On April 10, Indian Muslims in many parts of the country squeezed under fear, hatred and extreme violence, which many believe was an orchestrated aggressive Hindutva campaign against the community. Hate speech followed by riots were reported from various states – Madhya Pradesh, Goa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Shops were burnt, houses were demolished, vehicles were set on fire, mosques were vandalised and Muslims were targeted by the saffron clad army with swords. A celebration of Lord Ram turned into a murderous attack, witch left Muslim families stranded and trying to save their lives.
But whenever there is bad, there’s always good nearby. That’s nature’s way. And India got to witness that when Hindus and Muslims helped amidst the violence.
Aurangabad
In Aurangabad, Maharashtra, a Hindu procession celebrating Ram Navami, while crossing a mosque, stopped the DJ music thus respecting the religious sentiments.
Lucknow
In Lucknow, a video surfaced in the internet when a Hindu procession was going through an area where a song was being played in the background that had words such as, “Our swords will speak, Hindustan will speak and Topiwalas (Muslims) will bow their head and say Jai Shree Ram too!” However, one can also see a group of Muslim men offering juice to Hindus. Ironic.
Kathiar
In Bihar’s Kathiar city, human chain was made by Hindus in front of the Jama Masjid mosque as a mark of respect during Ram Navami procession. However, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s district minister Ritesh Dubey told BBC Hindi that the human chain was not formed to save the mosque. “Our people involved in the procession should not face any kind of difficulty. Hence we made a human chain,” he said.
Karauli
On April 2, Karauli, which witnessed a deadly riot that left nearly 35 injured and over 40 shops destroyed to ashes, one brave Hindu woman stood up against an angry mob to save the Muslims who took shelter at her house in the first floor.
Madhulika Rajput, 48, gave shelter to about 15 Muslims who were trying to escape from an angry mob armed with swords. When the mob demanded Madhulika to inspect her house, she valiantly refused.
“I told them I would not let anyone inside,” Madhulika Rajput recounted. “They asked if anyone was hiding, but I said no one was here. I did not want the riot to spread further. No one can say anything to me here. No one can force me to do anything I do not want.”
Among those who took shelter was 28-year-old Danish Khan. He owns a shoe store. Talking to Scroll.in he said that he did not expect the level of kindness from Madhulika. “She said, come to our room on the top floor, this is not safe,” Danish recalled.
As they hid, they heard the mob at the gate, “They were screaming, trying to open the gate by force, trying to find out where we were. They were saying they would set alight shops owned by Muslims,” recalls Danish.
But what struck him was Madhulika’s brave act against a group of murderous people. “Aunty screamed at them and said she would not allow them to destroy shops,” they recalled. They all heaved a sigh of relief.
When Scroll.in spoke to Madhulika, she said, “See, these boys had nothing to do with what had happened with the procession. They tried to leave but were met by mobs. I did not want them to be hurt or blood to be spilled. I could not have that on my conscience.”
Khargone
In Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh stone pelting started at 5pm on Sunday after “provocative” songs were played by a Hindutva rally. It soon engulfed into a full fledged riot forcing police to use lathi charge and tear gas. However Muslim were the ones to bear the brunt as government ordered demolition of houses who threw stones at the Hindu mob.
Around 7pm, as reported by The Indian Express, 26-year-old Sumit Chandoke, a resident of Sanjay Nagar, received a phone call from his friend, a terrified Sadiq Khan who told him that his house was on attack by an angry mob.
Without much thinking, Sumit sent his younger brother Amit to help Sadiq and his family. By the time Amit reached, he saw Sadiq’s house on fire. “Amit rushed their kids to their relatives’ house further inside Sanjay Nagar before returning to save their two-wheeler, which the rioters were trying to set ablaze. In the bid to rescue Sadiq’s family, Amit was manhandled by the rioters,” Chandoke said.
Sadiq lives in a joint family of 14. He lost his house and entire earnings following the clas
“It started with stone-pelting and within minutes, they were outside our home. We could hear the mob saying, ‘Ye Khan ka ghar hai, phodo (This is Khan’s house. Destroy it)’, as they read the name written on the wall outside,” said Sadiq’s elder brother Dilawar.
“I did not think twice before sending my brother because when I was undergoing an operation for necrosis, Sadiq stood by me. It felt right to help him in his hour of need,” said Chandoke who works along with Sadiq at a private hospital.
Sanjay Nagar has a mix population of Hindus and Muslim. Fifty-five year old Noor Jahan was with her daughter-in-law when rioters started banging their door. “We pushed our belongings towards the door to prevent them from breaking in. But by night, we were scared of staying there alone. That was when Suman didi asked us to come over to her house,” said Noor Jahan.
Suman Prajapati is Noor Jahan’s neighbor. She realized it was not safe for the two women to stay alone that night and gave shelter to them at her home. “It was risky to leave them alone, so I called them to my house. We are neighbours and have stood for each other always. Our friendship is beyond religion,” Prajapati said.
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