Nuh violence: Who are Mewat’s Meo Muslims?

Professor SK Chahal, Chairman of Haryana’s Kurukshetra University’s History Department and the Dean of the Social Sciences faculty, told The Indian Express that Mewat was one of fifteen subahs (provinces) during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar in medieval India. Chahal said most historians believe that the Meos were initially not Muslims and were gradually converted to Islam during the 12th to 17th centuries by the Sultans of Delhi up to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb”.

The Delhi Sultanate began in the early 13th century, with the Khilji dynasty’s rule. It fell to the Mughals in the middle of the 16th century. Aurangzeb is considered the last Mughal to have ruled at the height of the dynasty, in the 18th century, though their rule continued beyond that.

But other historians have disagreed, describing a more gradual change. “We use the word ‘conversion’ as a modern concept. There was no such large-scale complete conversion in the time we are talking about, the 14th-15th century,” Professor Shail Mayaram, an authority on the ethnic composition of the Meos, had earlier told The Indian Express. The Meos, she said, did come under the influence of certain Sufi pirs, but continued their traditional practices, which led to a situation of “multi-religiosity”.

The word ‘Meo’ is used to describe those who might have been the aboriginal population from the hills. They also could have had links to the Meena tribal group.

“It is believed that they belonged to the same stock as the Meenas who lived in the Aravalli ranges… In the region that they lived – the forested region with the Aravallis on one side and the riverine plains on the other in the early 20th century – they constantly mixed with other local groups, especially the Ahirs and the Jats,” said M Rajivlochan, a history professor at Chandigarh’s Panjab University.

However, the origins of Meos have been a matter of debate among historians. Prof Chahal says: “One school of thought, represented by historians SL Sharma and RN Srivastava, believes that they were originally Rajputs. The other, represented by PW Powett, suggests that they were originally a tribe, most probably Meenas.”

In the ‘District Gazetteer of Ulwur (1878)’, Powett referred to a ballad of Dariya Khan/Meo, who was married to, separated from, and again remarried to Sisbadani, a tribal woman belonging to the Meena community. Powett further suggested that there are many common surnames among Meos and Meenas, and similar nomenclatures.

The Meos were appointed chieftains by the rulers of Delhi. For instance, Raja Nahar Khan, a Meo, was designated as ‘Wali-e-Mewat’ by the Delhi Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq in 1372. Raja Hasan Khan Mewati is another example. He was the last chieftain of Mewat and fought in the Battle of Khanwa in 1527, for the side of Rajput king Rana Sangha against Babur, and lost.

According to M Rajivlochan, Mewat and Gurgaon composed the territory ruled by people who, as late as the 19th century, were identified as the Jadon tribe, the Jaduvansi.

He said that during the 12th and 13th centuries, the Meos largely retained their cultural practices. But after the Delhi Sultans set up rule in Delhi, expeditions were carried out in Mewat. “It was during this time, when Firoz Shah III ruled Delhi, that most of the Jadons converted to Islam. Subsequently, leaders like Bahadur Nahar emerged. He founded the family of the Khanzadas, whose members ruled over Mewat,” he said.

What are the Meos’ religious practices?

As the Meos follow syncretic religious traditions, they appear to be a distinct community. “The members of the community even celebrate Hindu festivals like Diwali, Holi and Teej along with festivals of Islam. The Sufi movement, led by the great Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, also played a role in the community gravitating towards syncretic traditions under Islam,” said Chahal.

Why were the Meos categorised as a ‘criminal tribe’ earlier?

The Meos took part in what is often termed India’s “First War of Independence” against British colonial rule in 1857. As a result, the entire community was declared a “criminal tribe” under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, as “a punishment” for their active participation. Siddique Ahmad, an independent researcher of Mewat’s history, says that nearly 10,000 Meos died in the early battles against British colonial rule.

But after this categorisation under the Act, members of such groups would be under surveillance by authorities and presumed to be guilty of committing offences almost automatically. Once labelled as a criminal tribe, Prof Chahal said, they were denied opportunities to progress further, resulting in them turning to crimes for subsistence.

What are the reasons for the backwardness of Mewat?

According to M Rajivlochan, the land of Mewat was not very productive, and the region did not fall under any major trade route. It was, therefore, seen as less desirable by the Delhi Sultans.

Ahmad said that an educated and influential section of the community shifted to Pakistan during the Partition. He added that a lack of political and administrative focus, in terms of educational, sports and irrigation facilities, contributed to the Mewat region’s backwardness after Indian independence.

Prof Chahal said, “There appears a spurt in the population of Meos during the past few decades which is attributable to their backwardness. Generally, population growth rates in almost all underdeveloped areas and underprivileged communities tend to be very high.” Economic development within a community, along with improved education facilities, is the best solution for tackling backwardness, and it would be the most effective way out in helping preserve and propagate Mewati culture and its syncretic traditions, he said.

Ahmad said that by and large, post-independence, there have not been instances of communal tension in the region. He said the recent “attempts to polarise the society on communal lines” are a new development.