Anti-Muslim riots erupt in Modi’s Gujarat

5,000-strong mob attacks Muslim village after a clash between Hindu-Muslim students; dozens of homes ransacked, 20 houses torched

GUJARAT: One person was killed and at least 12 were injured in a clash between Hindu and Muslim students in Vadavali village in Gujarat’s Patan district.

According to Indian media, the tragedy followed a scuffle between two students of Class 10 after their board exams. Sources said the two students were climbing down the stairs in their school after their exams when one of them fell. This led to an argument that turned physical and other students joined in.

According to Additional DGP Tirth Raj, the students alerted villagers and soon, a mob of around 5,000 people attacked the Muslim residents of Vadavali village, ransacked dozens of homes and torched around 20 houses, vehicles and other properties.

A 25-year-old man, Ibrahim Belim, was killed in the violence and at least five of the injured are said to be critical. Police said they fired more than seven rounds and lobbed dozens of tear gas shells to disperse the mob.

A number of Muslim residents of Vadavali have fled to neighbouring villages and many have taken shelter at a medical college in the nearby Dharpur village. Director General of Police PP Pandey said though the violence has subsided, three companies of the State Reserve Police will stay deployed in the village to maintain peace.

Vadavali, which has a sizable Muslim population, is a ‘Samras’ village, a government scheme under which villagers choose their ward members and sarpanch through consensus instead of holding elections. Vadavali has a Muslim sarpanch.

Superintendent of Police of Patan district, Ashwin Chauhan, said, “We are combing the villages to ensure normalcy and are also trying to identify the accused.” According to PPI, a crowd of about 5,000 people attacked the Muslim residents and set dozens of homes and vehicles on fire. Gujarat is home state of Indian Prime MinisterMuhammad Saleh Zaafir adds from Islamabad: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Uttar Pradesh (UP) has threatened to break limbs of those who kill and disrespect cows, remarks that could spark a controversy.

Vikram Saini is an accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar anti-Muslim riots case and was detained under the National Security Act. The UP has a fanatic Hindu chief minister belonging to BJP. Speaking at a function to felicitate UP minister Suresh Rana in Muzaffarnagar, Saini said, “I had promised that I will break hands and legs of those who hesitate in saying ‘Vande Matram’, those who feel pain in saying ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ and also those who do not consider cow as their mother and kill it.

“We are ready to fulfill the promise. We have a team of youth activists to take action against such persons,” he said. The remarks came at a time when UP's extremist chief minister Aditya Nath Yogi has directed that the ban on cow smuggling be enforced and action taken against illegal abattoirs. “The illegal abattoirs would be closed down,” he had said while addressing a civic reception in Gorakhpur a day earlier.