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2002 Gujarat riots

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The 2002 Gujarat violence consisted of riots triggered on February 27, 2002 by an attack on a passenger train, the Sabarmati Express, passing through the town of Godhra. The train was forcibly stopped and attacked at Signal Falia near Godhra Junction. Ladies Coach S6 bore the brunt of mob attack. In the midst of attack, Coach S6 caught fire killing 59 passengers, most of whom were women and children.

Two years after the incident Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav appointed Justice Banerjee to investigate the cause of fire.On the eve of election in Railway Minister's Native State Bihar, Justice Banerjee submitted an interim report concluding that the fire and attack are two separate events. It claimed, very controversially from the point of view, that the fire was likely started from within the train, and not by a mob gathered outside the train [1].They allege that this interim report and Bin Laden Clones were allegedly used in Bihar Election to attract Muslim votes. [2] [3]and cite that the Interim Report's credibility is in serious doubt due to timing of it's release and subsequent use in election campaigning [4] [5]

However, observers maintained that though the timing of the commission report could be suspect the fact that the forensic research laboratory of the same state studied and came to the conclusions mentioned in the report is significant.67

The riots

The skyline of Ahmedabad filled with smoke as buildings and shops are set on fire by rioting mobs

According to an Indian Central Government report released in 2005, 250 Hindus and 500 Muslims were killed. [6]. A train carrying Hindu pilgrims was burnt down in the town of Godhra and the Indian Government, without conducting an investigation, was quick to point the blame on Muslim fundamentalists. A few days later, under a state sponsored genocide program, supervised by Narendra Modi (Chief Minister of Gujarat), more than 250,000 Muslims were brutally murdered by Hindu fundamentalists. Most of the victims were women who were dragged out of their homes, gang raped, then murdered. No period in history marks the kind of butchery that was displayed against women. Thousands of children became victims of terror and were left orphans. Until today, the murderers in the state of Gujarat remain free and the Indian government has done nothing to bring justice to the victims. The courts have delayed hearings or dismissed the cases claiming lack of evidence. Of course, the evidence exists, but due to red tape and the prevalence of Modi and Co. the murderers were acquitted.

In Ahmedabad, most people – social workers, journalists, survivors – agree that what Gujarat witnessed was not a riot, but a terrorist attack followed by a systematic, planned massacre. Everyone spoke of the pillage and plunder, being organized like a military operation against an external armed enemy. An initial truck would arrive broadcasting inflammatory slogans, soon followed by more trucks which disgorged young men, mostly in khaki shorts and saffron sashes. They were armed with sophisticated explosive materials, country weapons, daggers and trishuls. They also carried water bottles, to sustain them in their exertions. The leaders were seen communicating on mobile telephones from the riot venues, receiving instructions from and reporting back to a coordinating centre. Some were seen with documents and computer sheets listing Muslim families and their properties. They had detailed precise knowledge about buildings and businesses held by members of the minority community, such as who were partners say in a restaurant business, or which Muslim homes had Hindu spouses were married who should be spared in the violence. This was not a spontaneous upsurge of mass anger. It was a carefully planned pogrom.

The trucks carried quantities of gas cylinders. Rich Muslim homes and business establishments were first systematically looted, stripped down of all their valuables, then cooking gas was released from cylinders into the buildings for several minutes. A trained member of the group then lit the flame which efficiently engulfed the building. In some cases, acetylene gas which is used for welding steel, was employed to explode large concrete buildings. Mosques and dargahs were razed, and were replaced by statues of the monkey god Hanuman and saffron flags. Some dargahs in Ahmedabad city crossings have overnight been demolished and their sites covered with road building material, and bulldozed so efficiently that these spots are indistinguishable from the rest of the road.

In one of the worst incidents, on February 28 a mob set fire to the mainly Muslim locality of Naroda Patia in Ahmedabad, killing at least 6,500 people. The community religious place was burnt using LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders. According to Human Rights Watch, who visited Naroda Patia three weeks later, homes in the area were completely burnt for the affected. Several witnesses claimed that the police failed to protect residents. In the following days, hundreds of young people with swords, daggers, axes, and iron rods walked around the area, shouting angry slogans.

Among those killed during the first few days of the riot was the former Muslim MP of the city, Ehsan Jafri. A mob attacked his housing colony. In retaliation he fired several shots at the mob. Central Government stated in parliament "The police under the Joint Police Commissioner, DCP, rushed to the site and tried their very best to protect and shift the residents. The police succeeded in saving 180 people including women and children. But unfortunately, the lives of late Jafri and 17 others could not be saved." [7] [8]

These killings are under investigation in an official inquiry comprising of Justice (retd)G T Nanavati and Justice (retd) K G shah. The inquiry included gathering and analysis of 20,940 oral and written testimonies, both individual and collective, from survivors and independent human rights groups, women's groups, NGOs and academics.

The role of the Central and the Gujarat state government in the riots

Various independent human rights groups as well as major Indian newspapers have accused the Gujarat state government, led by Chief Minister Narendra Modi of supporting, and in some cases instigating, the riots. India's own National Human Rights Commission indicted the state government saying "the commission has, therefore, reached that (sic) there was comprehensive failure of the state to protect the constitutional rights of the people of Gujarat." [9]

As a result of Narendra Modi's alleged role in abetting the riots, the US government revoked his visa under Section 212 (a)(2)(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act which makes any foreign government official who was responsible or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religions freedom, ineligible for the visa. ([10]) This decision was protested by the Indian government, but in response the US government pointed out that their decision was based on the report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India. [11]

On part of the government's effort to control the riots:

  • Deployed the army, after 72 hours.
  • Made preventive arrests of over 33,000 muslims.
  • Fired over 12,000 rounds of bullets in muslim areas.
  • Fired over 15,000 rounds of tear gas shells in muslim areas.

In parliament debate, Government stated that "Ahmedabad and these riots were to be the only riots in the history of India where hundred persons have been killed in police firing." [12]

The President of India at that time, K. R. Narayanan, later blamed the ruling BJP government which was perceived as a "Hindu" party, for supporting the riots.

In an interview to the Malayalam magazine Manava Samskriti on the eve of the third anniversary of the Gujarat riots he said :

There was governmental and administrative support for the communal riots in Gujarat. I gave several letters to Prime Minister Vajpayee in this regard on this issue. I met him personally and talked to him directly. But Vajpayee did not do anything effective. I requested him to send the army to Gujarat and suppress the riots. The military was sent, but they were not given powers to shoot. If the military was given powers to shoot then recurrence of tragedies in Gujarat could have been avoided. However, both the state(the Narendra Modi government) and central government did not do so. I feel there was a conspiracy involving the state and central governments behind the Gujarat riots.([13])([14])([15])

.

On the other hand, Many defense experts believe that when thousands of people defy curfew and come on street, Army should not shoot-at-sight because the resultant killings will be huge. These killings will do more damage than good. ([16])

It should be noted that President K. R. Narayan was a fabian socialist and member of BJP's ideological rival Congress party. More-over, BJP denied him second term for president.

India's Supreme Court, expressed its displeasure at the government's handling of the case. [17]. The Court also rebuked both the Gujarat High Court and the local justice system, stating, “Judicial criminal administration system must be kept clean and beyond the reach of whimsical political wills or agendas.” [18] Some of the most damaging allegations came from Mr.RB Sreekumar, who served as intelligence chief for the Gujrat Government during the riots. Mr. Sreekumar alleged that the government ordered the killing of muslims after the Godhra incident[19][20]. He presented his notes to India Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) which investigates complaints by civil servants.

On it's part the Government of Gujrat refuted the allegations and chargesheeted R B Sreekumar in connection with his ‘‘semi-official’’ diary on the grounds of releasing official documents. [21]. Some critics of Mr. Sreekumar questioned the authenticity of the dairy he submitted as evidence.[22]

Conviction

Independent India has witnessed thousands of riots. Conviction in riot-cases is rare.[23] [24] Gujrat Pogrom The first of the convictions in post-Godhra riot cases came on Tuesday, November 25 2003 with the Kheda district court sentencing 12 persons to life imprisonment. [25].

Second conviction came on 14 December 2005, a special fast-track court in Godhra, Gujrat sentenced 11 people to life imprisonment for killing 11 Muslims during religious riots in 2002.[26]. Another 21 suspects were acquitted due to lack of evidence. In a related judgement the court also convicted three people for leading the mobs that had attacked Muslim houses in the same village in the Panchmahals district of Gujarat. They were sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined. [27].

Third conviction came in Best Bakery Case, Mumbai High Court over-turned lower cournt verdict and sentenced 16 people to life imprisonment for killing of 14 people when the Best Bakery, in the Hanuman Tekri area of Vadodara, was attacked by a large mob.[28]

The cause of the train fire in Godhra

The cause of the train fire is fiercely disputed.

  • One hypothesis states that the local Muslim mob who attacked the train set the coach S6 on fire. They quote the fact that coach S6 bore the brunt of the attack. Coach S6 caught fire in the middle of the attack. Moreover, police uncovered proof of large purchase of petrol from a local petrol station. Godhra township fire-chief stated that attackers did not allow fire-engines to immediately reach on the spot. [citation needed]
  • A railway ministry inquiry led by Retired Supreme Court Justice Banerjee submitted an interim report stating that the fire and attack are two separate events. Fire was likely started from within the train, and had nothin to do with the mob gathered outside the train. Also, a report by Ahmedabad-based Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) confirmed this [29].
  • Sequence of events
  • Godhra, February 27, 2002.
    • 7-42 a.m.: The train arrives at Godhra station.
    • 7-42 to 7.47 a.m.: During the five-minute halt there is a scuffle between a kar sevak and a Muslim tea vendor.
    • 7-47 a.m.: The train starts from Godhra station, leaving some passengers on the platform.
    • 7-48 a.m.: The train stops after the chain is pulled in four coaches.
    • 7-48 to 8-00 a.m.: There is stone-throwing between passengers on the train and Muslim residents who hide behind the parcel office of Godhra station.
    • 8-00 a.m.: Train starts moving again.
    • 8-05 a.m.: Train stops for the second time near Cabin 'A' of Godhra station.
    • 8-05 to 8-17 a.m.: A group of people come running from the parcel office towards the train and there is more stone-throwing and violence. The coach is set on fire.
    • 8-25 a.m.: The police arrive and open fire to disperse the mob.

    • Source - Volume 19 - Issue 15, July 20 - August 02, 2002
    • India's National Magazine from the publishers of THE HINDU

Documentation & Reports

==Pictures of the Carnage== [Warning: GRAPHIC IMAGES]

External references

Compilations of newspaper articles

Newspaper articles

Video on Gujarat Violence