Aligarh Murder: Uneasy Calm Prevails in Tappal, Peace Returning Slowly

An uneasy calm is prevailing in the Tappal town of Aligarh following the gruesome murder of a two and half year old toddler, who reportedly went missing on May 30.

The shops have started to reopen and people are stepping out of their houses only in case of major or any urgent requirement. The college going students have stopped going to college and are waiting for peace to return while few of the families have temporarily moved to their relatives’ homes in a bid to avoid the tensed situation.

The Tappal area, ever since the girl’s decomposing body was found on June 2, has been witnessing a huge influx of right wing protesters from different parts of central west Uttar Pradesh, especially Agra. Most of these people are busy talking about revenge rather than demanding justice for the departed soul.

Considering the sensitivity of the situation which could have taken a communal overtone, the administration had arranged security forces including the deployment of police forces from two neighbouring districts, rapid action force (RAF) and few companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC). Aligarh SSP Akash Kulhari in a telephonic conversation told NewsClick that RAF and police forces from the neighbouring districts have been removed as the situation is returning to normalcy. The SSP, however, denied the reports of police resorting to lathicharge on the people protesting against the horrific murder case.

Also read: Aligarh Murder Case: Communal Tension Simmers in Tappal

According to a senior police official, “The situation is totally under control. Peace is slowly being restored in the area. It will take some time as people are angry and scared due the murder. It was one of the most horrific dead bodies I have seen. The internet suspension also helped us in stopping the hate mongering. The situation could have gone out of our hands if timely action was not taken by the SSP sir. He acted with a lot of maturity and nothing happened by the grace of god,” the police officer said, adding that no protests are happening any more.

Mohammad Raees, a sugar mill worker who hails from the Tappal area says peace is returning to the area slowly and communal harmony is intact.

“The Muslims of the area are not in fear owing to this murder of our daughter. We all want justice for the daughter and the people who have done this deserve the strictest punishment. She was just two and a half years old and this is of course a cold blooded murder. All the Muslim families in Tappal are with the grieving family. We stand firmly with the family mourning the death,” Raees said

He also added, “None of the Hindu citizens from the area made any objectionable comments on the Muslim families. It is only those people who were coming from outside for protesting against this murder who had made some comments against the Muslims and also talked about taking revenge against the Muslim community.”

Meanwhile, the father of the deceased girl (Banwari lal Sharma) made an appeal to not trouble anyone be it Hindu or Muslim, if they are not involved in the murder of his daughter.

“We are all brothers who have been living in this area since very long and I do not want any innocent to be troubled. I want justice for my daughter and I want death sentence for them and nothing less than this,” he said.

Aligarh-based senior journalist A Khan said that it will take sometime to restore the peace fully as the murder of the girl was “too horrific”. “People of the area are shocked to see such a crime. In the recent past, there have no such cases of brutality have been reported from the city and that too against a child. The administration needs to be applauded for handling the situation very carefully, otherwise, it could have led to massive communal violence. People engaging in hate speeches, social media posts and provoking statements did create some tensions but now things are returning to normalcy,” he added.

Also read: Aligarh Murder Accused Was Arrested Earlier for Sexually Assaulting Minor, Says Police

It is to be noted that various Hindu organisations had made a call for Mahapanchayat in the area on Sunday, June 9, but no one attended the meeting following the heavy deployment of police and forces.

The dead body of the girl who went missing on May 30 was found in a garbage dump on June 2 and so far police has arrested four persons in connection with the murder case. According to the highly placed sources in the police, accused Zahid and Aslam have confessed to their crime. The girl was reportedly murdered over a monetary dispute with the girl’s father.