Muslims Killed At Agra

Bisheshwar Mishra, Agra: The riots in Agra, which left 22 dead and shattered the communally Interdependent shoe and tourism industries, was apart from anything else, electronically engineered. The police seized some audio cassettes, which screamed slogans inciting both communities, it was reliably learnt. The cassettes started off with “Allah-ho-Akbar,” then “Jai Shri Ram,” followed by “bachao-bachao” and “maaro maaro“. These were played by Maruti car stereos at full volume in the dead of the night. The unidentified cars would zip off into the darkness, leaving behind two panic-stricken and suspicious communities, who would then begin screaming and pelting stones at each other. Prof Ram Gopal Chauhan, former head of the Hindi department, Agra College, squarely lays the blame for the riots on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The riot was one-sided and poor Muslims were the main targets. The bulk of the 22 persons killed were Muslims, at least eight of whom were killed by the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC). (Times of India, Dec. 23)