Religious Intolerance: That pain of SIRAHA- to be felt by whole terai and whole NEPAL.

Photo: 67notout.com

What would happen if people from community of majority vandalize, fire, destroy and make minority people leave the place. Our country has huge diversity. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, so called upper-castes, so called lower castes, terai origin, hill (Khas) origin etc. are some of the groups most talked about. They are in majority in some places and are in minority in others. What would be the scene like when everyone in majority wants to finish up the minority???

It was the day of Eid, the biggest festival of Muslim community. Muslims all over the world were celebrating. Many people of other religion as well should have visited their Muslim friend’s home and taken part in celebrations. This was happening in Sarswar as well which is a small village in Siraha, my home district. Suddenly, something happened which was not expected and shouldn’t have happened. Hundreds of people (Hindus) attacked the community of Muslim. There were plenty of injuries. Many houses were on fire. Things changed into ashes in no time.

This is small summary of that accident. You must have heard in news about this. But how did things became like this? Mostly, there is a small reason and series of mistakes behind almost all of such conflicts and accidents. This too started with a small incident of few local guys teasing girls who came from nearby district- Dhanusha to take part in bolbam rally. The guys focused the light of motorbike in the river where these girls were bathing. The girls were uttering ‘BOL BAM’ and the guys were simultaneously uttering vulgar words (which is unmentionable). Of course, those guys have crossed their limits and should be warned and punished by community or by the police. But things didn’t happen like that.

The girls complained. Many people accumulated. They decided to bring the guys, punish and make them apologize with the victim girls. This sounds justified. They sent two people to talk to the community where those guys reside and make those guys come there. Now the mistakes started happening. First mistake was, the community (most are Muslim there) didn’t called those guys instead beat these two people who went there to call him. Second mistake was, cops didn’t take any step there to search the guilty. They should have arrested few community people and make them give the name and address of those harassers. Third biggest mistake was, this accident was given an ethnic color. They gathered the Hindu community and attack the whole Muslim community. I agree the harassing guys were guilty, but this can’t allow anyone to attack the entire religious community because some of their members were guilty. Though the community people were hiding/protecting the guilty, they were not allowed to attack everyone, to fire the houses in midnight. But it happened. 

The slumbering government finally woke up. They stood up against the violence. Fire engines from Lahan (which is my hometown), Rajbiraj and few other places were immediately brought. Large numbers of cops (in thousands) were brought from Sagarmatha zonal office, Rajbiraj. Battalion from Barmajhiya were also called. Curfew was announced for many hours. A dozen of people were arrested. Number of tear gas was used. Finally situation came in control. But questions still exist. If they were not Muslims or not in minority, had anyone dared to attack the whole community? Of course not. Few years back, some of terai districts including Siraha were not considered safe for hill (khas) origin people. Though the problem is solved now, is the danger being shifted to local minorities? I doubt.

I am thankful to human right activists, community leaders, local youth and other community people who organized goodwill rally for social harmony after this accident. No one was killed in the conflict. The guilty were arrested. Injured were provided free health cares. Compensation was given to victims. The Prime Minister himself addressed and publically appealed for harmony. Thankfully the dispute was corrected there. Any accident due to caste and religion in ‘our community with good religious, social and cultural relation’ is disheartening. May religious tolerance always prevail among us… May this be the last example of social dissonance in our country…