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National

“No relief, no FIR yet”

Special Correspondent

Muslim groups in Rajasthan irked over the delays

Photo: Gopal Sunger

One of several houses that were set on fire by rioters in Kapasan tehsil of Rajasthan in December.

JAIPUR: A refusal by the police to register first information report and the district administration’s failure to provide any relief to the victims of recent communal violence in Kapasan tehsil of Chittaurgarh district have angered Muslim groups.

They have once again demanded action against rioters and measures for security of Muslim families who were attacked on December 23 and 24 on the pretext of alleged slaughter of a missing cow on Id-ul-Zuha. Houses, shops, fields, standing crops and tube-wells belonging to Muslims in half-a-dozen villages were selectively targeted and torched.

The Rajasthan Muslim Forum, which sent a fact-finding team to the violence-affected villages recently, expressed concern over the police trying to implicate the Imam of the mosque at Sindhion Ka Kheda village in the cow slaughter case and accused the Administration of acting under pressure of rioters.

Syed Ashfaq Ali, a lawyer representing the victims in Kapasan, told The Hindu over telephone that the Judicial Magistrate’s court had directed the police to launch investigation and register criminal cases on a couple of complaints filed by the villagers. “Police are yet to comply with the court orders,” he said.

The fact-finding team said the villagers had identified 53 culprits. It has estimated a loss Rs.62.09 lakh in the violence with the standing rabi crop on 150 bighas of land on the verge of destruction due to damage caused to tube-wells.

Jamat-e-Islami Hind State president Mohammed Salim, who led the team, said the Administration was either under the pressure of those who masterminded the attacks not to extend any relief to victims or was colluding with them.

The Forum has demanded action against Chittaurgarh Collector P. L. Agrawal, Kapasan Sub-Divisional Officer Manvir Singh Atri and Kapasan Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramjilal Chandel while accusing them of being “hand in glove” with the perpetrators of violence.

Despite several attempts made by this correspondent to contact him, Mr. Agrawal was not available for comments.

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