[sacw] sacw dispatch 4 Jan 2000 [India Special]

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch
4 January 2000
__________________
#1. Communalism & Communal Violence-1999
#2. Guns and Godmen [Holy Sh..!]
__________________

#1
COMMUNALISM AND COMMUNAL VIOLENCE-1999

by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer

(Secular Perspective Jan. 1-15, 2000)

The year 1999 as far as communalism and communal violence is
concerned was just like as 1998. There was no major communal riot
claiming large number of lives as in the years after demolition of Babri
Masjid . These years have been free of major communal flare up. However, it
does not mean that communal violence has been absent or there have been no
bouts of communal violence as in the eighties like Biharsharif, or Meerut
or Bhagalpur. Also communalism has been quite rampant as the organisations
like the VHP or Bajrang Dal etc. have been quite active throughout. The
year 1998 closed with Suratkal riot in Karnataka which claimed more than 12
lives. The riot in Suratkal had broken out in the last week of December
1998. Also in the Dangs in Gujrat violence broke out against the Christian
tribals with attacks on their churches. Some churches were demolished.
According to The Times of India "...during the fortnight beginning on
Christmas day, there was a series of attacks on Christian prayer halls in
the Dangs and other parts of Gujarat. Even then the Government
functionaries insisted it was wrong to say that churches had been targeted.
Only 'small hutment's' serving as prayer halls had been attacked."

Communal violence in Suratkal continued in January 1999 also. The
trouble in Suratkal, in the Mangalore district, a BJP stronghold in
Karnataka, had started with eve teasing incident on 8th December 1998
involving a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy. The Muslim youth was bashed up by
the Hindus and three of them were arrested. The Hindu Jagran Vedike
organised a big crowd at the police station demanding the release of those
arrested. Later in the last week of December 1999 communal violence broke
out in which Muslims suffered a great deal and it continued right into
January 1999. The Chief Minister of Karnataka shri J.H.Patel ordered an
inquiry into these riots. He said a High Court Judge will inquire into
these disturbances. The inquiry report has still not been submitted.
Inquiry is still going on.

The trouble in Gujarat continued in January 1999. Reports from
Ahmedabad said that on 13th January a church in Lamancharia village of
Dangs district was damaged when unidentified miscreants tried to set it
ablaze. This was the second church which came under attack after the high
profile visit to the Dangs of the Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee. Needless to
say that the situation in the Dangs was so serious that it warranted the
visit by the Prime Minister. Shri Vajpayee made a controversial statement
before the press that conversions need a national debate. Where was the
question of any debate when right to propagation of ones religion and
citizen's right to convert to any religion is the fundamental right. Mr.
Vajpayee later maintained that he did not mean debate but dialogue on
conversion. This was obviously an after thought.

Gujarat is one of the most communally sensitive area in the
country. Surat, which had witnessed worst communal violence in December
1992 and January 1993 after demolition of Babri Masjid was reported to be
very tense during Uttrayan Day in January 1999. A large police posse had to
be deployed to keep the situation under control. Also, it was during
January 1999 that the Catholic Bishops of India (CBCI) in separate
memorandum to the President, Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker and Home
Minister on 13th January 1999 expressing concern over the attacks on the
Christians in Gujarat. The memorandum said, among other things, "We the
members of CBCI numbering over 140 are greatly disturbed by the incidents
of violence against Christians taking place in a planned manner in our
country, specially in Gujarat."

But later a more shocking incident took place in Manoharpur
village, Keonjhar, Orissa, on the night of 22-23 January. An Australian
born Christian missionary Graham Staines was burnt alive along with his two
children. Dara Singh, a VHP activist took a leading role in this ghastly
killing. The incident shocked the entire nation. Though the VHP and Bajrang
Dal denied their involvment. Dal is reported to be well known in Manoharpur
Panchayat. Thus in the year 1999 the Hindutva forces made a determined
attack on Christians. They turned the heat on Christians on the question of
conversion. The Hindutva forces want to keep communal controversies alive
for their own existence and for winning the sympathy of Hindus. Their
primary target was of course Muslims. But after the demolition of Babri
Masjid anti-Muslim attacks peaked and did not evoke much response from
Hindus. Therefore, VHP, Bajrang Dal and the RSS carefully chose another
target that could evoke powerful emotions. Thus the Christian missionaries
came under attack.

In Delhi too some areas are communally quite sensitive. Seelampur
is among them. It was in Seelampur in Delhi that serious communal violence
broke out after demolition of Babri masjid in which several lives were
lost. On 19th January trouble broke out again in this area when students of
Hindi and Urdu schools fought on a wooden piece landing on the cricket
ground. Heated arguments, scuffling and finally a man was badly beaten up.
This was enough for sides to get agitated as the two communities clashed,
people coming out from each bylane, pelting stones, bottles at the crowd on
the other side. When the police arrived it had to fire 21 gunshots in the
air. It is this firing in the air that brought situation to an uneasy calm.
Unfortunately the clashes here occur mainly between Muslims and low caste
Valmikis. Such incidents throw light on the fact that how precarious are
relations between the two communities in certain sensitive areas that even
quarrel between children can lead to serious communal trouble warranting
police intervention.

Now in Gujrat a Muslim Dargah (mausoleum) came under attack by the
militant Hindus in Kothari village in Surendranagar district. The Dargah
was razed to the ground. Another incident also took place in Songadh.
According to The Hindu correspondent "Even before the State administration
could overcome the problem of attacks on Christians in Dangs district, a
group said to be of Bajrang Dal activists was alleged to have set fire to
some shops belonging to Muslims in Songadh town in retaliation to the
reported assault on some of their colleagues." The Sangh Parivar, however,
has denied the involvement of the Bajrang Dal in the Songadh incident which
occurred a day after the Congress(I) took out a rally in neighbouring Vyara
town expressing solidarity with the minority communities. It is quite
encouraging to note that the local Hindus in Lothari village joined hands
with the administration to rebuild the Dargah demolished by the Bajrang Dal
activists.

On 29th March two persons were killed in Ahmedabad on the occasion
of Mahavir Jayanti and Idul Adha i.e. the Id when Muslims sacrifice animals
as part of their religious ritual. The dispute arose on the question of
animal slaughter. One person, whom the Bajrang Dal said was its activist,
was stabbed to death at around midnight. He was reported to be accompanying
the vehicle carrying the animals for sacrificial rites. Another youth was
stabbed to death in Paldi area. Tension prevailed in many areas of the
walled city in Ahmedabad.

As pointed out above Gujarat has been highly communalised state. It
experienced communal disturbances again in Ahmadabad in July when the
Kargil crisis was going on. The VHP and Bajarang Dal is ever active in
precipitating communal crisis. The cricket matches always bring communal
disaster specially when Pakistan is playing vis-=E0-vis India be it in India
itself or outside India. The Ahmedabad riots also took place when the
celebrations were taking place after the defeat of Pakistan by India and
Australia. The celebrations were deliberately organised in Muslim areas in
Ahmedabad as if the Muslims had lost the match. The people told the
investigators that there was an organised attempt to distribute crackers to
youngsters and to persuade them to go on a wild display of victory over
Pakistan which was very often converted into a victory over Muslims. The
cricket match incident was followed by the conflict in Kargil. Number of
demonstrations against Pakistan were organised and Nawaz Sharif's effigies
were burnt. It was interesting that both Hindus and Muslims competed with
each other to show their loyalty to India. But the slogans on the Hindu
side were highly provocative and anti-Muslim like "Lahore Bus se Lahore
Jao" (i.e. go to Lahore by Lahore bus). In the condolence meeting of a
jawan from Gandhinagar killed in Kargil and addressed by L.K. Advani again
provocative ant-Muslim slogans were raised.

Another incident which soured the relations between the two
communities was the rath yatra of Lord Jagannath taken out on 14th July,
1999. When this yatra passed through Muslim localities provocative slogans
"Makhan Chor - Mian chor (Muslims are thieves) and "Musalman, jao Pakistan"
(Muslims go to Pakistan) etc. were raised. They also distributed pamphlets
alleging that Muslims seduce Hindu girls and hoodwink them. However, the
reports indicate that Muslims, particularly Muslim women tried to express
their goodwill for Rath yatra to prevent any untoward incident. The Muslim
women also prayed for communal harmony. Some Muslims on 13th July even
visited Jagannath temple and presented a cheque for Rs.51000 towards temple
repair fund. But yet riots broke out on 20th July when a mentally unstable
boy was teased. The riots then spread to several parts of the city. Groups
came out on the roads and looted shops, burnt properties and stabbed
people. One of the persons stabbed died the same day. Places like Dariapur,
Kalupur and Saraspur were badly affected. From Jalampur chawl area about
300 Muslim families were to flee and take refuge elsewhere.

On 28th April sectarian violence broke out between Sunnis and Shias
in Lucknow in which two persons were killed. Lucknow is the only place in
India which has history of Shia-Sunni sectarian violence in India. The
Shias insist on taking out processions invoking curses on three first
Caliphs in Islam and companions of the Prophet and Sunni Muslims who highly
revere them object to such processions pronouncing curses on the first
three Caliphs. Interestingly during Muharram i.e. 27th April two persons
were killed in political rivalry when a tazia procession taken out by
Trinamul Congress was attacked by the processionists of the tazia julus.
The Trinamul processionists also counter attacked and pitched battles were
fought between the two with bows, arrows and swords. The names of those
killed were Habib Khan and Murshid Ali.

On 30th April communal violence broke out in Rai Bareli district in
Paharganj town on the question of a disputed religious place. In these
disturbances two persons including one small girl were killed and 20 others
were injured in incidents of stoning, burning and firing. Some people were
also injured during the tazia procession of Muharram. Muharram, like some
other festivals, like Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi etc. is a festival on which
communal violence often breaks out.

According to Qaumi Awaz riots broke out on 27th April in Shahabad
tehsil of Rampur district in U.P. on the occasion of tazia procession.
=46ifty one shops were looted and set on fire and 3 persons were injured
seriously one of whom Aslam, succumbed to his injuries later in Sanjay
Gandhi Medical College, Lucknow. The State president of Indian Union Muslim
League Syed Shakil Miyan, however, alleged that it was not a Hindu-Muslim
riot but rather it was looting and terrorising of some goondas with the
connivance of the police of which it had prior knowledge. He alleged that
it was for this reason that the police remained mute spectators when
looting and burning incidents were taking place. Shakil Miyan also said
that he was told by Hindus and Muslims that despite such widespread looting
the Hindus and Muslims remained attached to each other and shared each
others sufferings.

According to The Hindu of 31st May, bombs were recovered in three
cities of Tamilnadu i.e. Chennai, Tiruchi and Coimbatore near police
buildings and there was an explosion at a students' hostel in Triplicane,
Chennai. Handbills in the name of an extremist Islamic organisation were
recovered at some of the sites. The timer explosive devices were recovered
intact and subsequently defused. According to The Hindu the handbills in
the name of Al-Umma alleged torture and ill treatment of Muslim
fundamentalists in jails and condemned the police. However, the chief
minister Karunanidhi refuted the charges contained in the handbill and
warned that the National Security Act would be used if necessary to tackle
extremists. In view of bomb threats tight security continued in Tamilnadu
and as many as 230 people were taken in preventive custody, including the
members of Tamizhaga Muslim Munnetta Kazhagam (TMMK). Stronger measures
were taken in Coimbatore area where 104 were taken into custody which
included the TMMK district president.

According to UNI there was communal tension in Madurai during third
week of June where people belonging to one community attacked on the houses
belonging to other community and looted 15 houses. Cases were recorded
against 34 persons of which 16 were arrested. This attack was in
retaliation to burning of shops on 6th June. Many people left the town out
of fear. The police had established chowkies for their protection. Similar
incident also took place in Buldana district in Maharashtra on 26th April
in Lakhanwara village. During the Shiv jayanti procession the trouble broke
out in front of Jama Masjid when crackers were thrown by the
processionists. Shops, hotels and pan shacks belonging to Muslims were
looted and burnt. They suffered losses worth Rs.5 lakhs. Some portions of
Eidgah were also damaged.

In communal violence in Phulpur village in Moradabad district on
27th April (the day of Muharram) two persons were killed and 21 were
seriously injured. Many people fled the village out of fear and took refuge
in nearby forest. Over 70 Muslim houses were demolished. The police did not
take adequate measures to protect the lives and properties of the minority
community. Some of the local Muslim leaders alleged that and did not even
arrest half of those named in FIRs. These people also alleged that the
police had not taken any measure to rebuild the mosques demolished by the
marauding mobs.

In Harda in M.P. communal incidents took place on first July when a
communal mob confronted the police in which the deputy superintendent of
the police was killed and several policemen were injured. A curfew was
clamped over the town which continued for a couple of days. About 90
persons were arrested. Idar town in Sabarkantha district of Gujrat
witnessed outbreak of communal violence on 15th July when a rath yatra
procession was being taken out. Several persons were injured and more than
35 shops and 62 three wheelers were set ablaze. The trouble broke out when
the procession was passing near a religious place and slogans and counter
slogans started. Many shops were subsequently looted and goods worth
several lakhs set afire. As Idar did not have fire fighting facilities fire
brigade from Ahmedabad and Himmatnagar were rushed. Police arrested 111
persons in this connection.

Ahmedabad again witnessed communal flare up on 21 July in Dariapur,
Kalupur and Astodia areas in which one person was killed and several were
injured. More than 18 persons including six policemen were injured in
stabbing and stone throwing cases. According to Hiren Pandya, the Home
Minister of Gujarat, police had to burst 423 tear gas shells and 6-0 rounds
of fire to control the situation. Twenty companies of SRP and four of Rapid
Action Force had to be deployed. Many people had to flee from the
communally tense city. However, the situation worsened and 3 more persons
were killed in communal incidents on 27th July. The Police Commissioner Mr.
P.C. Pandey had to issue shoot at sight orders. In another incident a
person was set ablaze in the Gheekanta cross roads by two unidentified
persons. The differences between the VHP and the BJP government came to the
fore when the BJP delegation led by its state chief K.K. Shashtri warned
the Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel against protecting the pro-Pakistani
elements and making the Hindus feel insecure. The Congress president, on
the other hand, accused the BJP of engineering trouble as it failed to
capitalise on Kargil and Lahore Bus.

Killers again struck in Orissa killing a Christian Priest Arul
Doss, father of a Roman Catholic Church who had reached Anandpur in
Koenjhar district. He was residing at Sindhuria village. The incident
occurred around 2 a.m. on 2nd September when a dance programme was going on
in the village which was reportedly organised on the occasion of a
congregation of converted Christians there. The congregation was organised
by the local church and was attended, among others, by Father Doss. This
was, however, opposed by non-Christians in the village, which possibly led
to violence. There are 20 Christian families in the village. The killer of
Staines, Dara Singh's hand is suspected in Doss's killing also. This
killing also took place on a Hindu festival Janmashthami. Mr. Staines was
killed on the day of Saraswati Puja. A Muslim trader Rehman was put to
death on the day of Raksha Bandhan on 26th August. Though the police
authorities could not confirm the hand of Dara Singh, the killer of
Staines, some eye witnesses maintain they saw him on the spot. However,
till today he has not been caught.

On 25th September the day of Ganesh Chaturthi procession Hyderabad
came under communal spell. The Ganesh Chaturthi procession while passing
>from Char Minar area it was stoned allegedly by some Muslim youth from
mosque. At least 25 policemen, including Additional Commissioner of Police
Mr. Rao were injured during the stone pelting. It is alleged that the MIM
(Majlis Ittehadul Muslimin) provoked the incident for its own political
reasons. In an effort to disperse the crowd, the Police, including the
Rapid Action Force, commenced lathicharge , in which Mr. Owaisi of MIM and
some of his supporters were injured. As tension escalated in the old city,
mobs gathered in lanes and bylanes pelting stones which led the authorities
to lob tear gas shells and firing in the air. A police vehicle and several
scooter were damaged in these incidents. The trouble broke out when the
Ganesh procession was to be taken out from Mecca Masjid in the Charminar
area during the Friday prayer.

Surat in Gujarat is another communally sensitive spot. Trouble
broke out there during the Ganpati procession on 24th September in which 7
people were killed when the police fired on the revellers. There was
dispute about the route of the procession. The police refused permission to
the processionists to pass through Madina Masjid area as it anticipated
trouble. The processionists went on rampage and the police had to fire to
control the revellers. The police fired when 14 policemen were injured in
stone pelting. The revellers also set fire to the house of Mr. Ravindra
Patil, the president of Ganeshotsava area president. Another councillor
>from the area was also injured. The police first fired in the air before
firing on the crowd. The mob was torching vehicles and huts in the
Sanjayagar Slum area. Besides, seven died 34 others received bullet
injuries of which the condition of five was critical.

In October-November 1999 the Gonda district in U.P. witnessed
serious communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims. In the village Talia
in Gonda district a Muslim woman and her two children were set ablaze on
27th October. The people were so scared due to this incident that they were
not prepared to say anything about the incident despite the PAC presence.
Most of the minority community people had fled the village. It is said that
one Subhanali gave the names of the culprits who were involved in the theft
of a boring equipment to the police. This was the beginning of communal
tension in the village. Subhanali's wife and his two children of 2 and 5
years old were then set ablaze. The matter did not rest here. On 8th
November again more than 18 houses belonging to the Muslims in the village
were set ablaze. These people who set fire to these houses remained on the
spot until everything was burnt. Most of these Muslims were labourers.
These incidents in small villages show that now villages have also come
under communal spell and communal violence is no more a town phenomenon
alone.

Next Nandurbar and Raver in Maharashtra came under communal spell
on 7th and 10th November 1999 after the Congress-NCP Government came to
power. These places which saw trouble are in Jalgaon district. In this
district there are 12 Assembly seats of which five each belong to the Shiv
Sena and BJP and one each to the NCP and the Congress (I). The trouble
started when two Muslim boys bumped into a Hindu boy. Some onlookers
thereupon beat them up. Some other Muslim boys came and began pelting
stones at the Hindu boys. In another incident on 11th November a Muslim
youth threw a cigarette butt on a Hindu boy and trouble flared up. A big
mob of 1000-1500 from Muslim side and started pelting stones. The police
had to resort to lathi charge and then to firing in which one person was
injured. The police arrested 130 persons of which 124 were Muslims.
According to the Police the Hindus did not react. The violence spread to
places like Imamwada, Bhoiwada, Baherpura, Sambhajinagar, Paracha Ganpati
and Rasalpura. Of the six houses destroyed two belonged to the Hindus and
four to Muslims. The losses were to the tune of 1,33,000. The police
maintained that Rassalpura is hypersensitive as there is widespread
illiteracy and poverty, especially among the Muslims. The BJP MLA Mr.
Eknath Khadse alleged that the Muslims have destroyed a temple dome. But
the police categorically denied this. The investigating teams comprising
several NGOs felt that this eruption was a result of systematic efforts to
build up communal tension. On 4th November some crackers were found to be
having papers on which the Koranic verses were written. The police had
seized these crackers. Such crackers using the paper with Koranic verses
were again found in Chopda town on 8th November. The Muslim boys looted
shops selling these crackers when no heed was taken despite warnings. In
September too there was dispute about the playground and heavy stone
pelting had taken place. A funeral procession was also stoned. The riots
had taken place particularly in the lower class Muslim localities and the
Muslim women narrated the atrocities the police committed there. The
investigating team also felt that the police indulged in looting and losses
were much higher than Rs.1,33,000. Muslims felt that since they voted for
the Congress they suffered. It was also alleged that loudspeakers were used
in some mosques for provocatory speeches by some Muslim leaders. It was,
therefore, announced by Mr. Bhujbal, Deputy Chief Minister and Home
Minister that henceforth prior permission will be needed to install
loudspeakers in the mosque and if these contrivances were misused the
permission will be cancelled.
Aurangabad also witnessed communal incidents on 6th December when
the procession of Muslims and Samajwadi Party on the 7th anniversary of
demolition of Babri Masjid was brutally lathi charged by the police in
which several journalists were also severely injured. One person
subsequently died in the hospital. The Police Commissioner of Aurangabad
who ordered the lathi charge was asked to proceed on leave. The Government
has also ordered a judicial inquiry into these riots. The Aurangabad riots
caused quite a stir in political circles. The Police had also permitted
Shiv Sena to organise Maha Arti just before Muslims took out procession to
protest against demolition of Babri masjid in the afternoon on 6th
December. The Shiv Sena had also flooded the whole area with saffron flags.
Also, the police lathi charged the journalists whom the Aurangabad Police
knew and who were covering the event and were not part of the procession.

These and other riots in Maharashtra clearly show that the moment
Shiv Sena was voted out of power communal incidents have started. Also, as
per Union Home Minister Shri L.K. Advani's statement in Parliament more
than 600 riots took place last year. On the basis of Shri Advani's
statement Ms. Brinda Karat, General Secretary of All India Women's
Association, said that "On an average, at least seven people were victims
to communal assault daily during the 13 month rule of the Bhartiya Janta
Party at the Centre." Quoting figures furnished to the Rajya Sabha , she
said there were 626 riots during the BJP Government's tenure, mainly
targeting the Christian community. Two hundred and seven people died and
2,065 were injured in these incidents, Brinda Karat said. Thus the claim
that the BJP rule is free of communal violence is not born out by the
facts. From above documentation also it becomes clear that number of
communal incidents took place during 1999 also. But it is true that during
post Babri Masjid demolition period there have been no major and stained
incidents of communal violence. But for that credit does not go to any
political party. It is mostly because of lack of response from the people.
***********************
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
Mumbai:-55
________________
#2.
The Week
9 January 2000

SHOOTING SWAMIS
Controversy: In Chitrakoot they need guns to survive
by Deepak Tiwari

Wrestler Vinesh Dwivedi had a tough time safe guarding his 10 acres from
land-grabbers in Chitrakoot, a pilgrim centre in Madhya Pradesh. The
strapping young bachelor finally found a way out: he set up an ashram on
his land, sought out a guru and changed his name to Nirbhayananda.
'Weapons are necessary to protect the property': Divyananda (sitting)
with his security guards
When the guru began eyeing the land Nirbhayananda found a new guru and
later became a guru himself. Today he heads the Bajrang Ashram and plans
to hold a huge congregation of sadhus. "The purpose is to show our
might," says Nirbhayananda. Prayers to God come second.
Chitrakoot bustles with 2,000 men in ochre from 690 ashrams and temples,
which is not surprising since Lord Ram is believed to have spent most of
his 14-year exile here. Lakhs of pilgrims throng the holy town during
Diwali, enriching the sadhus with liberal offerings. Rest of the year,
most sadhus are busy fighting succession and real estate wars.
Such are the wars that some of them do not move around without
gun-toting guards. More than 20 sadhus have licensed weapons and many
more, including Nirbhayananda, have sought licences. He does not find
anything incongruous in sadhus carrying guns. "When sage Vishwamitra was
performing yagyas he took help from Ram and Laxman to drive the demons
away. Guns are our modern-day Ram and Laxman," he says.
"Weapons are necessary to protect the property," says Divyananda, who
heads the Sant Samiti, an organisation of the sadhus set up two years
ago. Divyananda, who looks after 84 ashrams all over the country, does
not move out without his revolver and security guards. The samiti has
153 member ashrams, most of them embroiled in property disputes.
'Guns are our modern-day Ram and Laxman': Nirbhayananda, who heads the
Bajrang Ashram, has sought licence for arms
Santoshi akhara, for instance, landed in dispute when a sadhu called
Ganeshdas killed his guru Ramanujdas and grabbed the ashram's property
worth crores of rupees in 1969. Later a rival sadhu occupied one of its
temples and an acre of land. "The fight is on to get that property
back," says Mahant Ramjidas Maharaj of the akhara.
A succession war is on within the akhara as well. "Every disciple of the
guru wants a will written in his favour," says Ramjidas. "We are no
different from the Mughals who fought among themselves for succession."
At Khohi akhara, worth Rs 2 crore, there are three claimants to the seat
of mahant. They have been fighting ever since the first guru of the
akhara, Dhanidas, died three years ago.
"People from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have come here in the guise of
sadhus and want to grab our property," alleges Divyananda. "I have asked
all the members of Sant Samiti to be cautious about new disciples, who
may turn out to be another Ganeshdas."
Competition to attract pilgrims is intense: the more the pilgrims the
greater the income. Sturdy sadhus at the Paramhans temple even prevent
pilgrims from visiting the main temple dedicated to Sati Anasuya in the
same complex because they had a fight with the main mahant. The
panchayat had been appointing the priest at Barha ke Hanumanji temple,
but when the income grew alluring a man claiming to have been legally
authorised by the owner of the temple forcibly took over as the priest.
"Earlier mahants were recluses and never interacted with pilgrims," says
Satna Police Superintendent B.K. Singh. "They were appointed by the
royal families as caretakers of their temples. Over time they took
possession of the land, and today they are self-proclaimed rajas driven
by greed."
"I hate these sadhus," says Prem Kumar Pandey, a vermilion seller. "Most
of them are criminals or anti-social elements in saffron. They are
greedy and lustful." Not surprisingly, they have political patrons. All
police efforts to expose them have been in vain. In March 1999 a young
woman was found dead in Ram Dham ashram, but the police could make no
worthwhile investigation. "Whenever there is a crime involving the
sadhus we first have to find out about their political connections,"
says the sub-divisional officer of police, Shyam Bihari Tiwari.
Politicians interfere in temple administration as well. When the
panchayat decided to take over the management of Gupt Godavari (where a
stream runs inside a mountain) some time ago, the mahant easily
persuaded the chief minister to veto the decision, the temple was
fetching Rs 15 lakh a year.
Divyananda admits that many sadhus have connections with criminals and
dacoits. Some of them may also be fugitives from the law as ashrams
allow them anonymity or a new identity. The police hit a deadend when
they tried to make a list of all the sadhus in Chitrakoot with their
real addresses; religious leaders were sternly opposed to it. "We have a
great problem in carrying out investigations without any records," says
Tiwari. "When we ask their father's name they give us their guru's name
saying they have discarded their past life."
Superintendent B.K. Singh says the socio-geographical condition of
Chitrakoot encourages criminal activity. "The land is very fertile and
the price of land has multiplied in the past few years. Hence the
disputes," he says. Being located on the state border, it allows
criminals from Uttar Pradesh to sneak in without much trouble. And
during pilgrimage season it is all the more difficult to keep an eye on
them.
The situation can only become worse with the Sant Samiti encouraging
sadhus to contest the coming nagar panchayat elections. "We do not want
to go begging before politicians with our problems," says Divyananda.
"We will ourselves enter politics." That will probably mark a new low in
the holy land where Tulsidas composed the Ramcharitmanas.

__________________________________________
SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WEB DISPATCH is an informal, independent &
non-profit citizens wire service run by South Asia Citizens Web
(http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex) since1996.