Saiyed Zaigham Murtaza सैयद ज़ैग़म मुर्तज़ा

The election of a Dalit as Shabirpur village’s Pradhan and then his plan to memorialize the victory four years later with an Ambedkar statue was too much to bear for the numerically dominant Rajputs. The Dalits’ complaint against their loud Maharana Pratap procession was the last straw – and then the village started burning

According to Meerut-based journalist Arvind Shukla, more than the destruction of life and property, these riots instil fear into the minds of the victims. “Residents migrate, leaving behind their home and village. Homes and lands are grabbed or bought for a pittance. Then, this affects the election equations. Wherever election is a tight race, riots become a handy weapon for the Sangh Parivar.” 

Ambedkar and Jinnah were not only contemporaries but their views on equality and partnership were more or less same. Then, why does Ambedkar’s caravan continue to march ahead while Jinnah’s has been left behind? Syed Zaigam Murtza looks for an answer