Hyderabad: A communal clash on the day of voting for Lok Sabha polls (May 13) has led to a continuing social boycott of Muslims by Adivasis in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district to this day. Communal violence erupted in Jainoor mandal headquarters after a minor altercation between the youth belonging to two communities snowballed into communal clashes.
Though arrests have been made and tensions are now low, the entire community is paying the price for the actions of a few troublemakers and the spirit of brotherhood in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district seems to be down.
“Political parties had different things in their mind as they wanted to exploit the situation. But we just chose to boycott that community economically,” a local Gond leader, on the condition of anonymity in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district’s Jainoor told Siasat.com.
What transpired
According to him, the whole episode goes back to May 13, when two Muslim youths accidentally hit a youngster belonging to the Gond Adivasi community while commuting near Jamni, located 2 kilometres away from Jainoor.
M Laxman, an Adivasi youngster was leaving for his native village where he was to exercise his vote. He was exiting a ‘belt shop’ (liquor shop) when he suddenly found himself caught in a riot-like situation, where stones were being hurled and aimed at some houses.
Laxman, who had nothing to do with the matter, became the target of the attack and was badly injured in the stone attack, Laxman is being treated at NIMS in Hyderabad after sustaining a spine injury.
Dharna flares up
One of the communities sat on dharna in front of the residential colony of another community, resolving not to vote. When a Congress leader tried to pacify the protesters, they got further enraged and reportedly attacked him. The issue flared up further, resulting in the stone pelting on some in the Vaddera colony. It was during this stone pelting that Lakshman too got injured.
The Gond leader said that less than a year ago, an elderly Adivasi person from the Gond community was also slapped by a man, which had led to tensions. At the time, elders from both the Muslim and tribal communities sat together and reached a compromise after the Adivasis were assured that such an act wouldn’t be repeated again.
But the attack on Lakshman, who was there at the wrong place at the wrong time, fuelled the idea to boycott Muslims.
“Only time will decide when the social boycott will end,” said the elderly person from the Gond community, adding that, after the election code ends in June, a meeting of Gonds in their “Rai Center” (traditional tribal council of Gonds), where decision making on the social boycott will take place by elders.
Members of the Adivasi community in all the villages of Jainoor, Sirpur and Lingapur mandals of Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district passed resolutions boycotting Muslims from entering their villages and also resolved not to purchase anything from the shops owned by them.
After violence broke out, the police imposed Section 144 in Jainoor mandal for a few days and arrested more than 30 members from both communities involved in the clashes.
According to a source, FIRs have been registered against around 60 individuals out of which, most are still absconding as per the latest information.
