Speaking to Muslims? Penalty here is Rs 200

Sanjay Patel and Abdul Mansuri were friends and, residents of the village say, partners in the satta trade. After a tiff over a deal, Sanjay was found murdered in a field on June 3. Abdul has since been arrested and faces charges of murder, but it’s the Muslim villagers who have been sentenced to a life of isolation. Abdul’s family has already shifted out of the village.

‘‘Any villager who speaks to a Muslim or buys anything from us is fined Rs 200,’’ says Sikandarbhai, a village elder.

For milk-seller and flour mill operator Rabiya Khatri, whose family is the only Muslim one on a Hindu street, there are no buyers for the milk or orders for the mill. ‘‘The entire village is not bad, but there are a handful who have threatened all the residents. My daily help was also threatened,’’ says Rabiya.

Another resident, Sadiq Mansuri, a tailor, has been forced to shift to Bodeli.

Pushed to the edge, a delegation of Muslim villagers even approached the Vadodara DSP to complain against the social boycott. ‘‘They are asking four Muslims to testify that Sanjay was murdered by Abdul, but how can we since we have not seen the incident? We have no problems if Abdul is found guilty, why are they punishing innocent people for an isolated incident?’’ asks Shabbirbhai. His banana crop remains unsold as traders have been told not to buy from Muslim farmers — none of the villages near Mankni have a Muslim population.

Village sarpanch Narendra Patel, however, denies there is any boycott. ‘‘They are making false complaints to authorities,’’ he says. But when prodded further, he adds, ‘‘They took away one of our girls, then Sanjay was murdered.’’ Patel is referring to the love affair between a Hindu widow and Muslim rickshaw driver a couple of years ago, though both the families don’t live in the village now. The complaint to the DSP about the boycott has also not gone down well. ‘‘They are spoiling the name of our village. They were not harmed during the Godhra riots,’’ says the sarpanch, who alleges that the trouble is being stoked by outsiders. Finally, he admits: ‘‘We don’t want to talk to them (Muslims) or have anything to do with them.’’

Vadodara DSP Siddharth Khatri says he has ordered a probe and expects a report in a week. ‘‘Officials are trying for a compromise. Everything will be alright soon,’’ he says.