A day after massacre, five tribals missing from Narkopi

Six of the victims are believed to be Ali Sena supporters while three are Oraon tribals from Narkopi.

According to eye-witnesses, people were bustling about the weekly bazaar at Narkopi village yesterday afternoon when the MCC activists struck. According to the police, nearly 45 armed Naxalites shot dead six Muslims and grievously injured others.

The carnage continued for over an hour, following which armed men belonging to the Ali Sena launched a counter-attack, eye-witnesses say. This resulted in the killing of three tribals, later identified as MCC activists from the neighbouring Patratoli village.

There are charges that even the police arrived, they did little to stop the cross-fire which went on till 8 p.m.

Mohammed Ismal, a resident of the village, said: “We requested the police to fire to disperse them. But they police did not respond.” According to him, the tea shop of a tribal resident of Narkopi, Saku Oraon, was set afire by Ali Sena activists in the presence of the police on the suspicion that he was a MCC sympathiser.

Another resident of the village, Mohammed Idris, was enraged. “A group of45 to 50 MCC men surrounded the bazaar. Some of them were in civil dress while others wore their khaki uniform. They asked everyone present to sit down and keep quiet. They then began to shoot.” Idris saw two of his neighbours, Mohammed Mukhtar and Amiruddin Ansari, being shot dead at point blank range by the MCC.

Five other victims belonging to the Muslim community were Chotu Khan, IzazAhmed, Mansir Ansari, Mokhtar Ansari and Javed Ansari, all in the age-group of 30-35. Barring Amiruddin and Chotu who were residents of Narkopi, they all were from the neighbouring Nawatanr, Chanho, Bobro and Mandar villages.

During the past four months, Narkopi, which houses some by 80 Muslims, 40 Dalits and 90 tribals, has witnessed two violent incidents. Last month, MCC ultras burnt down the grocery shop of Kurban Ansari, a villager. Before yesterday’s carnage they had put up a poster in the village saying — `Ali Sena activists are criminals, reactionaries, dacoits and looters of property…If they don’t mend themselves they would be lynched’.

The Ali Sena was set up in 1998 by Shahabuddin in the neighbouring Lohardaga district with the objective to fight the MCC and the PWG in the region. Shahabuddin is presently in jail, facing more than a dozen cases of murder, dacoity, rape and looting. In his absence, the Sena is reportedly being run by two residents of Narkopi — Md Usman and Md Ismail, — against whom there are a dozen cases of murder, looting, dacoity and extortion.

A senior officer said: “Usman collects levy (`tax’) for the Ali Sena from all those who sell goods at Narkopi bazaar, where his supporters gather every Wednesday. The MCC, which was aware of it, launched the attack.” Meanwhile, Narkopi is calm but tense and relations between Muslims and tribals are on the boil.

The Sangh Parivar too draws fire. Says Md Umar, an elderly villager: “There is nothing like Ali Sena. There is no problem among the people. But RSS activists in the guise of the MCC have left the village divided and devastated.” Many residents agree with him.

A visibly shaken Oraon, however, asserts: “The MCC never ever harassed innocent people in this village.”