Jadeja murder exposes underbelly of Gujarat politics

A typical inter-community scrap, one might think. Scratch the surface, however, and one will find all the makings of an internecine squabble. Jadeja owed allegiance to Mehta; Bhanushali, to members of the Sangh Parivar. While it is well-known that there is little love lost between the two, what does seem surprising is that either side would stoop to murder.

On the face of it, the stakes don’t seem that high. Bhanushali traded incharcoal, an important part of the Kutchi economy and the black market. Because, while a 40 kg bag of charcoal produced in Banni costs about Rs 40, it fetches as much as Rs 150 when sold to the industry for making activated carbon. This is where the charcoal mafia — in which Bhanushali is allegedly a key player — makes its big bucks. The complicity of local officials is implicit, as the Revenue Department issues permits to fell trees and the Forest Department, to transport them.

Significantly, Jadeja was not involved in the charcoal trade. His role in this story was that of an informer. He was known for his links with intelligence agencies, including the Research and Analysis Wing and the Intelligence Bureau. Also, he regularly tipped off the Forest Department about the illegal movement of charcoal, a fact department officials privately admit.

And that is precisely what happened on September 10, the day of the murder. Jadeja had tipped off the local Forest Department officials on an illegal consignment– two truckloads — of charcoal, allegedly belonging to Bhanushali, in the Banni area and said he would lead them to it.

When Forest Department officials reached the spot along with Jadeja, they found two truckloads of unaccounted-for charcoal. However, a mob gathered there, allegedly at Bhanushali’s instigation, and Jadeja was shot dead from close range. His confidant Manaji sustained serious injuries.

Though the forest officials were armed, they allegedly did nothing to prevent the shooting, or even act after it. They had a wireless set, but failed to inform the police, and instead fled the scene. The first information report (FIR) named 10 persons, of whom three have been arrested. Six more named by the accused were arrested on Tuesday.

Soon after the murder, Mehta complained of police “inaction”, implying that the delay in arrests was because the accused were close to Mehta’s local rivals, Bhuj Member of Legislative Assembly Mukesh Jhaveri and Rapar MLA and Assembly Speaker Dhirubhai Shah. Thelatter are close to the Sangh Parivar, while Mehta is a known moderate.

This is where BJP politics and the inter-community bickerings converge. For, though officials portray the Bhanushali-Jadeja spat as part of traditional rivalry between the two groups, political observers say they have been appropriated by the two factions of the BJP in the area. Ergo, Jadeja and his clansmen owed loyalty to Mehta, Bhanushali and others were supporters of Mehta’s opponents within the party, Shah and Jhaveri.

Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel and BJP president Khushabhau Thakre deny the existence of any political rivalry in Kutch. Thakre, in fact, said the murder was the fallout of business rivalry and asserted that Bhanushali had no links with the Sangh Parivar. This is not surprising; what is, though, is that intra-party politics could lead to murder.