Fact-finding team releases report on Nuh, Manipur violence

New Delhi: A report by a fact-finding team on Nuh violence constituted by CASR (Campaign against State Repression) was released at a press conference titled 'Authority and complicity, Exposing state-sponsored violence in Manipur and Mewat'.

Activist John Dayal analysed the socio-political condition of Nuh, where all the shops of Muslims were demolished which broke the economic backbone of the community.

Annie Raja, President of NFIW, commenced her talk at the presser with the experiences she had while in Manipur with her team NFIW. There are almost 125 dead bodies of Kuki people in mortuaries now and 56 dead bodies of Meities were allowed to be cremated, she said. Kukis were being targeted because of their opposition towards demanding hill development funds for the valley by the Meiti people.

In the month of March, forest surveys were conducted and forced evictions happened in hill areas. Tribal houses were marked and later burned. The question of the reservation for Dalits and tribals raised by Meitis broke the tension, Annie said.

Women started to guard their families and houses as they were terrified of the lack of protection. The violence was indeed a state agenda with the central government's hands too in it. The eviction of forest areas of Manipur would provide them free access to corporate forces in the future, added Annie.

This initiative can't be just addressed as a sort of data collection but documentation of an attack that was targeted at Muslims of Nuh in Mewat, stated Asim Khan, President of Fraternity Movement.

People were hiding in fields with their families since the mob had entered mosques, mazaars, and the entire village raiding and picking people. The violence is pre-planned and well-coordinated by fascist goons in the run up to the upcoming elections.

We demand the rebuilding of shops and houses that have been demolished, the initiation of strong actions against those who instigated the violence, and the release of falsely incarcerated people, he concluded.

Jenny Rowena, Professor at Miranda House, Delhi University had led the 12-member team that went to Nuh.

Professor Jenny started with the village of Nuh, and its people's struggles to meet the ends, of the Muslim-Hindu harmony that had existed. A long history of attempts to create disharmony among the communities by the right-wing people had existed in Nuh, the incidents when Muslims protected temples during 1992 and the amicable resolution taken when a mazaar was destroyed in the last yatra exemplify the same, said Jenny.

Aditi from Bigul Mazdoor dasta highlighted scarcity in the socio-economic structure of Haryana and the condition of women and children in Nuh. Nuh was given the status of district in 2005 and deliberately kept underdeveloped. The majority of people in Nuh are working class and Haryana is the topmost state in unemployment in India.

Adv. Vikas justified the resistance of victims of Mewat by stating "I consider this a basic instinct to resist, which is a human instinct. But after the incident, what happened was the Police registered an FIR against right-wing people on miniscule charges but on attempted murder charges against Muslims. The people were deliberately instigated by communal slogans, threatening to attack, and genocidal calls. This deliberate instigation was allowed by the administration and police and therefore the people, in the absence of law and order, resisted this attack. I believe this resistance is well within the right of self defence also.”

“However, the police are claiming this is communal violence but if it is communal violence, the investigation and arrests should be undertaken equally against both the communities. But the suspect list that police have issued names barely 7 people among more than 700 people named. Police have not even investigated from Hindu community but have raided muslim houses and arrested individuals indiscriminately," he said.

He also pointed out the deliberate social exclusion of Nuh as it is a Muslim-majority district. He pointed out that there are neither any good colleges nor universities and so there is no better job opportunity.

The conference was moderated by Sachin N (professor, Delhi University) and addressed by Annie Raja (general secretary, NFIW), John Dayal (writer and activist), Asim Khan (president, Fraternity Movement), Dr. Jenny Rowena (professor, Delhi University), Vikas Attri (advocate) and Aditi ( Bigul Mazdoor dasta).

Ultimately, the panel was prompted to stand united for the cause and to fight back with absolute resoluteness against fascist politics.