https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEwZ5mp1EHA
Nakul Singh Sawhney’s ‘Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai’ brings to the forefront some of the gritty realities that encompass the states in India. The documentary is a window to the various issues that engulf the country. It takes me back to how Ramachandra Guha in his book ‘India After Gandhi’ pointed to the five axes over which conflicts brew in India, namely- caste, language, religion, class, and gender. Divisiveness, along with more than one of these issues, then glares at us through every little glitch and every massive conflict that took place in Muzaffarnagar.
We are taken back to the riots that took place in Muzaffarnagar in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in 2013, where hundreds of Muslims were burnt alive or slaughtered, while several others had to flee for their lives to makeshift camps arranged by the government, where the facilities they received were meagre. Their living conditions in these camps were abysmal, and all those who once had a home were now bereft of one. Along with their relatives’, their shops and houses had been burnt too. Their children missed their exams, as they were not able to fill the form on time. Apart from these adverse consequences, what was more shocking was who it was orchestrated by. The religious appeals made by political parties for garnering votes will come as no surprise to even a remotely aware Indian citizen.
What does the documentary depict?
Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai shows the extent to which some leading political parties are not only willing to compromise morality, but also the core values enshrined in our Constitution.
Six months prior to these riots, speeches made by BJP leaders not only incited new rivalries but also added fuel to fire, in the aftermath of some clashes. The clashes started when rumours about a Hindu girl being molested by a Muslim boy, started doing rounds. A prominent BJP leader even justified ‘rioting’ in front of large gatherings. Other leaders too, left no stone unturned to ensure that these initial clashes turn into full-fledged riots. Once the spark is lit, there was little left to stop the religious(Hindus and Muslims) communities from letting their hostilities towards each other, get the better of them.
As the documentarians converse with various sections in the riot-affected areas; gender divide and the stifling effects of patriarchy roar out. When women in the village are interviewed, they don’t shy away from revealing that, they aren’t merely molested by Muslim men but also by Hindu men. Stifled aspirations of freedom, too are highlighted as women talk about being confined in the name of honour.
The underlying theme presents itself as to how a thirst for power by political parties in India is quenched by creating sectarian divides. The documentary highlights that, stereotyping is another aspect that brews in Muzaffarnagar, with Muslim men being depicted as perpetrators of sexual violence, and women being shown as their family or husband’s entitlement.
One last revelation that the movie brings with itself is how a small section of the society sees beyond the facade created by religious outfits and political parties, and seeks to bring back the bonhomie that existed in Muzaffarnagar prior to these riots. All in all, the documentary manages to show not only the situation at the grass root level but also it’s real causes and most importantly, the varying ‘mental constructs’ of the residents of Muzaffarnagar.