Atali clash: Peace panel nears settlement of vexed issue

Normalcy in communally-tense <g data-gr-id="40">Atali</g> village seemed within the reach as a peace committee, comprising villagers, on Monday asked the village panchayat to get written assurance from the majority community, especially a few people named by the police, that they will try help maintaining peace.

The committee said once the assurance is given, the minority families can be asked to return to their homes.

A meeting of the peace committee, comprising 25 people of the village was held in <g data-gr-id="43">Machgar</g> village on Monday and people of several nearby villages such as <g data-gr-id="44">Navada</g>, <g data-gr-id="45">Chandawali</g>, Gadkheda, Bukharpur, Dayalpur and <g data-gr-id="46">Sautai</g> participated in it.

The meeting decided that the residents of <g data-gr-id="35">Atali</g> village should first give an assurance in writing that there would not be any situation of communal strife in the village in future.

The minority community left the village after the clashes broke out on July 1. Since then, efforts are being made to convince both the communities to join hands for a peaceful solution to the problem. 

However, nothing positive has come up even after efforts from the community and administration.

Azad <g data-gr-id="39">Tongar</g>, <g data-gr-id="37">member</g> of the committee, said they met Police Commissioner Subhash Yadav a few days ago. Yadav had asked the committee to get an undertaking signed by six persons, whose names have been retained, assuring that they would not be igniting any communal issue in future.

Representatives from <g data-gr-id="29">Atali</g> have sought 24 hours to get back on the issue.

The peace committee also assured that according to the talks they were having with the administration, no one would be harassed by the administration.

It was decided that once the people of <g data-gr-id="42">Atali</g> submit the undertaking signed by the persons asked by the Commissioner of Police, the committee would be meeting him to get the peace process carried forward. “If anyone feels that he or she is being harassed after the situation is normal, the committee would be standing by him and would be talking to the administration in this regard,” he said.

<g data-gr-id="31">Atali</g> village witnessed large-scale communal violence in May, as scores of families of the minority community were forced to flee the village and take shelter in <g data-gr-id="34">police</g> station.