The RSS-BJP is notorious for using religious festivals to foment communal tension and violence. This has once again been proved by their communal machinations in Bawana Resettlement Colony in Delhi on the eve of Eid al – Adha. This colony is composed of those urban poor who were uprooted from the Yamuna Pushta in 2002. A significant portion of its population is comprised of people belonging to the Muslim minority.
On 3rd October morning about 50 people belonging to Bawana village came to Bawana Resettlement Colony with a posse of policemen and began going from house to house ostensibly to find their cows that they claimed had strayed there. Their intent became amply clear from their aggressive posturing and repeated assertions that Muslims of the colony were going to sacrifice their cows on the occasion of Eid al – Adha. Further they claimed that any cow found in the entire colony had to be handed over to them. They tried to forcibly take away a cow owned by a Rajasthani woman belonging to the Hindu community. This attempt was foiled by her neighbours belonging to both communities.
Having failed in their first attempt, these elements brought a truck full of cows to Bawana Resettlement Colony late on the night of 3rd October and in the early hours of 4th October. These cows that had big bells tied to their necks were released on different approach roads of the colony. On hearing the sound of their bells and apprehending trouble people of the colony belonging to all communities assembled in groups at different points. They also repeatedly tried to contact the police.
The police arrived after about 2 hours. However, instead of heeding to what the people were saying, the SHO started shouting at and abusing Farida, who is secretary of the local branch of the CPI(M). It is only after repeated requests from the people assembled there that the SHO deigned to move around the village to locate the cows. Four such cows were rounded up. They were then taken to the local police station.
On 4th October morning about 25 men on motorcycles came to Bawana Resettlement Colony and repeatedly announced that the RSS would take out a rally there. At the same time posters appeared declaring the formation of a Hindu Krantikari Sena that would “launch a direct war against the daily slaughter of cows.” Their intent to create communal trouble was more than obvious.
A delegation of the CPI(M) led by Asha Sharma, North Delhi District Secretary, and Sidheshwar Shukla, State Committee member, went to Bawana Resettlement Colony on 4th October morning and spent several hours there talking to people of different communities. They appealed to them to maintain their cool and not fall prey to the attempts of the RSS-BJP to incite communal violence there. At the same time a delegation of the CPI(M) submitted a memorandum to the DCP, North-West demanding his intervention.
Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and member of the Rajya Sabha, contacted the Special Commissioner of Police, Shri Deepak Mishra and urged him to ensure proper deployment of the police in Bawana Resettlement Colony to prevent any untoward incident there. After this intervention, a large police force was deployed at the colony. This and the unity of the people of the colony foiled the attempt of the RSS-BJP to incite communal violence on the eve of Eid al – Adha.
The CPI(M) Delhi State Committee has congratulated the people of Bawana Resettlement Colony for standing unitedly against the dastardly attempts of the RSS-BJP to incite communal violence. At the same time there is no ground for complacency. The RSS-BJP can be expected to repeat their heinous attempts at fomenting communal violence. To counter this it is necessary to build wider unity among people not just in Bawana Resettlement Colony but also in the state as a whole. The CPI(M) will do all it can to advance this process and steadfastly combat attempts at communal polarization and violence by the RSS-BJP and their myriad associates.