Author: Rajeev R Roy/ Sardhana/
Meerut
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: June 24, 2004
* Virendra Kashyap's family went
into a state of horror when an unruly mob of 600 people stone-pelted his
house, followed by gunshots. The family is yet to recover from the trauma.
* Abdul Gani, 70, owns a mango orchard
on lease. But ever since violence hit his town, he spends most of his time
outside his house to ensure the safety of his family members.
*Shripal Singh's daughter Anita
was set to tie the knot with Pradeep on Saturday. But the worsening situation
forced the family to move to Meerut for their daughter's marriage.
Thus leaves Sardhana with many such
horror tales on Friday night. The divide between Muslims and Hindus has
surfaced, thereby destroying the social fabric of the otherwise calm and
serene town.
"Since time immemorial, we have
been relishing communal harmony. Meerut has burned several times, but the
flame of communal hatred has never touched us. This asset has gone now.
We are left with potholed roads, tattered hospital and hollow schools,"
said Gani.
Sardhana has a population of over
70,000 with around 52,000. Its mainstay is small-scale industry, weaving
and agriculture.
Begum Sumru has started the education
system in the town. Her palace is now called St Charles' Inter College.
She constructed St Mary's Church, giving Sardhana the sobriquet of the
Vatican City of Northern India. The church is over 180-years-old. "I fail
to understand how the people of the town have become so violent all of
a sudden. It is a painful situation, and I pray the town returns to normalcy.
The sooner the better. The people should channelise their energies for
the town's development, and not its destruction," Father Valerian Pinto
of St Mary's church said.
"Had the roads been smooth, the
incident of stone pelting could have been avoided. The mob resorted to
stone pelting as the stones came handy to them, thanks to the potholed
roads," said Krishan Kumar, nephew of Baljeet Singh, whose throat was slit
on Saturday afternoon in the presence of police officials on Banoli Road
after a mob attacked him.
He along with others were returning
after performing Bobby's last rites when the mob attacked them. The mob
indulged in indiscriminate firing and stone-pelting. "They were behaving
as if they were law unto themselves," Virendra Kumar Kashyap, an area councillor,
said.
His house came under attack on Saturday
for the reasons Mr Kashyap has failed to understand. "The mob not only
attacked our house, but also many others on Banoli Road. We got scared
when they resorted to firing," Mr Kashyap said.
Asked if the police didn't come
to their rescue, Mr Kashyap said: "The police was helpless as the mob had
the tacit support of some powerful politicians of the area. I won't name
them, but you can find out their names."
Mr Kashyap was obviously referring
to Muzaffarnagar MP Chaudhary Munnawar Hasan and former MLA Abdul Wahid
Qureshi. The public have demanded an inquiry into the duo's alleged role
in fomenting the violence. "It could be the most terrible horror tale,"
Upendra Singh, a school teacher, said.
