India’s Forgotten Bloodbath

On Might 23, 1987, 72 Muslims had been massacred within the village of Maliyana within the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The violence was allegedly carried out by a mob of locals and the state authorities’s Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel. In early 2023, after 36 years and a whole lot of hearings, a district courtroom in Uttar Pradesh acquitted dozens of the accused because of inadequate proof.

The Maliyana bloodbath occurred amid the turmoil of the 1987 riots in Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh. Tensions had flared between Hindus and Muslims following the opening of the disputed Babri Mosque in 1986. On Might 17, clashes between the 2 teams erupted, resulting in the imposition of a curfew simply two days later. The state authorities referred to as in 11 firms of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) to help the native police in sustaining legislation and order. Survivors and witnesses say they had been horrified when the PAC allegedly started concentrating on Muslims all through the district, regardless of their mandate to guard and serve all residents.