Thursday, May 28, 2015

On Communal Incident in Atali, Faridabad

Press Statement



The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the
following statement:



The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the communal incident at
Atali village in Faridabad district of Haryana. The facts and circumstances
leading to the incident clearly point out to the dangerous build up of
communal polarisation in an area which is part of the National Capital
Region. Despite the desperate attempts by the BJP and State Government to
trivialise the sinister developments by attributing local factors to explain
the violence and terror unleashed against the very small population of
Muslims living in the village, it is obvious that this is not an isolated
incident. The fact that the issue of a disputed mosque was used as the
excuse for communal mobilization proves to be all the more cynical because
the Muslim residents had got clearance for building the place of worship
from the court. Therefore, this is not just an attack on the Muslim
minorities of the village, but on the 'rule of law' itself!



A BJP activist who aspires to capture the Sarpanch's post in the coming
local body elections mobilised his supporters from the village and
neighbouring areas and incited them to target the Muslims. They attacked the
under construction mosque and some houses. The attackers also burnt the
belongings, vehicles, and houses of people from the minority community and
injured a number of people. A number of families have left the village and
have shifted to Ballabhgarh police station in apprehension of further
violence.



The role of the police and civil administration was partisan allowing the
perpetrators enough time to do the mischief.



This incident is part of a series of attacks on religious minorities in
different parts of the state since the run up to the Lok Sabha elections in
Mewat and gathered momentum after the BJP-led government's assumption of
power in Haryana. The state government, BJP leaders and the local MLA are
trying to force the victims to accept a so called mutually agreed
understanding outside the due process of law.



The Polit Bureau demands a transparent enquiry into the matter and stringent
action against the culprits. The enquiry should encompass the role of the
government agencies and political forces responsible. In the meanwhile, the
minorities must be given protection, rehabilitation and adequate
compensation. These developments once again expose the hollow claims of the
BJP and the Narendra Modi Government that the 'first year of their office
has been one free of communal riots'.

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