BOMBAY: Hindu fascist mobs selected and killed about 600 Muslims and maimed and injured 1000 of the community in a week long orgy of violence in this financial capital of India even as the Hindu dominated security forces cither connived at or looked the other way, according (0 reports here.

In a wire report PTI added that: “the bustling Metropolis of Bombay saw LI more lives lost Jan.13 in incidents of stabbing, arson and police fining, with the toll in the second spell of violence in the city going up after 10 days.

Officially, the toll is 163. Enquiries with coroners and hospitals revealed toll to be nearly 600.

The Ayodhya related violence since the demolition of a mosque and December 6 has claimed 763 lives so far. The first spell of violence last month accounted for 203 deaths.“

Prime Minister Narasimha Rao supported Maharashtra chief minister Sudhakar Rao Naik’s continuance in power and rejected widespread demands of his ouster from power to halt the anti-Muslim carrage. The last word on Naik’s future has, however, yet to be said.

Thousands of Muslims left Bombay and headed for safer places outside. The city’s main railway station, Victoria Terminus, looked like a sea of humanity on Tuesday as panic-stricken members of the minority community were on the run. Trains bound for Howrah, Gorakhpur and Lucknow were packed to capacity. The railway authorities are adding extra bodies to cope with the rush of passengers.

Journalists quoted Mohammed Nissar, who works at Bombay Dockyard, as saying: When some miscreants started the trouble, the police just watched our houses being burnt and property looted.” Nazir Hussain, working in a bakery, said “Please write that no one in this city wants us.” Darban Seth, chairman of Tata Chemicals, was seen consoling the Muslims who took shelter at the railway station.

According to reports, the main culprit is the BJP Shiv Sena axis which whipped up communal frenzy by organizing “maha aris” all over the city. The slate government authorities are using to play up the role of the city’s underworld but there are not many underworlds but there are not many takers for this theory. “It is aimed at playing down the role of the police in the anti-Muslim noting,” a Jouranlist sad. The Hindu fascists’ morale went up early this week when the Indian government released L.KAdvani and six other top leaders of the “Ayodhia movement.” Immediately on their release, these leaders not only defended the destruction of the Babri masjid at Ayodhya but V.H_P. leader Singal went a step ahead and described the Hindu “kar sevaks” as “brave men.” Advani, too, said almost the same thing but with a difference. “The pulling down of the structure was unfortunate but it was not such a calamity that the nation should feel ashamed of,” he told the media at his first press conference at Delhi.

Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray was permitted this usual activity by the Indian government even after he had hailed the destruction of the Babn masjid at Ayodhya. He had, in fact, gone to the extent of claiming responsibility for the destruction by his party’s volunteers. Recently he made numerous violent speeches and organized and patronized “maha art is” all over the city. Significantly, India neither banned his organization nor arrested Thakcray.

After two days of anti-Muslim violence, the Maharashtra government called out the army for assistance to the civil administration to restore peace but in practices, according To reports, its help was not obtained. The army was not given authority to fire al rioters anywhere in the strife torn city.

Almost similar wave of anti-Muslim violence shook Gujarat where dozens of Muslims were killed and property of Muslims worth several crores was burnt or looted.

Several Muslim leaders including Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Najma Heptullah, Congress(1) central ministers, Jaffar Sharif and Salman Khurshid, met prime minister Rao to express their concern al the failure of the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments to control the situation. The Muslim leaders cut across party lines to demand dismissal of the two state governments.

Indian union Muslim League chief Sulaiman Sait expressed disappointment at the prime minister’s response. “He has been repeating the same thing,” Sait added. Rao’s reply to all questions on Bombay and Ahemdabad is that defense minister Sharad Pawar is in Bombay and that he is hopeful of binging about normalcy by Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, the prime minister is going about with his public functions undisturbed by the massacre of Muslims in the two States. He is going to Tamil Nadu later this week Io call on a Hindu godman to invoke his blessings to India government’s move to resolve the Ayodhya crisis.

Rao met Indian President S. DSharma for 90 minutes on Tuesday to set al rest his apprehensions about the government’s failure to take effective action to stem the rot in Bombay.

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  January 15, 1993