The Hindu : A village torn apart by `visiting marauders'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 06, 2002

National

National

A village torn apart by `visiting marauders'

By Anjali Mody

Sardarpura MARCH. 5 . Sardarpura, in Mehsana district 120 km. from Ahmedabad, is like an abandoned village. Its narrow kacha roads are empty, its homes and shops shuttered against the world. The only sign of life is a blue police van guarding an empty street. Here, 29 Muslims — 15 women, eight children and six men — were burnt to death by a mob of "some 2000''. They were farm labourers living in 19 houses on one tiny lane. Those who died had taken refuge in the concrete house at the end of the street. The mob surrounded them, secured the doors from the outside and set the place on fire.

Sardarpura is off the main highway, unconnected in any way to the mayhem of Ahmedabad and Godhra. Why did a mob shouting "bharat mata ki jai'' choose this village of 4000 people for its attack.

The Mamlatdar of Vijapur zila, under which Sardarpura falls, H. S. Patel, said matter-of-factly: "Because it had a concentration of Muslims. The surrounding villages all have one or two families. But in Sardarpura, the Muslims were almost 10 per cent of the population.''

And where did the mob come from? Mr. Patel says: "People from surrounding villages... some from here may have been involved... I can't say. It is under investigation.''

Police constable Khodi Das from Vijapur police station, who was called too late on the night of the attack, says that 24 persons have been arrested, four from Sardarpura. "The people who have been arrested have talked about the Bajrang Dal... Vishwa Hindu Parishad''. But the people arrested were not from these groups, he said.

Three women, their heads bowed, walk past. They hurry as we try and catch up with them. Did they see the mob? Did they hear the cries for help? "We don't know what happened... we only found out in the morning.'' They refuse to give us their names.

Revabhai, retired schoolteacher, is willing to answer our questions, but he says that he did not hear a thing. "It was late at night. We were asleep. It is winter, so we sleep inside.''

He did however say that he had been told that they were "people from outside''. He adds: "They have to be. In Sardarpura, we have always lived like brothers''.

The Hindus who lived in the houses abutting the Muslim "mohalla'' have also disappeared.

They have, Revabhai said, "gone to stay with relatives... they don't want to be harassed by police. Police is just picking up people.''

"There may be fear of police,'' says Mr. Patel. "But there is probably also a fear of a retaliation from Muslims.''

As we walk up the narrow street, the doors of the 19 small partially burnt houses are open. They reveal the haste in which their owners left, scattered bedclothes, a slipper missing its pair.

Mr. Patel and his team from the Zila Development Board call out to us. "Look inside the houses... see there was no looting... see everything is still there... even the TV is still here.''

But, the fact is, there is no one who will come back for them.

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