UP: BJP Backed Thakur Men Demolish Muslim Family’s House in Gonda

Given the Yogi government's patronage, hooliganism has increased multifold in the state. Minorities are particularly being targeted and are the most vulnerable.

thakur
Image: Janchowk

Panchayat Elections in Uttar Pradesh amidst widespread anomalies and discontent in public are over but the violence associated with it has continued and even intensified in some instances.

In one such instance of communalism disguised as political vengeance, on July 11, goons belonging to the Thakur community demolished the makeshift house of Moinuddin, a newly elected member of Block Development Council belonging to the Muslim community in Nanduar village of Paraspur police station area in Gonda district of the state, Janchowk reported.

The Thakur men carried out the demolition as retaliation to Moinuddin’s refusal to vote in the favour of the BJP backed candidate in the recently conducted Block Pramukh elections. Along with that, the goons wanted to evict the family from that land, a three-member investigation team of CPIML-Liberation said after visiting the village.

Even though the BJP backed candidate won the Block Pramukh election ‘unopposed’ because the opposition candidate was not able to file their nomination. The power acquired by the victory in the elections was then employed by the Thakur men to perpetrate violence on the Muslim family and to forcefully evict them from the land.

On the evening of July 11, a day after the election results were declared,  Thakur goons used the JCB machine owned by the Gram Pradhan (Village Chief) who is a BJP leader to demolish the family’s thatched roof house and uprooted the nearby trees and leveled the land. Furthermore, their household goods and other belongings were destroyed as well, Moinuddin told the investigation team. After the investigation, the CPIML team said that the incident happened under the directive of the ruling BJP.

Also read: Violence in Block Election Nominations Shows BJP’s Political Anxieties in Uttar Pradesh

It was only after the incident went viral on social media platforms that the local administration took note of it. Colonelganj’s SDM visited the spot and got the house measured. The main accused Yashwant Singh, who is associated with the ruling party, has been released on bail after being arrested.

The team said that at present two policemen of the nearby police station are stationed at the spot. On the other hand, Moinuddin’s family is forced to live in an atmosphere of fear under a tin shed. It is important to note that the Muslim population in the village is nominal. Despite this, Moinuddin was elected by the people in the village.

The investigation team of CPIML included State Committee members Radheshyam Maurya, Amarnath Singh, and Shivram.

Following the team’s report, the State Secretary of the party Sudhakar Yadav said that Dalits, women, and minorities are not safe in Yogi’s government. Modi-Yogi government has been notorious for oppressing the weaker sections of the society instead of protecting them. Given the Yogi government’s patronage, hooliganism has increased multifold in the state. Minorities are particularly being targeted and are the most vulnerable. With the assembly elections approaching, the BJP’s efforts to polarize have intensified and it will have to be fought on the strength of resistance and solidarity.

Report originally published at Janchowk.com. It was translated into English by Aparna Sanjay. 

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March 2024
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