Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Police on October 23 barred Samajwadi Party leader Sumaiya Rana from entering Bahraich district, which has seen communal violence in mid-October. This comes after the state administration prevented a delegation of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind from visiting the violence-affected area.
Rana, the vice-president of SP’s women’s wing (Samajwadi Mahila Sabha) and daughter of the prominent Urdu poet, the late Munawwar Rana, was on her way to Maharajganj in Bahraich. She was carrying blankets to distribute to those whose homes were torched during the violence that erupted on October 13 during an idol immersion procession. The violence led to the killing of a Hindu youth, Ram Gopal Mishra. Mobs retaliating by attacking Muslim homes, looting them and setting them ablaze.
As Rana approached the violence-affected areas of Maharajganj in the afternoon, police stopped her near Fakharpur Kotwali, saying tha all outsiders are restricted from entering the area until the situation has normalised.
According to police, the ban is a preventive measure to maintain peace in riot-hit areas.
Abhinav Pratap Singh, the Station House Officer of Fakharpur, informed The Wire that the decision was “taken by top officers” to “avoid any untoward incident”.
A Jamiat delegation, sent by Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani from New Delhi, was similarly stopped at the Lucknow airport on October 19 by the state police.
Speaking to The Wire after having been turned back, Rana accused the authorities of double standards. “The police did not provide any legitimate reason for restricting my entry into the affected areas. They asserted that my visit might disrupt the peace. How can providing blankets for riot victims pose a threat to peace and tranquillity?” she asked.
Also read: UP Police Shoot at Two Muslim Men For Murder of Hindu Youth in Bahraich Communal Incident
Rana was also a key figure in the 2019-2020 protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Ghanta Ghar (Hussainabad) in Lucknow. She criticised the administration, claiming that while the Bahraich Police did not stop those who played offensive songs on the DJ console during the religious procession – something which is reported to have lead to the initial skirmish – they prevented her from assisting the victims.
“As winter is approaching and the temperature starts dropping, the victims of the Bahraich riots, particularly those whose homes were destroyed, remain in dire need of assistance; but my small efforts to distribute blankets and relief were thwarted by the Yogi [Adityanath] government,” Rana said.
She said that the unrest in Bahraich was part of a well-orchestrated conspiracy to polarise the society ahead of the upcoming by-elections in the state.
Nine assembly seats are up for grabs in by-elections scheduled for November 13.Civil rights groups, particularly Rihai Manch, have been vocal in their criticism of the state government’s handling of the Bahraich violence. They accuse the Adityanath government of having been biased in its response to the violence, particularly in favour of the Hindu community.
Rihai Manch highlighted that the government had announced a compensation package of Rs 10 lakh for the family of Ram Gopal Mishra, a house under the PM Awas Yojana, and a government job for Mishra’s widow. However, the Muslim victims of arson and looting have not received any such relief.
“Those who killed Ram Gopal should face punishment, but those who destroyed houses and incited violence against Muslims should also face sentence,” said Rajiv Yadav of Rihai Manch. “Offering compensation to one group while ignoring others is not just unfair; it’s dangerous.”
Yadav further criticised the state’s famed “zero tolerance” policy toward crime, questioning its effectiveness in light of communal tensions. He pointed out that during Ram Gopal’s funeral procession, mobs armed with sticks paraded through the streets, all in the presence of the police.
The ongoing restrictions on aid and relief efforts have raised human rights concerns among activists and legal experts. Mohammad Shoaib, a prominent lawyer and president of Rihai Manch, emphasised that an administration should treat communal violence with equal seriousness, regardless of the victims’ religious background.
Jamiat too has questioned the Adityanath government’s motives in preventing clerics from offering help to victims. Niyaz Ahmad Farooqui, JUH secretary, condemned the state’s decision to block their delegation, which he said was going to promote “peace, harmony, and social cohesion.”
“Our delegation was on a humanitarian mission, with the sole aim of supporting the oppressed, regardless of their religion. Blocking us raises serious questions about the state’s intentions,” he said.
