Ajmer Bomb Blast: Who Want Communal Disharmony In India?

Another bomb blast on 11th October 2007, this time in Ajmer and the target was Dargah of Moinuddin Chisti, also known as Khwaja Garib Nawaz. People of all communities prayed at the Dargah for ages. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims descend in the town on the Urs of Khwaja Garib Nawaz and the entire town of Ajmer is full of pilgrims.

Predictably, even before one switched on the TV to view the news about the bomb blast, one could say that HUJI or some Muslim extremist organization would be blamed. And indeed, as soon as the police and others concerned with investigation reached there, they knew who could be suspected for the crime. Before the investigation had formally begun, on mere visit to the site of Bomb Blast at the Dargah, HUJI was suspected. God forbid, but if there is a bomb blast next time in or around place where Muslims gather, whether for worship or for other reason, the concerned authorities may not have to even visit the site of blast and straight away blame HUJI sitting inside their comfortable A.C. offices. Everybody will be told that the police is on look out for Bilal of HUJI for further investigation. As it is public memory is short. This is the unfortunate reality in the country. Lazy investigation officers don't even feel it necessary to pretend to wait for sometime before blame game is started to give it some degree of authenticity. They take the intelligence of the people of India so much for granted.

The suspected reason given for the blast once again is that whoever planted the bomb wanted to foment communal riots. It was also stated that a section of Sunni Islam is opposed to the Dargahs and that could be the probable reason why the Dargah was targeted. If this is the ground for suspecting only HUJI, or only some Muslim outfit intolerant to Muslims visiting Dargahs, then the investigation will be severely jeopardized and even flawed. In fact, there won't be any investigation worth the name at all. For those who are opposed to Muslims worshipping at the Dargahs are not Deobandis or Wahabi Muslim followers alone.

Let us take a look at others who are opposed to Muslims visiting Dargahs and saying their prayers. Shiv Sena in the eighties tried to appropriate Haji Malang Dargah in Kalyan, a township to the North East of Mumbai. Since the year 1982, Anand Dighe of Shigv Sena, launched a campaign called Malang Mukti Andolan. He led Shiv Sainiks to demonstrate on Urs every year. Shiv Sena was contending that Haji Malang was Samadhi of Macchindernath Panth and it must be restored to Hindus. After the Shiv Sena-BJP Coalition Party came to power, in the year 1996, the then Chief Minister Manohar Joshi, along with Uddhav Tahckeray and Ganesh Naik performed Ganpati Aarti at the Shrine They ran a campaign that Haji Malang was actually Shri Malang and should be renamed as such. Every year heavy police security is maintained around the shrine due to the threat of Shiv Sainiks. However, in the recent years, the Shiv Sena has not been pressing the issue, probably its political utility has diminished to a great extent. Shiv Sena has always been uncomfortable with syncretic shrines where Hindus and Muslims pray together, as that promotes communal harmony. Shiv Sena has thrived by taking up issues that polarize Hindus and Muslims along communal lines and has been blamed for communal riots in Bhiwandi in they 1970 by the Madan Commission. Srikrishna Commission also indicted Shiv Sena for its role in Communal riots in Mumbai in the year 1992-93. Why should the Shiv Sena not be suspected for its involvement in the blast only on the ground that it is intolerant to syncretic shrines? If that is the ground, needle of suspicion should also point towards the Shiv Sena.

The Sangh Parivar problematized the Baba Budan Giri shrine, which is situated about 40 KMs from Chikmaglur in Karnataka. Baba Budan was a sufi saint and a disciple of Dattatreya. Baba Budan settled in the mountains and introduced coffee culture in the mountains. After his death, Baba Budan Giri Dargah was built and is visited by large number of people from all communities. The Dargah is also called as Guru Dattatreya Bababudanswamy's Dargah. The site is symbol of syncretism in Karnataka. Hindus worship the "Paduka" (feet) and Nandadeepa by offering flowers, coconuts and burning camphor, while Muslims offer prayers at the tomb. Not happy with the syncretic shrines where Hindus and Muslims pray together as it promotes solidarity and harmony, Bajrang Dal in 1997 led a Rath Yatra in and around Chikmaglur District on the issue. In 1998, four Rath Yatras were taken out throughout the state. In the year 2003, Hindutva Organisations took out Datta Paduka Rath Yatras and Datta Maale from different parts of the Karnataka State. The Sangh Parivar organizations are thus trying to reclaim the syncretic shrine exclusively for Hindus. Why are the Sangh Parivar Organisations not being suspected only on the basis that they are against Muslims praying at Dargahs?

The police theory is that the planters of the bomb are those forces who want to create communal tensions, possibly trigger off communal riots. HUJI may have that intention, but it is not the only organistion which has such a design. Right from Madan Commission to look into communal riots in Bhiwandi, Jalgaon and Mahad in 1970, Reddy Commission inquiring into 1969 riots in Ahmedabad to Srikrishna Commission inquiring into 1992-93 Mumbai riots, all the Commissions have blamed Hindutva organizations. Why are the police not even suspecting all organizations that may be interested in communal tensions, if they take the purpose of the blasts seriously?

Police theories about bomb blasts do not inspire any confidence even amongst lay people who think a little bit. The real culprits behind the bomb blasts might be feeling assured that they would never even be suspected, let alone investigated. That is the reason perhaps places of worship are being targeted in quick succession one after the other. Unless the investigating agencies do some serious thinking and hard and impartial evidence gathering, ruthlessly and thoroughly looking at all the angles, India can continue to expect more unfortunate bomb blasts targeting innocents.