The 1987 Meerut massacre were a series of
violent communal disturbances between
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
and
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
in the northern
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
town
Meerut
Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...
which occurred from March to June 1987, which resulted in the death of more than 100 people.
Background
The tension started in 1986 when the black seal
Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was opened by the Government which led the Muslim extremists to make some hateful speeches.
It was reiterated by Hindus that Babri Masjid was constructed by
Babur after the demolition of a Ram Mandir back in 1528 A.D.
Violence
Inflammatory speeches were made by Muslim Extremist leaders, which created communal tensions in the area. This resulted in Muslims organising a rally held in March 1987 by the
All India Babri Masjid Action Committee, a non-government organization representing Muslims which increased communal tensions in Meerut and ultimately led to communal clashes in April. 10 people died in these riots and there were many misinformation spread on murder of a Hindu man due to a land dispute aggravated issues, due to which additional police and subsequently the army and CRPF being called in to restore order.
The first acts of violence were between the police and Muslims in which the police fired on protesting Muslims but later on became a communal riot between Hindus and Muslims. A Hindu shop owner was stabbed to death by Muslim which led Muslims being targeted during the violence by the police and the Hindu rioters which killed Hundreds in the next few days as the riots spread to
Modinagar
Modinagar is a town and a municipal board in Ghaziabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is a part of National Capital Region
A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surr ...
. Estimated property loss was around 50 crores. Hindu and Muslim doctors faced the wrath of their own community for treating patients of other community.
According to
People's Union for Civil Liberties
People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) is a human rights body formed in India in 1976 by Jayaprakash Narayan, as the People's Union for Civil Liberties and Democratic Rights (PUCLDR).
Background
Indian emergency
Jayaprakash Narayan was a G ...
, after a Muslim girl was crushed under police jeep. This resulted in the police firing at the mob which killed several people. A car was also attacked by the Muslim mob, killing inside a famous local Hindu doctor named Dr Prabhat.
50 gazetted police officers and more than 60 companies of the PAC, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army had to control the riots. Many Muslims were burnt alive by a Hindu mob in villages on the outskirts of Meerut city.
PAC officials have been charged by court of filling buses with Muslims taken from their homes and killing them. Later throwing those dead bodies in the canal.
Trials and 2018 verdict
On 6 September 2018, the
Delhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi ( IAST: ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966'', with four judges, Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S ...
reserved its verdict in the case.
On 31 October 2018, the Delhi High Court convicted 16 former PAC personnel for life after finding them guilty of the murder of 42 people.
References
{{Riots in India
Meerut
Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...
History of Meerut
1987 murders in India
Massacres in India
1987 riots
Massacres in 1987