User:Shantanu786/Kolkata Violence

About the incident

The term "Kolkata Violence" usually refers to a bout of rioting , violence and communal frenzy which engulfed the city of Kolkata in the State of West Bengal in India on 22 November , 2007. On that day , there were large-scale protests by Muslims on the streets of Kolkata which later turned violent.

Background to the violence

The Muslims of Kolkata are usually part of the lower and lower-middle class , and live in poverty-stricken , squalid areas such as Park Circus , Rajabazar , Sealdah , Mullick Bazar , Kidderpore , Metiabruz and Karaya , which are some of the poorest and least developed parts of Kolkata. These areas are characterized by poverty , cramped space , poor living conditions , irregular supply of water and electricity , lack of basic amenities , ghettoisation , etc.

The Muslims of Kolkata were increasingly becoming frustrated and disaffected by the discrimination they had to constantly face at the hands of Upper-Caste Bengali and Marwari Hindus. Muslims of Kolkata have to face discrimation and humiliation on an almost daily basis. Kolkata was the scene of the worst inter-religious violence in history during 1946-47 , subsequently , communal tensions are high owing to financial disparites between Hindus and Muslims , economic depresion in West Bengal from 1967 to 1999 , a high rate of crime , and issues such as that of the Babri Masjid. Muslims have to face a unique humiliation in Kolkata. Upper-Caste Hindus do not let them to enter their homes , consider them "unclean" and "smelly" , openly manifest their contempt , do not eat or drink anything which has been touched by a Muslim etc. Kolkata's Hindus in general , regard Muslims as lesser human beings , not worthy of mention , etc. This , compounded by poverty , lack of opportunities for the youth ( unemployment is higher among Muslim youth) , and extreme Police repression , has created an atmosphere of injustice.

The Muslims of Kolkata have to face treatment similar to that faced by Blacks and African-Americans in USA. Most Upper-Caste Hindus look down upon the Muslims in a similar way Whites look down upon Blacks. Muslims are considered untouchables and low-caste people . and they are treated as such. Upper-Caste Hindus disregard Muslims and try to avoid them and do not associate with them. Hindus ridicule and belittle Muslim practices.

Unjustifiably , there is a consensus among the Upper-Caste Hindus of Kolkata that the Muslims of Kolkata are the "scum of the earth" responsible for all sorts of abnormalities like polygamy , early marriages , high birth rate , iliteracy , sexual perversions , underworld crime starting from theft and pickpocketing and ending with murder and kidnapping for ransom , beef-eating and cow-slaughter , generally maintaining "dirty" habits like eating from the same plate.

Muslim criminals caught by the public are not spared - retribution is immediate :- they are lynched to death on the spot , beaten and thrashed to death. To most Upper-Caste Hindus , Muslims are lesser human beings with no right to live a dignified life. This treatment of Muslim of Kolkata is strikingly similar to that of Blacks in the United States.

Subsequently , in the light of the discrimination faced by Muslims in Kolkata , ghettoisation is increasing. The Muslims of Kolkata have adopted a defeatist attitude.The economic disparity between Hindus and Muslims is increasing day by day. Hindus are becoming richer and Muslims poorer.

The Violence

On the day of 22 November , the All India Minority Forum and the Jamaat-e-Islami organized a strike and a massive parade to protest the recent atrocities committed against Muslims in West Bengal like the Nandigram massacre , the Rizwanur Rahman murder , the hospitality shown towards controversial author Taslima Nasreen and in general the socio-economic misery of Muslims. This parade degenerated into a violent clash with Police. Various Islamist Parties like Jamaat-e-Islami were already hostile towards the Government of West Bengal and they had threatened to stage protests earlier. But on the morning of 22 Novemebr , a large gathering of around 500 activists of All India Minority Forum had gathered at the very busy seven-point intersection of Park Circus in the City to stage a peaceful traffic blockade in order to forward Muslim disaffection to the Government. However , things went out of control when a posse of 14-15 Policemen attempted to forcefully disperse the peaceful crowd with batons and tear gas shells. The Muslim activists fought back ferociously with bricks , and the Police were forced to beat a hasty retreat. Several Policemen were injured in the counter-attack.

Now there was no stopping the bunch of enraged Muslims. They set about smashing car windscreens , setting fire to vehicles , ransacking shops and business establishments owned by Hindus. Some of the activists quickly spread the rumour that 5 Muslim youths had been lynched by Policemen , and as this news spread like wildfire throught the Muslim neighborhoods , young Muslim men came out on the streets in droves , armed with sticks , swords , bricks , machetes , and in some cases shotguns and riot guns. They set about setting fire to Police Vehicles , attacking Policemen in particular and Hindus in general , and for about 12 hours the City was in absolute chaos. As Hindus prepared counter-attack squads of their own , there was a rumour spreading that some Muslim extremists had infiltrated the ranks of ordinary Muslim youth , and were armed with AK-56 assault rifles , ready to unleash teror on the majority Hindus. The Police was unable to bring the situation under control because often the rioters would use women and children as shields , and Police personell were often outnumbered and out-matched in the use of physical violence. At last the tense situation was brought under control calling outb the Army Special Forces onto the streets of Kolkata. For the next 3 days T-72 Tanks and BRDM-2 Armoured Personell Carriers roamed the streets of Kolkata. Platoons of armed Soldiers and Commandos had to stage Marches in order to restore order. Even then there were violent incidents involving Muslims and Army personell. After 4-5 days , the situation was more or less under control.

Casualties

Fortunately , there was no casualty in human lives , but hundreds of people were injured on either side , some seriously. The morale of the Police Force was shaken , and 7 Police Vehicles and 34 civilian vehicles had been destroyed.