Skip to main content

Story of a person from vulnerable community 'recruited' in Gujarat for rioting in 2002

By Rajiv Shah 
Suresh Jadeja, alias Langdo, alias Richard, is a well-known name in the Naroda Patiya massacre case, in which 97 persons were killed on February 28, 2002, the first day of Gujarat riots. Convicted for life on August 31, 2012 for murder and rape, little, however, is known about this rioter’s vulnerable background. Apart from murdering Majid’s nine-member family, he was reportedly part of a group consisting of Babu Bajrangi, Jai Bhawani and Guddu Chhara that killed Kausar Bi. They had “surrounded her, murdered her, ripped out the foetus within her with a sword and killed up”, to quote Revati Laul’s new book, “The Anatomy of Hate”.
Suresh particularly acquired notoriety after his name sprang up in a sting operation, carried out by “Tehelka” magazine’s Ashish Khetan, before whom he spilled beans on how he was involved in murder and rape, as also BJP leader Maya Kodnani’s alleged involved in the riot.
However, what is not known about Suresh is this: Coming from Chharanagar, which houses members of the Chhara community, Laul gives an extensive picture of Suresh as a person who “grew up in the 1970s in a neighbourhood of professional criminals – thieves, smugglers and gamblers – men and women alike”, adding, “They owed their notoriety to a law put in place in 1871 by the British.” Following the 1857 Great Revolt, Chharas, a nomadic tribe, were labeled as a criminal tribe, people who were “addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences.”
Continues Laul, “All 150,000 Chharas were stuffed into internment camps, with a daily roll call and head count. Robbed of their traditional livelihood, the Chharas found that the only way they could live was as outlaws.” Labeled the son of a thief even in 1970s, Suresh contracted polio, which gave him his “middle name”, Langdo, the limper. “There was no getting away from it. His leg preceded him wherever he went – a visible, physical sign of failure. That’s home his father Kanti Lal described it anyway… ‘a one-legged limper. Good for nothing’.”
Oldest of five children, expelled from school for hitting a teacher in the head with a stone, Suresh “eventually” took on the “family trade of thieving”, says Laul, pointing to how he tried to replace the moniker Langdo with something positive. Crazy about cricket, he fashioned himself as the kids’ hero, identifying himself with one of the best West Indies players, Vivian Richard. That’s how, she adds, Suresh “gradually took on the last name, Richard…”
According to Laul, “Over time, the police file on him put him down as Suresh ‘Langdo’ and Suresh Richard in equal measure… Over time, fewer and fewer people linked him with his father’s name, Suresh Kantilal Jadeja. Over time, Suresh found his way out of the fractured family through violence.” Found molesting a girl, whom he and a friend dragged into a by-lane, whisking her away to the back to a workshop, on hearing the complaint about it, his father, Kantilal, apologizing profusely, declared, “I don’t know who that wife of mine has slept with to produce this bastard…”
Meanwhile, Laul says, the poorer part of Chharanagar, called Chhota Chharanagar, became the “the perfect swamp for animosity to fester”, as the “country was experiencing a new wave of Hindu evangelism in the 1990s.” She adds, “It was in this part of Ahmedabad city, which the law and justice systems had long ignored, that the most testosterone-driven, sabre-rattling arm of the Hindu right – Bajrang Dal – decided to proselytize. People with saffron brands and sharp three-pronged tridents had begun to organize weekend camps close to Chharanagar, and these were eventually attended by Suresh and many like him.”
Pointing out how the anti-Babri Masjid campaign influenced Suresh, Laul says, he didn’t go to Ayodhya like many others from Gujarat, but he was “caught up in the tidal wave of Hindu envangelism that went with it and all the accompanying propaganda against Muslims…” Those who knew him found in him “a distinct difference in behaviour. Before the demolition, he hung out quite unselfconsciously with his Muslim friends”, with his influence extending from Chharanagar to a “few friends” in the Naroda Patiya ghetto, where also Muslims lived “outside the pale of law.”
It was in the midst of this “zealous indoctrination”, says Laul, Suresh discovered to his “horror that his sister had eloped with a Muslim man”, changing her name from Sita to Shamim. “The humiliation Suresh felt was more than he could handle, declaring to “all and sundry” that “they have taken one of mine, I will take one of theirs”, setting himself a task to appease his rage: finding a Muslim wife, making him stalk a teenage girl, Farzana. “Muscular and charming”, notes Laul, “Suresh made sure Farzana saw this side of him.”
According to Laul, Farzana was living in a movie, with Suresh adding “filminess” by declaring to her, “I love you. I love your eyes, They are just like Hema Malini’s”. Wonders Laul, “Was he merely acting according to plan, or was he also, despite himself and his cold resolve, falling in love? Either way, it was clear by now that Farzana had more or less made up her mind.”
As Farzana ran away with Suresh, police looked for him for kidnapping her. Three months later, he returned, armed with marriage papers stamped by a local court. With this began their complicated relationship. While he would tell her that she loved her, she would also beat her up off and on, something that continued till he was sentenced for life in 2012. If after the marriage, the love Farzana had for Suresh had already “slowly” began to die, in 2009, she declared before the Chhara community panchayat, whom she approached for justice, “It’s finished. Khallas ho gaya ab. It’s all over.” She even approached the court, applying for divorce.
At one point, when Suresh was in jail and Farzana was desperate, as she had to look after her two children – Richie and Vivian (named after Suresh’s cricketing idol, Vivian Richard) – she even tried her hand with joining a group of women thieves from Chharanagar, as washing clothes and cleaning utensils wasn’t enough to make two ends meet. Recalls Laul, “She asked a group of Chhara women thieves if she could go along with them on their next gig. ‘Yes, yes, I’ll do the best I can, whatever you say’, Farzana pleaded. They agreed. She was to play the decoy in their next act.”
Continues Laul, “Farzana was instructed to stand on the vegetable seller’s cart and distract the woman buyer they had zeroed in on, so that the other women could steal the purse. She delivered on her task, and the heist was successful. After the proceeds were divided, Farzana’s share was Rs 75. She was relieved to have made some money.” However, Suresh’s chachi stopped her from doing this, telling her, “Those are the worst sort of people to hand around with.”
The day the riots began February 28, 2002, Suresh, as a key member of mob, participated in violence. He was part of the 46 others who were arrested and sent to Sabarmati jail for the massacre in Naroda Patiya. Comparing his arrest with that of long-time BJP leader Maya Kodnana, MLA from the area, Laul says, she constantly featured in the violence which took place.
Yet, Laul adds, “Suresh was dispensable to the Sangh Parivar, but Maya Kodnani was not. Despite several eye witness accounts, Maya was not arrested until five years later. In that time, she had contested and won another election on a BJP ticket, and was even made minister for Women and Child Welfare. If Mayaben wasn’t going to be arrested, then others in the mob would have to be held to account.”
This, according to Laul, was also a new beginning of ordeal for Farzana. “With Suresh in jail, Farzana felt the gullies of Chharanagar closing in on her. She was not just Farzana, she was ‘that Musalmaan’. The word curled around the tongues of Suresh’s family. It was calculated to impress upon Farzana her place in the world, so she would crawl with fear, lurk in quiet corners and keep her head down.”
Out of bail soon, a sting operation in 2007, published in “Tehelka” magazine, forced Suresh to return to jail. During the sting, speaking of rapes during the 2002 riots, he told journalist Ashish Khetan, who posed as a VHP man, “When thousands of hungry men go in, they will eat some fruit or the other… In any case the fruit was going to be crushed and thrown away… I also ate… I ate once…. Then I had to go killing again… That scarp dealer’s girl, that juicy plump… I got on top. Then I pulped her… made her into a pickle.”
After the tapes were out, on National Human Rights Commission’s intervention, the Supreme Court ordered fresh probe. Trial began in the court of Jyotsna Yagnik in 2009. For three years, she listened to depositions from both sides. Suresh was one of the accused. Finally, on August 31, 2012, he was handed 31-year jail sentence for murder and rape after an eye witness, Farida, identified him.

Click HERE for the book

Comments

TRENDING

Eight years of empowering tribal communities through water initiatives in Chhattisgarh

By Gazala Paul*   In the heart of Chhattisgarh, amidst the echoes of tribal life, a transformative journey has unfolded over the past eight years. The Samerth organization has diligently worked to elevate the lives of indigenous communities in the Kawardha district through the project, "Enabling Baiga Community to access safe drinking water." 

Martin Crowe played instrumental role in making New Zealand a force in world cricket

By Harsh Thakor* Late Martin Crowe was the perfect manifestation of how mere figures could not convey or do justice to the true merit of a batsman. Crowe was arguably the most complete  or majestic batsmen of his era or the ultimate embodiment of batting perfection, or the classical batsmen. He perished 7 years ago, due to a rare and aggressive form of cancer, follicular lymphoma, which originated in 2012. In September, we celebrated his 60th birthday but sadly he left for his heavenly abode.

Regretful: Kapil Dev retired not leaving Indian cricket with integrity he upheld

By Harsh Thakor  Kapil Dev scaled heights as an entertainer and a player upholding the spirit of the game almost unparalleled in his era. In his time he was cricket’s ultimate mascot of sportsmanship On his day Kapil could dazzle in all departments to turn the tempo of game in the manner of a Tsunami breaking in. He radiated r energy, at a level rarely scaled in his era on a cricket field. Few ever blended aggression with artistry so comprehenisively. Although fast medium, he could be as daunting with the ball as the very best, with his crafty outswinger, offcutter, slower ball and ball that kicked from a good length. Inspite of bowling on docile tracks on the subcontinent, Kapil had 434 scalps, with virtually no assistance. I can never forget how he obtained pace and movement on flat pancakes, trapping the great Vivian Richards in Front or getting Geoff Boycott or Zaheer Abbas caught behind. No paceman carried the workload of his team’s bowling attack on his shoulders in his eras muc

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on.

Towards 2024: Time for ‘We the People of India’ to wake up before it is too late

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  It is Constitution Day once again! We, the people of India, gratefully remember 26 November 1949 when the Constitution of India was passed and adopted by the Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly comprised women and men of distinction, who were able to represent the heart and soul of the people of India without fear or favour. They gave of their best, so that we may a visionary Constitution, which would be the mainstay for and of democracy in India!

Ceasefire a tactical victory for Palestinian resistance, protests intensify across globe

By Harsh Thakor*  The Zionist leadership and Netanyahu’s government were compelled to concede the defeat of their first attempt after almost 50 days of daily fighting in the Gaza Strip.  Netanyahu was forced to concede that he was unsuccessful in suppressing the Palestinian Resistance; and that the release of the prisoners was only plausible because they accepted Hamas’ terms.

Odisha leadership crisis deepens: CM engages retired babus to oversee depts' work

By Sudhansu R Das  Over decades, Odisha has lost much of its crop diversity, fertile agriculture land, water bodies, employment potential, handicraft and handloom skills etc. The state has failed to strike a balance between the urban and rural sector growth; this leads to the migration of villagers to the urban areas leading to collapse of the urban infrastructures and an acute labor shortage in rural areas.  A large number of educated, skilled and unskilled Odia people have migrated to other states for higher education, quality jobs and for earning livelihood which plummet the efficiency level of government departments. Utmost transparency in the recruitment and promotion in the state government departments will improve governance mechanisms in the state.  "No near and dear one approach" in governance mechanisms can only achieve inclusive growth for the state on payment basis. This is a moral hazard. When so many educated young people seek employment outside the

1982-83 Bombay textile strike played major role in shaping working class movement

By Harsh Thakor  On January 18th, 1982 the working class movement commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Textile Workers Strike that lasted for 18 months, till July 1983. It was landmark event that played a major role in shaping the working class movement. With more than 2.5 lakh workers from 65 textile mills joining in this strike for almost two years, this strike became one of the most significant strikes in terms of scale and duration All democrats should applaud the mill workers’ united battle, and their unflinching resilience an death defying courage continues to serve as a model for contemporary working-class movements. Many middle class persons harboured opinions that the Textile workers were pampered or were a labour aristocracy, ignorant of how they were denied wages to provide for basic necessities. The Great Bombay Textile Strike is notably one of the most defining movements in the working class struggles in Post-independent India. Bombay’s textile industry flourished in

Massive tropical deforestation: Big finance's $307 billion go to forest-risk commodities

A note on report by Forests & Finance coalition -- Rainforest Action Network, TuK Indonesia, Profundo, Amazon Watch, Repórter Brasil, BankTrack, Sahabat Alam Malaysia and Friends of the Earth US: *** A new report released on ‘Finance Day’ at COP28 by the Forests & Finance Coalition , provides a comprehensive look into the role big finance plays in driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change and human rights abuses in tropical forest regions. The report reveals that since the Paris Agreement, banks have pumped over $307 billion into high risk forestry and agriculture companies linked to tropical deforestation, proving that the policies of major global banks and investors are failing to prevent continued widespread forest and biodiversity loss.

20% of Indian businesses have no emission plan in place despite climate emergency: Report

By Jag Jivan   New research underlines urgent need for strategies and transition plans to combat climate change, remain successful and meet stakeholder expectations.