MEERUT, India: The P.A.C., U.P. Police Combine is edging on Hindu communalist here against their administration in a bid to justify the massacre of more than hundred persons in “Mallianna” village by accompany of P.A.C. men last Saturday.

This hand in glove action of security forces with Hindu militants could foment further trouble in the riot ridden town which is limping to normalcy after seeing ten days of frenzied furry.

In the crux of this new crisis the U.P. government action of sending P.A.C. company commandant R.D. Tripathi and pulling out his battalian from Malliana where men in khakki had gone on a rampage has not worked as the new police and P. A.C. are totally identifying themselves with the Hindus. While the Hindus are whipping up a propaganda against the administration alleging it pro Muslim and anti-Hindu and anti P.A.C, the police men are abetting them.

All through this week predominantly Hindu localities like Parnab Nagar and Brahmpuni were splashed with banners lauding the role of P.A.C. in the Meerut riots even after the massacre they carried out in Malliana which was covered by the local press.

At 6 p.m. in Pranab Nagar this Wednesday about 200 volunteers of Manav Sewa Sangh collected in the Ram Lilla ground despite the curfew orders and displayed the banner hailing the police “Meerut Mein Shanti Banai Rakhne Ke Liye P.A.C. Aur C.R.P.F. Ka Dhanybad”. “We thank the P.A.C. and C.R.P.F. for maintaining peace in Meerut” the banner said.

Half dozen men belonging to a picket of U.P. police and P.A.C. stood witness to the banner hoisting though the area was curfew bound.

When asked why they were allowing people to come out of the houses despite curfew orders a constable retorted, “These people are with us why we should stop them”. Ravinder Singh, General Secretary of the Sangh an Equivalent of Hindu Sena said that Banner campaign would continue despite what P.A.C. had done at Malliana and he asked, “Why do you only talk about Malliana when Hindus also suffered badly at Hapur Road”.

The more blatant act of police in backing up these communalists was seen on Thursday. The U.P. police C.R.P.F. arranged three: Raodways buses for the women of Hindu areas of Shastri Nagar and Jai Devi colony to state managed demonstration at district magistrate’s office against the Tripathi’s suspension. The police personnel on duty also participated. Their identification numbers were hidden with cakes of mud. Women were helped by policemen at Shastri Nagar where a reporter of Sunday Observer saw them boarding the buses. Soon after District Magistrate Radha Shyam Kushkak was briefing the press men at 5:00 p.m. in his office. Women marched to his office shouting “Tripathi Ko Wapas lao”, “Bring back Tripathi”, “PAC Ko mat Hatao” “Don’t’ withdraw P.A.C.”. Bharat Varsh Mein “Rehna Hoga Bande Matram Kehna Hoga”. Two hundred odd women marched into C.M.’s office and mobbed down asking for reinstatement of Tripathi. A flabergasted Kaushah was heard say to the women agitators that he had no power to suspend one and that it was not his action. The women then marched to nearby Circuit House where Director General of U.P. Police S.K. Bhatnagar was camping. He returned to meet the demonstrating women and sent his deputy D.I1.G. Administrative Ram Arun to recover them. Arun was treated with abuses by some B.J.P. functionaries to please the demonstrators.

B.J.P. Chief Kalyan Singh was holding a press briefing in the Circuit House at that time, District Congress (I) President Mayavati Sharma said that women were worried about their security and about their neighborhood. We want only P.A.C. deployed in our localities, they are the only saviour. of Hindus, she said.

When asked how they managed to travel to the D.I.G.’s office in curfew she said that P.A.C. Khad helped them.

Article extracted from this publication >>  June 12, 1987