Events in Ullal over the last two days hold out the disturbing portents of disturbing communal harmony on the coast, and dragging the fisher community into the simmering conflict being engineered by political elements.
On Wednesday, an unidentified group of rioters stoned houses of a particular community, damaged their vehicles, heckled a young boy, but they the community held its patience. On Thursday, unidentified men attacked a few boats belonging to the Mogaveera (fishermen) community.
“If anybody wanted to trigger a large communal riot, they would provoke the numerically strong and united Mogaveeras,” observed Bhaskar Bengre, leader of fishermen at Ullal.
The leaders of both Muslim and Hindu communities are baffled over the happenings, particularly as there is no cause for hostility on part of either community.
“We were preparing to hold Rani Abbakka Utsav – a nada habba (local festival) starting on 17, and the Muslim fraternity in Ullal has extended all co-operation to hold this festival. There is no cause for any disturbance,” says Dinkar Ullal.
A peace committee meeting in the presence of police commissioner R Hitendra on Thursday afternoon ended cordially and leaders of both communities hugged each other. But they emerged from the meeting only to be told that some miscreants had damaged a few boats.
“I am sure our Muslim leaders are not to be blamed for this, as they have promised us that they will put down all elements in their community who had tendencies to involve in rioting. And what self-respecting Mogaveera would damage his own boat, the means of his livelihood?” Sadananda Bangera, president of the Ullal Mogaveera Sangha told dna.
State health minister UT Khader, the local MLA, who brokered the peace committee meeting, was also shocked at the development. “I suspect there is a systematic rumour-mongering network in Ullal which is trying to foment communal disharmony among Hindus and Muslims,” he said.
“I suspect a new political party which has its base in Kerala and its fringe groups wanted to take the advantage of the clash between the communities. I have asked the police not to spare anybody who is found rioting or rumour-mongering” he told dna.
The town, which is under Section 144 of IPC, banning gatherings, wore a façade of normalcy on the morning of Thursday, but after the peace committee meeting and the incidents that followed towards late afternoon, things again went awry. Stones were pelted at a police jeep. Police have so far arrested eight persons for rioting and investigating.
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