BOMBAY: The riots in the city have been systemically engineered from Saturday onwards by the Shiv Sena in tandem with anti-social elements, the initial spark being the incident in Jogeshwari in the night of Jan.7, when four persons (not eight or 11] as earlier reported) were roasted alive.
In fact, Shiv Sena leaders now frankly admit their party men’s role in the violence. Says Pramod Navalkar, Shiv Sena’s leader of the opposition in the upper House: “Our boys were involved in the rioting,” adding. “But for every five Shiv Sainiks on the street, there were also 20 antisocial elements with them.” Manohar Joshi, senior Sena MLA says: “I will not call those Shiv Sainiks. They were all anguished Hindus who were spontaneously reacting to what happened in Jogeshwari.”
According to grassroots Sena workers, the Jogeshwari incident fuelled rumors that similar incidents would be repeated in other parts. From Jan.8 afternoon itself, groups began to mobilize in Shiv Sena shakhas in the city.
There are approximately 220 active shakhas in the city. On an average, each shakhas has around 200 committed members. This it gives the Sena an army of 40,000 Sainiks as against police strength of just over 30,000.
The plan decided upon in the shakhas was simple spread the word that people’s lives were threatened that temples would be destroyed and that sophisticated arms were being brought into the city. The more active Sainiks began going through voter’s lists and also finding out the names of buildings and shop owners in some areas.
‘SAAMNA’ EDITORIAL: The next day, a Saturday, when the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, Saamna, issued a front-page editorial headlines. “The nation must be kept alive,” with the last line reading, “The next few days will to retaliate.
For the next 72 hours, the Shiv Sainiks chanting, “Jai Bhavan Jai Shivraji” and” Vande Mataram bolna padega, went on the page selectively targeting on their strongholds in south Bombay of Girgaun, conflict shifted to the suburbs, as the Shiv Sainiks at times mingling with slumlords and goondas, again” began to spread terror. Shops were destroyed, huts were burnt and building residents were threatened day and night. :
By the time the Shiv Sena chief, BAL Thackeray, issued statement in Saamna calling for peace and gloating that, a lesson had been taught, it was too late. By Thackeray’s own admission, the rioting had been taken over by antisocial elements,” though the fact remains that a majorly of them were operating under the Shiv Sena banner.
MOB RULE: Indeed, that a senior Sena MLA Police Madhukar Sarpotdar, was found with weapons on Tuesday evening only proves that the Sena was not willing to house the firms overnight. Again, the fact that the Sena had to issue a Statement dissociating itself from the groups who were going around demanding protection money from the Mr. Norities and relief money from the majority shows how the party had lost control over the mobs.
Yet, not surprisingly, the mood within the Sena is upbeat first, after being totally marginalized in the recent elections, including last year’s civic polls; it has now reestablished its credentials as street fighting force to reckon with.
Secondly, its role in the riots shows that for all the sophistry of a section of its leadership, it remains a party of lumens who have little qualm anarchy.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 22, 1993
