Two days after homes of Iranian Shias were torched by a mob, around 50 riot-scarred women returned to Aman Colony to pick up the pieces and scour for valuables among charred remains. They came in auto-rickshaws around noon, many of them still injured and limping with bandages strapped across heads as they walked through the ghost town which was once their bustling home and hearth.
They broke down after spotting their gutted homes. Ashes had turned wet after Friday night's rain and they dug through cinders of what was once their living or bedroom for that elusive chest or memorabilia they could not collect to escape mob fury.
Their feelings ranged from pain, nostalgia to fear. While few wanted to return, others demanded the government should rehabilitate them elsewhere. Most Shia women pledged to take their fight for justice to Delhi.
Eyes welling with tears, the women pleaded for justice while picked up soaked clothes and other belongings. Zareena, 55, said, "We will go to the national capital and won't budge till we get justice."
Police said the 20,000-strong mob that unleashed terror on Shias also comprised armed women. They too participated in the mayhem, said officials of Nishatpura police.
Speaking to TOI, riot victims said nobody from the administration came forward to help. "We are residing with our relatives near the railway station. When we reached home, a few Hindus came with rotis when came to know about our plight," Ruksar, 45.
Police have locked some of the burnt houses. Reacting angrily, Salma, 30, said, "what's left in the house to lock? Everything has been robbed. How will we survive the winters? We do not even have clothes."
Another woman, Shanu, 40, said, "attackers first looted cash and valuables and then set it ablaze. All our household goods, including television, refrigerators, almirahs even utensils and clothes have been gutted," she said. "The holy Quran is still left in my house," said Nilofar, 30. Police calculated losses of around 35 houses and pegged it at around Rs 4-5 lakh per house. Cops camping in the area said there are no curbs on those willing to return home. Security will be provided to them, said a police official.
Cases of arson, attempt to murder and rioting against 1,500 people have been registered. Of them, around 70 accused have been identified. Few people residing alongside Aman Colony, who could become accused in the case, alleged 40 houses were burgled on Friday night. Police said they must come personally to lodge cases. "These people are sending their relatives to lodge FIR and this could be a tactic to divert attention," said station house officer of Nishatpura police station, Dinesh Joshi. The area has been cordoned off and only women were allowed inside.
To a query on why identity of accused, including women are not being revealed, police said, it was a precautionary measure to prevent them from fleeing. On Saturday, police officials were busy making security arrangements for Chehllum procession (Fourteenth day of Imam Hussain martyrdom) on Sunday. The timing and other details are being worked out to ensure no untoward incidents take place, a police officer said.
Did Thursday conflict in Bhopal have any ISIS influence?
Did Shia-Sunni conflict in Aman Colony of Bhopal, which led to violence on Thursday, have anything to do with ISIS’s war in Iraq and Syria?
Police officials and Sunnis in the area deny. However, the Shias attacked by Sunnis claim that they often faced verbal attacks from Sunnis in the locality in the name of ISIS before arson and attack on them took place on Thursday. Of late, they only intensified their attack.
“Since Muharram this year, they had started saying we should not observe Muharram and mourn. We should attend the Iztima held at Bhopal. Also, they threatened us that they would take revenge on us for whatever is happening in Iraq,” said Amzad Ali, talking to HT.
“When they attacked us on Thursday some of them held in their hands green flags and raised the slogans Pakistan Zindabad,” said Sheru Ali, 50, a property dealer and one of the injured Shias, who along with others have taken shelter at Irani Dera near Bhopal railway station.
Shia leader Gulam Ali said provocative texts were being circulated on Whatsapp in the community for quite some time.
When contacted deputy inspector general of police Bhopal D Sreenivasa Varma, however, said these were just rumours and there was no provocation as such on the part of assailants as far as he knew.
Muazzin of Aman Colony mosque in the Sunni locality, who didn’t want to be quoted, dubbed the allegations as “baseless and fabricated”.
Huddled at the Irani Dera near Bhopal railway station the Shias including women and children were put up under a pandal with bandages on several people’s foreheads. Many of them looked ready to reconcile with Sunnis at Aman colony. However, they feared further attack on them by Sunnis.
“The police remained mute spectators to the attack on us. Nishatpura police supported the assailants. After Wednesday night clash we were about to meet the shahar Qazi for a patch-up at 11 am when the attackers came from all sides and caught us unawares,” said Amzad Ali.
It is important to mention here that Sunni and Shia live together brotherly in India and there is not any real conflict between them, but there are mercenaries who always try planning to establish a conspiracy between Sunni and Shiite alliance and sow the seeds of discord between them.
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