New Delhi: The riot-affected Jat community in the Muzaffarnagar district and the adjoining areas are reportedly unhappy with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi for ignoring them and visiting the Muslim dominated areas and relief camps. Reports on Tuesday said that the Jats are offended with the trio’s selective approach to the riot-hit victims and alleged disparity from them, despite Sonia and Rahul making a brief stop at Bawali and Khanjpura, which are said to be the Jat dominated villages. Reports also suggest that even the Muslims have complained over the huge security deployed in the area for the VVIP visit, whereas they were given no security and left to defend them when the violence hit their lives.
Over a week after the three-day orgy ended leaving 48 people dead and thousands homeless, Manmohan Singh toured some of the troubled villages, meeting villagers and discussing the relief and rehabilitation measures with officials on Monday. A large number of men and women spoke to the Prime Minister and the Gandhi’s from behind wooden barricades, with security personnel keeping a close watch. Some were teary eyed as they narrated incidents of those three days when mobs set upon innocents as they fled their village homes. Monday’s visit by the Prime Minister and the Gandhi’s – slammed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as “secular tourism” – came a day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was shown black flags by angry residents when he went to Muzaffarnagar.
BJP national vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi described the visit by the trio as “nothing but secular tourism on communal riots”. So far, 47 people have been killed in the violence. The situation is fast returning to normal. Curfew was relaxed on Sunday in three police station areas of Muzaffarnagar. Around 40,000 people have taken refuge in more than 30 relief camps set up in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts. Kawaal village is where an alleged incident of sexual harassment on August 27 led to three youths being killed. A ‘mahapanchayat’ or gathering of village councils was held a few days later, which led to communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and nearby areas, forcing the government to call in the Army to control the situation. Communal clashes erupted in Muzaffarnagar on September 07 after simmering discontent over a molestation case of August 27 which subsequently led to three people being killed in a clash.
Bureau Report
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