PHAGWARA ON THE EDGE
DOABA FLASHPOINT Clash over naming a crossing as ‘Samvidhan Chowk’ in homage to Dalit icon has underlined an ageold divide between ‘lower caste’ and Hindutva forces; a dimension relatively new to Punjab’s caste cauldron
Known most prominently for once being a textile hub, this industrial town in Punjab’s Kapurthala district on NH-1 has been under virtual lockdown for nearly two weeks now, as a caste clash of April 13 over renaming a chowk continues to cast a shadow. The clash and its aftershocks — war of words between, and within, the Congress and BJP has only been escalating — have opened up a faultline between Dalits and “upper caste” Hindus.
PHAGWARA: Known most prominently for once being a textile hub, this industrial town in Punjab’s Kapurthala district on National Highway-1 has been under virtual lockdown for nearly two weeks now, as a caste clash of April 13 over renaming a chowk (crossing) continues to cast a shadow.
The clash and its aftershocks — war of words between, and within, the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has only been escalating — have opened up a faultline between Dalits and “upper caste” Hindus at a time when the rest of the country too has witnessed violence over this age-old divide. And the tension is now spread across the Doaba region, where Punjab’s Dalit population, the highest among all states at 32%, is concentrated. Doaba has in the past seen clashes primarily between Dalits, or other “lower castes”, and hardline Sikhs; but this clash has a dimension seldom seen here, that of Dalits versus Hindutva forces.
It began late evening on Baisakhi, April 13, when a group of Dalit leaders owing allegiance to an outfit named Ambedkar Sena (Mool Niwasi) put up a hoarding at Gol Chowk to rename it as Samvidhan Chowk, to pay tribute to the main architect of India’s samvidhan or Constitution, Bhim Rao Ambedkar, who is considered a Dalit icon. It was his birth anniversary the next day.
‘COPS COULD NOT CONTROL’
Within minutes, some activists of a selfstyled Hindu outfit, Shiv Sena (Bal Thackerey), reached the spot and objected to the board that had the “new name” in Punjabi and a portrait of Ambedkar. They said the crossing had already been renamed ‘Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Chowk’. As the arguments turned heated, police intervened but could not check the pushing and shoving, and soon the additional deputy commissioner (ADC), Babita Kaler, and superintendent of police (SP) Parminder Bhandal reached the spot too.
“But they could not control the situation. A scuffle soon turned into fullblown violence, and the Shiv Sena group even fired shots in the presence of the police, seriously injuring two Dalit activists,” said a top police official from the intelligence wing privy to the developments. The local officials, as per eyewitnesses, rather than trying to disperse the groups, kept listening to their claims for nearly two hours. And when the scuffle broke out close to midnight, the cops watched helplessly. Eventually five persons were injured, with one of them still in hospital in a serious condition.
FUEL FOR SOME
More than 33 people from both sides were booked in the FIR registered on April 14, and the police arrested four leaders from the Hindu right wing. These arrests have worked as fuel for them. “What showed the partisan role of the local police was that, after a few days, they removed names of seven Dalits from the FIR. No Dalit leader has been arrested yet,” said Naresh Bhardwaj, a leader of the General Samaj Manch, a group claiming to represent the “general category”.
“The issue heated up further when some local leaders, such as Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA (Adampur) Pawan Kumar Tinu and Congress MLA (Chabbewal) Dr Raj Kumar, and some from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), extended support to the Dalit faction,” alleged Som Parkash, the local BJP MLA who happens to be a Dalit too. His naming of the SAD MLA must be noted, since the party is a partner of the BJP in the state and at the national level. Tinu, when contacted, said that being a Dalit leader it was his duty to safeguard the community. “Som Parkash ji should rise above politics to support the downtrodden,” he added.
NOT OVER YET
Things, however, appeared to be quietening down by Tuesday afternoon. It was not to be.
Som Parkash has since backed the General Samaj Manch and even reiterated the claim that the chowk was already named after Bhagat Singh. This was part of a renewed flare-up brought about by two incidents in quick succession on Tuesday evening.
First, police had to gather in a local bazaar after some Dalits were reportedly forcing shopkeepers to down shutters; and then came news about chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s meeting with Dalit leaders in Chandigarh that ended in his “in-principle approval” to renaming the crossing as Samvidhan Chowk, thus getting back to the nub of the controversy and clash.
Minutes later, General Samaj Manch supporters sat on a dharna and announced a bandh demanding withdrawal of the CM’s announcement. This dharna was lifted only after an assurance by inspector general of police (IGP) Jalandhar range, Naunihal Singh of a “fair probe” and “strong action” against any Dalit involved in violence.
MLA Som Parkash, who had preferred not to take sides — he is a Dalit in a party often accused of favouring “upper castes” — came out openly in favour of Manch. Mayor Arun Khosla, who is from BJP too, and SAD district unit chief Jarnail Singh Wahid also sat on the dharna held by the Manch.
Some Congress leaders, including block unit president Sanjeev Bugga, and the party’s councillors from the general category also came out in favour of the Manch, demanding action against Dalit leaders “involved in the clash” who met the chief minister.
Amid this, a notable silence is that of Union minister and Hoshiarpur MP Vijay Sampla of BJP, a Dalit leader in whose segment falls Phagwara. Said to be abroad, Sampla was president of the state unit of BJP and was seen as a push by the party into the Dalit fold. Earlier this month, he was replaced with Shwait Malik, a leader in the mould of “upper caste” traders whom the party is seeking to woo back after their drift towards the Congress in last year’s assembly polls.