Communal riots

Three years after the communal carnage in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, in which close to a hundred people died and an estimated 75,000 were displaced, thousands of survivors have not been able to return to their villages. Even those not directly affected, who fled in the wake of the violence, continue to live in slum-like conditions without basic services. The Aman Biradari team that surveyed these affected villages concludes that the permanent divisions between communities who once lived together peacefully represent the triumph of communal politics.

Malegaon and Kanpur witnessed the most serious communal disturbances in 2001, which also saw several other riots as in previous years. The average riot in the post-Babri masjid demolition period is not as horrifying as previous ones; however, this provides little comfort. The West Bengal government, which has succeeded in maintaining communal peace, should become a role model for other states so that we achieve the goal of total amity.