By Muslim Mirror Desk
Aurangabad (Maharashtra) : The fact findings team including 11 members from civil society found that the anti-Muslim riots in Aurangabad, Maharashtra were preplanned and a deliberate act in which two people were dead and, 60 people injured including the policemen.
The fact-finding team comprised of Ravi Gaikwad, Vira Sathidar, Rameshbhai Gautam Kamble, Pramod Mandade, Sudhir Dhavle, Sadiq Qureshi, Rashtrapal Gavai, Yusuf Khan, Pratik Nandgaonkar, and Divesh Kumar constituted under the banner of Bhima Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyan and visited the affected area of Aurangabad and met with the eyewitnesses, locals, victims, police, political leaders and social activists to find out the causes behind the violence.
After their interaction with people in affected team found that just before hours rioters began looting and plundering as well they set ablaze the properties of Muslims. The Petrol, Kerosene, Catapult, Stones, they used were stored on the terrace of the multi-storied buildings before the eruption of the clash.
The team has also reported that electricity in affected area Moti-Karanja had been cut off since 10:00 pm to the day of communal riots as well the several transformers were also destroyed. The CCTV cameras were shut down earlier to save the rioters that clearly points out that the riots were prepared.
On 7 may prior to the incidence around 21 Hindu and Muslim shopkeepers of Shahganj Vyapari Sangh had filed a police complaint against a hoogalian Lacchu Pahelwan and his goons for beating and provoking the people for instigating the communal riot. But the police had not taken any action against the goons.
To carry forward the same concern on May 8 and 9 the shopkeepers also met with S.P Kodekar and submitted a written memorandum to demand justice and protection from Lacchu Pahelwan and his goons.
According to the fact-finding team, people claimed that several police officers including the S.P Kodekar and P.O. Kadam was seen walking along with the goons, and with the various leaders of Shiv Sena. Hence it is clearly visible that both Police and local Shiv Sena leaders colluded in this attack.
As per the fact-finding team the locals have also claimed that the illegal water supply removal wasn’t the main cause of eruption of communal riots, police officials are just manipulating the whole investigation as there are more than 35,000 illegal water connections between Kranti chowk to Shahganj areas and in the entire city there are around 1 lakh 20 thousand illegal water connections , but the Municipal corporation randomly started their operation in Moti-Karanja area and eliminated 4 illegal water connection that was only of Muslims.
According to the locals, the second incidence reported regarding a dispute between a mango seller and his customer later, which was resolved. Post incidence the nephew of Shiv Sena activist Lacchu Pahelwan came along with 8-10 goons and started beating the mango seller, but locals intervene in the whole ruckus and save the mango seller that lead to force the Lacchu Pahelwan’s nephew to leave that place. And post incidence on May 11, the Shiv Sena activist Lachchu Pahelwan publicly threatened to ablaze their shops.
The fact-finding team report also elaborates that, during the riots, merely the Muslim owned shops were burnt and looted, while the shops of Hindus in the same locality were remained untouched. Team report claimed the eruption of riot as a political attack and noted the direct involvement of Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire. They also reported that it was not a communal riot but a pre-planned attack on one particular community and the team also highlights the role of police, administration and the local political leaders. Even the police were also seen as facilitating the rioters, and it was only the Muslims who faced the police bullets as were the number of arrests is higher among Muslim