On August 8, the Yogi-Adityanath-led Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government tabled a report on the 1980 Moradabad riots. The report tabled after 43 years of the riots cleared the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP, and the local administration of any wrongdoing. It instead blamed local Muslim league leaders for what it called ‘pre-planned violence’.
The report by the Judicial Commission states that the riots that resulted in the deaths of as many as 83 innocents had nothing to do with the RSS or BJP. It mentioned two Muslim league leaders, identified as Dr Shamim Ahmad and Dr Hamid Hussain, as the faces behind the riots, along with their supporters.
On May 12, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, approved the proposal to table the report in the Legislative Assembly.
What happened on August 13, 1980?
The brutal violence took place on August 13, 1980, on Eid-ul-Fitr in Moradabad. It is termed one of the worst communal clashes in India’s most populous state, since independence. Notably, the clashes erupted after some pigs were seen during the Eid prayers, near the Eidgah. For those who do not know, Pigs are considered Haram in Islam, hence, the incident irked the Muslim side.
The clashes soon turned violent as stones were pelted, bullets were fired, and properties were vandalised and belongings were charred. According to the report, 83 people died on the day of the violence that continued till November that year, with riots spreading to several other districts, including Aligarh, Bareilly and Prayagraj, and ripples felt as far as Delhi.
Congress never made the inquiry report public
It is pertinent to mention that, at that time, the Union and the State Government was led by Congress. Following, one of its kind communal clashes, the Congress appointed a one-man inquiry commission led by former Allahabad High Court judge MP Saxena. He submitted his report on the riots in 1983. Since then, a copy of the report was never made public by any government in power.
Notably, the copy tabled in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly absolves RSS, BJP and the local leaders. “No government officer, employee or Hindu was responsible for fomenting trouble at Eidgah or other places. The RSS or the BJP nowhere came on the front in these riots. Even common Muslims were not responsible for the violence. This was a handiwork of the Muslim League led by Shamim Ahmad and Hamid Hussain alias Ajji and their supporters. The riots were pre-planned,” said the judge in the 458-page report tabled by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna in the State Legislative Assembly on August 8.
The 458-page report asserts that no government official, employee, or Hindu was responsible for instigating disturbances in the Eidgah or other locations. The judge behind the report characterises the riots as pre-planned.
Muslim league leaders behind violence
“Muslims got angry and went out of control when there was a rumour that pigs have been pushed among those offering prayers and large number of Muslims along with children have been killed at the Eidgah. Police stations, police outposts and Hindus were attacked. This led to Hindus taking revenge resulting in communal riots,” the report observed.
“As a large number of people belonging to the minority community were killed in the violence, the incidents continued even after August 13, 1980. There was anguish as those killed included children though they died in the stampede,” the report noted.
Notably, the parties at that time claimed that the violence erupted due to indiscriminate firing by the police. The report however discarded all such claims and held the Muslim league leaders as culprits.
“The commission has concluded that district magistrate SP Arya, SSP VN Singh had taken adequate precaution… The firing at Eidgah was ordered only when there was a threat to the lives of those present or living in nearby areas,” noted the report.
Cabinet dropped report 14 times since 1983
Before BJP, the report published in 1983 was presented before the Cabinet Ministers under the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Janata Dal and even BJP, but the report never made it to the State Assembly. It was dropped as many as 14 times since 1983.
BJP versus opposition
“The report on Moradabad riots is a damning indictment of the way previous governments used to foment trouble. Compare this with the spotless record of the BJP under whose regime there has never been any riots. In communal tensions, everyone suffers but at this time, such political parties which play dirty games for narrow political gains are exposed before the masses,” said UP BJP Vice-President Vijay Bahadur Pathak.
“The BJP government should first clarify why did it transfer SSP (Bareilly) who tried to maintain law and order and control the riots? Why is the BJP protecting those who try to spread riots?” asked Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh.
“The BJP works under its agenda. This step is in sync with its obvious agenda as the Lok Sabha elections are nearing,” said Samajwadi Party national secretary and spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary.
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