Song: All Hindus are one - We have taken an oath
[Banging sounds]
Stop taking the video - leave it.
There are so many young kids there
There were stones flying on both sides.
While we were coming from there, the mob started smashing the vehicle.
Then they set it on fire.
They kept saying that they'd kill Muslims and not let them live here.
First, they stoned the mosque and tried to put up a flag on it. That is when Muslims also responded.
They are taking out rallies with knives and swords. I am also a Hanuman worshiper, but I don't oppress people.
A person from Kolkata cannot be a Bangladeshi, he is an Indian.
They are judging based on the language who is Bangladeshi.
They hit my two sister-in-laws a lot.
They hit a 16-year-old kid?
You can see the 16-year-old kid in the video - his head is split open and her leg was broke.
He has so many injuries, he can't even walk properly.
There were 6-7 male police who hit us really bad.
They threw a motorcycle on us. They hurt us like they wouldn't hurt their own women.
Just because we are Muslim?
We never had a riot like the one yesterday before.
Welcome to the Wire. I am reporting from Jahangirpuri.
There was a riot here on Hanuman Jayanti [Hindu festival].
The riot started in front of the mosque here. There was stoning from both sides and many people were arrested.
But we came here to check on the aftermath of the riot.
We'll talk to some people here who are complaining that they're being called Bangladeshi foreigners.
Some people claim - including women - are claiming that the police is assaulting them. We'll talk to them.
We'll try to explore why the administration is treating these people badly.
When they were taking out the rally in front of the mosque ....
They were shouting slogans like Jai Shree Ram in front of the mosque.
Someone told them to move a little further as it was time for adhan and breaking the Ramadan fast.
We tried to tell them. But some people started arguing.
Because of this the Hindus first stoned the mosque and tried to put flags on the mosque.
Then the Muslims also opposed it.
That is what caused the clash.
[It's closed]
The Bajrang Dal people are saying that their rally was stoned... what did they expect?
They were in playing DJ in front of the mosque and abusing at the time of the Muslim prayer.
They were continuously provoking the Muslims!
They were saying they would kill Muslims and not let them live here.
Why are they pressuring the Muslims? The Muslims never troubled us.
There were 3-4 people who were taunting that they'd slaughter Muslims.
This is completely wrong, isn't it? The Muslims never did anything wrong in their mosque.
I never saw any one Muslim causing trouble in a Hindu temple!
We were living peacefully. I am a Hindu living alone here - I never faced any trouble.
I never felt threatened. But the Muslims are being oppressed a lot.
The riots were started by the Hindus. The Bajrang Dal people had all the weapons - knives, swords.
It was justified for the Muslims to defend themselves.
And the Muslims are being arrested. It is dirty politics.
They [Hindu mob] are trying to destroy our peaceful relationships - they should be arrested.
Sparsh lives in Jahangirpuri. He believes that the Muslims were the first to attack.
It happened the first time. Even little kids came out of the mosque with swords and petrol.
How true are the videos of the people with swords in the rally then?
Bajrang Dal always has swords and weapons in their rallies. It was part of the rally.
So it must have happened like that... you know it was their prayer time and they were fasting... it must have happened like that.
[Music]
I came out at 6:00 PM yesterday because I had some work to do.
After 20-25 minutes my son phoned saying there were a lot of people with swords at the crossroads. I told him not to worry and not to go out.
After 15 minutes, my neighbours phoned me to tell me to stay put because there was an ongoing riot.
They told me that my car was being smashed.
I called my son and told him not to go out and stay home. My two sons were home and my wife was at work.
So the riot happened due to the Hanuman Jayanti rally.
It was the main cause - but no one knows the details.
I don't know who destroyed my car. The people here told us that they were strangers.
How can I suspect anyone in a riot? Everyone here knows everyone else.
Yuvraj
[Yuvraj, yours is the lone Hindu house here - what is your personal experience?]
There are a lot of people here from Sonkar community. There's one Muslim neighbour here and another just moved on the top floor.
There are other Muslim families living here as well. There was no discrimination here.
All communities lived here peacefully. This is the first time a riot happened during a religious festival.
I cannot say why or how it happened.
[Do you see a political hand behind this?] There is politics behind this - no doubt.
But who created this ... what was their intention ... seeing their provocative actions during the festival ...
We could tell, they were out to create trouble.
It wasn't a typical religious rally.
They were on scooters and motorcycles.
[Are you trying to say that they were provocative?] I don't know. I heard later that there was an argument at the mosque as well.
Why it happened, who started it, how it unfolded ... no one can tell.
It is wrong to force people to say "Shree Ram". It can never happen in India.
Indians should realize that India is a religion-neutral country.
And however much you force it, it's not going to happen [Hindu supremacy]
No matter the bloodshed or mayhem or riots ... it can never happen in our religion-neutral country.
The common people, the local residents can never do something like this.
Jahangirpuri has a large Muslim population. I have Muslim friends and classmates.
Muslims volunteered for the social service organization I started.
They are my friends. This is the first time this happened here.
I am a Hanuman devotee, I worship him at home and don't trouble people. How can they go out with knives and swords in his name?
They [Muslims] play Holi in my house and celebrate Diwali with us.
Sajid's wife installed the idol here and built the temple too.
So why are the [Hindu mob] having an inferiority complex? They shouldn't discriminate for caste or community.
Who took out the rally and started the riots?
There should have been some organizer of that rally?
Who is responsible for the rally? Will they take responsibility for the riot?
Why are they not being arrested?
Why were they trying to put flags in the mosque? The Muslims never vandalized any temple.
[Song: Hindus are united - we've taken an oath]
We took out the rally and made a turn at [...]
As we were making the round - near the market in front of the mosque ...
When we reached there, some miscreants threw stones at us.
they threw beer bottles at us.
[Beer bottles??] Beer bottles ... many people were injured.
Omkar baba got hurt, I got hurt as well.
We just ran away from there. There were bullets fired from that side as well.
A policeman was also shot. This is how it happened. It's a big problem for India.
If there is no further action, it will be a problem.
[I heard that there were slogans on your side?]
We just said "Jai Shree Ram" - we don't have any other slogan.
The rally was for Hanuman and all we shouted was "Jai Shree Ram"
We didn't say any other useless things.
We just had flags in our hands.
[How much truth is there in the allegation that slogans of "If you want to live in India, you have to say Jai Shree Ram" were made?]
This is all lies. it is their minus point.
Till I was there - nothing like this happened.
They were shouting "Allahu Akbar" and throwing stones.
I was standing right here.
Then at least 10-15 youngsters with swords came as far as there.
After that, they went back. Even before that, there was a riot on the main street.
There were running everywhere - shops were looted.
I am living here for a long time.
[Are these newcomers here?] No, they were here for a long time.
[So they say that they're Indians?] They are Indians!
What is the difference between Bengal and Bangladesh? Is there any?
There are all Indians here - not Bangladeshi. These are people from the Indian state of West Bengal.
You can check their documents - they are Indian.
I am 32 years old now - I've seen them all my life here. So they're living here for at least that long.
I was born here - these are Indians, not Bangladeshis.
They are demonizing us by saying that since we speak Bengali, we are Bangladeshi. Are people living In Kolkata, not Indians?
They're judging their nationality by their language.
[background sound]
This woman is so scared that she wanted to speak to us from behind a curtain.
My 16-year-old brother in law was arrested from C-block - 2 hours after they arrested my husband.
Their eldest brother was also arrested.
When his wife came to save him ...
They assaulted their wives very badly.
The 16-year-old is unmarried.
They assaulted my two sisters-in-law and the 16-year-old boy.
You can see in the video - They hit the 16-year-old so badly - that his head was split open and his leg was broken.
He's injured and cannot walk properly.
They are accusing him of so many things. He doesn't even live here. He came from Kolkata to celebrate Eid with his brothers.
They are accusing him of firing a gun. Show us the proof. Our family wasn't even there.
They were at work. They did not have anything to do with the riot.
My husband was at home with my 7-year-old daughter. He's never left her alone to go out.
They started arresting people from our house. Are we their enemies?
[You said that the police also harassed you during the anti-CAA protests?]
The SHO is the same. He harassed us then and he's harassing us now as well.
He used to come here and if he found us outside, he'd abuse us and make us go inside the house.
He tortured us so much, I can't even say.
[What's the reason that you are speaking from behind the curtain?]
I am scared of the police. They can arrest me anytime on any fake charge.
They can even get my daughter and me killed. My husband used to support us - now who will protect us?
They tortured us so much - it is beyond our ability to bear.
The kids cannot even go to school.
[Who hit you?] The policeman hit me ... I don't know his name.
They hit four women ... no on is speaking for us.
I fell unconscious. I am still bleeding from my nose and mouth. Imagine how much they hit us.
Is it just because we are Muslim? The policeman said that Prison#6 was open for us. Why? Are we thieves?
They were dragging my kids. When I tried to intervene, they punched and kicked me too.
Tell their name ... I don't know.
Nitanya, Kailash, Pramod, Narendra.
[Which police station was this?] Jahangirpuri Police Station ... and another one was Vinod..
Jahangirpuri police station is so bad - they'll arrest the men and assault the women.
Tiwari was the one who abused us badly and hit us the worst.
When we asked why you're hitting us? He told us to shut up or he'd arrest us as well.
When we went to the hospital and they asked how she got hurt - we lied and said she fell - because we were scared.
It was 6-7 male policemen who hit us badly. They threw the motorcycle at us. They beat us like they would not even beat their own women.
He can hit us just because we are Muslim?
What's our crime, that we are Muslim? The mosque was broken into by Hindus.
They say we are Bangladeshi infiltrators. If we are Bangladeshi, why come to us for votes?
Our great grandfather belonged here - we have proof. If we are not Indian, why do the politicians come to us for votes?
We have all the official identification cards.
How can we be Bangladeshi infiltrators? Do you come for votes from Bangladeshi infiltrators then?
All the political parties come to us for votes. Now we have become Bangladeshi infiltrators for them?
The kids cannot go to school for two years. We are from Kolkatta.
We have a house in Medinipur, Haldia. We've studied here and lived here all our lives. How can they call us Bangladeshi?
They're accusing us of being Bangladeshi, thieves, and whatnot.
We tried to contact DCP NorthWest on this issue - but they did not answer.
[Music]