AT seven in the morning on June 8, 2014, a young boy named Danvir, while riding a motor cycle, was mowed down by a dumper near Pataudi-Mohammadpur road junction in Tauru, a small town in Mewat district of Haryana. His body got entangled in the dumper’s wheels and was dragged for about 50 metres on the road. Sensing the seriousness of the accident, the driver deserted the dumper and its cleaners there. The latter were Raees and Mubarak, both Meo Muslims belonging to village Dhulawat; just six km away from the site. Danvir’s body was sent to the district hospital in Nuh, where he was declared brought dead. RUMOURMONGERS HAVE A FIELD DAY In the meantime, people living and working around the accident site as well as passers-by gathered, caught hold of the cleaners and started beating them. Both were hit repeatedly until they lost consciousness. The police present at the site picked up the injured but the irate mob snatched them and again put them on the road. It now became a free for all. Passers-by and bystanders, even wrongly appearing as Meo Muslims, were targeted, insulted, manhandled and beaten indiscriminately. Even the policemen had to face stoning by the irate mob. Three motorcycles belonging to Meo Muslims and a police vehicle were put on fire. The rumour that spread around was that two Muslim boys had been beaten mercilessly and killed by a Hindu mob. Some of the Meo Muslims then started gathering at the main cross-section of the town which is quite away from the incident site. They shouted slogans which agitated unsocial elements among them to resort to stone pelting, firing and causing damage to properties. In retaliation, some Hindus too aggressively reacted, damaging properties and desecrating the Muslim religious places. This whole episode is a glaring example as to how a case of negligent driving by an individual could be transformed into a full-fledged communal tension and violence, damaging the very social fabric of society. Rumours and rumourmongers had a field day through mobiles, SMS and applications like Whatsapp. Curfew was imposed in the evening, but the situation was still out of control. Shops and other establishments remained closed for a week. When the situation improved and tension eased, a fact finding team consisting of CPI(M) Gurgaon area secretary S L Parjapati, Raj Singh (secretary, CPI(M), Mewat) and Khaleel Ahmad (secretary, CPI(M) Tauru unit) together with ten members of the Qaumi Ekta Manch, Chandigarh and Raghubir Singh Hooda, a senior Advocate of Punjab and Haryana High Court and state president of the All India Lawyers Union, visited Tauru on June 23, 2014. This team met and spoke to Ashu Sarpanch (local trader), Mangat Ram (retired principal), Tek Chand Saini (local businessman), Sawai Singh Sehrawat (a respected citizen), Hukam Singh Sehrawat (neighbour of the deceased), family members of the deceased, Saida Khan (former MLA), Hashim Khan (local advocate and social activist), and a number of other people from both communities. The team also visited the police station, a temple, two mosques and the market to ascertain the extent of damage caused to the property. BACKGROUND OF THE LATEST EPISODE Tauru, a small town and a business hub for the local communities, has been maintaining peaceful coexistence between the Meo Muslims and Hindus throughout. Here the impact of the partition in 1947 and of communalism during the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 was minimal. While the mainstream parties have been exploiting the Meos of the region as their vote bank, media hype in favour of Modi and BJP during the recently concluded elections was able to polarise the Hindu community. Muslims remained divided mainly between the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal. The well thought out strategy of the BJP here is to flare up passions just before any election. Communal politics in the garb of cow protection was played in Jhajjar, Pataudi and Dharuheda just before the general elections. It made the local people vote in favour of the BJP en masse. Rao Inderjit Singh, MP from Gurgaon, too switched sides from the Congress to the BJP, and again won. Assembly elections are due in Haryana in September or October. Having tasted the success of its polarising strategy, the BJP is now using the same disastrous tactics to disturb the peaceful atmosphere and divide the people on communal lines for its poll victory in the Mewat region. To an extent it has already succeeded in communalising the unfortunate accident of June 8. Whether we call it fear psychosis, retaliation or a defensive act, the local leadership of the Muslims mobilised the latter in response to the rumoured killing of two Meo boys. They pelted stones and used firearms to damage the properties belonging to the Hindus. Another reason provoking the Muslims was the unruly inhumane attitude of the mob at the site who didn’t allow the injured boys to be taken for medical help. With an exception of Sawai Singh Sehrawat and Saida Khan (ex-MLA), local leaders of both the communities displayed a highly partisan attitude and played a negative role. When the incident took place and the mob didn’t allow the injured any medical help, Rahim Khan Nambardar of Pachgaon announced through the public address system of the village mosque about the incident and mobilised the community. A gathering of 1000 to 1500 Meos took place at the main chowk of the town at around 10 a m. Tempers were running high. Fundamentalist elements present in the gathering emotionally charged the atmosphere, instigating the youngsters to resort to stone pelting, destruction of properties and firing. Zakir Hussain, a local politician belonging to Indian National Lok Dal, who lost the recently concluded general elections to Rao Inderjit Singh (BJP), also instigated the mob. On the other hand, Hindu militant organisations and Dr R P Sharma, Niranjan, Sunil Mittal, Babli Kabadi and Raj Kumar Mittal professing allegiance to the BJP instigated the Hindus by generating and spreading rumours, including rumours about the sacrilege of a local temple and slaughtering of a cow at the main chowk. Our team also came to know that a Hindu boy from a nearby village, Didhara, was arrested by the police for possessing a country made firearm during this incident. On investigations, it was revealed that he had supplied 12 such firearms to various persons of the town. NEGLIGENCE OF POLICE AND ADMINISTRATION: Initially, the minimal police force on the spot was helpless even to the extent that they could neither persuade the mob nor could remove the injured from the accident site. While trying to rescue the injured, the police had to face stone pelting and their vehicle was put afire. Ultimately, Sawai Singh Sehrawat, risking his life and property, made it possible to move the injured to the hospital. His house was stoned by an irate Hindu mob for this act. At the incident site, anyone looking like a Muslim, whether passing by or working, was beaten. Three motorcycles belonging to the Meos were burnt. An old man from Hirwadi village of Punhana was badly thrashed. The police remained a mute spectator during all this. Curfew was imposed at around 2 p m. the Meos dispersed and retreated to their localities. Now the Hindus from Tauru town began to pelt stones at the police. Some local traders gave a bandh call; shops and other establishments were shut. They also issued a dictate to impose a fine of Rs 51,000 on the shopkeepers selling goods to Meos. In spite of the curfew and under the very nose of the police force, some Hindus gathered in Aggarwal Dharamshala in the centre of the town. Two mosques --- Qureshiya Masjid and Jama Masjid --- were put on fire between 2.45 and 3.30 p m. Religious literature and furniture available in the mosques were burnt, damaged and destroyed. At around 4.30 p m a new showroom right in the heart of the market was looted and burnt. This belonged to Afseel alias Gaddar, sarpanch of a nearby village, Paduke. The police, paramilitary forces and administration owe an explanation as to how persons of one particular community assembled in the Dharamshala, how two mosques are attacked, and a showroom was looted and burnt down while the curfew was in force. On June 13, it was Friday, a weekly prayers day for Muslims. Whether to earn a few accolades from the higher ups or just to deceive the public in general, the administration asked Meos to offer namaz in the mosques of the town. But when they proceeded to the mosques to offer prayers, local Hindu militants, taking cover behind their womenfolk, threw stones at them to create disturbances once again. The administration totally failed to ascertain the situation while the police present at the sites failed to take action against the miscreants. What could be the motive of the administration for taking such a dangerous step during the curfew, is worth finding out. The police has however, lodged a total of 12 FIRs against men of both communities but making without any arrests. The team also learnt from the victim’s family members that in spite of promises made by the administration, no financial relief was provided them so far. REAPING OF DIVIDENDS Thus far Mewat has been one of the victims of vote bank politics, with successive governments at the centre or in the state, rarely bothering to care for this region. Hence it remains the most backward region of Haryana. Ever since the promulgation of the constitution and conduct of elections, leaders of all parties have been promising them sky but delivering lollipops. While it remained a Congress stronghold for quite some time, Indian National Lok Dal too did nothing except providing Mewat a distinct identity by carving out a separate district out of Gurgaon and Faridabad. All major parties of the state have been interested only in organising Iftaar parties during the month of Ramzan to emotionally exploit Meos, without any serious agenda for the region’s socio-economic development. Now having tasted victory in the general elections, the BJP is all set to spread its tentacles and woo Hindus from the secular parties. The team came to know that Hindu outfits are regularly organising small meetings in Tauru. Fundamentalist Hindu leaders from outside are addressing the people here, youth in particular. A section of young Hindu boys have been causing troubles for the Meos coming to market, schools and colleges. State BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma, while addressing a gathering at Pathredi after the incident, said in Hindi: now it is no time to contract tension but to give tension. Sukhbir Singh Jounapuria, now a BJP MP from Tonk in Rajasthan, has business rivalry with the Meos of the area; he has been using quite venomous language and instigating the people of Sohna in his area of influence. The present MP of Gurgaon, Rao Inderjit Singh, who switched loyalties overnight from the Congress to the BJP, said Mewat has accumulated a large number of firearms recently. He asked the central government to permanently station a paramilitary unit in Mewat. Hukam Singh Sehrawat, a neighbour of the deceased, told us that politicians from various political outfits have been visiting the victim’s house to offer sympathies. Most of them promised instant financial help. However, not a single paisa has reached the family. Ironically and true to their creed, when contacted subsequently, all such politicians had either switched off their mobiles or were not available for a talk. Following are a few such fraudulent munificent: Dharampal (BSP), promised Rs two lakh, and Ram Bilas Sharma, Mahender Jugal and Dharampal Singh (all of the BJP), promised Rs two lakh each. WHAT PEACE REQUIRES When our team met a number of people of both communities, we saw common people are not interested in the communal politics being played by the warring communities. Daily wage earners and petty shopkeepers are being deprived of their meagre daily earnings. They suffered during the curfew and subsequently during the bandh call given by some influential traders. Almost all big traders are affiliated to the BJP and its militant organisations. The administration urged that a peace committee consisting of 11 locals each from both the communities be constituted. The Meos followed the directions and submitted the names of 11 eminent local elders, but the other side submitted a list quite late and that too with outsiders as its members. Obviously, this was unjustified and unacceptable to the Meos. Such a committee is yet to take shape. Various civil society organisations are putting in their efforts to defuse the tense situation and important people of both communities are being persuaded to sit together for it. Democratic and secular minded local people must come forward and take the lead in restoring the centuries old fraternal relations. Local unit of the CPI(M) and Qaumi Ekta Manch of Chandigarh have initiated such an action. The idea was put forward to all prominent leaders of both communities and it was responded in affirmative. Given a chance, peace may return and people may identify the troublemakers soon. In view of the incident and the roles played by various agencies during the turmoil, the team came to the following conclusions: 1) There are prima facie indications that the incidents of loot, arson and organised physical attack after the accident were one-sided. It is also clear that all the shops and religious places which have been desecrated or burnt belong to the Meos. 2) The administration must ensure immediate formation of a peace committee consisting of local elders, intelligentsia, reputed citizens with a pragmatic approach, and democratic and secular minded people. 3) The police must launch a campaign to unearth and confiscate all unauthorised firearms and other weapons, without prejudice. 4) Initiators of rumours can easily be identified with the help of modern technology available today. The police must investigate and identify such culprits and proceed against them as per law. 5) Whenever such an incident takes place, the police must act with authority to deter the miscreants from taking the law into their hands. 6) Though the situation seems to have returned to normal, an undercurrent of mistrust and fear still persists in both communities. In such a situation the civil society, secular and democratic forces and the administration must remain vigilant to foil any recurrence of such incidents.