noise," he revealed. Questioning the role of police in the communal riot, he said, "I called DIG Ujjwal Mishra for help. He promised to send help, but then cut the line without taking the address. The police never came. Late in the night, we along with the women and children in our neighborhood (around 20 persons) escaped in their Maruti van to my brother's house in Margao." Sheikh Brothers, who own nearly 10 shops in Sanvordem reveal that eight of their shops were completely destroyed by the mob, homes attacked and vehicles destroyed and burnt. "Everything happened before the police and they stood their helpless as if unwilling to help us. All pleas for help fell on deaf ears," they added. Thankfully, an eye for an eye is not the motto of the minority community, who allege that just as Nero fiddled while Rome burned, in the same manner, Rane was busy attending functions even as Curchorem and Sanvordem was burning. "It is Congress government and it was the ruling government's job to protect us. In Congress raj if this is our fate, then what is the use of having Rane as the CM? More than BJP and RSS, we blame Rane for the communal tension," alleged Ussein Gazi. * People tried contacting DIG Ujjwal Mishra on Friday and Saturday for help. He promised help but never delivered. When they contacted CM Rane when mob was burning their cars and attacking homes, he said everything is under control. Later, he cut their calls abruptly. All Congress MLAs and MP's had only one answer, we have called DIG. * During a meeting at Margao, the minority community leaders criticized Rane and asked Digambar Kamat (who was present there) what he would do for them? He was absolutely silent. (ENDS) ============================================================================== The above article appeared in the March 6, 2006 edition of Gomantak Times, Goa
