A language in which H is for Haribhai and M is for Manibhai

For years,police stations have already had their own terms to describe the two communities. They use the equivalent of the word “person” in two languages: the Gujarati isam for Muslims and the Urdu shaks for Hindus. Says former Ahmedabad Police Commissioner M M Mehta,“These simply mean a person and are in use for decades now,” he says. “Police don’t use it with any communal connotation (in documents). An accused will always be referred by his actual name in the FIR.”

Some Gujarati dailies too used these terms frequently during the riots,particularly while reporting casualties. Gujarat High Court lawyer Girish Patel said it does not matter if the two words appear in an FIR or a legal document. “However,police should avoid using such words after its prolonged use by some dailies with communal connotations ,” he says.

There are less flattering descriptions,one of these drawn from the local-language equivalent for red or white ants,depending on one’s perception of which community is more violent than the other.

Dr Gaurang Jani,sociology professor at Gujarat University’s School of Social Sciences,has an explanation for why such words are used. Today,people of different backgrounds and faiths have come on an equal footing at various places,he says,and there are certain things they cannot speak out loud; hence such words.