1980 Moradabad riots: 43 years later, now Samajwadi Party MP Dr. ST Hassan recounts horror

Riots erupted in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, that left 83 people dead and injured 112 others. Dr ST Hassan, now a Member of Parliament from the Samajwadi Party, was pursuing medical education, when the riots broke out. He recalled the horror after 43 years.

Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh): The scars of the 1980 Moradabad riots, that killed at-least 83 persons, are still fresh in the mind of Dr ST Hassan, who was then pursuing his medical studies.

The devastating riots broke out between August to November 1980 and the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday tabled a report in connection with the riots in the Legislative Assembly.

"I came home to celebrate Eid. I was returning from the mosque of my locality after offering 'Namaz' (prayers). I came to know about a bullet being fired in the Idgah. Dead bodies are scattered in the field. One man was shot in the leg. He was in pain. He was repeatedly begging to save his life. An Imam (religious leader) had injured his leg and he was bleeding," an emotional Dr ST Hasssan, who had witnessed the riots, recalled on Tuesday.

"I became a doctor after completing my studies. The mental condition of a woman, who lost her son in the riots had worsened. I treated her for 15 years. Whenever she came to me, she used to say that 'doctor sahib', my son Arif has gone to Eidgah. He hasn't returned yet, I am waiting for him," he recalled.

He also recalled that the Border Security Force (BSF) won hearts of the people. "They worked to heal the wounds of everyone. Someone brought vegetables during curfew, while someone delivered milk to houses. They made the citizens sit and hold a dialogue together. After this the riot ended," the 65-year-old MP, representing Moradabad constituency in the Lok Sabha, said. According to the MP, one Dr. Salim had no role in the riots.