Riot accused helped broker peace pact between Sikhs and Muslims

MEERUT : Former councillor Moharram Ali, aka Pappu, was declared the main accused in the Saharanpur Sikh-muslim riots six years ago, with 97 cases registered against him and four against his teenage son. He spent more than a year in jail and his son was in prison for over six months.

The same man is admired today for brokering a landmark compromise between the two communities who amicably resolved a dispute over a mosque.

The gurdwara management in the Kutubshera area of Saharanpur claimed a plot of land on Gurdwara Road as its own while Muslims said a mosque existed on this land.

But after both communities reached an amicable settlement on Wednesday, the mosque will be shifted to a nearby place and Sikhs will bear the cost of the land and construction.

Pappu, who claimed he was falsely implicated in the riot cases by his detractors, said: “I am happy that an issue which tore apart peace and harmony of the city once has been amicably resolved. Both communities also have set an example, illustrating that any issue can be resolved with dialogue.”

To recall, the Sri Guru Singh Sabha had purchased a piece of land adjacent to a gurdwara for extension. When Sikhs started construction on this land, a group of Muslims led by councillor Pappu objected and said a mosque existed on the purchased land. The row escalated, leading to clashes in July 2014. Three people were killed, cross cases were registered and Pappu was named as main accused and rioter.

Popular among residents of his area, Pappu was elected councillor four times consecutively between 1988 and 2010 and he did a lot of developmental work, including setting up an inter college and junior high school which is popularly known as ‘Pappu ka school.’

Pappu claimed that his passion for development turned a few leaders of his own community against him. They falsely implicated him in the riots and he was declared the prime accused in the case.

He said that final reports had been submitted in 87 cases against him and of the remaining 10 cases, one was withdrawn by the government and in one case he had been acquitted by the court. Sikhs and Muslims had also agreed to withdraw cases lodged against each other after the compromise.

“So this would end all pending cases against me and my son,” said Pappu, adding that he and his clansmen would do kar seva during extension work of the gurdwara. He hoped that Sikhs would also help in construction of the mosque.

Pappu said dialogue for compromise started almost a year ago when Gurpreet Bagga, state president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), approached him with a proposal to buy land for the mosque at a location of the Muslims’ choice.

THREE PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN 2014 CLASH BETWEEN SIKHS AND MUSLIMS OVER A PIECE OF LAND NEAR A GURDWARA