Civil rights groups in Rajasthan on Saturday demanded refusal of permission to the Hindutva groups for taking out religious processions through Muslim-dominated areas in the wake of communal violence in Karauli. Activists said the participants in these rallies invariably raised abusive slogans, which had often led to clashes.
The demand for a ban on the rallies was made in view of the upcoming festivals of Ram Navmi, Hanuman Jayanti, Vaisakhi and Mahavir Jayanti this month. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) said here that the Bharatiya Janata Party and its affiliates would make “mischievous attempts” to flare up communal passions and trigger violence on festive occasions.
The violence erupted in Karauli, situated 170 km away from Jaipur, after provocative sloganeering by the rallyists outside a mosque on the Navsamvatsar day on April 2. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has blamed the BJP for the Karauli incidents, saying the party had entered election mode in the State by organising incidents of communal tension and riots.
The State government’s Home Department has issued guidelines asking the organisers of processions and rallies to furnish the details of contents which will be played on loudspeakers. The guidelines have also directed strict compliance with the sound pollution rules.
PUCL-Rajasthan president Kavita Srivastava sought disciplinary action against the Karauli Collector and administrative officers for “irresponsibly granting permission” to the Hindutva rally in the town with abusive slogans and DJs. “Action should also be initiated against senior police officers for not stopping the rally when the participants’ intention was clear that they wanted to humiliate Muslims in their own locality,” she said.
The PUCL alleged that the police force in Karauli had started persecution of the Muslim community in the aftermath of violence and some police officials had picked up young Muslim men and tortured them. In addition to the registration of criminal cases against the guilty police officials, long-term action should be taken to change the communal nature of the police, Ms. Srivastava said.
Police have so far arrested 23 persons out of the 44 identified in the main first information report. A total of 10 FIRs, including one by the Kotwali Station House Officer of Karauli and nine by others, have been registered in connection with the violence. The curfew, clamped in the district headquarter town on April 2, has been extended till April 10, though a four-hour relaxation was allowed on Saturday.
