By M. Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Civil Society fact finding team has raised serious questions over police ‘biased’ actions in Dhule in a press conference organised today at the capital’s Press Club, although they fell short of calling it ‘preplanned.’
On January 6, as the scuffle between two communities began over eatery bill, leading to stone pelting from both sides, injuring over 200 people, including several police personnel, cops opened fire. What is interesting, however, is that while mob from both sides were engaged in stone pelting, but bullets were fired only on Muslims.
Shabnam Hashmi and Prof Apoorvanand with the victims’ families from Dhule at the Press Club, New Delhi.
Six people have died and several others were injured, including three persons whose limbs had to be amputated. Many people who were hit by bullets were not even part of the mob, but were accidently present in the Machhibazar market at that time.
Families of victims from Dhule, who were also present, have not only alleged bias and ‘communal’ actions by police, but also accused them of coercion and threats. Nazneen, a local activist, alleged that after the fact finding team arrived, she got call from the deputy SP of Dhule, Monika Rawat making undue pressure on her.
Prof. Apoorvanand of Delhi University read out from the report prepared by the citizen’s fact finding committee and said that from the eye witness accounts it appears that the police were virtually giving covers to Hindu groups and led them towards the Muslim houses as they continued ransacking houses and burning them.
They also showed video clips, apparently recorded by the people from the camera of their mobile phones that show police ransacking houses, burning bikes and cycles. Prof. Apoorvanand added, “When you visit those burnt houses, it appears they were burnt and damaged with the intention to inflict maximum damage.” He added, although there is no conclusive proof, we cannot deny that it was a pre-planned attack.
Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD added, “We see a pattern in last couple of years in the biased and communal actions of police from Forbesganj (in Bihar) to Gopalgarh (in Rajasthan) to now Dhule (in Mahrashtra).”
She has also accused the Maharashtra CM of “sounding highly communal,” when she spoke with him over phone on the issue as he refused to suspend the collector and SP of Dhule. She added that when he visited Dhule few days back, he had confined himself in the circuit house.
Family members of deceased recounted their grief as they pointed out that the police have not registered a single FIR against their complaints. They said when they went to complain police told them that the deceased were involved in rioting.
Hashmi also pointed out the fact that although under pressure state CM has announced compensation; it is with the caveat that those inlvoed in rioting will not get any benefit.
Asif Ali, recounted how his younger brother Imran Ali, who worked as electrician and was to be engaged the following month, was hit with two bullets, one at chest and other slightly below. The fact finding team noted that all the bullets injuries are above knees.
Prof. Apoorvanand also refuted the police claim that they had to fire as the mob was using unidentified chemical weapons against them and several of the police personnel were injured. The fact finding team has got the copy of list of patients from the civil hospital, according to which 159 police personnel came there for treatment, all of which had ‘minor’ injures from stone pelting, etc. and none of them were even required to be admitted.
Fact finding team also pointed out that while over 45 Muslims were hit with bullets, only one Hindu had bullet injuries, that too in ‘misfire,’ according to reports. Further while 35 Muslim houses have been burnt only 4 houses of Hindus have been damaged.
They also pointed out the fear amongst the Muslim community as not a single Muslim was admitted in the civil hospital but a private nursing home. According to testimonies, during the 2008 riot when Muslims rushed to the civil hospital they were chased out and beaten and hence fearing backlash, they avoided it this time.
The citizens ‘Fact Finding Committee,’ consisting of social activist Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD, Prof. Ram Puniyani of All India Secular Forum, Prof. Apoorvanand of Delhi University, and Advocate Nihalsing B Rathod of Human Rights Law Network, among others visited Dhule on January 13 and 14, 2013.
Nazneen from Dhule sharing her grief with media persons.
The fact finding team has demanded the compensation package to be enhanced in lines with the compensation generally offered and suspension and persecution offering police personnel. They also added that although the judicial enquiry has been ordered, from the past experiences, they would want a time bound fair probe within a month.
Findings of the Citizens Fact Finding Committee:
1. This violence could have been prevented, had the police acted in time.
2. While stone pelting was done by members of both the communities, the police action was selective and directed against Muslims only.
3. The police did not follow the prescribed protocol to control the mob. Police firing was excessive and was done with an intent to kill.
4. All bullets were above the knee, majority of the bullets were above the waist, many of them in the chest, neck and face. All six deaths were because of the police firing.
5. Majority of the victims of the police firing were left unattended by the police and were taken to hospitals by friends.
6. 159 police personnel were taken to the hospital out of which only 18 were admitted is evident from the record of the civil hospital (attached with this report). All the injuries suffered by the police were minor in nature due to stone pelting.
7. The burning and looting of Muslim household and shops was done by the Hindu mobs in the present of the police personnel and killings were done by the police. From the video footage obtained by us it is clear that Police also indulged in burning Muslim houses and destroying their property.
8. Fire Brigade was not allowed to come to the Muslim locality to douse the fire.
9. No relief camps were set up for those Muslims and Hindus who lost their houses (approximately 40 Muslim families and 4 Hindu families), no immediate relief provided by the State. Some food grains were distributed by the Red Cross.
10. The victims were threatened when they tried to register FIRs and no FIRs were registered.
Demands:
1. Immediate commissioning of judicial enquiry into the whole incident of January 6, 2013 in Dhule, Maharashtra with especial focus on role of the police.
2. Suspension of the DM , SP and other officers responsible for their acts of omission and commission with immediate effect
3. Announcement of relief and rehabilitation package including the opening of a relief camp immediately for those whose houses have been uprooted (25 lakhs to the next of kin of those killed, 15 lakhs for those disabled for life, 10 lakhs for those injured with police bullets, suitable compensation to those whose houses, property, business has been burnt, looted, destroyed after assessment by a competent agency along with members of civil society and NGOs).
4. Prosecution of all those policemen who are involved in killing people and destroying their property.
5. Government job to one person in the family of those killed / disabled for life in police bullets.
6. Immediate lodging of firs in all cases of death, injured, property loss etc.
7. Implementation of transfer policy for the police personnel which has been totally disregarded in Dhule.
8. Establishment of an extension centre of the government hospital with all facilities in the Muslim dominated area.
9. Lifting of curfew with immediate effect and resumption of normal working hours especially in power loom sector.
10. Setting up of a committee to study the development needs of the city including job opportunities for youth.
11. Immediate steps to be taken to de-toxify the mindsets of the police at the state level, programmes to sensitise them on constitutional rights, democracy, and secularism.
12. To invite national NGOs working on communal harmony to help set up a structure at the level of mohallas for regular interaction of local people and leaders of all communities, formation of mohalla committees.
Related story:
Dhule Riots: A petty squabble to ‘Kargilli firing’