Though a Tiranga Yatra (tricolour march) by the rightwing groups in riot-hit Kasganj and neighbouring districts on Wednesday proved a damp squib due to tight security by the authorities, it has raised concerns about the potential of such events to exploit sentiments and provoke riots.
Chandan Gupta, who was shot dead in the first incident of violence in Kasganj on January 26, was shot dead in such a yatra; his killing fanned violence in the district.
The bikers that Gupta was travelling with had wanted to pass through a Muslim-dominated locality and hoist the national flag in the vicinity of the locality.
A Facebook post by Bareilly district magistrate Raghevendra Vikram Singh had also questioned rightwing outfits for inciting communal passion through such moves. Singh, while targeting these outfits, had asked whether shouting anti-Pakistan slogans in Muslim-dominated localities served any purpose.
If one looks back to history, the majority of riots in UP were the outcome of such provocations, the last one being Saharanpur, in which a yatra resulted in riots in May 2017. The violence in Saharanpur was a clash between Thakurs and dalits.
There is deep resentment among Muslims about this trend. Some clerics see such yatras as questioning their patriotism.
A prominent Muslim cleric of Lucknow, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mehali, asked, “What is the use of these marches and being so adamant on taking them out through Muslim-dominated localities? Isn’t it insulting the tricolour and questioning patriotism of Muslims? Why are Muslims supposed to give a certificate of their patriotism?”
Another prominent Muslim cleric of Bareilly, Maulana Taqeer Raza Khan, said, “Such marches are taken out to incite communal passion and their number grows soon before polls. Now general elections are not very far, we may see many more such marches in the near future.”
Muneer Ahmed, a local resident of Lucknow, said, “A Muslim living in India would be out of his mind if he chants Pakistan Zindabad or opposes hoisting of tricolour in Lucknow. On Independence Day or Republic Day, one can see tricolour being hoisted in many Muslim houses.”
But the saffron brigade has a different take on the issue. The VHP and Bajrang Dal have demanded ‘martyr’ status for Gupta and want an increase in compensation given to his family. They have submitted a memorandum in this connection to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The memorandum said a sinister plot is being executed to ‘silence Hindus in India.’
The initial probe reports suggested that violence erupted in Kasganj because of the Tiranga Yatra, which provoked people of a particular community.
The VHP fully justifies taking out such marches and ardently supports its efficacy. VHP spokesperson, Sharad Sharma, said, “Why is official permission needed to take out Tiranga Yatras? Taking out such marches is a patriotic deed and these marches serve a purpose of solidarity. Where is it written that to pursue such patriotic events, prior permission is needed?”
Meanwhile, the state government is taking a serious note of these yatras and has stopped such marches in the entire state, which were proposed by various rightwing Hindu outfits. In Agra, Aligarh, Etah and other western UP districts, administrative officials did not give permission to such marches.
Meanwhile, one of the main accused in Gupta's killing, Saleem Javed, was arrested by the police; however the other two suspects, Wasim and Naseem, are still absconding. Investigations by a special investigative team (SIT), and a magisterial probe, have begun into the Kasganj violence to ascertain facts.
