Kairana row: NHRC validates BJP MP's exodus claims
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) released an investigation report validating the exodus claims made by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hukum Singh in Jun'16. Singh had claimed that a large number of Hindu families fled Kairana in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district out of fear. The report said that several families had migrated due to threats concerning increased crime rate and law-and-order deterioration in Kairana.
About the Kairana controversy
Kairana is a city and municipal board in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district. According to the 2011 India Census, Kairana is a Muslim dominated region as the community alone constitutes 80.7% of the total population there. Over the past two years, a huge number of Hindus have been forced to migrate due to alleged extortion threats from a dreaded, Muslim gangster named Mukim Kala.
Hindu families fled Kairana due to extortion
Kairana grabbed national attention when BJP MP Hukum Singh released a list of about 346 Hindu families who fled the city due to "threat and extortion by criminal elements belonging to a particular community." He added Kairana witnessed nearly ten communal killings in the last three years. Other political parties slammed BJP for trying to create communal tension in Uttar Pradesh ahead of polls.
NHRC obtains relevant records to analyze them
NHRC examined victims, witnesses, police officials and Sub-Divisional Magistrate and obtained relevant records to analyze them. The list of 346 displaced Hindu families - who migrated to other towns in UP and Haryana - was obtained from Hukum Singh's Personal Secretary. NHRC's team comprised of DSP Ravi Singh and Inspectors Saroj Tiwari, Suman Kumari and Arun Kumar who visited Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, and Panipat (Haryana).
NHRC Deputy Director Jaimini Kumar Srivastava's statement
"The team also had telephonic verification from at least four displaced families mentioned in the list who had migrated to distant places such as Dehradun and Surat. Many families migrated due to threats pertaining to increase in crime and deterioration of law-and-order situation."
Females of a specific minority community targeted
At least 24 witnesses said the youths of specific majority community (suggesting Muslims) in Kairana harass/pass taunting remarks against the females of a minority community. Because of this, women of that minority community avoid going out; several victims cited the same reason for their migration from the place. In 2013, 25,000-30,000 Muslims from Muzaffarnagar resettled in Kairana that changed the social situation there.
Hukum Singh's reaction to the NHRC probe report
"It is the victory of truth. People in Kairana are afraid of criminals but perpetrators are not afraid of the police. I have told the (Meerut) IG to do a fair investigation in Kairana case, without considering any community or the ruling government."
NHRC issues a notice to CS and DGP
The NHRC issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh. They were asked to submit an 'action taken' report within eight weeks based on the observations and recommendations of an NHRC team that visited Kairana earlier. Uttar Pradesh's Rashtriya Lok Dal Chief Ajit Singh has raised questions over the NHRC report's credibility and called it "meaningless".
SP Gen Secy Amar Singh defends CM Akhilesh's govt
Freshly inducted Samajwadi Party National General Secretary Amar Singh strongly defended UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Adding it wouldn't be proper to comment on the constitutional body NHRC, he said there are "two sides to a story". He said BJP is suddenly raking up the Kairana issue only because of the upcoming assembly polls. He questioned what BJP is doing for Kashmiri Pandits' resettlement.
