HYDERABAD – A conspiracy involving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and police inaction, and possible connivance, have been blamed for the communal riots that rocked Jainoor town in Telangana last month.
A recent report from a fact-finding team of social and civic activists sheds light on the anti-Muslim riots that erupted on September 4. The report, released last week, outlines the series of events that led to the riots, accusing the state government of neglecting its duty and allowing a climate of hostility to fester. It questioned the inaction of law enforcement agencies which “turned a blind eye to the growing tensions.”
According to the findings, approximately 5,000 rioters from the Vaddara, Vanjara, and tribal communities wreaked havoc in the village, destroying 95 Muslim shops, 11 houses, four mosques, and setting fire to 42 vehicles. The report alleges that the BJP incited the violence using a purported attack on an Adivasi woman on August 31 as a pretext to target the Muslim community. It further suggests that certain leaders from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), alongside the BJP, sought to retaliate against Muslims for their support of the Congress party in recent elections.
The report highlights a “false campaign” that lasted for 20 days, wherein accusations of “Love Jihad” were spread, insinuating that Muslims were responsible for the sexual assault of tribal women. It criticises the police for failing to investigate these claims adequately. “Despite the gravity of the allegations, the police did not make any serious effort to uncover the truth,” the report notes.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.