The fear among the ethnic Hindus in these villages looms large due to the fear of a Muslim attack. They fear reprisals and gullibility of the police with Muslim money power and an enviable unity among Muslims against the ‘Kafir’.
– Siba Prasad Sarma
Half an hour drive from Guwahati, which is free from its usual hustle bustle due to COVID19, are the serenity endowed villages. These villages start right after crossing the Brahmaputra Bridge, which otherwise remains with gleefully cheering faces of city goers and vice-versa. Roads are free to drive and accidents, road rages have become a thing of past these days. Though lockdown has substantially loosened, there is hardly any cacophony beside the roads and naturally one can drive speedily in the traffic free road.
After the half an hours drive we reach Monakuchi village. Monakuchi is one among the many Muslim dominated villages with others being Boromboi, Mohania, Raighat, Helsa, Axuria and Bongal para where Muslims outnumber the Hindus. Unbridled children birth rate being the prime reason. Hindus of the nearby villages Tetelia, Bahona, Koyankuchi, Ketekibari etc do not feel safe while going through these Muslim villages.
Theft of livestock from the grazing fields is a regular phenomenon and these Muslim majority villages have a good number of history-sheeters who indulge in these acts. Theft, organised crimes, dacoity etc are regular incidents. Last month lady health worker scrutinised a boy working in another state as part of quarantine measures for COVID19. But she was inhumanely beaten by him in broad day light. A video footage of the incident went viral and the boy was arrested but subsequently released.
On the fateful day of 22nd May, 2020, Sanatan Deka came to ferry his home grown vegetable on a bicycle. One Kabir and his friend Jalil were going on the road on a scooter (AS01 EE 8582) and intentionally collided with Sanatan Deka who was passing by the same road. Being very docile and meek, Deka moved away from the scene give his fragile health condition which also does not permit brawls forget taking revenge.
However, Kabir and his friend intentionally created an altercation with Deka and dealt heavy blows on him. Despite this, Deka made no qualms about it with his assailants. But they did not stop there as they called more of their accomplices. One Faijul Haque, a railway employee, reached the spot to join the mob. Faijul Haque is notoriously known for duping local people in the name of providing railway appointments along with his brother, Habib Ali, who is a teacher in a nearby school. Both the brothers have cheated many people in the garb of getting them Railway appointments.
Faijul Hoque arrives at the spot on being called by Khabir and Jalil. The hapless Sanaton Deka is then beaten to death by Faijul Hoque in a cruel show of crude sadism. Keeping an aura of cruelty helps the Faijul brothers keep their refund seekers at bay.
We visited Sanatan Deka’s house which resembles the poverty prevelant there. Except for a latrine, there are no signs of any government’s assistance. The house spread across an area of around 4000 sq. ft, is replete with nicely planted vegetables which speaks of the love, tender care of a beautiful mind. When we visited Deka’s house, his wife was still unconscious and his sister was wailing loudly. The deadbody came in a minitruck draped in a “Gamocha”. We noticed a conspicuous absence of any media or press tribe. However, the villagers who thronged there were in utter despair.
The fear among the ethnic Hindus in these villages looms large due to the fear of a Muslim attack. No one gathers the courage to speak out. They fear reprisals and gullibility of the police with Muslim money power and an enviable unity among Muslims against the ‘Kafir’.
One of the brothers of the killer Faijul Haque is an ‘Alim’ in a city mosque who might have resonated the spirit of Quran, which specifically calls for the Muslims to perform their duty during the entire period of Ramadan – ‘When the [four] forbidden months are over, wherever you find the polytheists, kill them, seize them, besiege them, ambush them’ (9:5)’Quran.
