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“Cross-cases” are a new phenomenon: complainants in riots cases are prosecuted for minor offences. Both sides finally drop charges as a “compromise”.In Sunderna, Shakil’s family found that his father Mohammed Bhai had been charged with stealing a Krishna idol from a temple. The family denied the charge. Finally both sides withdrew charges , and an official compromise was signed in Gujarati: “We shall live together in peace. We shall not create any trouble for each other.”

That last sentence can have a thousand interpretations, so the family has kept a low profile. They do not talk to most people in the village, they do not slaughter animals on their festivals and they do not harangue Hindu customers for long-pending grocery payments.

“There is a grudging acceptance that Muslims have to keep a low profile,” said Gagan Sethi, member of a monitoring committee formed by the National Human Rights Commission.

The government says things are close to normal in the villages. “There are no signs of fear, although minor tensions continue,” said MoS for Home Amit Shah. “I do not claim there is no communal tension, but it is not of a nature that will prevent the two communities from living with each other.”

Human-rights activists say more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, died in the riots; the government puts the figure at 1,300.

Litigations still continue and the social divide runs deep.

Sayeed Miyan Qazi, a grocer and head priest of Napa village, says he fled his home, after the men who were trying to protect him — from the state’s Special Reserve Police (SRP) force — were assaulted and wounded by mobs. Before leaving, he filed a first information report in the local police station about the arson.

Soon after reaching a relief camp at Vasad village, where he now lives, Qazi was told that police had charged him with firing from the roof of a mosque at the crowds below. But SRP personnel testified in court that Qazi was not at the site when the firing allegedly occurred. A verdict is expected soon.

In the meantime, as Jha says, “There are severe lifestyle changes. The Muslims’ economic spine has been broken.”

In Sunderna, by an old temple, one man said what was rarely heard in Gujarat’s villages. “Whatever happened was very wrong,” said Mambhai Melabhai Solanki, 41, the village headman. “If I was the sarpanch then, I would not have let it happen.” neelesh.misra@ hindustantimes.com Tomorrow: Thousands live in ghettos of riot-hit Muslims

IN A few months, it will be five years since Shakil Bhai last heard the call of the muezzin from the mosque by the village pond. In a few months, it will be five years since the life of the gentle grocer and his community changed.On March 1, 2002, as religious fury raged through Gujarat and hundreds fell to daggers and bullets, Shakil’s family fled, bare foot, from their home in Sunderna, 75 km southeast of Ahmedabad. Rioters vandalised Shakil’s grocery shop and home, and burnt down his lucrative kerosene depot. The four minarets of the village mosque were smashed and the dargah, or mausoleum, of a locally revered priest was damaged. The dargah has since been repaired but the mosque remains without a head.

“Yes, there were massacres and there was looting, but one has to move on,” said Shakil, 26. “We have returned. But the vil lage elders said, ‘If you don’t compromise, you cannot stay here.’” Seated on a bag of flour in his renovated shop, he added, “Now there is no azaan (the call to prayers from mosques).” The grocer’s tale resonates with thousands of Gujarati Muslim families, especially in many of the 16 districts worst-hit by the 2002 riots.

Business-like Gujarat knows its dealmaking and give-and-take. Thousands of Muslims, who returned to Hindu-majori ty villages after the riots, are rebuilding their lives. But often they have to live on harsh terms.

In many villages, Muslims have given up the azaan. In others, they cannot openly sell meat and must observe festivals as low-key affairs. Most significantly a large number of , Muslims have had to withdraw criminal cases they had filed against fellow villagers, a necessary condition for their return.

Manibhai Patel, a 45-year-old villager, said, “The Muslims mind their business, we mind ours. No fighting. But we don’t often go towards their houses.” Gujarat has a history of communal riots, but the 2002 one was the most brutal, spilling over to many of the 18,000 villages.

“Even now the whole system is wrapped up in this compromise business,” said Preeta Jha, coordinator of Nyayagraha, a voluntary group. As HT discovered, deals are still under way, brokered by village heads and at times by local officials.

BOMB-DISPOSAL SQUADS and sniffer dogs. Passengers waiting for hours for stringent checks as security officials painstakingly went through every piece of hand baggage. Bottles — of water, shampoo, cologne — being disposed of or stowed into check-in luggage. Delayed flights. The airports in the Capital were hurtled into chaos on Friday. From Kochi to Kolkata, the scene was much the same at airports across the country.Also, the US embassy issued an advisory, asking its citizens to “maintain a low profile” and cautioning the Indian government of likely terror attacks in the run-up to Independence Day. India, however, is treating the alert as part of its overall security precaution, terming the US caution as “general and innocuous”.A day after a mammoth terror plot was busted in the UK and with just three days to go for Independence Day, the government announced measures to “make airports in the country safe and secure”. The restrictions that were earlier placed on aircraft bound for the US and the UK were extended to all flights.Civil Aviation secretary Ajay Prasad said, “A new threat has emerged from the unearthing of the terror plot in London that liquids and gels can be used as explosives. We’ve taken note of this fact.” CHECKLIST No liquids allowed apart from baby food, medicines Only one item of hand baggage allowed on flights (except those bound for UK). Laptops or camera bags will count as hand baggage. But small purses or bags of ladies will be allowed separately Report 90 mins early for domestic and 3 hrs before for international flights No cellphones, laptops and other electronic gadgets allowed on flights to UK Hand baggage (in transparent air bags) containing passport, wallet and ticket allowed on flights to UK No liquor purchased from duty free will be allowed aboard BOMB-DISPOSAL SQUADS and sniffer dogs. Passengers waiting for hours for stringent checks as security officials painstakingly went through every piece of hand baggage. Bottles — of water, shampoo, cologne — being disposed of or stowed into check-in luggage. Delayed flights. The airports in the Capital were hurtled into chaos on Friday. From Kochi to Kolkata, the scene was much the same at airports across the country. Also, the US embassy issued an adviso- ry, asking its citizens to “maintain a low profile” and cautioning the Indian govern- ment of likely terror attacks in the run-up to Independence Day. India, however, is treating the alert as part of its overall se- curity precaution, terming the US caution as “general and innocuous”. A day after a mammoth terror plot was busted in the UK and with just three days to go for Independence Day, the gov- ernment announced measures to “make airports in the country safe and secure”. The restrictions that were earlier placed on aircraft bound for the US and the UK were extended to all flights. Civil Aviation secretary Ajay Prasad said, “A new threat has emerged from the unearthing of the terror plot in Lon- don that liquids and gels can be used as explosives. We’ve taken note of this fact.” CHECKLIST No liquids allowed apart from baby food, medicines Only one item of hand baggage allowed on flights (except those bound for UK). Laptops or camera bags will count as hand baggage. But small purses or bags of ladies will be allowed separately Report 90 mins early for domestic and 3 hrs before for international flights No cellphones, laptops and other electronic gadg- ets allowed on flights to UK Hand baggage (in transparent air bags) containing passport, wallet and ticket allowed on flights to UK No liquor purchased from duty free will be allowed aboard

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