2 October 1994: Why do the people of Uttarakhand feel disappointed and angry remembering this day?

October 2nd is Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, and he was a champion of non-violence. However, this day is a symbol of pain and anger for the people of Uttarakhand. It was on this day in 1994 that the Rampur Tiraha incident occurred, where police opened fire and brutalized peaceful protesters and raped women. Even justice, delivered 30 years later, has not, and will never, erase this dark chapter.

October 2nd is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Mahatma Gandhi preached a message of non-violence that still resonates around the world. On this day, people sing hymns and pray for non-violence. Even liquor shops are closed. But this very October 2nd carries a pang that still occasionally pains the people of Uttarakhand, filling them with anger and despair. This year, Gandhi Jayanti and Vijayadashami coincide, so people are talking a lot about these two festivals. But for the people of Uttarakhand, October 2nd is a dark day, a symbol of government brutality during the movement for a separate Uttarakhand.

Even today, remembering October 2, 1994, sends shivers down the spines of those associated with the Uttarakhand movement. Blood pressure rises, veins swell, and anger surges. Why not? History has rarely witnessed the kind of tale of government brutality written that day in the darkness of night. Those tasked with protecting the public crossed all limits of violence and barbarity. That incident, which occurred on the night between October 1 and 2, is known to you and all of us as the "Rampur Tiraha incident" or the "Muzaffarnagar incident of 1994."

Uttarakhand agitation reaches its peak

The demand for a separate Uttarakhand, comprising the hilly regions of Kumaon and Garhwal, part of the then Uttar Pradesh, was a long-standing movement. Due to the slow pace of development and the distance from the administrative and judicial capital, the demand for a separate Uttarakhand continued to grow. Efforts for a separate Uttarakhand movement began to intensify in the 1990s. Meanwhile, in 1994, the movement gained momentum. Protests and meetings demanding a separate Uttarakhand state began to take place in various places. Meanwhile, on September 1, 1994, thousands of people, including women, children, and the elderly, participated in the protest in Khatima. At that time, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was in power. To suppress the protest, the police opened fire, killing seven protesters. This incident is known as the "Khatima firing incident."

Mussoorie firing incident

The day after the Khatima shooting, hundreds of protesters gathered in Mussoorie to protest and condemn the incident. The police and PAC opened fire without prior notice on the protesters who were leading a peaceful protest. Three people, including 17-year-old Bela Negi, were martyred in the firing. This incident became known as the "Mussoorie Shooting."

The shootings gave impetus to the movement

The Khatima and Mussoorie firings added fuel to the fire of the Uttarakhand movement. This ignited anger throughout the hilly regions and steadily increased pressure on the Mulayam Singh Yadav government. Large public meetings and protests threatened Mulayam Singh Yadav and his government. Meanwhile, on October 1, 1994, under the aegis of the Joint Struggle Committee, a large number of protesters from the hilly areas boarded buses for Delhi to mobilize the movement at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. These buses were scheduled to arrive on the morning of October 2. However, a heavy police presence was deployed at Muzaffarnagar's Rampur intersection. At midnight, after 12 o'clock, the police stopped the protesters at this intersection. October 2 had already begun, marking the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of non-violence. The Uttar Pradesh police unleashed a barrage of violence at Rampur intersection that day.

The brutal face of the police

Vehicles had left from the hilly areas for a peaceful protest at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. The protesters, seated in buses, were moving towards Delhi, singing and shouting slogans. At Rampur Tiraha, the police stopped the buses, pulled the protesters out, and brutally assaulted them. Women protesters were also brutalized. Their dignity was shattered, their jewelry was looted, and women were even gang-raped. Open fire was opened on the protesters. The sound of gunfire and tear gas filled the darkness of the night with smoke. When the protesters ran for their lives, the police further compounded their ordeal with lathicharge and stone-pelting. According to statistics, 18 women were brutalized in just one bus. Following this incident, many people disappeared and remain untraced to this day.

gang rape in bus

A victim of the Rampur Tiraha incident later described police brutality, bringing tears to everyone's eyes. She said the police broke the bus window and hurled vulgar abuse at her. Two PAC constables entered the bus and gang-raped her. They also robbed her of the thousand rupees she had with them. The CBI named PAC constables Milap Singh and Virendra Pratap as accused in the case and filed a charge sheet against them. In April 2023, the High Court authorized an Additional District and Sessions Judge to hear the case.

Justice was served, but after 30 years.

After a 30-year wait for the 1994 incident, the court sentenced the retired PAC soldiers found guilty of gang-raping female protesters to life imprisonment. They were also fined 50,000 rupees each. With this sentence, pronounced on March 18, 2024, it can be said that the victims received justice. But justice was delayed for too long.

At that time, the court, while pronouncing the sentence, remarked that this incident was a shame for society. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred during British rule, but committing such an act against women peacefully protesting within the democratic tradition of independent India is unforgivable.

It was an autocratic and oppressive government.

At that time, Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. During this period, brutal actions such as the Khatima firing incident, the Mussoorie firing incident, and the Rampur Tiraha incident took place. Police and PAC opened fire on protesters, exceeding all limits of brutality. Anger against Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was at its peak throughout the hill region. State activist Rakesh Nautiyal said in 2022, "Remembering that scene still makes me cry." Pradeep Dabral said in 2021 that the horrific scenes of repression and autocracy of the then Mulayam government can never be forgotten.

Painful but also a lesson

The Rampur Tiraha incident is not only a dark chapter in the Uttarakhand movement, but also serves as a warning to the nation's democracy and law and order. This incident demonstrates that even those peacefully protesting for their demands can be subjected to brutality. Even today, the people of Uttarakhand become deeply emotional about the Rampur Tiraha incident on October 2nd. While a memorial has been erected at Rampur Tiraha to commemorate the incident and the protesters who were martyred, it always brings alive the pain of 1994.

News is originally taken from: http://bit.ly/4nWOd3U

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