Padagha’s stigma: This time it is an outsider, but...

This twin village of 14,000 residents in Bhiwandi is back in the news with the recent arrest of two suspects who settled there just seven months ago. The villagers who are trying hard to get rid of the tag of ‘Village of Terrorists' since the arrest of one of their locals, Saqib Nachan, in the Mumbai bomb blasts, are upset about how they are constantly under the scanner.

The villagers rue that since the arrest of Nachan for his alleged involvement in the bomb blasts in the past, it appears that Padagha is constantly being watched by the authorities. This time, it is an outsider who has spoilt their village's image. On Monday afternoon, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Sharjeel Shaikh, 35, and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, 36, from Borivali at Padagha village in Thane on suspicion of being involved in the terror activities of ISIS.

The grampanchayat, Borivali village. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

According to the police, Shaikh stayed in Abdullah Apartment. Barodawala, who was arrested from Saat Rasta in Nagpada, was also a resident of Borivali in Padagha. They shifted to Padagha just 7 months back from Vasind, before which they regularly changed their locations. A villager told mid-day, "Our villagers are targeted since Nachan who used to stay in our village was convicted in the 2002 and 2003 blasts at Mumbai Central Railway station, Vile Parle and Mulund. However, the recent suspects are not from our village, they were staying here in a rented house."

‘No communal riots here'

Around 5,300 people stay in Borivali village at Padagha and majority are Muslims while the whole of Padagha has 8,700 people. "We have been living in communal harmony for several years. Before and after the 1993 riots in Mumbai, there has never been a communal riot here," a villager said.

A local resident of Borivali village at Padagha said, "They tag our place as a village of terrorism but it's not true. In our village most of the villagers are educated and have engineering degrees and doctorates. Many are businessman and some have jobs, none of them are involved in criminal activities." Another resident added, "This is the third time that NIA or some intelligence agency arrived at our village and arrested people. Earlier also, two people were arrested from the village but they didn't find any evidence and they were released. These agencies also declared this area as sensitive, which is not true."

Another villager said, "Outsiders are responsible for damaging our village's name. They take flats on rent here and commit crimes. Our village has no thefts, or criminals with past records. Outsiders are damaging the reputation of our village. We are struggling to improve it but failed to do it. This tag of terrorism should be removed from our village." For the past two days villagers have been scared that the police will target them. They have been inquiring about people who enter it.

‘No major crimes here'

Divulging the history of police cases, Senior Inspector Anil Sable of Padagha police station said, "In a year, on an average, we register around 250-300 FIRs. The maximum cases are accidents on Highway or fights between the farmers. We have low robbery, murder or theft cases. There are rumours that villagers here are criminals but it's false. The maximum villagers are farmers and educated. They never indulge in criminal activities. Few people fight for their land but there are no major crimes here. Around 70 per cent cases we registered were of accident and 10-20 per cent are of assault and other 10 percent are minor crimes. No big crime has taken place here."

14k
The population of Borivali-Padagha village