7 months ago
3
During the Durga Puja immersion procession successful aboriginal October, a communal clash betwixt Hindus and Muslims broke retired successful the past metropolis of Cuttack, Odisha. According to reports, astir 40 shops were burnt down successful Dargah Bazar, a predominantly Muslim locality, starring the medication to enforce a curfew for respective days and apprehension much than a twelve people.
This marks the 2nd lawsuit of communal unrest nether the incumbent BJP government, which came to powerfulness successful 2024 aft dislodging the BJD. The archetypal communal clash nether the caller authorities occurred successful Bhadrak successful September 2024.
The past clip Cuttack saw specified unit was successful the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition successful 1992, nether the Biju Patnaik government. The latest incidental bears an eerie resemblance to the signifier of riots unfolding successful different parts of India, peculiarly successful Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Typically, the series begins with a spiritual procession passing done Muslim neighborhoods, followed by incidents of stone-throwing that escalate into full-blown communal violence.
Under Naveen Patnaik’s regularisation (2000–2024), determination were episodes of communal unrest successful Odisha — the anti-Christian unit successful Kandhamal successful 2008 and unit successful Bhadrak, different Muslim-dominated area, successful 2017. At that time, Mr. Patnaik headed a conjugation authorities with the BJP arsenic a partner. The Justice Naidu Commission, acceptable up to analyse the Kandhamal violence, submitted its study to Mr. Patnaik successful 2015, but this is yet to beryllium tabled successful the Odisha Assembly. But contempt these episodes, Odisha has mostly been regarded arsenic a comparatively peaceful State.
Odisha’s Muslim colonisation is demographically insignificant — conscionable implicit 2% — and is mostly concentrated successful clusters successful cities specified arsenic Cuttack, Bhadrak, and Kendrapada. This whitethorn look astonishing fixed that Afghan regularisation reached Odisha arsenic aboriginal arsenic 1568; however, Mughal power remained limited. Some historians reason that this humanities origin partially explains the tiny Muslim population. Odisha’s assemblage past was dominated alternatively by the Marathas, who established their regularisation successful 1751. Fakir Mohan Senapati, the begetter of modern Odia literature, noted successful his autobiography that Maratha regularisation was acold much oppressive than that of the British.
Despite their tiny numbers, Muslims successful Odisha person produced respective leaders known for their secular politics. Sofia Firdous, the archetypal Muslim pistillate elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly successful 2024, represents the Barabati constituency successful Cuttack. She played an progressive relation successful restoring bid aft the caller violence. The girl of erstwhile Congress MLA Mohammad Moquim, she had been visiting Durga Puja pandals conscionable hours earlier the clashes broke out. In earlier decades, Mustafiz Ahmad, different Muslim person from Cuttack, served arsenic a minister. Shaikh Matlub Ali, from the outskirts of Cuttack, served aggregate cabinets and adjacent built a Hindu temple successful Khandol successful Mahanga constituency. Habibulla Khan was elected to the Odisha Assembly 9 times. Notably, during Mr. Patnaik’s 24-year tenure, the BJD ne'er had a azygous Muslim MLA oregon Cabinet minister. The existent BJP government, too, does not person immoderate Muslim practice successful the Assembly.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan attributed the latest incidental to vested interests attempting to tarnish Odisha’s peaceful image. This mentation stands successful opposition to the often-vitriolic rhetoric seen inStates specified arsenic U.P. and Maharashtra, wherever bulldozer justness has go symbolic of authorities response. Odisha has not yet seen specified an administrative culture, which places the BJP authorities successful the State connected a somewhat antithetic footing. Whether this favoritism volition endure remains uncertain, particularly amid deepening societal polarisation.
On the governance front, the Mohan Majhi medication has faced respective challenges, ranging from women’s information issues, to corruption allegations successful the constabulary recruitment process, to increasing interior factionalism wrong the ruling party. Together, these factors marque governance progressively difficult. Whatever the government’s governmental credibility, it is undeniable that Odisha’s secular ethos has suffered a setback owing to the unit successful Cuttack.
Shaikh Mujibur Rehman is the writer of Shikwa-e- Hind: The Political Future of Indian Muslims (2024). Views are personal
