The embers of the communal violence that gripped UP’s Muzaffarnagar two months ago are still smouldering and there are signs of fresh trouble again. Those who left or were driven away from their homes are still in relief camps and they do not hope to and want to return any time soon.





But the safety and security of even the displaced people are not ensured. Four people belonging to the minority community were killed the day before Diwali in a village where some displaced people had taken shelter and this has again aggravated tension in the entire area. The authorities have ruled out any communal angle in the killings but in a climate of mutual suspicion these explanations will not be convincing. Even if the killings were for other reasons they are enough to ignite the fires again. In fact even the involvement of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) posted in the area has been seen by some in the killings.



The UP Director General of Police has admitted that there were lapses on the part of the police but there should have been no reason for complacency or mistakes so soon after the riots. The community bodies of both the Jats and Muslims are planning to hold meetings. Such mahapanchayat meetings had preceded communal riots last time. The Akhilesh Yadav government, which has the responsibility to keep the peace, is seen as partisan. Its latest order to declare a half-day holiday for schools on Fridays for mid-day prayers in a district close to Muzaffarnagar has been objected to by the majority community. Both the SP and the BJP are seen as trying to bring about a communal polarisation in UP with an eye on the coming elections.



UP and Bihar are important states from the electoral point of view and parties have an interest in keeping communal tensions alive. The BJP has held a shahid asthi kalash yatra, taking the ashes of those who were killed in the bomb blasts in Patna at a convention addressed by Narendra Modi, around the state. The yatra mainly traversed the districts where Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) is strong. The exercise amounted to communalising terrorism. Playing politics with death is equally bad. Parties blame each other for vote bank politics but each is trying to outwit the other in the game.