Eye on polls, Rane govt plays safe on riots report

With Goa Assembly elections scheduled later this summer, the Pratapsinh Rane government has chosen to play down the anti-Muslim riots that rocked the mining villages of Sanvordem-Curchorem in March last year.

With Goa Assembly elections scheduled later this summer, the Pratapsinh Rane government has chosen to play down the anti-Muslim riots that rocked the mining villages of Sanvordem-Curchorem in March last year.

The report—prepared by a magistrate and released yesterday—is silent on the role played by BJP and RSS activists who allegedly organised mobs to burn down houses belonging to Muslims. It, however, points out that the violence was sparked by rumours that outsiders from the Muslim community were converging in the area in large numbers to attack Hindus.

The inquiry was carried out by North Goa District Magistrate Nikhil Kumar, who said there was no evidence of any outsiders in the area.

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The report says the list of vehicles damaged in the riots reveals that all had Goa registration numbers and no vehicle bearing registration of any other state was found damaged during the riots. It also says it is clear that malicious rumours about “armed outsiders” created tension in Curchorem and adjoining areas and contributed to the communal riots on March 3, 2006.

“Whether these rumours were deliberately planted and consciously propagated by some anti-social elements with nefarious intent is a matter of conjecture at this stage, since nothing was brought on record during the magisterial inquiry to point conclusively at any particular person(s) or group or organisation,” it says.

But the DM noted that “some sort of pernicious instigation and insidious motivation was provided to the crowd to engage in the senseless and selective destruction of property of the Muslims,” without identifying the instigators. Local journalists and even police stations had registered cases against activists of the RSS and BJP for spearheading the

attacks.

The report states that concrete evidence regarding direct involvement of any particular individual or organisations in the riots is lacking so it was not possible to pinpoint responsibility on anyone.

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It, however, tamely notes that only BJP leaders spoke on behalf of the accused and pressed for the release of the 28 persons detained after the violence.

The report has indicted the police for failure to take preventive steps stating that the police inspector, in-charge of the area, failed to gauge the gravity of the situation.

The riots broke out after alleged activists of RSS and BJP demolished a mosque constructed illegally on public land in Guddemol village. Local police arrested only seven of the 12 accused. Even these managed to obtain bail the very next morning.

The report has recommended that at least three companies of “State Riot Control Forces” should be established on the lines of the Rapid Action Force.