Zia’s
martyrdom a rallying point for Muslim youths
By
Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Muslims
in Uttar-Pradesh are rightly feeling betrayed by the state government. They
continue to protest in different parts of the state as the government of the
state is trying to subvert the process of law and getting rid of the entire
issue under the pretext that the inquiry has been given to CBI. There are
serious issues in this case but before that it is important to understand why
the Muslims of the state are restive and agitating and whether their demand has
some communal undertones as media is charging.
Zia ul Haq was an honest officer who died
for the cause for which he took oath of office. It is strange that he was
allowed to be killed by the mob in the village as his coward colleagues had ran
away from the village leaving him to be lynched. There is a need to inquire
into it whether these policemen posted in the thana had any relation/friendship
with the power gangs of Kunda? The UP police officials have suspended by the
five policemen who went along with Zia but the question is why not dismissal?
Why not prosecute them for failing in their duty?
Definitely
the murder at the first sight does look a crime but it has communal undertones.
It was well planned and politicians are expert in creating new situations for
their own benefits. The fact is that
most of these protests are painful symbols of Muslims disgust with the administration.
Day in and out, they face the brunt of administration in the name of fight
against terror. They are being targeted and youths have been arrested by the
police. None of them get a house to live beyond the Muslim locations and most
of their cases of human rights are being raised by a few individuals and
organisations, who face boycott and condemnation all over. Samajwadi Party
government in Uttar-Pradesh had come to power on the promises of empowering the
Muslims too. The youths had seen the games of Congress and BJP and hence they
felt that Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party would go beyond symbols
but the state saw over 15 communal riots and systematic attempt to isolate
Muslims. Azamgarh has become the point of reference for the so-called terrorism
and its linkages with Muslims. Efforts have not been made by political
parties to ensure that this tag of terrorism is not linked to Muslims but they
exploited it. Media was used to create the crisis of identity among Muslims so
that they remain defensive.
It is not that Muslim youths are making it
communal but the fact is that Zia’s colleagues ran and there is a close link
with communal flare up in a village in Kunda about a month back. There is also
a reality that a Muslim district
magistrate was send to Pratapgarh but was transferred. There is also a reality
that Raja Bhaiya and his family has been close associate of RSS, VHP and
Bajrang Dal. There is also a reality that so far BJP and sangh parivar have not
talked about the arrest of Raja Bhaiya. There is a reality that Mulayam Singh
Yadav made Raja Bhaiya a minister knowing fully well his track record and
various cases against him. There is a reality that Raja Bhaiya is not even a
member of Samajwadi Party at the moment. And there is a bigger reality that
Raja Bhaiya is now being praised by the upper caste Sangh parivar lobby and has
a huge fan following now. Also news is coming that many members of state
assembly met Raja Bhaiya after he was charge-sheeted and this unity goes beyond
party lines. BJP which has been active in asking for the head of Mukhtar Ansari
and Shahabuddin elsewhere keep quiet on the issue of Raja Bhaiya.
Some
years back when Raja Bhaiya was released from Jail, his followers were more
than happy and he was given a rousing welcome in Kunda. ‘jail ke taale toot gaye, Raja Bhaiya chhoot gaye’, was the slogan.
And the huge crowd would jostle to come close to him, have a look at him and
virtually prostrate in front of him. The oppression is high and unquestionable
as the state machinery has failed. That is why it is important whether the
policemen trapped him to go to village or they ran away fearing the crowd. This
issue must be investigated. The issue is communal because they knew it well
that killing of a Muslim officer will polarize the electorate and not influence
the equations locally. Moreover, it is sure that police people would go to
attend the ‘darbar’ which Zia ul Haq has always ignored. So, how come a Muslim
and that too from a backward community ignore the darbar of Raja Bhaiya and
that is the bone of contention.
Uttar-Pradesh’s PAC is known for being
Muslim basher during the communal disturbances. There are reports of how PAC
has been used to systematically target Muslims and control them. Samajwadi
Party has failed to fulfill any of its promise which Muslim youths were
expecting from it. In the administration and police services the numbers of
Muslims are nominal. In fact, an officer of CO rank would be very few in
Uttar-Pradesh. It is always felt that Muslim population in Uttar-Pradesh must
have representation according to its ratio in the governance, administration
and police. But that has rarely been an issue for political parties who were
‘appeasing’ a few mullahs to get the votes. Why the political issues of Muslims
are allowed to be handled by the religious leadership and not by the political
leadership? So far Mulayam Singh has promoted feudal like Azam Khans and
Maulanas like Ahmed Bukhari in the name of Muslim representation and it is time
political parties must stop in such juggleries. Muslim youths are look for
great jobs, social security and not isolation from rest of the society. They do
not want leaders in their name but leaders from the ground who work for the
rights of the community. It is tragedy that political parties are still playing
games. So the pain of Muslim youths is that one there are very few numbers of
their officers and secondly those who are honest too are finding it difficult
to work in this corrupt castiest atmosphere. So the fight is not just for Zia
ul Haq but for an honest officer who happened to be a Muslims and might have
become victims of the communal agenda of these communal mafias who used the
identity for their own political purposes.
More shameful are the things when the media
and paid media being used by political parties to defame them. It is disgusting
to see how media is reporting as if the wife of slain officer bargaining with
the government. There is no doubt that our families are artificial and once the
male head is gone, there is a war between the family of the boy and the girl.
The government tried to hide their inefficiency by donating cash and offering
jobs. Now, given the nature of political parties these days, they try to calm
down the protest by actually ‘winning’ over the individual who is affected and
hence these offers of job to family members of Zia ul Haq but then the same
government and its officials are playing politics by leaking such thing to
media and making it as if the family of the girl is just bargaining. Can any
one really understand the pains of a girl whose husband is killed brutally with
in some years of their marriage? No government and cash can return her the loss
of her near dear one. It is shameful how embedded media is expert in such
stories which really convert an honest officer’s family to cheap money minded.
The
political parties can undermine the protest by such tactics but if the
government fail to take action against the culprits and ensure free and fair
investigation Muslims will always feel betrayed. Their disgust and
disappointment with system might grow if their representation remains below
minimum and their youths are hounded by the police and investigating agencies. The Muslim unrest in India’s largest state
is a wakeup call for political parties to treat them equally and address to
their real issues. If they continue to treat Muslims as vote bank and use
religious leaders to ‘control’ and ‘appease’ the community, there will a big
backlash as various communities of Muslims are now raising their voice against
discrimination and want their share in power. Those who killed Zia ul Haq
physically might have wanted to eliminate him but in his death Zia will become
a rallying point for Muslim youths who will raise their voice against injustice
and for their fair share in India’s development and power structure which
nobody would be able to ignore.
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