Saquib Salim

India is no stranger to communal riots. Recently, on Ram Navami, Bihar Sharif, a town in the Nalanda district of Bihar, witnessed one in which at least one person died, several got injured and property worth crores was destroyed.

For decades scholars have enumerated the reasons behind such violence. One of the most accepted theories is that riots are instigated by political players for polarisation along religious lines. Also, another reason is that anti-Indian forces wanted to promote communal enmity to weaken the nation. In both cases, a communal riot is meant to create a gulf between Hindus and Muslims. 

Are the perpetrators of violence only people involved in the riot? The actual violence is just a part of the process involved in dividing the people. In this, many ‘journalists’ and ‘activists’ play their sinister role by promoting the idea of communal victimhood after a riot. They present a picture in which one community is seen as a victim and the other as a perpetrator. These people do report about victims from one community while maintaining silence about the others. Similarly, activists launch campaigns in support of one group and choose to ignore the other.

Lately, Bihar Sharif has become the focal point for such players. These people are writing or talking about the killing of Gulshan Kumar while remaining silent on the burning down of a heritage library situated in Madrasa. The other set of people glossed over the killing of a Hindu man and kept the singular focus on the burning of the Madrasa.

Some Delhi-based ‘activists’ have reached Bihar Sharif and given calls for fundraising to help ‘riot victims’. One would welcome it if these efforts and initiatives were aimed at defeating or countering hatred. They are reinforcing the narratives of communally divided Indian society. 

Aasif Mujtaba, a well-known ‘social activist’ from New Delhi appealed for donations for his NGO. He wrote on social media: 

“Muslims have never been fairly compensated either through money or by ensuring justice. The state even failed to compensate for the loss of our sacred places. 

At this juncture, the role of the community in raising enough funds for the lost livelihood becomes imperative on 2 grounds,

By fundraising and rebuilding their livelihood, they will feel confident about the community at the back that shares their pain, trauma & part of their losses

Next time, when there is again an episode of hate, they will fight the injustice knowing that there is someone concerned about them always.”

It's clear that this fund will be raised by the Muslims, from the Muslims, and for the Muslims. The objective is to instill a community feeling among Muslims. Doesn’t it mean that communities within India should be looking after their problems in isolation? 

To defeat communalists we need to tell people that India belongs to all Indians. Riot victims, Hindus as well as Muslims, are citizens of this country, and rioters, irrespective of their religion, are criminals and should be punished. Meer Faisal, a Delhi-based journalist, took a more balanced approach and asked people not to raise funds. He asked people to pursue the government to carry out relief work. After all, riot victims are the citizens of this country, and the security of life and property is the responsibility of the government. Meer wrote,

“Many people have texted me asking me to raise funds for the victims of the Bihar Sharif and the Madrassa. First and foremost, instead of feeling emotional every time, instead of giving your hard-earned money. Why don't you pressurize the government to compensate the people?” He further said, “At this point of time you should support the less fortunate in your neighbourhood by donating to them.”

Many people have texted me asking me to raise funds for the victims of the Bihar Sharif and the Madrassa. First and foremost, instead of feeling emotional every time, instead of giving your hard-earned money. Why don't you pressurize the government to compensate the people?+

— Meer Faisal (@meerfaisal01) April 6, 2023

The divisive agenda is not the monopoly of Muslims. Certain ‘social activists’ claimed that Hindus were attacked by Muslims. These people want Hindus to believe that all rioters were Muslims while every victim was a Hindu. One social media influencer implicitly claimed that since the Chief Secretary of Bihar is a Muslim, Hindus are being targeted. 

Another prominent social media influencer, BALA, tweeted, “While India has entered in Amrit Kaal, Bihar is still stuck in 1947 where Hindus cannot practice their religion freely without fear of getting lynched by bloodthirsty peacefuls.”

These ‘activists’ are dividing Indian society into two camps. We need to help riot victims and not ‘Muslim’ or ‘Hindu’ riot victims. We need to identify rioters and not ‘Hindu rioters’ or ‘Muslim rioters’. Gulshan was killed, he should get justice. His family should be compensated and the killers punished. Heritage Madrasa and its library were gutted. It must be repaired and those who set fire to it should be punished. 

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We cannot defeat communalism until we stop seeing rioters and victims through the religious lense. The minds behind a riot want us to identify victims as Muslims, or Hindus and not as Indians. We should not let them win