Hyderabad: A communal clash on the day of voting for Lok Sabha polls (May 13) has led to a continuing social boycott of Muslims by Adivasis in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district to this day. Communal violence erupted in Jainoor mandal headquarters after a minor altercation between the youth belonging to two communities snowballed into communal clashes.
Though arrests have been made and tensions are now low, the entire community is paying the price for the actions of a few troublemakers and the spirit of brotherhood in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district seems to be down.
“Political parties had different things in their mind as they wanted to exploit the situation. But we just chose to boycott that community economically,” a local Gond leader, on the condition of anonymity in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district’s Jainoor told Siasat.com.
What transpired
According to him, the whole episode goes back to May 13, when two youngsters belonging to one community accidentally hit a Muslim youngster while commuting near Jamni, located 2 kilometres away from Jainoor.
A minor altercation between the individuals of two different religious communities snowballed into a major rift between the communities, leading to clashes in the Jainoor market area and the Vaddera colony.
One of the groups held a lathi and sword march from Jainoor market area, just to assert their domination in the area. Attacks and counter-attacks led to a communal riot-like situation in Jainoor.
M Laxman, an Adivasi youngster was leaving for his native village located 10 km away from Jainoor, where he was to exercise his vote. He was a ‘Paleru’ (a bonded labourer in the traditional sense) who was working at a Vaddera household in the Vaddera colony in Jainoor.
One of the communities (not Adivasis) sat on dharna in front of the residential colony of another community, resolving not to vote, after their community members were attacked. When a Congress leader tried to pacify the protesters, they got further enraged and reportedly attacked him. The issue flared up further, resulting in the stone pelting on some in the Vaddera colony.
Wrong time, wrong place
Before leaving Jainoor, Lakshman went to consume alcohol at a local ‘belt shop’ (illegal liquor store) located in the Vaddera Colony. While exiting the facility, he suddenly found himself caught in a riot-like situation, where stones were being hurled and aimed at some houses.
Laxman, who had nothing to do with the matter, became the target of the attack and was badly injured in the stone attack, Laxman is being treated at NIMS in Hyderabad after sustaining a spine injury.
The Gond leader said that less than a year ago, an elderly Adivasi person from the Gond community was also slapped by a man, which had led to tensions. At the time, elders from both the Muslim and tribal communities sat together and reached a compromise after the Adivasis were assured that such an act wouldn’t be repeated again.
But the attack on Lakshman, who was there at the wrong place at the wrong time, fuelled the idea to boycott Muslims.
“Only time will decide when the social boycott will end,” said the elderly person from the Gond community, adding that, after the election code ends in June, a meeting of Gonds in their “Rai Center” (traditional tribal council of Gonds) will be held, where a decision on social boycott of Muslims will be taken by the elders from Gond community.
Members of the Adivasi community in all the villages of Jainoor, Sirpur and Lingapur mandals of Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district passed resolutions boycotting Muslims from entering their villages and also resolved not to purchase anything from the shops owned by them.
After the violence broke out, the police imposed Section 144 in Jainoor mandal for a few days and arrested around 30 members from both the communities involved in the clashes.
According to a source, FIRs have been registered against around 60 individuals among whom most were still absconding as per the latest information.
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