The story of Muhammad Iqbal from Gagan Diwan is a similar tragedy that echoes the experiences of many others caught in the carnage.
It was March 31, 2023, a day that started with peaceful celebrations of Ram Navami, a Hindu Festival, in the town of Bihar Sharif.
But the peace did not last long. As the evening drew in, an unauthorised parade began to gather. Men clad in saffron, the signature colour of Hindutva brand, filled the streets brandishing swords and sticks.
Amidst the chaos, Muhammad Iqbal, 35, recalled how a group of about 150 individuals from the mob defiantly planted saffron flags on the minarets of the mosque compound, accompanied by chants of “Jai Shri Ram” (Hail Lord Ram).
It was only after they started to desecrate the mosque that Muslims got angry and clashes broke out reaching a breakpoint where dozens of Muslim-owned shops were set alight.
“Most of the people living in this area are Muslims,” told Iqbal. “This was not a religious rally but an attack on us [Muslims]. We were observing Ramadan, a sacred month of fasting and Ibadat (God’s remembrance). The occasion further intensified the pain and inflicted a sense of humiliation upon the Muslim community, says Iqbal with a heavy heart.
Iqbal, a loving father of two young sons and a teenage daughter, owned a cycle-repairing shop in the Gagan Diwan area near the graveyard.
He pleaded with folded hands to spare his shop, but the mob did not relent. They came with petrol bombs.. “One of them hurled it towards my shop. In an instant, it exploded, engulfing everything in flames. I ran for my life. I dialled the ‘100’ line, they kept saying they were coming but did not show up,” Iqbal recounts the day with terror etched in his voice.
On a good business day, Iqbal’s shop earned him a paltry sum of Rs 500. Even a day’s loss of business was harsh for Iqbal.
With two children in school, he had his eyes on a bleak future, when Miles2Smile met Iqbal during the Biharsharif relief and rehabilitation work. The foundation assisted Iqbal with Rs 30,000 for restoring his business. Using the money, he has re-stocked his equipment.
“Now things are slightly getting better since Miles2Smile visited our shop”, says Iqbal jovially.
