Divided Aligarh City  

Aligarh: Upper caste local newspapers are to be squarely blamed for fanning the anti-Muslim riots that began on Dec. 1990. The two main hospitals of riot-ravaged Aligarh tell the tale of its divided people. The “Hindu victims” of seven days of communal clashes here are to be found at the govt. hospital in Rasalgan] and all the injured Muslims at the medical college in the AMU campus. The Hindu-Muslim divide has never been so wide. The “Ms. started the riots”, said a senior official, referring to the Muslims in the city. These aren’t riots”, said Anwar All, a businessman, “this is Indeed like a civil war”. Like the two hospitals which now symbolize the deep rift between the two communities, the Jat=dominated Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) has come out as a force effectively segregating the people. The Muslims, holed up in their Mohalla in Saral Sultani, voice one Immediate demand – the withdrawal of the PAC from Aligarh and the deployment of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Hindus, on the other side of the road that divides Sarai Sultani, are equally vociferous. The PAC must not be removed.