Mystery cross marks in red outside Gujarat homes
TNN|
Updated: Nov 14, 2017, 11.13 AM IST
AHMEDABAD: A cross in red outside around 10 Muslim societies and Hindu colonies triggered a major scare in the Paldi area of the city on Monday, come as they did days after posters surfaced with the warning that the area would “become a Muslim ghetto”.
Alarmed residents of one of the societies, Delight Apartments, also targeted during the 2002 riots, have written to the Election Commission and the police commissioner, saying the markings had a clear purpose: to identify Muslim localities. They feared the motive was to destroy peace in the area. Red crosses were also spotted on the main gates of Aman Colony, Nasheman Apartment, Tagore Flats and Ashiyana Apartment, and outside the Takshshila colony. Delight resident Adil Bagadiya said, “We’ve urged the EC and police commissioner to ensure peace.”
The crosses came three days after posters surfaced in the locality with the message, “Save Paldi from becoming a Juhapura”, a reefrence to one of India’s biggest Muslim ghettos. Sattar Chunara, a watchman at Delight Apartment, said he had sprayed black paint on the cross, adding, “Some people told me these were made by sanitation workers to identify colonies from where garbage had to be picked.” Zuber Ahmed of Aman Colony was reluctant to buy this argument. “We’re yet to be informed by the municipality that the marks were meant for garbage collection.” Statements by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation officials just added to the confusion. While health official Nitin Prajapati said the marks were made by sanitary workers, municipal commissioner Mukesh Kumar said the marks made by AMC workers were different from those spotted.
Police chief A K Singh said the marks were indeed made by sanitation workers, but ordered an inquiry under special police commissioner KLN Rao. “If the houses are being marked as part of a garbage collection drive, we will send our teams to ensure that the residents are informed about it,” Singh added.
At Delight, public health official Nitin Trivedi was confronted by resident Uves Sareshwala, who repeatedly asked him why the residents were not informed about the drive. “It could have averted the chaos and fear,” he said.
Rekhaben Shah told TOI that residents had nothing fear. “We come out late in the night and pass through Muslim neighbourhoods without fear. We live in harmony,” she said. Ahmedabad resident and chancellor of Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University Zafar Sareshwala said, “Modi Sahab is talking of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’. This kind of a hate campaign never happened even during 2002 elections. Are we to believe that this BJP is not with Mr Modi?”
Dismissing any political angle, BJP member l I K Jadeja said: “We inquired about the incident. AMC health workers who’d gone for health awareness marked buildings in red as their stock of stickers got exhausted. The corporation has issued instructions to only use stickers to avoid such confusion.”
Alarmed residents of one of the societies, Delight Apartments, also targeted during the 2002 riots, have written to the Election Commission and the police commissioner, saying the markings had a clear purpose: to identify Muslim localities. They feared the motive was to destroy peace in the area. Red crosses were also spotted on the main gates of Aman Colony, Nasheman Apartment, Tagore Flats and Ashiyana Apartment, and outside the Takshshila colony. Delight resident Adil Bagadiya said, “We’ve urged the EC and police commissioner to ensure peace.”
The crosses came three days after posters surfaced in the locality with the message, “Save Paldi from becoming a Juhapura”, a reefrence to one of India’s biggest Muslim ghettos. Sattar Chunara, a watchman at Delight Apartment, said he had sprayed black paint on the cross, adding, “Some people told me these were made by sanitation workers to identify colonies from where garbage had to be picked.” Zuber Ahmed of Aman Colony was reluctant to buy this argument. “We’re yet to be informed by the municipality that the marks were meant for garbage collection.” Statements by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation officials just added to the confusion. While health official Nitin Prajapati said the marks were made by sanitary workers, municipal commissioner Mukesh Kumar said the marks made by AMC workers were different from those spotted.
Police chief A K Singh said the marks were indeed made by sanitation workers, but ordered an inquiry under special police commissioner KLN Rao. “If the houses are being marked as part of a garbage collection drive, we will send our teams to ensure that the residents are informed about it,” Singh added.
At Delight, public health official Nitin Trivedi was confronted by resident Uves Sareshwala, who repeatedly asked him why the residents were not informed about the drive. “It could have averted the chaos and fear,” he said.
Rekhaben Shah told TOI that residents had nothing fear. “We come out late in the night and pass through Muslim neighbourhoods without fear. We live in harmony,” she said. Ahmedabad resident and chancellor of Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University Zafar Sareshwala said, “Modi Sahab is talking of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’. This kind of a hate campaign never happened even during 2002 elections. Are we to believe that this BJP is not with Mr Modi?”
Dismissing any political angle, BJP member l I K Jadeja said: “We inquired about the incident. AMC health workers who’d gone for health awareness marked buildings in red as their stock of stickers got exhausted. The corporation has issued instructions to only use stickers to avoid such confusion.”
(This article was originally published in The Times of India)
