12 MANUSHI

WHENEVER and wherever riotstake place, it is the most oppressedsections of society — those whocontribute least or not at all tocommunal tension — who suffer themost. In communal riots too, it is theprosperous who instigate killings, thedowntrodden who are killed. TheBiharsharif riots were no exception tothis rule.

On April 30, four young men —two Hindus and two Muslims—gotinto a squabble over drinking tadi.The land on which the tad trees growhas been disputed for years by thetwo communities who are alsoengaged in a lawsuit over it. TheHindus maintain that it is a Shivs-thana and the Muslims that it is aburial ground. The situation in thisarea is normally tension-ridden dueto religious bigotry and superstition.This controversy heightened thetension.

The following day, the squabblewas exaggerated out of all proportion,and made the excuse for a terribleslaughter. Alinagar, Rupaspur,Harnaut—one village after anotherwas engulfed. In the midst of gunfire,bomb explosions and streams ofblood, all kinds of atrocities wereperpetrated. 18 year old ShehnazBegum’s stomach was trampled uponand crushed. Her unborn baby wasfarced out of the womb, killing her onthe spot. Israt Khatun’s six day olddaughter was torn from her andsmashed to death on the ground. Israt

was raped and then stabbed to deathwith a spear. A 60 year old womanBakridan’s throat was cut. The riotersinflicted on the women every possiblecruelty that a diseased mind couldconceive. Purdah — that so-calledshield from attack — became thegreatest contributory factor to thewomen’s unsafety.

The fact of the matter is that therioters — Hindus and Muslims—were all men, only men. It was menwho manufactured the bombs andgunpowder, men who fought over thetadi, men who conducted themassacre, men who spread rumoursto fan the flames. After the riots, malepolice administrators descended onthe city, policemen armed to the teethroamed the streets, the relief workerstoo were all men, only men. Even thegroups which worked for peace andharmony consisted of men only.

Wherever one looked, there wereonly men to be seen. Men in everyactive role — good or bad. When Iwalked through the lanes, distributingpamphlets, the children said to oneanother: “Look at that man, dressedin woman’s clothes.” What does thisimply? That, even though an equalnumber of women died in the riots,yet a woman could not be acceptedas an active worker for peace. In themassacre of May 1, there was not asingle woman among the attackers butof the 15 who died, all, except one,were women and children. In manycolonies, I talked to Hindu and

Muslim women, to young men and tochildren, both individually and ingroups. The Hindu women said,firstly, that they scarcely have anytime to spare from household work,and secondly, there has never beenany public programme in whichwomen could participate together.Whenever, now and again, there havebeen programmes to integrate the twocommunities, it is only men whoparticipate. Of course, women do visiteach other, whenever they can sparea few minutes. But now, after the riots,they will not be allowed to meet eachother any more. Now people of bothcommunities have started thinkingthat the only way to strengthen theirrespective religions is to cling morefiercely to their own traditions andrituals. They say that if they neglecttheir rituals and customs, they willgrow weak and the Muslims will growstrong. They also fear that if womenstep out of the house, they willimmediately become targets of attack— so fierce is the feeling of revengestill in the air. Some women say : “Wehave always been slaves. We used togo to each others’ houses andsometimes sit together, share oursorrows. Now each one is keptimprisoned in her own house. It is themen who riot but the women who getlocked up in these jails — women are

MANIMALA

Men Riot, Women AreImprisoned

Reports from Biharsharif and Ahmedabad

NUMBER NINE, 1981 13

made each other’s enemies. Often,they want to communicate with eachother but their men’s order is that noMuslim, not even a child, is to bespoken to. Rumours of atrocities onHindu women have been used tomake Hindu women feel bitter towardsMuslim women, Hindu women are noteven able to sympathize with theMuslim women who are victims ofmale violence, because they havebeen brainwashed to the extent thatthey think if a woman.steps out of thehouse, she will immediately bekidnapped by Muslim men. The riotshave become a convenient excuse toonce more imprison women inside thehome.

Blinded by religious superstition,women have not been allowed toquestion the exploitative hierarchywithin their own religious community,therefore they begin to be intoleranttowards one another. Women’smistrust is greater, because they suffertwo kinds of violence — directslaughter and mutilation as well assexual violence. So great is the terrorinduced by this that they temporarilyforget the routine violence which theysuffer within their own homes andfamilies. Women are forced to seeksecurity from external attack, in thehome which is a site of daily violenceagainst them. Thus their oppressionwithin the family gets reinforced.Having created a barrier of hatredbetween the two communities in theoutside world,men become absolutetyrants within the four walls of thehome. I found, on questioning, thatviolence within the family hasincreased of late. The greater thefragmentation in society at large, themore complete becomes women’simprisonment in the home. But thisparticular evil consequence of riotsis not usually discussed or evenrecognized for what it is.

Women too want to work for peaceand communal harmony but malesociety will not permit them to do so.

They are permitted to do only onething— die. I came across a fewinstances of women having shelteredeach other. Akhtari Khatun of Giriyatsays that when all around, inadjoining streets, Hindu men weredragging Muslims out of vehicles andmurdering them, a Hindu womanrescued her by pretending to be hersister-in-law, and later, with greatingenuity, managed to send her to theKhanfah camp. Many women roseabove communal feelings and savedihe lives of one another’s children bytaking them in their arms. Akhtar

Women whose family membershave not been killed are more easilyable to voice such sentiments. Onewoman, several of whose familymembers have been killed, says:“Women never want riots. Whyshould we want them ? In riots, eitherwe die or the children nourished inour wombs die. Whether a womandies or a man — both are born ofwoman, they grow on her milk. It isalways woman’s creation which isdestroyed — whether it is a home, aman., a woman, an old person or achild. What do we care about

One of the Injured Women in Hospital

Khatun talks about this to everyoneshe meets. She says : “We women donot want riots, we risk our lives tosave each other.”

I am not saying that men did nothelp or save each other. Many did,and many are waiting for peace eventoday. But if we look at the history ofthe riots from women’s point of view,we find that inspite of absolute non-participation in the riots and inspiteof having played an active role asrescuers of each other, women in thismale dominated society have not beenable to build on that feeling which isin Akhtar Khatun’s heart, have notbeen able to forge their own unity fromit. It is the women who say : “If menwant to riot, let them riot betweenthemselves, why do they stop us frommeeting and interacting? Why do theykill us, attack us? Why do they killour children, burn our homes ? Whydo they cut our society to bits?”

statistics—how many women diedand how many men? My young sondied. A man died, a man killed him, buthe was born of my womb. I have fedhim with my milk... “ She breaks intosobs. She has raised a very importantquestion. The whole world, createdand given life by woman, is beingsmashed before her eyes yet she isnot allowed to stop this destruction!

In the Khanfah camp too, therewere many discussions in whichwomen suggested that peacecommittees, consisting of people fromevery section, be set up in each villageand colony, to prevent riots. Thesecommittees should be responsible forthe local situation. When askedwhether women of every sectionshould be on the committees, theyfell silent. Then they began to speak.They said that they live in purdah,they don’t even come in front of the

14 MANUSHI

men of their own families, they knownothing about the country or theworld — of what use can they be ?And even if they want to participate,the men will not allow them. Whowill do the housework, who will lookafter the children? They are noteducated as the men are — what canthey do on the committee? Questionupon questions, but no answers. Soburdened are they by the task ofensuring men’s welfare within thehorne that they have no time todefine their role in working forsociety’s or even their own welfare.

While this discussion was goingon, many men came and joined in.They said that purdah is desirable—if woman are attacked even inpurdah, what would happen to themout of purdah ? (These attitudes andarguments in favour of purdah andseclusion of women are common toboth communities) I asked : “Sincemen keep women in purdah, awayfrom the world, how is it that inAlinagar the men escaped while 14women and children died?” Firstthey tried to give various excuses— the men had gone to pray, theywere outnumbered by the attackers,they tried to save the women butfailed. They also told the story ofone woman who continued to facelathi blows so as to save the otherwomen and children, but refused toremove her veil. They were proud ofher as a truly pious woman whowould never unveil herself beforemen — in this lay her strength.Woman’s true religion is to keepwearing a veil. If she dies, it shouldbe in defence of the veil, not indefence of her self! But when Irepeated my question, they finallyreplied that when a man dies a womanbecomes a widow and the childrenare orphaned. But if a woman dies,the man will bring another woman,so neither will he be widowed norwill the children be orphaned. WhenI suggested that a woman too could

bring another man, the immediate retortwas that a woman does not bring a man,she goes with a man. Even here, wherepeople were in fear for their lives, inthe midst of such gloom and terror,male power and supremacy was aliveand thriving—consciously andunconsciously.

When the young men met in groupsto plan for peace, they clearly said theywere not interested in discussingseparately the question of violenceagainst women. According to them, themassacre was a general one in whichboth men and women died, so the onlyissue was how such a. massacre couldbe prevented in future. When Isuggested that women should at leastbe included in the discussion andthinking process, they immediatelyreplied that this was not women’s work.The religious texts all say that womanis just an organ of man, she exists forman. If women come out of the home,men’s characters get corrupted and thewhole society gets corrupted. If themorality of society is to be preserved,women must stay in the house. Ifwomen come out, riots will onlyincrease!

It is clear that these religious textsof the various communities representa strange disease. Men of bothcommunities are on guard to protect

their religion! Trampling womenunderfoot, they are busy laying downrules and policies for the preservationof “peace”! All that woman creates isbeing madly destroyed but thesereligious texts, the creations of men,are as strong as ever like chainschoking the pulse of society. They arenowhere near the destruction theydeserve!

The government has put upbanners and posters all around:Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isai, Aapas meisab bhai bhai” (Hindus, Muslims,Sikhs and Christians are all brothers).My question, perhaps the questionof all of us sisters is : Where have thesisters gone ? Is the agony of riots tobe reserved for us but the blessing ofunity to be only for brothers ?

A Refugee Camp in Biharsharif

NUMBER NINE, 1981 15

AHMEDABAD is a city of riots.Almost every year, some group startsan agitation over some issue, but aftera few acts of violence the issue is lostsight of, and the city is suddenlyaflame with baseless rumours andexaggerated stories. Hatred and lustfor revenge excite mobs who rushround the city, burning, looting andkilling. This year, 3 group of doctorsstarted an agitation to end reservationof seats for harijans in the medicalcolleges. The agitation soon spreadall over the city. From an anti-reservation agitation, it became ananti-harijan agitation. Harijan colonieswere attacked, stoned and burnt bycaste-hindu mobs. Individual harijanswere stabbed and lynched. Curfewwas imposed on the city. Rumours andfalse news reports kept the harijansin a state of fear. In this state oftension, harijan women came out todefend their homes. Afraid that theclash of male egos would lead to moreviolence, they forced their sons,brothers, and husbands to stayindoors while they themselves facedthe fury of the mobs.

Hiraben is a clerk and the wife of amill worker. She lives in a harijan polin the inner city area of Khadia. Herpol and the neighbouring caste-hindupol have lived peacefully for the last30 years. One night during the anti-reservation riots Hiraben woke up tothe sound of shouts outside the pol.“Kill the harijans, beat the harijans.”Hiraben’s two sons, aged 13 and 19,immediately got up and tried to rushout. But Hiraben stopped them. Sheand her two daughters-in-law jumpedup, wrapped cloths around theirheads, picked up iron rods, called tothe other women in the pol, andrushed out to the pol entrance, “About35 of us women stood there with rodsand sticks,” Hiraben said, “We wouldnot let our boys out. We saw a crowdof young men standing there withstones and sticks, shouting slogansat us. There we stood—our group of

harijan women and that group ofcaste-hindu boys. I looked verycarefully to see who the boys were,and I recognized quite a few of them.Isaid to them: ‘What do you want? Goaway.’ They stood and shouted for awhile and then went away. Nextmorning, our caste-hindu neighbours

RENANA JHABWALA

Caste Riots In Ahmedahad—Women Faced

The Fury

were going to the temple. I accostedthem and said : ‘So your sons want tokill us?’ ‘No, no’, said our neighbours.‘We have lived together for 30 years,we cannot see this anti-reservationagitation divide us like this. If our sonshave threatened you, we will makethem apologize.’ That evening, the

16 MANUSHI

caste-hindu elders, men and women,came with the boys to our pol. In frontof me, the gang leader’s father beathim and told him to touch my feet andapologize. So the boys touched ourfeet and after that, there was no moretrouble for us.”

The police, who are mostly caste-hindus, also took this opportunity toenter harijan areas, and harass andloot harijans. Motiben lives in a chaliin the labour area of Gomtipur, “Thepolice come in at night”, she says,“They beat up our boy, break into ourhouses and loot whatever we have.My son is crippled and a little weak inhis head. One night the policeknocked on my door. Only my sonand I were at home, and I was afraidto open the door. So the police brokea panel of the door, put their hands inand opened the bolt. My son justwent off his head and beganscreaming: ‘Save me, save me’, Herneighbour Beniben adds: “That verynight, the police beat up some of theboys. Then they began taking theboys away, so a woman ran out andgrabbed her son’s arm. She yelled andscreamed, and all of us women ranout. We held on to the boys from oneside, the police held on to them fromthe other. Then we began to plead withthe policemen, we began to pull theirarms and legs and say : ‘Please, pleaseleave our boys. They are good boys,they have done nothing wrong.’ Therewere only 10 policemen and about a100 women. Finally, the police had togive up. We surrounded the policeand escorted them out of the chali sothat they would not do any moreharm.”

But harijan women were helplessagainst the deadly combination ofpolice and caste-hindus.ChanchaIben, the victim of one suchattack, had her chest all bandaged upand was coughing blood. “I live inthe Phoolchand chali”, she says.“One night a gang of caste-hinduhooligans broke into our chali and

began looting, beating, breaking. Thepolice were also with them. Theydragged my son out of the house andstarted beating him with lathis, I heardhim screaming and ran out and flungmyself onto him to protect him. Thecrowd dragged me off him and pushedme to one side. Then one man hit mehard on the chest with a rifle butt. Ifell down and fainted. Some bones arebroken in my chest and I have beencoughing blood ever since.”

In every city there is a large sectionof men and women who earn theirliving as vendors, artisans, home-based producers or casual labourers.When they cannot get work, theycannot eat. Since they constitute theself-employed or unorganised sector,they do not get a regular wage butmust make do with what they earnevery day. In Ahmedabad, suchworkers are about 45 per cent of thework force. Due to the agitation, thesepeople were completely without workduring the month of February and hadonly occasional days of work duringMarch and April. The traders of cloth,grain, oil, who control the market ofAhmedabad, kept the market shut, insympathy with the anti-reservationstrikers. So the casual labourers, mostof whom carry loads in the markets,had no work.

“I used to go to the marketeveryday”, said Radhaben, a head-loader in the cloth market, “Usuallythere was curfew so I would go bythe back lanes. But when I reachedthe market, all the shops would beclosed. I and my other sister head-loaders would sit for a while, waitingfor the shops to open. Then amerchant would come and say :‘Today we are closed. Go home.’ Thatday our cooking pots would beempty.” The vendors would go out,hoping to make some money, butsuddenly curfew would be clampeddown, and they would all be chasedaway. Not only would they earnnothing but their small capital would

also be lost. Laxmiben sits on thepavement in the market place sellingvegetables. “During two months ofthe agitation, my children went to bedhungry every night”, she says, “Idon’t understand what the doctorswanted but everyday they would havesome procession or programme. Sincewe have no other income, I would tryto raise a little money in the morningand buy some vegetables, I havepawned all my jewellery during thisagitation. I would go to the market,suddenly curfew would be declared.We had no way of getting to knowthis. The police would come runningwith lathis. They would overturn ourbaskets, beat and kick us. We wouldlose all the money we had invested.You can see the mark of lathi blowson my back. Why can’t doctors andother big people settle their quarrelsin a peaceful way ?”

The Sabarmati river flows throughthe city of Ahmedabad, dividing it intotwo parts. While textile mill areas andthe inner city ghettoes on the westside were rocked by mob and policeviolence, the middle class, high-casteareas on the east side were in thethroes of a “non-violent agitation.”This agitation was led by the medicalstudents who thought up original“revolutionary” programmes. Oneday, they took out a procession ofscooters through the heart of the city.The next day, newspapers carriedfront-page photographs of the boysriding in a circle round the vegetablemarket. The third day they publiclydissected the “reservation monster”revealing its heart of stone, and soon.

Meanwhile, other middle classyoung men also carried on theagitation with great energy, if lessoriginality. They made bonfires out ofhoardings. They pulled down busstands, threw stones at buses, andoccasionally stopped and set them onfire. They raided banks, breaking downthe doors, smashing the windows,

NUMBER NINE, 1981 17

dragging out furniture and burning it.They smashed the windows of theuniversity with petrol-filled bulbs.Everywhere in Ahmedabad middleclass areas there were blackenedbuildings, broken windows, roadslittered with stones, still-smoulderingbuses and hoardings.

“The day shift of the agitationover, middle class areas would havedinner, and move into the night shift.Every night there would be “BurnMakwana” programmes. An effigy ofYogendra Makwana, a harijan minister,would be hanged by the neck on alamp post. A broom would be placedin its hand. Then a bonfire would belit under the effigy and as it burnt,crowds would gather around,shouting : “Dhedia (derogatory wordfor harijan) hai,hai, Makwana, hai,hai.”

Rocked by the violent agitation inworking class areas and the non-violent agitation in middle class areas,the whole city was placed undercurfew and patrolled by the police.Any person taught in the streetswithout a curfew pass would beseverely beaten. Confined to theirhomes, middle class women worriedabout their families, and hopedcurfew would be lifted so that theycould go out to buy milk andvegetables. Schools and collegeswere closed so their children werehome and had to be looked after. Thechildren were playing new games suchas “stone throwing” or “killingdheds.” “If cricketer Karsen Ghavricomes here, we will kill him’’, one smallboy said to his mother. “Why, dear?”“Because he is a tribal”, said the boy.“Colleges are closed and my son whois doing his BA, is free all day”, saidMeena a 40 year old housewife. “Heleaves the house after eating in themorning. He doesn’t tell me where hegoes. But he comes back in theevening excited and angry. He tellsme many stories of happenings in thecity and I get afraid.”

Rumours are the only source ofnews for middle class women.Rumours calculated to breed fear andanger are whispered from ear to ear,are brought home from the youthgangs in the streets, from respectableclubs, from business offices: “Theharijans do not really wantreservations, they want our women.Once they could only come as far asour latrines. Then we felt sorry forthem and let them into our homes. Butnow they want our women. We mustbeat them and teach them a lesson.”So the undercurrent to the agitationis no longer the reservations issue but“protecting” women against rape andabduction by low caste men. Womenlive in an atmosphere of fear andmistrust.

Sushmaben’s husband is aprofessor. He showed her a poemsupposedly written by a harijan,which mentions rape of high castewomen. Her son brought home storiesabout harijan groups breaking intocaste-hindu homes and attackingwomen. He told her that harijans have

been attacking caste-hindu women onthe streets. Cut off from the outsideworld, Sushmaben believed thesestories and was afraid. Her fear wasenhanced by the stories her friendswhispered, “All these stories of rapeare true”, her friend Sheela told her ata Lioness Club meeting, “You knowmy friend Mona. Well, her sister’sdaughter has a friend whose cousinknows a nurse working in the civilhospital. That nurse saw some womenin the hospital with their breasts cutoff. And my son says that his friendHarish was telling him that his father’sfriend’s brother heard that a group ofharijans attacked the St Xavier LadiesHostel and abducted some of thegirls.” Sushmaben was afraid thoughshe had not seen or met anyone whohad witnessed the supposed rapesand abductions. She had nothing togo on, but these whispered rumours.So she stayed at home, fearing aharijan attack.

The agitation died down after themedicos withdrew their support, butAhmedabad continues to suffer fromthe after-effects.