Until mid-December a board put up at the entrance of Azhagankulam, a nondescript village with an equal sprinkling of Muslim and Hindu population in Ramanathapuram district, served as a “warning” to troublemakers. The board read: “Warning: Campaigning using microphones and pasting posters are prohibited. Violators will be severely punished.”
The district police uprooted the board in Azhagankulam and nearly half-a-dozen others villages where a significant population of Muslims live. That was after an upcountry English daily published a report accusing Muslims of these villages of issuing illegal ‘fatwas’ banning entry of outsiders into these villages.
The unexpected police action has left the Muslims and Hindus psychologically bruised. More so because people in Azhagankulam are known to mutually invite elders of the other community to resolve a dispute that arises within.
“I have been seeing these boards since my childhood. I don’t recall when they were first put up. But they were never the bone of contention as it was a collective decision to put them up,” said Baskaran (name changed), a 40-year-old inhabitant of Panaikulam. These boards were put up under the aegis of the Hindu-Muslim Aikiya Sabha (HMAS) at different places including Puthuvalasai, Athiyuthu, Sittharkottai and Pottagavayal. Ramanathapuram Superintendent of Police N M Mayilvahanan conceded that these boards were of no concern earlier. “There was no such thing as people from other communities being banned from entering the villages. I ordered the removal of the boards because it was brought to my notice that it had the word ‘Warning’. Only the police can use ‘Warning’ in public places,” he told Express.
The officer added that to allegations that Hindus were scared of the Muslims and had to get permission from the latter to start business ventures in Ramanathapuram town were “blatant lies.” Explaining the origin of these boards, A Mohammed Hanifa (70), recalled that in Panaikulam there were different Jamat and Muslim outfits holding different viewpoints. “Often we had problems between us that this reflected in our posters which only worsened the situation. So to maintain peace among Muslim groups, we consulted other communities and put up those boards,” he said.
Campaigning through mikes was banned as using loudspeakers during our prayer time could cause a disturbance.
The Muslims had also handed over administration of some of the schools to the government in 1964, besides donating land for establishing primary health centres, bus stops and temples.
“Muslims here own only 15-20% of the business houses contrary to the claim that were dominant,” said B Jegadeesan, president, Ramanathapuram Chamber of Commerce.
