Hate campaign
ON SEPTEMBER 23, THE ASSAM POLICE SHOT dead two people, including a 12-year-old boy, in Dhalpur (Dholpur) village in Assam’s Darrang district. A desperate regime is now making efforts to deflect attention from the sordid state of affairs that began with the eviction of as many as 800 families from their homes amidst a raging COVID-19 pandemic and heavy monsoon rains in a flood-prone riverine region.
An attempt is now being made to add a distinct communal hue to the entire exercise, perhaps also because it is election season in Assam: by-elections are scheduled for October 30 in Gossaigaon, Tamulpur, Mariani, Thowra and Bhabanipur Assembly constituencies. This means it is a ripe opportunity for polarisation and division and seeking votes on the basis of hyped-up hate instead of concrete issues. The top brass of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam is busy spreading the rumour that Muslims “took away” Parbati Das, the widow of Karna Das, the priest of the Siva temple in Dhalpur, and their son. They have alleged that Parbati Das was forced to marry a Muslim and forcibly converted to Islam along with her son.
But when we (members of the non-governmental organisation Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP)) spoke to Parbati Das, she shot down the communal rumours and told us her story.
“I was married to the priest of this Dhalpur temple when I was around 12 or 13 years old. We both used to offer prayers there,” she said. Her family and two other Hindu families used to live in peace with their predominantly Muslim neighbours. Later, the other two Hindu families moved away to Kalang in Morigaon district. Meanwhile, many Assamese Hindus who lived across the river came and offered prayers at this temple. Parbati and Karna Das had two sons, the elder of whom now works as a daily wage labourer in Guwahati.
“My husband died about 20 years ago, but I continued to offer prayers,” Parbati Das said. But after his death, the young Parbati Das fell on difficult times. “I ended up working as a help in the homes of Assamese families and even carrying bricks at construction sites to make ends meet,” she said. Sometimes, she also worked