REPORT
From all the interviews we had with Hindus,
Muslims, Politicians, common people, social
workers, activists, religious leaders, and the
police, we have come to following conclusions:
1. That police was certainly not as conscious
as it ought to have been in view of the sensitive
nature of the town. Many people, particularly
Muslim leaders, feel that police was negligent
and did not keep watch on the situation on the
eve of Shab-e-Barat on 8th September 2006, while
it was very active and staged flag march before
Ganpati Visarajan. But they did not make even
elementary bandobast before Shab-e- Barat. S.P
Rajvardhan, himself said that I did not expect
any trouble on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat,
ever in my dream. The underlying assumption
of the police was that, only Muslims could be
troublemakers not Hindus.
2. It is quite evident after talking to a cross
section of people, Hindus as well as Muslims,
that Malegoan is polarized between Hindus and
Muslims. All Hindus thinking that Muslims have
done it and all Muslims thinking that Hindus
are responsible for it. Not a single Hindu,
be it politicians or Social worker or ordinary
person on the street, said that any Hindu could
have been responsible for it. This clearly indicates
polarization. However, what is important to
note is that all Hindus and all Muslims maintained
that the people who did it were not from Malegaon
but outsiders. They maintained that no one from
Malegaon would harm the people of their own
town. Though there is polarization between Hindus
and Muslims the question of who did it, there
is complete unanimity among Hindus and Muslims,
that the unity of Hindus and Muslims is important
and no one did anything after bomb blast to
disturb it. On the other hand both helped each
other. Hindus collected more than hundred bottles
of blood for injured Muslims, and some Muslims
saved Hindu lives. Even Shiv Sena leader Mr.Bhuse,
elected MLA from Malegaon, issued urgent appeal
and himself took initiative in collecting blood.
This is very encouraging sign.
3. The Muslim religious leaders, represented
by Jamiat-ul-ulama- e-Hind, were very bitter
about the police role and felt that the police
failed to discharge its duties. It did not post
police Constables and officers outside Bada
Kabrastan and Hamidia Masjid, as was agreed.
If police had taken prompt action, bomb blast
would have been prevented. They also felt that
police is carrying on investigations in a one
sided manner, only interrogating Muslims and
even detaining them. It refuses to believe that
any Hindu - based organization could have been
involved despite the fact that, there was bomb
explosion in the house of Bajrang Dal activist
and two persons were killed and RDX and ammonium
nitrate in large quantities along with time
devices and fuses having been caught from Ahmednagar
and Aurangabad from some Hindu shops and houses.
In view of this Muslims of Malegaon seem to
have no faith in police as well as Government
of Maharashtra. They also complained that police
is doing nothing to arrest two persons whose
sketches were prepared as per description given
by the owner of cycle shop from where two cycles
were bought by the suspects.
4. The police appears quite sluggish. In its
investigation as compared to its active role
after Bombay bomb blast. After our discussion
with police officer Shri Rajvardhan it appears
that the police is convinced that Bomb blast
was carried out by Muslims (with the involvement
of SIMI). The police is not taking seriously
the allegations by the Muslim leaders of Malegaon
that some Hindu organizations could have been
involved. Mr. Rajvardhan, said that more than
300 Hindus were interrogated but it is being
done rather secretively, if it’s at all
being done. He fears that if he actively pursues
Hindu organizations in this respect there will
be backlash by Hindus and communal harmony,
which the police is trying hard to maintain,
will be disturbed and again Muslims will suffer.
We did not have hard evidence to interrogate
Militant Hindu organizations. But when it comes
to Muslims, it seems police has no such fear
and they are detaining some Muslims for interrogation,
specially those who have SIMI past. But those
detained so far are poor Muslim powerloom workers.
Muslim leaders alleged that why police is not
arresting main brain behind it, why is it arresting
poor unknown powerloom workers. The
police on the other hand says that how can we
reach the main brain without interrogating those
through whom this work was done.
From all that has been said above it is clear
that police is investigating with the assumption
that Muslims have carried out the blast, perhaps
at the investigation of ISI and it is very unlikely
that any Hindu organization was involved. It
is therefore oblivious that, Muslims have no
confidence in the District Police and their
voice is not being heard by the Government either.
It is not very healthy situation and there is
great need to restore confidence among Muslims
and Government should take honest steps to win
over Muslim confidence.
