On 5th March, Additional Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar said that communal riots in India transpire because politicians engage in appeasement of a particular religious community. ADJ Ravi Kumar Diwakar made the statement while summoning radical Islamist cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan in the 2010 Bareilly riot case. The Islamist Maulana was asked to appear before the court on 11th March.
The court also declared Maulana Tauqeer Raza as the “mastermind” of the 2010 anti-Hindu riots.
“The main reason for communal riots in India is that the political parties here are engaged in appeasement of a particular religion, due to which the morale of prominent people of that particular religion increases so much and they believe that even if riots etc. if they get it done, not even a hair will be left unturned due to power protection,” the Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar said.
ADJ Diwakar hails Yogi government, likens CM Yogi Adityanath to the idea of Plato’s “Philosopher King”
The ADJ of Bareilly district also praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as an excellent example of a “religious person” holding a position of power in the state. He also compared CM Adityanath to Plato’s concept of a ‘Philosopher King’ as described in his book, Republic.
“If a religious person sits on the seat of power, he gets very good results, as propounded by the philosopher, Plato in his concept of the Philosopher King in his book Republic. Plato said that there will be no end to suffering in our city-states until philosophers become Kings,” Judge Diwakar said.
The court also observed that Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan would have incited another communal riot in Bareilly had there not been a Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh.
He further asserted that although the word “justice” today is used in a legal sense, during Plato’s time it was used in a religious sense.
“The head of power should be a religious person since the life of a religious person is not of enjoyment but of sacrifice and dedication. For example, in the present time Peethadhishwar Mahant Baba Shri Yogi Adityanath Ji of the great Siddhapeeth Gorakhnath Temple, who is also the Chief Minister of our Uttar Pradesh at present, has proved the said concept to be true,” the judge said.
The judge went on to say that under the Indian judicial system, it takes years for people to get justice, which encourages rioters since they think they will not be punished by the judiciary.
“It is almost impossible to get punished. The case in question is also pending before the court since 2010. But the case has not been resolved yet. In this regard I would also like to mention the fear prevalent in the society,” the judge opined.
“Received threats for my decision in Gyanvapi case,” Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar says he and his family are concerned about their safety
In his 10-page judgement, Judge Diwakar, who directed a videographic examination of the Gyanvapi complex in 2022, justified his order in the Gyanvapi case, stating that the directions he issued were in accordance with the law. He further stated that he and his family members are continually concerned about his safety.
“An atmosphere of fear prevails in my family and me in such a way that it is not possible to express it in words. Everyone in the family is worried about each other’s safety. One has to think many times before leaving the house. Especially, my mother remains worried about my safety”
Moreover, the judge highlighted that the attitude of Muslim officials and people in general has changed towards him since his pronouncement in the Gyanvapi case.
“This fact is also noteworthy that ever since I have given the verdict in the Gyanvapi case, the attitude of people of a particular religion and officials towards me has become strange, as if it seems that I have committed some sin by giving the verdict in the Gyanvapi case … In the Gyanvapi case I gave it under the legal provisions,” the judge remarked.
Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan was the mastermind of 2010 anti-Hindu Bareilly Riots
As reported earlier, anti-Hindu riots rocked the Bareilly district in 2010 after a mob, which was part of a Muslim Barawafat procession, diverted from its decided route and attempted to forcefully pass through a Hindu area. Large-scale violence and arson by Islamists continued in parts bringing the city to a standstill owing to curfew for more than 10 days.
The case diary reportedly cited by the court reveals how Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan was at the helm of the riots. Several accounts researched by OpIndia reveal how the Muslim mob was armed and had even indulged in communal sloganeering during the religious procession. It was after Maulana’s violent address that the mob unleashed a terrorising attack on Hindus.
Not only Hindus, Sikhs too were targeted by the Jihadi mobs. BJP MP SS Ahluwalia raising the issue in the Parliament said that shops of Sikhs along with other minorities and Hindus were also targeted by the mob. He said that several Sikhs in Bareilly had relocated from Punjab and surrounding regions following the ani-Sikh riots in 1984 in order to find a fresh start but they met the same fate with the attacks by the mob.
