The Nightmare of Surat by Kalpana Shah, Smita Shah and Neha Shah
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The Nightmare of Surat by Kalpana Shah, Smita Shah and Neha Shah HE CITY of Surat is unlikely to Though the worst is over, Surat? After four or five days of rioting forget the nightmarish day of normalcy is still to return. This is in Surat, her family was feeling TDecember 7, 1992. What began as a because these riots -unlike other insecure in the city. Her father told spontaneous expression of Muslim communal riots in the country, which Ayesha, her brother and sister-in-law anger against the demolition of the are mostly confined to looting, to go to the family’s hometown of Babri Masjid the previous day, swiftly burning, stone-throwing, stabbing Nandarbar. He said that if the situation degenerated into a free-for-all as and killing-were marked by extreme worsened, the other members of the lumpen and communal elements savagery. family, that is, her parents and two stepped in to let loose an orgy of From the information we have brothers, would also come there. bloodletting and brutality. gathered by talking to 59 Muslim and Ayesha can never forget the The madness was allowed to Hindu victims in their localities continue unchecked for six days, from (primarily the two worst affected areas There were 42 relief camps in the city December 7 to December 12. of Vijaynagar-2 in north Surat and which provided shelter to over 20,000 According to official estimates, in less people of both communities. We visited Pandesara in the southern part of the than four days of the communal riots, two relief camps and two of the worst city), relief camps and hospitals, it over 150 men, women and infants affected areas of Vijaynagar-2 and were brutally killed. The figure may appears that there was a peculiar Pandesara, apart from other areas such be even higher because it excludes method to the madness. as Hidayatnagar, Adajan, Borwada and Payak Mohalla of Rander. We talked to the sizeable number of dead who were How else does one explain the ordeal of Ayesha Pathan, a 15-year- 59 Hindu and Muslim victims, both men not brought to the government and women, in their localities, relief hospital for post mortem. old girl who lived in Udhna Yard in camps and hospitals. 50 MANUSHI The Economy and Politics of Surat instead. They were standing near me and I thought that if they came to know that I was alive, they would beat urat city is in western India, units and dyeing houses do not me again. So I pretended to be Sbetween Ahmedabad and employ a large number of labourers unconscious. The police came and Bombay. Next to Ahmedabad, it is so that they can avoid implementing took me to the Civil Hospital in an the second largest city of Gujarat factory acts. Workers are, therefore, ambulance. I was unconscious. I and has recorded the highest paid on a piece rate basis and prefer don’t know when I regained growth rates in the state. During the to put in more hours of work to consciousness. Everybody says that last two decades, in fact, its growth receive higher wages. The situation my brother is in old Civil Hospital. He rate has been higher than that of is similar in the diamond cutting had bad sword injuries on the face Ahmedabad and Bombay. The industry. The majority of workers in and was thrown into a fire. I can population of the city has increased the diamond cutting industry are identify the people who did all this, nearly fourfold, from 4.71 lakh in 1971 from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, but the police has not produced them to 15.71 lakh in 1991. Between 1971 while the art silk workers are from for identification as they should and 1981, the population growth was Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar have.” Such incidents took place on a phenomenal 87.40 percent and in Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu. a large scale. Many women recount the following decade it was 64.21 Both the diamond cutting and art in graphic detail the horrors of the percent. This high growth in silk industries are going through December riots in Surat (see box). In population is explained by a difficult times. The diamond industry fact, the three main targets of the burgeoning migrant population from has been in a bad shape for the last rioters seem to have been religious all over the country which has been three years. As work has declined, places, religious heads and women. attracted by Swat’s industrial boom. the actual wages of workers have Sharijabanu, 22, who resides in The major industries of the city fallen. Newspapers frequently report Vijaynagar-2, recounts how on are art silk, powerloom, textiles and that many diamond workers have December 8 a huge mob rushed diamond cutting. A few large scale returned to their villages over the last industries have recently come up in year. The recession in the art silk towards this area and encircled its the city, but they are capital- industry has also adversely affected residents. The mob comprised intensive. Most of the powerloom labour. diamond cutters from Saurashtra, Oriya Malies, and bhaiyas from UP and Bihar. She says, “The residents harrowing —and as it turned out, rods on the back of my bhabhi. She of our society also joined the mob. aborted— journey to Nandarbar. In fell down along with her baby. She They were beating both women and her words: “We left for Nandarbar on was beaten mercilessly on her back men. They tortured our imam and the morning of December 10. by five or seven people and they tore relentlessly beat him, all the while Travelling with us was my 10-month away her clothes. They also beat my forcing him to take the name of ‘Ram’, old nephew. We boarded the train brother. which he refused to do. They tied him from Udhna. The train was full of “They hit a sword on my head to a fan and when he did not give in, passengers, most of whom were (she showed her fully shaven head they chopped off his head with a Hindus. One of our co-passengers which had about five wounds and 12 sword. Thereafter they dragged the gave us a seat. The train had hardly stitches). They tore away my clothes imam’s wife from the adjoining house. started moving, when the chain was and pierced a knife in my breast and a She used to be in pardah. No one had pulled. People were shouting and little on the face. Around 10-15 people ever seen her face, not even her toe. asking people to get down from the actively participated in this incident. They tore off her clothes and raped train. There was chaos. All the Four persons raped me and then iron her.” Sharijabanu herself lost her passengers got down, but my brother, rods were inserted in my private parts. husband in the riots but she and her my bhabhi and myself remained Then they threw me into the fire. In two sons were saved because they seated in the train. Suddenly four the meantime, there were shouts of managed to hide in a safe place. strong young men rushed towards us ‘Police, police,’ and the people who How it All Began and pushed and dragged us out of had thrown me into the fire took me The genesis of the communal the train. They ruthlessly beat iron out and threw me on the railway track violence in Surat can be traced to No.74-75 (Jan.-Feb.-March-April 1993) Extracts from Some of the Interviews with Victims HMEDIBEN MIYAN Hamidaben, 45, a resident of broke into our house, looted it and AMOHAMMED, 32, a resident of Vijaynagar: put it on fire. In the evening, the mob Triveni Society: “On December 7, my “A big mob came from outside. came again, armed with knives, hockey husband, a rickshaw driver, told me The Hindus of our society joined sticks and iron rods. They had not to go anywhere because there them. The mob consisted mainly of somehow come to know that we were was a possibility of riots. He said I Ghasias— the diamond workers. So in Patel’s house. They forcibly entered should stay at home and take care of far we had all stayed together the house and severely beat my the children. After some time, a Hindu peacefully. But they lost their sanity husband and his elder brother. They man, a nice person, came and said that and committed these heinous acts. took both the brothers to the terrace there might be riots in our area also The mob dragged five or six Muslim of the third floor, while constantly and they might not remain confined girls, stripped off their clothes, raped beating them. A fire was lit in front of to Bhagal or Rander. them, then killed them and threw them the house. First they threw my “We were scared. We did not into the fire. brother-in-law from the terrace down sleep on the night of December 6 or 7. “Our Hindu neighbour had given into the fire and then my husband. There are 60-70 Muslim houses in shelter to my family. The neighbour Thereafter they dragged my sister-in- Triveni Nagar. Although seven or asked us to stay in their toilet and law and me. We passed ourselves off eight Hindus came and assured us then locked the door from outside. We as Hindus and told them that we had that nothing would happen and we remained inside for over two days.