Everyone
remembers the traumatised face, eyes filled with tears, pleading for mercy
with folded hands as the VHP-Bajrang Dal mobs went on the rampage killing
and raping Muslims in Gujarat last year. Blazoned across newspapers in India
and abroad, this face epitomised the plight of the minorities in Gujarat.
Qutubuddin Ansari shook the nation’s conscience, but he found it
impossible to continue living in Gujarat. He was shunned by neighbours and
employers, who accused him of bringing shame to the state, whereas it was
they who brought shame to the land of the Mahatma. Living in insecurity and
on the verge of starvation, the magazine Communalism Combat came to
his rescue and launched an appeal to relocate Ansari and his family. Some
citizens of Kolkata responded to the appeal and today Ansari has started a
new life in the city of joy (for once no irony intended). It is to the
credit of the citizens of Kolkata that they have the compassion to respond
to such an appeal, and to the state government which has consistently
created a climate where both Hindus and Muslims can feel secure.
We salute Communalism
Combat and its moving spirit, Teesta Setalvad, who braved local prejudice
to help the Ansaris find a new home. The magazine, run by a committed team of
journalists and activists has done yeoman’s service to the cause of
secularism. The special editions produced last year on the Gujarat holocaust
pitilessly documented the riots. At a time when determined efforts were made
to rewrite history, voices like Communalism Combat served a purpose
beyond praise. It has taken up 18 other cases where Narendra Modi’s
government has brought shame upon itself. Zahira Sheikh, the sole survivor of
the owners of Best Bakery and prime witness to the burning alive of 12 people
is among them and has been taken under the organisation’s wing, which is
trying to secure justice. Ansari is a high-profile victim of the Gujarat
pogrom. But there are thousands of others like him languishing in the state
who have lost everything and a year later are still out on the streets with no
rehabilitation and nowhere to go. The Gujarat government has not only washed
its hands of the victims but is actively obstructing those trying to help
them. Chief Minister Narendra Modi in fact attacked the West Bengal government
for giving shelter to Ansari. We recognise that on this issue, Buddhadeb
Bhattacharyya, Anil Biswas, the Left Front and Alimuddin Street speak with one
voice. And we support that voice and applaud it.
