BAREILLY: Six months after the violence, the dust in Gausganj still hasn’t settled. On July 18, communal clashes left one Hindu man dead and several injured. In the days that followed, 42 Muslim families fled or were forcibly displaced, and eight homes were bulldozed by the administration for “encroaching on government land”. The 58 Muslim men held continue to languish in jail.
Scattered and uncertain, the displaced families sought refuge in the homes of relatives in different villages, only to move again when they could afford to rent modest dwellings. With no stable income, they continued working as labourers whenever they could find work. Their children, once students, saw their education come to an abrupt halt.
Now, 11 families have returned under security cover – not to homes, but to rubble, looted cupboards, shattered doors, and a village that doesn’t know whether to welcome them back or push them away.
Shafeekan, 60, steps carefully over what used to be her doorstep, now just a jagged remnant of concrete. “At least I have my home back,” she says. “We are a family of daily wagers and I have no money to fight the cases of my two sons and husband. I don’t know how they’ll come out of jail.”
Ruksana Begum, 62, sits on the narrow ramp of her front porch, her gaze darting toward the cops patrolling the village. “We do not want to talk. We have no problem,” she murmurs, before vanishing behind a tattered curtain.
Mohd Tahir, 23, is here, but not to stay. “I don’t live here anymore. I work in Haryana,” he says, his voice low, his eyes watchful. “I came to settle my parents. Nothing is left. We have to start from scratch.”
Al Jabah, 9, won’t be going back to school soon. “I saw my schoolbag torn. I don’t go to school now,” she says.
For now, the survival of these families depends on charity. “An NGO provides us with meals and basic necessities like utensils and brooms,” says Mevish Jahan, whose son Yasinis behind bars. “Our electricity metres are broken, and water supply is erratic.”
Gausganj, once home to marginal farmers and labourers, became an open battleground following the violence. Livestock was taken. Tractors and farming equipment were seized. Land, too, is now under threat. “We get offers through common connections, asking us to sell at throwaway prices,” says a returnee. “When we protested, we were threatened with more FIRs. We have little hope of justice.”
For some families in the village, resentment still runs deep. Tejpal, a 23-year-old Hindu man, was killed in the riots and his family is still seeking justice. “He was my nephew,” says panchayat assistant Raj Kumari. “He was murdered. And now they are being allowed back? How can we tolerate this? Today, police are with us, but what about after six months? Who will guarantee our security?” Tensions are expected to peak as Holi approaches. “We have set up a police picket at the village entrance,” says Shahi SHO Amit Balyan. “A large Hindu gathering is expected, so we’re keeping a heavy force deployed.”