Written by: Anupam Bhagria
4 min readVadodaraFeb 1, 2010 03:47 AM IST
First published on: Feb 1, 2010 at 03:47 AM IST
Disgrace brought about by miscreants from the community rather that the fear of the government machinery has led Muslims in Godhra to clear the Gendi Plot,which till recently,served as a site for illegal slaughter.
The police had arrested eight women from Hathila Plot in Godhra during a combing operation on December 19 last year on charges of rioting and attacking public servants on duty. The police had alleged that a group of women had prevented them from arresting an accused in the illegal slaughter case and had pelted stones on the search party,thereby providing the accused with an opportunity to escape.
Now,community leaders have cited a fatwa by the Deobandi School of Islamic thought to flatten the piece of land by the banks of Meshri river. They have said there should be a ban on cow slaughter if other religious communities living with the Muslims are opposed to such things. The community now plans a cricket ground for the local youths at the spot.
Interestingly,the move to clear Gendi Plot is led by Maulana Shoaib Chimaji,whose wife and sisters were among those arrested by the Godhra B division police on December 19.
“We collected Rs 1.5 lakh to clear out the plot,which has cactus and shrubs. Due to the involvement of some miscreants in this activity,the police pick up our women and children. I am leading this because they need to know that we are followers of the Deoband School,which has issued a fatwa last year that one cannot indulge in practices,even Islamic,if they create disharmony. The root cause is the plot and the activities of these people. Therefore,over the last four days,we have used our own people to clear this place,” said Chimaji.
His wife Sara,along with sisters,Farida,Salma,and Nasimbano,were arrested by the police and allegedly tortured.
Firdous Kothi,a local steel manufacturer and president of the Muslim Ghanchi Samaj,said a portion of Gendi Plot belongs to him,and Saud Badam – the kingpin of the illegal slaughter racket – and his men regularly threatened him. “His (Badam’s) men had threatened me a lot of times when I asked them to stop. My hands were tied as they had managed to rope in a lot of people in this activity. But Badam has to realise that because of the support he enjoys from a few within the community,the community cannot go on taking the blame for them any longer,” said Kothi. He added: “If the police catch Badam and his helpers,they should just shoot them at sight.”
Yakub Alam,a councillor of Godhra Municipality,Ward no 11,said the illegal slaughter had led to police operation in the area and the subsequent arrest of the women. “These acts have brought nothing but shame to us. The police told us that Badam took 10 to 15 truckloads of cows for slaughter to Gendi Plot. Therefore,we have decided to remove all kinds of encroachments,makeshift shelters,and vegetation and turn it into a cricket ground for the youth. If we have more funds,we could turn it into a proper cricketing pitch,” added Alam,who has been a councillor in Godhra Municipality for the last four and a half years.
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