[sacw] SACW #1 | 01 Mar. 02 [Wave of 'Communal' Violence Strikes India]

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire - Dispatch #1 | 01 March 2002
[ Please Note: there will be no SACW posts from March 2 to March 3]

_____________________________________________
Berlin, 1939:

First they came for the Jews,
But I did not speak out,
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists,
And I did not speak out,
Because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade-unionists,
And I did not speak out,
Because I was not a trade-unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
And I did not speak out,
Because I was not a Catholic.

Then they came for me,
And there was no one left to speak out for me.

- Pastor Niemller (Anti-Nazi Resistance Movement)

Dont remain Deaf & Dumb to 'Communal' Politics !!
Speak up and organise now to defend life and secular space from fascists!!

------------------------------------------

#1. India: Citizens Initiatives in wake of communal hatred. (New Delhi)
#2. BJP fiddles while Gujarat burns (Siddharth Varadarajan)
#3. Reports:
India Riots: How can the violence be stopped?
Riot After Riot in the Land of Gandhi
Over 70 people killed in communal riots in Gujarat
Rights activist's house attacked
Votaries of harmony become victims
Learning from the past
Mayhem at Aurangzeb's birthplace
Flashpoint at Godhra
Angry Gujarat ministers in a combative mood
Call VHP illegal, then we can act: officials
#4. Republic Day: A Memory, A Hope (Ashoke Chatterjee)
#5. Statement by Left Parties: Stop VHP's Disruptive Activities:=20
Observe 6th March as National Unity Day
#6. Excerpts From an Asiapeace Posting

________________________

#1.

28 Feb 2002

Dear friends,

An appalling situation has been created which threatens to engulf the=20
entire country in a wave of communal hatred. It seems that Godhra was=20
just the beginning of the spiralling violence. Reports continue to=20
come in of over 70 gruesome killings across Gujrat. This must stop.=20
We cannot allow this to spread further.

A meeting was held today in Delhi attended by around 20=20
organisations. The following plan of action was decided:

1. A press note (attached below) to be issued immediately condemning=20
the Godhra incident and the VHP for creating the flashpoint.

2. The launching of Satyagraha starting Fri. 1st March at 5:00 pm at=20
Rajghat. This will be a candlelight peace vigil from 5-7 pm everyday=20
until such time as normalcy returns. After the initial action at=20
Rajghat the meetings will move to different localities around the=20
city.

3. Delegation to meet the President of India and Opposition parties=20
within the next few days to present our view point forcefully.

4. Retired Supreme Court judges to move a petition in the Supreme=20
Court to push the Government to take strong action in Ayodhya.

Friends based in Delhi please join the Satyagraha on Friday and the=20
following days. We also encourage all of you, if possible, to set up=20
aman & ekta committees in your neighbourhood or in the areas you work=20
in as a preventative measure against communal riots.

It would be good if people organised similar peace vigils across the=20
country. If you do, please inform us as we will be keeping the media=20
updated on peace actions across the country.

warmest regards,

sonia jabbar

on behalf of:

Akhil Bharat Rachnatmak Samaj, All India Democratic Women=92s=20
Assocaition, Arya Samaj, CPI(M), Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament &=20
Peace, Delhi Forum, Indian Social Institute, Institute of Objective=20
Studies, Jagori, JMS, Movement in India for Nuclear Disarmament,=20
Muslim Women's Forum, National Minorities Council , NPMHR,=20
Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace & Democracy, Pravah, Sama,=20
Sampradayakta Virodhi Andolan, Saheli, VMAP.

--------------------------------------------

Press Note (please feel free to use in part or whole. The newspapers=20
ought to be flooded by Letters to the Editor from groups and=20
individuals.)

We unite to condemn the ghastly episode in Godhra, in which over=20
fifty innocent people were killed. We also condemn the harassment=20
meted out to Muslim men and the molestation of Muslim women prior to=20
this event by those who appeared to be VHP karsevaks heading for=20
Ayodhya (as reported in Jan Morcha, Feb.24). In the context of the=20
communal tension created on account of the Ram mandir issue, these=20
events demonstrate a grave crisis for the rule of law in this=20
country. We hold that the threat to build the mandir in total=20
defiance of the court orders belongs to the realm of terrorism, and=20
needs to be handled as such.

We call upon the NDA government to rein in the elements within the=20
alliance who are holding the nation to ransom for petty political=20
gains, to not remain mute witnesses to the repetition of the national=20
perfidy perpetrated on 6 December,1992, and to deal with the=20
situation with firmness, as befitting a civilised nation. We call=20
upon the Opposition parties to fight the emerging communal holocaust=20
with greater determination and unity than they did the menace of=20
terrorism. And above all, we call upon the people of India to resist=20
all divisive propaganda, maintain communal harmony, and unite in=20
protecting the unity and integrity of our secular democracy.

______

#2.

The Times of India MARCH 01, 2002

BJP fiddles while Gujarat burns
SIDDHARTH VARADARAJAN
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2002 12:55:32 AM ]
NEW DELHI: The wave of murders and arson attacks against Muslims and=20
their businesses in Gujarat is a slap on the face of Prime Minister=20
Vajpayee, whose grossly understated appeal for calm after Wednesday's=20
dastardly attack on train passengers in Godhra has clearly not been=20
heeded by the Gujarat government.
While the official inquiry will establish the extent to which the=20
attack on the Sabarmati Express was premeditated, there can be no=20
doubt about the planned nature of the violence directed against=20
Gujarat's Muslims on Thursday. Property worth crores was burned down=20
by well-organised gangs, which went about their business in the=20
knowledge that the police would do nothing.
It was perhaps in anticipation of such a development that Vajpayee=20
cancelled his visit to Australia. Intimately familiar with Gujarat CM=20
Narendra Modi's reputation as a hardliner within the Hindutva=20
parivar, the PM knew he could not be counted upon to act as an=20
efficient - let alone even-handed - administrator at a time like=20
this. Indeed, alarming signs were visible soon after Wednesday's=20
carnage, when the pronouncements of senior Gujarat ministers=20
suggested restraint was the last thing on their minds.
Tragically, Vajpayee has overestimated his capacity to enforce peace=20
through verbal appeals and physical presence alone. He has failed to=20
realise that he does not have the moral clout of Mahatma Gandhi - and=20
that only the exercise of the political and administrative powers he=20
possesses can ensure that Gujarat does not burn.
When the VHP gave a call for a Gujarat-wide bandh, both Vajpayee and=20
Union home minister L K Advani should have realised the incendiary=20
implications. Two years ago - in August 2000 - when the VHP gave a=20
similar call after the killing of pilgrims in Pahalgam in Kashmir,=20
Sangh Parivar activists torched Muslim property worth crores in=20
Ahmedabad, Surat, Sabarkantha, Palanpur and Rajkot. In Surat alone,=20
Muslim powerloom owners lost property worth Rs 10 crore.
Unlike the August 2000 VHP bandh, the Gujarat government this time=20
did not formally endorse the extremist outfit's call. But the manner=20
in which the state administration has facilitated - through omission=20
and, possibly, commission - the anti-Muslim violence of the VHP and=20
Bajrang Dal activists makes the Modi administration equally culpable.
The physical targeting of Muslims and their businesses by the Sangh=20
Parivar is likely to have disastrous consequences for the country.=20
With the VHP and kindred groups like the Shiv Sena anxious to milk=20
the situation, violence can spread to other parts of the country. At=20
a time when Muslim Indians are already feeling alienated and=20
victimised, the carnage in Gujarat will drive them to the wall.

______

#3.

Reports:

* BBC - Talking Point
Thursday, 28 February, 2002, 19:14 GMT

India Riots: How can the violence be stopped?
Violence between Hindus and Muslims sweeping the western Indian state=20
of Gujarat .
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/newsid_1846000/1846352.s=
tm

---

* Outlook
RIOT AFTER RIOT
The Land Of Gandhi
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?sid=3D1&fname=3Dgujrat&fodname=3D20020=
228&secname=3D

* NDTV

Over 70 people killed in communal riots in Gujarat

NDTV Correspondent
Thursday, February 28, 2002 (Ahmedabad):
Over seventy people have been killed in violence that rocked several=20
parts of Gujarat during the day-long VHP sponsored bandh.
The bandh was called to protest against the attack on Sabarmati=20
Express in Godhra yesterday. The train carrying kar sevaks was stoned=20
and four of its bogies burnt. 58 people were killed in the incident.
There are now chances of POTO being enforced in the trouble-hit state=20
and the army has been put on high alert. Curfew has also been clamped=20
in 26 places in the state and 700 people have been arrested, which=20
include 80 in Godhra.

38 burnt alive in Chamanpura

At least 38 people including children belonging to the minority=20
community were killed when their dwellings were set on fire by mobs=20
in Chamanpura in Ahmedabad.
Miscreants also set on fire a building in Meghaninagar and killed=20
former Congress MP Ehsan Jaffrey and 19 members of his family.
Six people were killed in police firing in the city and there are=20
reports that two people were killed in mob frenzy in Vadodara.

Two killed in Surat
Two people were killed in incidents of stabbing in Surat during the bandh.
A 35-year old unidentified person was allegedly stabbed to death in=20
the sensitive locality of Salabatpara, while another person was=20
attacked with a sharp-edged weapon in the Rander area.

Over 24 stray incidents of arson, looting and stone throwing were=20
also reported from different parts of the city.

Political mudslinging begins
BJP today alleged that Congress councillors from Godhra were=20
responsible for the attack on the Sabarmati Express in Gujarat.
Violence erupts in Gujarat
Over 70 people killed in violence across Gujarat
700 arrested across the state
Cabinet Committee on Security meets to discuss the situation
Prime Minister Vajpayee meets senior Muslim leaders
Curfew imposed in 26 areas of Gujarat
POTO to be enforced across Gujarat
Two killed in Vadodara
Mobs set fire to vehicles on the highway between Godhra and Vadodara
Muslim Waqf board office burnt down in Gandhinagar
Reports of stone pelting by mobs in Rajkot and Surat
Maharashtra govt postpones SSC and HSC examinations scheduled for March 1, =
2002
"Police have arrested two Congress councillors who planned the entire=20
attack," alleged party spokesman V K Malhotra.

Malhotra said the Congress instead of demanding action against those=20
responsible for the attack was demanding a ban on the VHP.

"When members of the minority community are attacked, all parties=20
react immediately whereas this is not so when people belonging to the=20
majority community are attacked," he said.

Sangh dons mediatory role
RSS Chief K S Sudarshan held hectic parleys with VHP International=20
Working President Ashok Singhal as part of its "mediatory efforts" to=20
defuse the tense situation prevailing in Ayodhya and Gujarat.

The meeting at the Jhandewalan headquarters of the RSS was held after=20
Sangh leaders met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and agreed to=20
play the role of mediator to resolve the deadlock caused by VHP's=20
determination to shift the carved pillars of the temple to the Ram=20
Janambhoomi site and the government's assertion that it would=20
maintain the status quo in Ayodhya.

What transpired at the meeting however is not known but it is=20
believed that RSS leaders urged Singhal to soften his hardline=20
approach in view of the prevailing situation in the country
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister also met the Shahi Imam of=20
Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari.
Ayodhya tense
Nearly 7,000 security people have been deployed in and around the=20
temple town of Ayodhya and its borders sealed as authorities today=20
vowed to prevent kar sevaks from carrying carved pillars to the=20
disputed site for construction of the proposed Ram temple.

No vehicle was allowed into Faizabad and Ayodhya from adjoining areas=20
including Barabanki, Ambedkarnagar and Sultanpur districts.

"There are clear orders from the government not to allow carved=20
stones to be taken out from the workshops in Ayodhya and Supreme=20
Court's orders of status quo in Ayodhya will be maintained," warned=20
Additional Director General Police (Law and Order) A K Mitra.

Gupta said the twin cities of Ayodhya and Faizabad were divided into=20
30 sectors and three zones and CRPF jawans were posted at all=20
sensitive areas. (With PTI inputs)

--

* The Times of India
Rights activist's house attacked
SAJID SHAIKH
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2002 1:59:24 PM ]
http://203.199.93.7/articleshow.asp?art_ID=3D2358291

(related report)
Votaries of harmony become victims
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2002 12:26:38 AM ]
http://203.199.93.7/articleshow.asp?art_id=3D2401849

Learning from the past
RANJONA BANERJI
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2002 12:07:11 AM ]
http://203.199.93.7/articleshow.asp?art_ID=3D2400498

Mayhem at Aurangzeb's birthplace
BHARAT DESAI
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, MARCH 01, 2002 12:11:57 AM ]
http://203.199.93.7/articleshow.asp?art_ID=3D2400828

* Indian Express Thursday, February 28, 2002 | EDIT
Flashpoint at Godhra
Get the VHP out of Ayodhya
http://www.indian-express.com/ie20020228/ed1.html

* Rediff.com
Angry Gujarat ministers in a combative mood
Sheela Bhatt in Godhra
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/feb/28train.htm

* Indian Express, February 28, 2002
Call VHP illegal, then we can act: officials
SONU JAIN
AYODHYA, FEBRUARY 27: Hours after the Centre ordered a freeze on the=20
entry of Ramsevaks into Ayodhya, the town administration pleaded=20
helplessness saying they could not impose prohibitory orders unless=20
the Centre itself declared the assembly here illegal.
http://www.indian-express.com/ie20020228/top5.html

_____

#4.

REPUBLIC DAY: A MEMORY, A HOPE

Republic Day 2002 will be the first in this new era of a global war=20
on terrorism. Security without precedent in New Delhi's history will=20
protect the festivities of January 26 from the infamy of September=20
11, December 13, January 22 --- milestones on a bloodstained road to=20
safety. Terrorism across borders finds universal condemnation, at=20
least in rhetoric. Terrorism within borders defies consensus, its=20
threat open to interpretation. Freedom fighter or foreign thug?=20
Fundamentalist or extortionist? The righteous anger of the=20
dispossessed or the madness of villains? Whatever else he may not=20
have achieved in his January 12 address, President Pervez Musharraf=20
has had the courage (or the reckless foolishness, depending upon=20
which way you see things in Pakistan) to declare war on his=20
definition of the enemy within: those he described as trying "to=20
monopolise and propagate their own brand of religion", these=20
"thekedars"[contractors] of faith who know nothing "other than=20
disruption and sowing seeds of hatred". Well said. While wishing good=20
luck to the General, one might wonder if anyone in New Delhi might=20
have noticed an Indian resonance in his plight, or in his warning=20
against self-appointed guardians of true faith.

Thekedars on that side of a tense border are reported to be burrowing=20
underground. On this side, they are out in the winter sun, having a=20
field day. While jawans risk their lives to defend the secular ideal=20
in Kashmir, a saffron brigade is marching on the capital to demand on=20
January 26 that India's history be rewritten not just in textbooks=20
but on the ground, and in the language of conflict. I am reminded of=20
another attempt to tear the nation's fabric, on another Republic Day,=20
the first in a new millennium.

January 26, 2000. Families are setting out for the holiday in the=20
southern corner of Ahmedabad. Here they encounter a hastily erected=20
'shrine', around which 'volunteers' are gathered to persuade citizens=20
to perform an unusual act if worship. The goddess enshrined is Bharat=20
Mata, replete with lion and trishul. Columns of loudspeakers address=20
the traffic, demanding that homage must be paid to Bharat Mata, for=20
whom hundreds have died at Kargil. None would be allowed to pass=20
without performing this sacred act of duty.

The setting is Paldi, one of the few areas of Ahmedabad where Hindus=20
and Muslims still co-exist, even if they do not mix. Separation here=20
is maintained through invisible boundaries of protocol and tension.=20
Ever since a painted rath passed this way on its journey from a=20
temple in Somnath to a mosque in Ayodhya, graffiti on the walls of=20
Paldi has enjoined some to persevere until the Lord is accommodated,=20
and others to depart across the border to territory reserved for them=20
five decades ago. In this incendiary landscape, passengers are now=20
dragged off buses and vehicles, with special attention to those who=20
are clearly of a 'minority' persuasion. As their entreaties not be=20
forced into pujas and tilak grow louder, so too do the loudspeakers.=20
"In this land where so many have given their lives for Bharat Mata,=20
there are some unwilling to bow before her on this sacred day. Some=20
will not accept her blessing. How can Bharat Mata be free and great=20
so long as there are those who will deny their mother?" There was=20
more to come: "Now you can tell who is an Indian, who is a patriot.=20
Republic Day is a day of worship. Accept your tilak, protect our=20
motherland from those who care nothing for her".

My home at that time was a short distance from the market crossroads=20
at which this 'temple' to Bharat Mata had been hastily constructed,=20
adjoining a new construction. For several hours, all traffic had been=20
halted. The combination of blaring of horns and orations with the=20
growing shouts of the crowd, were making unbearable what was supposed=20
to be a relaxed afternoon after a morning of flag hoisting and=20
entertainment on the campus where I lived. Strolling out to ascertain=20
the cause of the ruckus, I found myself walking into a powder keg=20
ready to explode. Traffic had been halted all around one of=20
Ahmedabad's busiest crossings, drivers threatened, passengers forced=20
to dismount and pay homage (only after a fresh tika could journeys be=20
resumed). Beards, burqas or lace caps attracted particular=20
'persuasion'. The traffic police had disappeared. Still not fully=20
comprehending the danger around me, I demanded an explanation from=20
two immaculately turned out 'volunteers', telling them that=20
disrupting traffic in this manner was illegal, and forcing anyone to=20
worship was immoral. "Is it illegal to pay homage to our mother? Is=20
it immoral to remember the martyrs?" followed by questions of my name=20
and provenance. When I refused to provide an identity, a camera on my=20
shoulder was snatched away and I was pulled by my kurta into a corner=20
for interrogation. A merchant across the street, recognizing me as=20
his regular customer, yelled out my name and ran across to my rescue.=20
The fists clenching at my garments relaxed. I was asked if indeed my=20
name was indeed Ashokebhai. My merchant saviour yanked me away, while=20
another volunteer accompanied me into the shop. I was assured that my=20
camera would be returned from confiscation if I promised to leave at=20
once. It was 'outsiders' like me, I was told, who were the cause of=20
many problems.

After being escorted back into my compound, I called contacts in the=20
press to relate these events. I asked if such deadly ceremonies were=20
being conducted elsewhere in the city. None had been reported, I was=20
told, but earlier there had been instances of enforced 'Bharat Mata'=20
worship that had cost a few lives in a neighbouring state. I was=20
lucky not to have joined the statistics. A few weeks later, a bomb=20
ripped through the new building adjoining which the Bharat Mata=20
shrine had been constructed. It was to warn a Muslim family that had=20
crossed the invisible line and bought an apartment there.

In the two years since that Republic Day, the world has been=20
transformed, even as the dimensions of that transformation remain=20
troublingly unclear. We have it on high authority that September 11=20
and its aftermath should help us to shed the baggage of history. Some=20
months ago, a Prime Minister risked his political career by taking a=20
bus to Lahore. The other day, a President risked his career, and=20
possibly his life, by ordering the thekedars off Islamabad's highway=20
to the future. Now both have to look over their shoulders at the=20
defenders of true faith, some sabotaging history at Ayodhya and in=20
textbooks, others carrying Korans and Kalashnikovs. Both men might be=20
unfit or unwilling to make history. Or both might be heroes awaiting=20
history's call. A thought, if not a promise, on this Republic Day.

Ashoke Chatterjee

21.1.02

______

#5.

February 28, 2002

Press Statement

The Left parties, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist=20
Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc have=20
issued the following statement after meeting on February 27 to=20
discuss the Ayodhya situation:

Stop VHP's Disruptive Activities:

Observe 6th March as National Unity Day

A serious situation has been created with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's=20
mobilisation of people to go to Ayodhya to participate in its call=20
for construction of the temple from March 15. Already a large number=20
of people have congregated at Ayodhya where the VHP has set up a camp=20
to accommodate them.

The VHP is sticking to its decision to transport construction=20
materials and formally begin construction on March 15 illegally. The=20
all-parties meeting called by the Prime Minister, expressed serious=20
concern at this development. Most of the parties wanted the Central=20
government to immediately intervene and stop the mobilisation of=20
people at Ayodhya which could lead to a dangerous situation=20
reminiscent of what happened in December 1992.

The Gujarat government has been extending all facilities to help the=20
mobilisation of people from that state. To call the gathering at=20
Ayodhya a religious congregation is a misnomer, for it is being done=20
to promote a patently illegal act of construction violating the court=20
orders. Already the movement of the so-called karsevaks has resulted=20
in some incidents and tensions, the most disturbing and shocking one=20
being at Godhra.

It is not sufficient for the Vajpayee government to say that it will=20
maintain the status quo andthat no construction will be allowed at=20
the disputed site or the land which has been acquired and vested with=20
the Central Government. It is the responsibility of the Central=20
Government to see that a large crowd is not gathered at Ayodhya. We=20
call upon the Central Government to immediately take steps to stop=20
the VHP's mobilisation at Ayodhya. For this effective administrative=20
measures must be taken including imposition of prohibitory orders.

Uttar Pradesh does not have a popularly elected government at present=20
and the administration is being looked after by the caretaker regime=20
headed by Rajnath Singh. It is, therefore, all the more incumbent=20
upon the Central Government to direct the state administration to=20
take effective measures and provide all help to them. The country=20
cannot afford to experience another disruptive event in Ayodhya which=20
will have serious repercussions for national unity.

Taking the seriousness of the situation into account, we have decided=20
to give a joint call for observing March 6 as a Day For National=20
Unity. On that day all over the country public meetings and rallies=20
will be held to demand that the Central Government intervene=20
immediately to stop the VHP's mobilisation at Ayodhya and uphold the=20
rule of the law. We appeal to all sections of people to come out in=20
large numbers on this day and show their determination not to allow=20
the communal forces to succeed in their gameplan. We must protect=20
national unity and communal amity.

(Harkishan Singh Surjeet) (A. B. Bardhan)
General Secretary, CPI(M) General Secretary, CPI
K. Pankajakshan Debabrata Biswas,
General Secretary, RSP General Secretary, F.B

_____

#6.

EXCERPTS FROM AN ASIAPEACE POSTING

From: "Ishtiaq Ahmed" <Ishtiaq.Ahmed@s...>
To: "Asiapeace@Y... Com" <asiapeace@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Communal ri[o]ts in India should be stopped
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 22:19:52 +0100

Dear Members and Friends of Asiapeace,

Dr. Pritam K Rohila, co-chair of Asiapeace wrote to me the other day=20
saying that Asiapeace should begin a discussion on the Babri=20
Mosque-Ram Mandir Controversy that has plagued Indian politics ever=20
since December 1992 when rightwing Hindus dismantled the mosque at=20
Ayodhya allegedly built on the exact site of a Hindu temple and the=20
birth place of Lord Ram. It resulted in the most widespread communal=20
riots since Partition in which mainly Muslims were the victims.=20
Several thousand people died then.

That controversy has been festering ever since, ready to ignite India=20
again on a communal basis. The insane killing of Hindus passengers in=20
a train by a Muslim mob yesterday (27 February) at a station in=20
Gujarat state has today resulted in fierce attacks on Muslims in=20
Ahmedabad and many other Western Indian towns. Many fear that Hindu=20
fascists might use this opportunity to carry out a bloodbath of=20
Muslims. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has shown great=20
foresight and called for calm and restraint.
I invite all those with experience of Indian communal conflicts to=20
send short articles in which, besides analysis, also ways and means=20
of resolving the Babri Mosque-Ram Mandir conflict.
[...]
Ishtiaq Ahmed
Moderator Asiapeace
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
Stockholm University
Tel: work: 00 46 8 16 26 24
<mailto:Ishtiaq.Ahmed@s...>Ishtiaq.Ahmed@s...

[...]

2) Prof. I. K. Shukla (member Asiapeace) writes:

If the nation's civil society so-called doesn't come to the rescue of the
Muslims in Gujarat, there is no easy escape or sanctuary to guarantee any,
even a flimsy and fleeting, safety to this beleagured minority. VHP and
saffronazis are armed terrorists, with the state in Gujarat and NDelhi
conniving and complicit. This bodes ill for India, and for Muslims
rightaway, a holocaust. BJP and NDA can be counted upon to propitiate the

VHP gangsters. This cancer is corroding the body politic of India, and the
social fabric is in tatters, thanks to the exertions of Hindutva traitors.
VHP is pledged to defy India, is avowedly an outlaw outfit. Unless the
terrorists of the saffron stable are coralled and publicly punished, unless
the communal Hindutva parties are banned, unless the democratic proscriptio=
n
against irreligious bodies joining the political game on the sly is
ruthlessly enforced, India is doomed. The sick and criminal mindset of
Hindutva makes a mockery of Constitution, democracy, modernity. To allow
such a gang to exist is a national disgrace, a monumental treason.

I.K.Shukla

3) Pritam Singh (member Asiapeace) writes:

If the killers of Sikhs had been punished appropriately, that might have ac=
ted
as a deterrence to mass killers. Since many of the guilty of 1984=20
killings still
enjoy importance, the country's political system has given an encouraging
message to mass killers. If the media (especially overseas media) reports =
the
ongoing killing of Muslims in Gujarat ( and here there might be a differenc=
e
with the 1984 killings when nothing of the massacre was shown on TV),=20
that might
put pressure on the state machinery to act.

Pritam Singh

------------------

4 ) JANYALA SREENIVAS & DARSHAN DESAI

AHMEDABAD, FEBRUARY 27: Both Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and Home
Minister L K Advani strongly urged the VHP to exercise restraint in the
wake of the Gujarat killings today. Maybe their message would have been
more effective had they slipped in a couple of words for their own party
and government in Gujarat.

For, there's evidence to show that both the state and the party
machinery are actively pitching in for the VHP's current Ayodhya
campaign. And no one is shy of admitting this.

Says State BJP chief Rajendrasinh Rana: ''Yes, wherever necessary, the
BJP as a party is helping the VHP in taking the sevaks.'' What kind of
help is this? ''Requesting reservations on BJP MPs' quota and clearing
minor hurdles,'' Rana says.

Consider some ''minor'' facts:

* Since February 22, crowds of Ayodhya-bound kar sevaks have been
gathering at the Ahmedabad Railway Station whenever the Sabarmati
Express leaves- thrice a week. That they have support from official
quarters is evident.

On February 24, the Western Railways granted them half the train for
free; entire compartments have been reserved under BJP MPs' and MLAs'
quotas and special changes are made in the train's schedule to
accommodate the VHP's requests.

* ''On a specific request, we have attached three bogies to the
Sabarmati Express,'' says Officer on Special Duty and Area Manager of
Western Railway R K Meena but refused to comment on who made the request
and whether it was paid for or not.

* Sources in the Reservation Section at Ahmedabad said, on February 24
when a mob of around 400 sevaks took over three reserved compartments
evicting families with valid tickets, the Western Railways was forced to
refund about 100 tickets.

* At Karnamukteshwar Temple, near the new cloth market in Ahmedabad,
Vikas Telian, regional organisational secretary of RSS, oversees
distribution of food packets to the sevaks. ''These people have come
from far-off places. We have to take care of them. Sevaks from all parts
of Gujarat will be going to Ayodhya and we are making all arrangements
for them,'' Telian says.

* Trucks laden with foodgrains arrive at a nearby makeshift godown.
''They have been donated by BJP members, many of whom own provision
stores or rice mills,'' says Devshibhai, the local organisational
secretary of VHP.

* Says Jayeshbhai Dholakia, the Saurashtra-Kutch VHP unit secretary:

''The BJP's doctors and advocate cells have done their bit by arranging
for tickets and reservations. Councillors have helped by arranging
donations.''

* ''People are donating freely,'' says VHP Ahmedabad City General
Secretary Jaibhai Shah, ''but if we have any problem, sometimes the BJP
does help.''

* Special luxury buses bring the 'sevaks' from as far as Jamnagar and
Veraval to the Ahmedabad Railway Station and each trip costs Rs 8,000.
''We were told by our sarpanch at the BJP office in Jodia that the VHP
will take care of everything,'' says Arvindbhai Solanki from Jodia
taluka.

* Several BJP corporators including Amit Shah are organising trips to
Ayodhya along with their supporters.

If the lines are blurred on the ground, they aren't any clearer in the
Assembly. In fact, when the Godhra tragedy came up for a special
discussion in the Assembly today, the demand for Zero Hour came not from
the Opposition first-as is the norm-but from a ruling party MLA, Maya
Kodnani, a known Vishwa Hindu Parishad activist.

And it did not surprise anyone that almost all BJP MLAs were on their
feet shouting ''Shame shame'' at the Opposition Congress even before the
government had replied.

The communal overtone was clear since the Congress here is seen as
''pro-minority.'' The man, who was explaining the details of the Godhra
incident, was Minister of State for Home Gordhan Jhadaphia, a staunch
VHP activist, who has never minced words about this fact.

By the time Jhadaphia and RSS pracharak and Chief Minister Narendra Modi
rushed to Godhra, two ministers, Ashok Bhatt and Bhupendra Lakhawala,
had already reached there. Bhatt, along with Union Minister of State for
Defence Harin Pathak, was allegedly involved in the 1985 communal riots.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

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