Following the riots that broke out in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district during the Ram Navami procession, the houses of those named in the riots were marked and razed to dust, all of whom were Muslims.
The action by the Madhya Pradesh government was reportedly taken based on First Information Reports (FIR) filed by police after witnesses and victims filed complaints.
One of the victims of the state’s rash decisions was Wasim Sheikh whose shop was razed.
Sheikh, whose hands have been amputated after an accident, ran a Gumti (shop), his only source of livelihood, which was reportedly razed by officials on April 11, after he was named on the list of “stone pelters“.
Shaikh’s whose hands were amputated after he sustained injuries from an electric current in 2005, fed his family of five, with the shop as his only source of livelihood.
In another similar case, three Muslim men who have been in jail since March 5 were named on the list of Ram Navami riot-accused persons Khargone. Following the riots that took place on Sunday, the house of one of the men accused of rioting was demolished on 11 April, along with 16 other houses.
The people who are named in the case are Shabaz, Fakru, and Rauf. The three were falsely charged for rioting in Khargone during Ram Navami celebrations on 10 April.
According to a report by the NDTV, the trio has been in jail since their arrest last month but has been accused of setting a motorbike on fire on April 10 in Sendhwa of Barwani district. They have been charged with rioting at the same police station where they were charged with attempted murder.
When asked about the lapse, the police officials at Barwani said that the case was filed based on the statement of the complainant.
“We will investigate the matter and take his information from the jail superintendent, the case has been registered on the basis of the allegations of the complainant,” senior police officer Manohar Singh was quoted by NDTV.
This article first appeared on siasat.com