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Mumbai: It was a rather
cool evening in the second week of December 1992 when I was
permitted to leave early - to rush from south Mumbai's Nariman
Point to the northwest suburb of Borivli, at the other end of the
city.
At 7 p.m., as I warily entered the Churchgate station, I stopped
in my tracks: it was eerily empty! On normal weekdays, every inch
was occupied with commuters in the day, especially the
morning-evening peak hours.
That night I travelled virtually alone in the train, barring the
motorman and guard, and maybe a suspicious commuter getting in
briefly at one of the 20 railway stations en route.
That was what Mumbai had degenerated into after the Dec. 6, 1992,
razing of the Babri mosque, in faraway Ayodhya. It was among
certain cities in the country which bore the brunt in the
aftermath of the demolition.
It had erupted into a frenzy of riots, senseless killings, mobs
brazenly moving around armed with sticks, rods, swords, chains,
bottles, bulbs and tubelights to maim or kill. The riots continued
thus in two phases Dec 7-27, 1992, followed by a brief lull, and
then again Jan 7-25, 1993 - making them the worst sectarian riots
in the post-Independence era.
Such was the fear even among mediapersons, who worked late hours,
that many offices temporarily changed the timings for their staff
members, especially those in the sensitive category, and even
organised overnight boarding-lodging in local hotels.
At times, mediapersons grouped together for a particular train -
and discovered that only 10-12 people occupied an entire suburban
local into which 5,000 commuters were normally packed!
Surprisingly, during the day - barring some pockets - Mumbai
remained calm and peaceful, with people going about their normal
routine. Like the proverbial vampires, the killer beasts started
lurking around the city's streets and alleys after dark.
Besides the direct victims, also hit was Mumbai's legendary,
rocking nightlife, its erstwhile dance bars which have featured in
practically all the top international media, the non-stop
night-long parties, lavish weddings, movies and theatres, shopping
or simply night outs at the beaches, gardens and other public
places.
Even the popular all-night joints like Bade Miyan in Colaba and
Haji Ali Juice Centre where you could be chewing into a 'Baida-Roti'
or an exotic milkshake with stars like Saif Ali Khan, Amrita
Singh, Jackie Shroff, ministers, policemen and other top
officials, leading businesspersons and others jostling for elbow
space at the open counters, were deserted.
Though some of these have revived with extra precautions, there is
always a warning for the youngsters: "Take care, come home early,"
- unheard of prior to the riots.
According to official estimates, the two-phased riots claimed
nearly 900 lives, including policemen. Many hundreds are reported
missing and presumed dead for years. Public and private properties
worth billions of rupees was destroyed and the spirit of Mumbai
was shaken to its roots.
This writer and many others travelled in armed police vehicles -
some luckier ones in army vehicles - which fanned out to control
the rioters who seemed to appear from nowhere, create mayhem and
disappear.
Finally, the army found a way to control the riots - without
firing a single bullet or even raising a baton in warning. It
deployed two of its ferocious dogs, each the size of a pony,
before huge crowds of 3,000-5,000. The trained dogs were simply
let loose on the mobs, which practically turned invisible in
seconds!
Finding that the barking dogs were more effective than the biting
variety without a single casualty, they were regularly deployed in
various sensitive areas. After the riots, the two dogs were
accorded due recognition - a front page lead photograph in a
prominent city daily!
With revenge taken by both sides, the two-phased mass riots
finally ended - though some small pockets continued to brun for a
few more weeks.
Mumbaikars heaved a sigh of relief - but not for long as March 12,
1993 witnessed what was India's first retaliatory serial bomb
explosions hitting Mumbai from the southern parts right into the
suburbs at quick intervals. It was also the country's first
home-bred, non-terror attack, perpetrated by the underground and
with a precision that remained unmatched for years afterwards.
After making all the right noises, the politicians at the centre
and the state got down to brasstacks - politicking - with
sackings, replacements or removals of officials and politicians,
change of governments, et al.
One of the most hailed inquiry reports, of the Justice B. N.
Srikrishna Commission which probed the riots and the bomb blasts
also came out later, but most recommendations remained
unimplemented.
But, 20 years later, the original soul of Bombay is missing
somewhere.
(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in)
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