I/III. http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/capital-closeup/2013/09/12/who-is-responsible-for-muzaffarnagar-riots/
Who is responsible for Muzaffarnagar riots? What has been happening in Muzaffarnagar during the past few days is both shameful and deplorable. Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has rightly indicated that political parties could be behind this unusual flare-up in the region. Some other political activists have hinted that the riots are a result of the desire by political parties such as the BJP and Samajwadi Party to extend their influence in what is known as the Jat land of western UP, once a bastion of former Prime Minister Chaudhury Charan Singh. The amazing fact is that the rural areas of Muzaffarnagar have never witnessed a riot of this scale and most of the times in the past, the communal tensions that have taken place in Western UP were confined to Meerut, Moradbabad, Aligarh and such areas. Muzaffarnagar has been a place where the Jats and the Muslims have by and large co-existed in peace and tranquility. This belt has also been the stronghold of Charan Singh’s family, now represented by his son and Union Minister, Ajit Singh. In the nineties, the BJP had made inroads into these strongholds and had challenged the supremacy of Ajit Singh’s party in the 17 Lok Sabha seats that were once controlled by his father Charan Singh. Veterans would recall that Charan Singh had cobbled an alliance of various castes to knit together a winning combination which was described by analysts as AJGAR (Ahir, Jat, Gujjar and Rajput). Subsequently, he had enlarged his base by including Muslims and thus AJGAR became MAJGAR. The USP of Charan Singh was that he never gave too many tickets to members of his own Jat community but accommodated others. This was because he believed that the Jats who were his followers would in any case support his nominees. The most well known Muslim face who was Charan Singh’s close aide was Rashid Masood from Saharanpur who is now with the Congress. Western UP continues to be a battle zone for political parties who are trying to reclaim it from Ajit Singh and others who needless to say are not as influential as Charan Singh once was but are slowly yielding their territory to new forces. Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party even while being strong in other areas of UP have had to always struggle in the Jat dominated areas. Hard as he tried Mulayam could never implement the MAJGAR formula since he depended excessively on his own Ahir community. The BJP has done well in the past and hopes to recapture the imagination of the Jats whom it sees as natural rivals for the strong Yadav community which sides with Mulayam Singh. It has also been the BJP’s desire to get Hindu votes while Mulayam has wooed the Muslims who have a lot of affection for him. There have also been allegations that Mulayam and BJP have a secret understanding and help each other in times of need. Although there is no evidence to indicate the involvement of either of the two parties, but the riots would certainly divide the region on caste and community lines. If that happens, the BJP will be the major gainer and many believe that Mulayam’s party may not be the beneficiary but could lose Muslim votes to others such as Ajit Singh, Mayawati and the Congress. How things play out is something that will be seen when the polls take place. An alarming dimension of these clashes is that the UP administration has been once again found wanting in dealing with the communal situation. There are already demands for Akhilesh Yadav’s government’s dismissal and the young chief minister will have to do a lot more if he wishes to prevent a slide against his party. Having covered many riots in the region—Meerut, Moradabad, Aligarh etc, I feel that the administration needs to keep the role of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) of Uttar Pradesh under scrutiny. In the past, the PAC has been a party to the clashes and has acted against a particular community. The administration on its part must come out with a heavy hand against those involved regardless of whichever party they may be associated with. Politically, some political parties may gain but in these kinds of situation, the country suffers. II. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Lucknow/Ahead-of-Lok-Sabha-polls-SP-BJP-script-Jat-Muslim-divide/Article1-1120261.aspx Ahead of LS polls, SP, BJP script Jat-Muslim divide M Hasan<http://www.hindustantimes.com/Search/search.aspx?q=M%20Hasan&op=auth>, Hindustan Times Lucknow, September 11, 2013 First Published: 00:19 IST(11/9/2013) | Last Updated: 09:00 IST(11/9/2013) It was a fire carefully built and stoked. Its target was the Jat-Muslim amity in Muzaffarnagar which had profited the BSP and the RLD-Congress alliance. The violence which flared up over the weekend over the harassment of a girl and cost 31 lives, was no accident. It was a play for the 18 Lok Sabha seats in western UP scripted by the ruling Samajwadi Party and the BJP, which was brought to life by an indoctrinated GenNext. In 2009, while the SP and BJP won three seats each, the BSP and RLD won six and five. One seat had gone to Congress. And now, with the Lok Sabha polls again around the corner, the ruling Samajwadi Party and the BJP was desperately trying to make a dent into the RLD’s support base. related story<http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/UttarPradesh/Communal-violence-broke-out-every-3-days-in-UP/Article1-1120281.aspx?hts0021> <http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/UttarPradesh/Communal-violence-broke-out-every-3-days-in-UP/Article1-1120281.aspx?hts0021> Communal violence broke out every 3 days in UP<http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/UttarPradesh/Communal-violence-broke-out-every-3-days-in-UP/Article1-1120281.aspx?hts0021> - Why would we ruin our own image: Akhilesh Yadav<http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Lucknow/Why-would-we-ruin-our-own-image-Akhilesh-Yadav/Article1-1120409.aspx?hts0021> - What happened to UP's aspirations for change?<http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/hindi-heartland/2013/09/10/what-happened-to-ups-aspirations-for-change/?hts0021> In June, the Bajrang Dal had organised a camp in Baghpat and during a march in the town, they had raised highly objectionable slogans. Elder Jats had objected to it. In July, there had been communal clashes at a village in Meerut. There were also planned attacks on Muslims on trains on Meerut-Muzaffarnagar-Saharanpur route. [image: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/Popup/2013/9/11_09_13-pg-13a.jpg] Both the Intelligence Bureau and the police knew tension was brewing in the region. And the statement of Ashish Gupta, Inspector General (crime), that the violence broke out “despite preparations” indicates slackness on part of the local administration. In fact, under pressure from local SP leaders, the administration did not accept the demand of the Jat-controlled Bharatiya Kisan Union to expunge the names of those framed for the murder of a Muslim youth on August 27. Seven names were later expunged from the FIR. “Had our demand been accepted earlier, the Jat mahapanchayat and the violence could have been averted,” said BKU chief Rakesh Tikait. The Jat sentiments indicated a widening of the existing gap -- while the Muslims were pampered under the SP regime, the Jats, thanks to their proximity to the RLD, were already feeling neglected. Earlier, the two economically well-off farming communities in rural areas have been inter-dependent. And the khap system played a key role in integrating the communities. “But it has now broken, leading to a great Jat-Muslim divide. The disintegration as of now appears irreversible,” said senior RLD leader from Baghpat Kaukab Hamid. III. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/muzaffarnagar-families-of-3-youths-whose-death-sparked-violence-appeal-for-peace/1166901/ Muzaffarnagar: Families of 3 youths whose death sparked violence appeal for peace Manish Sahu <http://www.indianexpress.com/columnist/manishsahu/> : Lucknow, Tue Sep 10 2013, 09:40 hrs The deaths of their sons reportedly triggered the communal violence in Muzaffarnagar which has claimed 31 lives in three days. But all three families say they did not expect their personal tragedy would lead to so many deaths. *Muzaffarnagar riots: 4 BJP MLAs, Cong leader booked for inciting mob*<http://www.indianexpress.com/news/muzaffarnagar-riots-4-bjp-mlas-cong-leader-booked-for-inciting-mob/1166646/> "If the administration allows, we will come out and request the people to close this chapter. We only wanted the accused to be brought to justice, we never participated in any of the meetings organised after the incident," said Bishan Singh, father of Sachin Taliyan, 24, one of the three persons killed in Kawal village on August 27. Sachin was married and had a two-and-a-half-year-old child. *Editorial: Communal conflict in UP must be checked*<http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dangerous-experiments/1166537/> "We did not want our son's murder to be made into a political issue, although political leaders visited us. Amid the present violence, my son's case has taken a backseat. We want the police to arrest the accused," said Ravinder Singh, father of Gaurav Kumar. *Related: Azam Khan blames administration, SP govt*<http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sp-minister-azam-khan-blames-local-administration-akhilesh-govt/1166804/> According to reports, Gaurav, a resident of the nearby Malipura village and a Class 12 student, was on his way home from school with his two female cousins when Shahnawaz, 22, allegedly passed some lewd remarks. After an argument with Shahnawaz, Gaurav left the place, but later returned with Sachin and a few others. The group allegedly attacked Shahnawaz with knives. While some residents rushed Shahnawaz to hospital, others caught hold of Sachin and Gaurav and reportedly lynched them. Shahnawaz later died in hospital. *Muzaffarnagar: Packed hospital, empty streets*<http://www.indianexpress.com/news/packed-hospital-empty-streets/1166871/> The families of Gaurav and Shahnawaz also said they had not participated in any public meeting held after the incident. Shahnawaz's uncle, Shameem, said his family has left their home in Kawal village and fled to an undisclosed place. "Everyone fears being arrested on the charge of double murder," he said. "We also want the accused to be arrested and do not support this violence," he added. Police have been deployed at the houses of both Ravinder Singh and Bishan Singh. "We believe the district police and administration are also responsible for the situation because they did not take the matter seriously. Instead of arresting the accused, they framed us in the case," said Ravinder Singh. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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