advertisement
Muzaffarnagar riots broke in September 2013. It is 2017 now. The displaced families, the dilapidated houses and the barren fields are still shrouded in the fear of September days.
Like all riots, women’s bodies were used as proxy war fields. Scores of women were gang raped, many died immediately, many were impregnated, and many others died during childbirth.
According to Amnesty India’s report, the riots broke soon after a group of Jat leaders, mostly from the BJP, addressed a crowd of 1,00,000 people to avenge the loss of two Hindu men at the hands of two Muslims. Invigorated after this sermon, the two sides battled a senseless quarrel and ended up displacing multiple families and ravaging several women.
The women who survived the warfare on their bodies were threatened against lodging an FIR. They were told that their families would be murdered and homes would be destroyed if they file a Police complaint.
A month later, seven courageous women mustered the courage to file a complaint. Four years hence, they are still awaiting justice.
Amnesty International undertook an investigation to figure out the cause behind the riot, and the ones who were the worst affected.
Here are the major takeaways from the discussion on the riots.
Watch the complete discussion here:
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)