Judicial report alleges no Hindu involvement in 1980 anti-Muslim riots in India

The long-awaited findings of a judicial commission investigating the 1980 Moradabad anti-Muslim riots were revealed in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. These findings absolved key Hindutva entities, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as well as local administrative bodies, of any responsibility in the tragic events that occurred four decades ago, as reported by the Maktoob Media.

Presented by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Suresh Kumar Khanna, the exhaustive 496-page report, authored by the Justice M P Saxena Commission, attributes responsibility for the 1980 riots, which resulted in over a hundred deaths among the Muslim community, to a leader affiliated with the Indian Union Muslim League and his followers. The report, initially submitted in 1983 by Justice (Retired) MP Saxena, remained undisclosed until now.

The incident occurred on August 13, 1980, when Moradabad police used firearms against a congregation of Muslims at the Eidgah, resulting in significant casualties. The aftermath led to a prolonged curfew period of three months, during which a distressing death toll was recorded. The commission's report justifies the police's use of force as a response to perceived threats and attributes the unrest to specific individuals within the Muslim League.

The report further asserts that the genesis of the violence lay in a leadership struggle intrinsic to a faction within the Muslim community, exacerbated by the community's evolving demographic and electoral considerations. It concludes that both the police and the provincial armed constabulary acted within legal boundaries to control the unrest, and that the local administrative apparatus was dedicated to maintaining social order. Notably, the report categorically refutes claims of orchestrated provocation by the RSS or other affiliated Hindu entities, thereby absolving them from involvement in the incident.