Chhatral killing reveals new Hindutva strategy: Polarisation of rural Gujarat

Farzan Saiyed, the 32-year-old man attacked by alleged Hindutva goons in Chhatral in Gandhinagar district on 5 March, succumbed to his injuries on Monday. His 52-year old mother Roshanbiwi Saiyed was also attacked by the goons, who mercilessly chopped off three of her fingers. She is still recovering in hospital.

The episode is a pointer to how Hindutva groups are continuing to the stoke the fire of communalism to keep the cauldron simmering. But what Chhatral has witnessed over the last four months is a sign of the changing face of communal strategy being kept alive in Gujarat which is quite often referred to as the laboratory of Hindutva.

It appears that Hindutva groups are now targeting rural Gujarat, particularly north Gujarat, to destroy the social fabric as this is the region where Hindus and Muslims have lived relatively peacefully. It must also be remembered that the BJP had to face a drubbing in rural Gujarat during the Assembly polls last year.

In Chhatral, the efforts to polarise began in the run-up to the elections in December. Sources say that on December 6, activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal carried out a 'Swabhiman Yatra' to mark the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya in 1992. The Yatra was carried out in the Qasba area where there are around 290 Muslim houses and the song 'Bharat mein jo rehna hoga, Vande Matram kehna hoga' was played over and over again.

One month down the line, on January 7 VHP leader Pravin Togadia allegedly presided over a function where tridents and swords were distributed. The pictures of the event were circulated widely on social media.

Sources say that that on January 20, a scuffle was broke out between Hindutva activist Ankit Narniya who is also a Dalit, and a Muslim youth Akram Syed. “This was an attempt to give it a colour of a Dalit-Muslim clash. A case was registered and while Akram was arrested immediately, Ankit was arrested some days later. This also showed how they are rankled by the equation of Dalits and Muslims coming together,” says Shamshad Khan Pathan, an advocate and a social activist with Alp Sankhyak Adhikar Manch (ASAM) who has been chronicling the developments in Chhatral.

On January 21 a door and a gate to a Dargah were broken and this was followed by around 300 people handing over a memorandum to the police and administrative authorities on January 23.

Then again on January 26, a Bihari Muslim labourer working at a roadside eating joint selling egg preparations, was thrashed by people affiliated to a Hindutva organisation.

On Shivratri a fair was organised very close to the Qasba area and a Muslim youth selling balloons was thrashed. This was followed by a Ram temple being damaged some days later and messages were circulated holding the Muslims responsible for the act, even though no evidence has been found to that effect.

Local Muslims along with the ASAM have been demanding an investigation into the matter to ascertain who was behind the act. Sources said that a mob had gone to the Muslim area with the intention of starting an altercation but the Muslims preferred to remain indoors. This was followed by the mob entering into a skirmish with the police which led to 16 people being booked and nine being arrested.

On March 5, 52-year old Roshanbiwi and her son Farzan were attacked allegedly by Bajrang Dal activists when they were on the way graze their animals.

They chopped off her left thumb, index finger and middle finger of 52 year-old Roshan Banu were chopped off and broke Farzan's arms and a leg broken, besides hitting him on the head. Farzan passed away on Monday at Ahmedabad's VS Hospital where various Muslim organisations staged a protest.

“Ironically, just after his death the police were able to arrest those whom he had named in his dying declaration. Some of the arrests were made in Goa which means that their whereabouts were known. In the events preceding the attack on the mother and son, the police had been registering cases but the arrests were negligible,” Shamshad told Catch.

The protestors pointed out that they had been constantly reminding the authorities that communal tensions were building up in Chhatral but the government did not take any action. They say that Farzan was killed because of utter negligence on the part of the government and its failure to maintain law and order. His burial was held on late Monday evening. ASAM activists have demanded compensation for his family members.

There have been reports of heavy police deployment in Chhatral where people are even scared to send their children to school to give their board exams.

Authorities have reportedly said that the police and district administration have been monitoring the situation and are in the process of engaging local teachers to bring students to examination centres.

“What is at display is the changing face of the communal strategy of Hindutva groups. One needs to also keep in mind the attack on Muslims in Vadavali village of Patan district last year. The model has changed. What is visible now are consistent small scale high intensity attacks in the form of damaging houses and shops. There is no curfew and the issue never gets reported prominently. The BJP has not done well in rural areas in the elections till now and this is the ground being targeted by those who want political dividends from communal polarisation. This is a very dangerous trend,” said Shamshad.

Observers say that efforts will be made by fringe groups to ensure that the communal cauldron continues to simmer in Gujarat as the country gets into the poll mode for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. They say that low intensity communal strife also helps the political forces divert attention from main issues concerning the electorate, such as water scarcity, agrarian distress and unemployment.