Kawal

Muzaffarnagar

Vijay

Manaan

Mohammed Ayaz Ahmed

Yamuna Nagar

Haryana

Shopkeeper Ravindra Kumar

Kumar

Lok Sabha

BJP

Bahujan Samaj Party

Modiji

Saini

Shahnawaz

Malikpur

Maulana Mohammed Mukram

Lailitpur

Mohammed Salim

Salim

has not yet forgotten the 2013 clash that left one Muslim boy and two Hindu men dead, sparking riots in the entiredistrict. However, residents claim that the scars left by demonetisation are deeper, where the cash flow is yet to normalise. “We have to spend 3-4 days in bank queues to get the money, incurring losses in our businesses.Several get money easily, while we are thrown out or given just pittance,” saysPal, a cobbler. The ordeal faced by 65-year-old Abdulis no different. “When the riots took place, we stayed at our relatives’ place for few days until the situation normalised. Now, we can’t see an end to it,” he said. A few hundred metres away, 20- year-old, a ladies tailor fromin, is loitering aimlessly on the streets, as his business is badly hit. “It has been two months that I am sitting at home doing nothing.Although the riots created communal tension, it did not affect the livelihood,” he says., who stocks farm tools, recalls the heavy police presence during rioting, which ensured that their shops remained open. “Now, the customers are far and few,” saysfrom the Jatav community. He also explains how the riots influenced the 2014elections where the Sainis of their village convinced people on how it was the question of Hindu identity. “They assured us that if we electin Lok Sabha they would align with the(BSP) in Assembly elections.We were misled and they are singing a different tune now,” Kumar adds. The hardcore BJP supporters too demand that there should be gain for the demonetisation pain. “We have been directly hit by demonetisation, so there should be some sort of direct benefit too,” says 26-year-old Vikas Kumar said. He runs a seeds shop in Kawal and claims that his business has dropped by 25 per cent. It not just the BJP’s demonetisation decision, but their communally tinged comments has got them concerned. “We are still suffering from the after- effects of riots.Land prices have dipped, bachelors find it difficult to get a match since no one wants to send their daughters here, as soon as you say you are from Kawal, people bombard you with questions. Whilehimself may not say anything, his entire army talks of communalisation,” says 30-year-old Pankaj. How the gory riots began In the latter half of 2013, it was that one incident that sparked these riots.was travelling on his motorcycle when he met with a minor accident with villagers from. It led to a verbal duel that eventually led to Shahnawaz’s death., an onlooker, recalls how eight men with lathis, from neighbouring village ofkilled Shahnawaz. Angry villagers avenged the death immediately by killing two of those men who came, leading to riots on September 7. Shahnawaz’s father, says, “My son was killed. Two other and two of my nephews are in jail for last four years. While none who killed my son were arrested,” he claims. He agreed to the fact that the SP government and the Centre helped him financially, but the cost incurred in fighting battles was much more. The riots and the murder are still fresh in his mind to forgive anyone, yetclaims he will be voting for SP. “Vote has to be cast,” he says.