Kolkata Violence

About the incident
The term "Kolkata Violence" usually refers to a bout of rioting , violence and communal frenzy which engulfed the city of Kolkata in the State of West Bengal in India on 22 November , 2007. On that day , there were large-scale protests by Muslims on the streets of Kolkata which later turned violent.

Background to the violence
The Muslims of Kolkata are usually part of the lower and lower-middle class , and live in poverty-stricken , squalid areas such as Park Circus , Rajabazar , Sealdah , Mullick Bazar , Kidderpore , Metiabruz and Karaya , which are some of the poorest and least developed parts of Kolkata.
These areas are characterized by poverty , cramped space , poor living conditions , irregular supply of water and electricity , lack of basic amenities , ghettoisation , etc.

The Muslims of Kolkata were increasingly becoming frustrated and disaffected by the discrimination they had to constantly face at the hands of Upper-Caste Bengali and Marwari Hindus. Muslims of Kolkata have to face discrimation and humiliation on an almost daily basis. Kolkata was the scene of the worst inter-religious violence in history during 1946-47 , subsequently , communal tensions are high owing to financial disparites between Hindus and Muslims , economic depresion in West Bengal from 1967 to 1999 , a high rate of crime , and issues such as that of the Babri Masjid.
Muslims have to face a unique humiliation in Kolkata. Upper-Caste Hindus do not let them to enter their homes , consider them "unclean" and "smelly" , openly manifest their contempt , do not eat or drink anything which has been touched by a Muslim etc. Kolkata's Hindus in general , regard Muslims as lesser human beings , not worthy of mention , etc. This , compounded by poverty , lack of opportunities for the youth ( unemployment is higher among Muslim youth) , and extreme Police repression , has created an atmosphere of injustice.

The Muslims of Kolkata have to face treatment similar to that faced by Blacks and African-Americans in USA.
Most Upper-Caste Hindus look down upon the Muslims in a similar way Whites look down upon Blacks. Muslims are considered untouchables and low-caste people . and they are treated as such. Upper-Caste Hindus disregard Muslims and try to avoid them and do not associate with them.
Hindus ridicule and belittle Muslim practices such as the Azaan , the various Eids and the mourning of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain at Karbala. They detest such practices and openly display their contempt for it.

Unjustifiably , there is a consensus among the Upper-Caste Hindus of Kolkata that the Muslims of Kolkata are the "scum of the earth" responsible for all sorts of abnormalities like polygamy , early marriages , high birth rate , iliteracy , sexual perversions , underworld crime starting from theft and pickpocketing and ending with murder and kidnapping for ransom , beef-eating and cow-slaughter , generally maintaining "dirty" habits like eating from the same plate.

Muslim criminals caught by the public are not spared - retribution is immediate :- they are lynched to death on the spot , beaten and thrashed to death. To most Upper-Caste Hindus , Muslims are lesser human beings with no right to live a dignified life. This treatment of Muslim of Kolkata is strikingly similar to that of Blacks in the United States.

Subsequently , in the light of the discrimination faced by Muslims in Kolkata , ghettoisation is increasing. Muslim youths are refused jobs by Hindu employers , and often , they are paid lesser salaries than their Hindu counterparts , just one of the thousands of humiliations s Muslim has to face in Kolkata. Muslims have developed a mentality similar to that of Blacks in the 1960s in America. The Muslims of Kolkata have adopted a defeatist attitude.
The economic disparity between Hindus and Muslims is increasing day by day. Hindus are becoming richer and Muslims poorer.

The Violence

On the day of 22 November , the All India Minority Forum and the Jamaat-e-Islami organized a strike and a massive parade to protest the recent atrocities committed against Muslims in West Bengal like the Nandigram massacre , the Rizwanur Rahman murder , the hospitality shown towards controversial author Taslima Nasreen and in general the socio-economic misery of Muslims. This parade degenerated into a violent clash with Police.

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