MARGAO
Catholic-dominated Salcete had its fair share of communal tension and strife over the last decade and half. Members of the majority Hindu community and the Muslim minority coming face to face over flags, meat, et al has not been uncommon over the years.
Unlike other areas, it’s also not uncommon to find organizations such as the Hindu outfit, Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad active in certain areas of the taluka. And, not to mention the Popular Front of India (PFI), which had a vocal presence in Salcete before the organization was banned by the centre.
Take note, however, communal tension and violence have been more or less restricted amongst the Hindu-Muslim groups and within the limits of the migrant-inhabited Rumdamol Housing Board located on the outskirts of Margao. In fact, the Rumdamol Housing board plays host to a large and significant presence of the Muslim minority, with the tension spilling over to Margao occasionally as had happened over a decade ago.
Instances of communal face-off between members of the Hindu and Catholic community have been unheard of in Salcete, at least in the recent past. The row over the installation of the statue of Maratha Warrior Shivaji Maharaj in minority-dominated Sao Jose de Areal earlier this year and the recent objection to the Julus procession in Cuncolim by Bajrang Dal goes to show that the traditional Hindu-Muslim rivalry is no longer restricted to the limits of the Rumdamol Housing Board, but show signs of spreading in other areas as well.
Tension in Sao
Jose de Areal
Take the case of Sao Jose de Areal. Tension rent the air in the village for a couple of days after villagers, raised their objections, not to Shivaji Maharaj per se, but the manner in which the statue was installed in the village. The incident brought members of the Hindu and Catholic communities face to face, unheard of in the village history in particular and Salcete in general.
Last month’s incident in Cuncolim, which takes pride in Hindu-Catholic community amity and brotherhood, is another case in point. Bajrang Dal’s objection to the Julus procession, taken out by the Muslim community over the decades, was enough to create a stir in the town. It’s another matter that the Julus procession taken out to commemorate Prophet Mohammed’s birth anniversary passed out peacefully with the support of all three communities.
The resultant violence in Cuncolim wherein members of the Bajrang Dal were accused of assaulting a Muslim and a cross complaint from the Hindu outfit charging the Muslim man for allegedly insulting religious sentiments, brought members of Hindu and Muslim communities at the police station.
The Subhash Velingkar episode triggered a wave of protests from members of the minority Catholic community hitting the streets of Margao over a week ago. This is perhaps the first time in the recent past that large numbers of the Catholic community descended on the ground seeking justice. Velingkar’s statement over the DNA on the relics of St Francis Xavier triggered condemnation across the state, but Salcete turned out the epicentre of the large scale protests by the minority community.
Police not prompt
in registering FIR
The men-in-uniform has come under the lens of citizens over the delay in initiating action on the complaints lodged against Subhash Velingkar, with many reminding that the Supreme Court has empowered police officers with powers to take suo moto cognisance of hate speeches and initiate action.
Against this backdrop, many wonder why the police was not prompt in registering a FIR against Velingkar, but preferred to wait for the protestors to descend at the Margao police headquarters and to block roads in support of their demand for an FIR.
In fact, those in the know blamed the police over the delay to nip communal tensions in the bud. In fact, police role during communal disturbances that have taken place in the recent past, especially in the Rumdamol Housing Board area and elsewhere, is being looked at with suspicion.
The Cuncolim police registered a FIR against members of a Hindu outfit for the assault on a Muslim youth at Cuncolim after a fall out of the Julus procession issue, giving an impression that the police has initiated the action only after members of the Muslim community came in large numbers.
Similarly, an impression has gone out that the Bicholim police has registered the FIR against Velingkar only after the citizens descended at the Margao police station and blocked the roads.
A retired police officer pointed out that the courts, including the Supreme Court and High courts, have stressed on the need for organizers to seek permission before taking out processions and to register FIR for hate speech. “A proactive police machinery will go a long way to help nip the communal virus in the bud and instil confidence amongst the citizens”, he added.
