Among those booked, men in jail since March

SHAHBAAZ’S MOTHER, SAKINA SHEIKH, SAID HER SON WAS IN JAIL FOR THE PAST 35 DAYS AND COULD NOT HAVE BEEN AMONG RIOTERS

BHOPAL/KHARGONE: Communal tension erupted on Sunday in Sendhwa in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh after a few people allegedly threw stones at a Ram Navmi procession, resulting in a clash in which two-wheelers were set on fire.

On the basis of a complaint from a man whose bike was burnt, the police booked Shahbaaz Sheikh, Fakru Mansuri and Rauf Sheikh, all residents of Jogwara, for rioting and arson.

The district administration and police demolished Shahbaaz’s house in Jogwara area.

Only, on Friday, it emerged that the three named in the complaint have been in jail for the past 35 days on charges of attempt to murder. Both cases were registered by Sendhwa police station.

“On Monday, a man filed a complaint that when the clash broke out, he ran away from the site and when he returned, he found his two-wheeler burnt. A few locals informed him that three men, Shahbaaz Sheikh, Fakru Mansuri and Rauf Sheikh, set the vehicles on fire,” said a sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP), Sendhwa. He added that the FIR was lodged on the basis of the complaint.

Following this, on Wednesday, Shahbaaz’s house in Jogwara area was demolished -- Madhya Pradesh’s preferred response against alleged rioters. On Friday, Shahbaaz’s mother, Sakina Sheikh, said her son was in jail for the past 35 days and could not be involved in communal riots.

“When they (district administration) came here to demolish my house, they informed me that my son was an accused in an FIR registered against him for rioting and arson. I told them that he was in jail in an attempt to murder case but they didn’t listen to me and demolished my house without notice,” she said.

Superintendent of police, Deepak Kumar Shukla, said it didn’t really matter because Shahbaaz is a local goon and constructed the house illegally.

“If the accused were in jail, their names will be removed from the FIR. The FIR is the first information report, not the final one,” he added.

In neighbouring Khargone, where around 52 houses and shops were demolished over four days after Sunday’s communal clash, some people alleged that they were targeted for being Muslim. “The administration demolished my house without any notice in Khaskhaswadi area. All the six family members are forced to spend the day on the road and night at somebody’s house. I am a labourer and constructed a pucca house by spending all my savings. Now, this biased action of administration has brought us on road,” said Mohammad Qurban, 52, a resident of Khaskhaswadi area where 12 houses and shops were demolished.

Officials claimed that 12 shops allegedly constructed illegally by a local mosque committee were also demolished. A member of committee and owner of a shop, Hidayatullah Mansoori said, “These 12 shops were a source of income for 12 families, including four Hindus.” “Six months ago, they came to measure the shops and on Tuesday, they came to demolish it. If the shops were constructed illegally, they should have demolished them before,” said Mansoori.

On Thursday, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan justified the demolition while promising homes for people affected in Khargone riots. “If someone spreads riots, Mama will not leave them…Mama will build the house again. I will also recover the losses from the rioters. I will not leave them,” he said, referring to himself in the third person. The sobriquet Bulldozer Mama (uncle) has been bestowed on him.

Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) state head Kafeel Saleem said, “The state government and local administration are targeting Muslims only. They didn’t even touch the houses of any Hindu rioters in Khargone. Without investigation, inquiry, notice and warning, they are demolishing houses.”

In Khargone, 42 FIRs have been registered, 35 against Muslims and 7 against Hindus. In all, 144 people have been arrested, most of them Muslims. In the riots, 30 houses and shops and 12 vehicles were burnt.

Former Congress state president Arun Yadav said, “If Shivraj ji wants to punish people without investigation, he should end the judicial system. I have been demanding since day one that action should be taken against the accused only after completing the inquiry but state government is targeting a particular community.”

Home minister Narottam Mishra, who gave a call for demolition saying homes of stone-pelters will be converted into ruins, said, “This is wrong that we are targeting a particular community. Things are very clear that who did what. The action is also being taken as per law.” It wasn’t immediately clear which law he was referring to regarding the demolitions.

Meanwhile, four people from Gujarat were detained by police when they were meeting the affected-Muslim families to extend help, on Friday. “They said they are social workers. We have sent their details to Gujarat police to verify their claims,” 25th batallion of Special Armed Force (SAF) commandant Ankit Jaiswal said.

(With inputs from Pradeep Gangele

from Khargone)