[sacw] SACW | 30 May 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire Dispatch | 30 May 2002
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

All are Invited to visit the Updated web pages of South Asians Against Nuke=
s:
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/NoNukes.html
__________________________

#1. The Most Dangerous Place in the World (Salman Rushdie)
#2. India, Pakistan urged to avoid war
#3. SAHR asks India, Pak to ensure peace
#4. Update on Peace march of National Alliance of People's Movement
#5. Us and them (Divya Dwivedi)
#6. Newshour with Jim Lehrer [on Gujarat]
#7. Women Targeted during India's Violence
#8. Buddhists protest projection of Buddha as Hindu god's incarnation
#9. VHP launches oust-Gill campaign
__________________________

#1.

The New York Times
30 May 2002

The Most Dangerous Place in the World
By SALMAN RUSHDIE

he present Kashmir crisis feels like a d=E9j=E0 vu replay of the last
one. Three years ago a weak Indian coalition government led by the
Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party had just lost a confidence
vote in India's Parliament and was nervously awaiting a general
election. At once it began to beat the war drums over Kashmir. Now
another coalition government, still led by the B.J.P. and deeply
tainted by B.J.P. supporters' involvement in the massacre of hundreds
of Muslims in Gujarat State, may be about to lose another general
election. So here goes the government again, talking up a Kashmiri
war and asking India to stand firm behind its leadership.

Three years ago in Pakistan, the equally weak government of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif had bankrupted the national economy and was
facing well-documented corruption charges. Mr. Sharif, too, had much
to gain from war fever - fed by the various Muslim terrorist groups
operating in Kashmir. The hawkish Pakistani general then responsible
for communicating with and training those terrorist groups was one
Pervez Musharraf. (By the way - just so we're clear on who Mr.
Musharraf, now Pakistan's president, really is - some of these groups
were almost certainly sent by Pakistan's intelligence service to
Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan.) When Nawaz Sharif succumbed to
American pressure and promised to rein in the terrorists, General
Musharraf was furious. A few months later he overthrew Mr. Sharif in
a coup and seized power.

Will the outcome also be a replay of three years ago? Will the
conflict be contained again?

This time President Musharraf is the one being pressed by the United
States to stamp out Kashmiri terrorism. He has been playing a double
game, arresting hundreds of members of the groups he once fostered
but quietly freeing most of them soon afterward. Caught between two
necessities - placating his major international sponsor and playing
to the home audience - he may well in the end follow his deepest
political instincts: to support (overtly or covertly) the Islamist
radicals who have terrorized the once idyllic valley of Kashmir for
well over a decade.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of India, with his talk of a
"decisive battle," clearly feels that direct military action,
resulting in the reconquest of some if not all of the Kashmiri
territory now under Pakistani control, is the only way of preventing
attacks like the atrocity this month in which women and children were
slaughtered at an Indian army base. Mr. Vajpayee knows that Indian
rule is unpopular in the valley, that the Indian army looks to many
Kashmiris like an army of occupation. But he will also have
calculated that in the opinion of the international community, and
also of many fearful, near-destitute Kashmiris, Pakistan's protracted
sponsorship of terrorism has damaged its claims to moral legitimacy.

Would a war between India and Pakistan, if it came, go nuclear?

Pakistan, with its suggestively timed missile tests, its refusal to
adopt a policy of not being the first to use nuclear arms and its
hawkish talk, is trying to give the impression that it would have no
compunction about using its nuclear arsenal. India's military
leadership has said that if attacked with nuclear bombs it would
respond with maximum force and that in such a conflict India would
sustain heavy damage but survive, whereas Pakistan would be destroyed
utterly.

Is it really likely, however, that Pakistan would, so to speak, strap
a nuclear weapon to its belly, walk into the crowded bazaar that is
India and turn itself into the biggest suicide bomber in history?

Mr. Musharraf doesn't look like martyr material. Ah, but if he were
losing a conventional war? If India's overwhelming numerical
superiority on land, at sea and in the air won the day and Pakistan
lost its prized Kashmiri land, would reason be swept aside? Worst of
all, if Pakistani fury at a military defeat by India were to result
in Mr. Musharraf's overthrow by Islamist hard-liners, Pakistan's
nuclear warheads could fall into the hands of people for whom
martyrdom is a higher goal than peace, people who value death more
highly than life.

Pakistan is calling on the international community to intervene, but
this call must be heard with caution. For half a century Pakistan has
sought to internationalize the Kashmiri dispute while India has
consistently described that effort as interference in its internal
affairs. Both sides are locked into old language, old strategies and
an old game of chicken that's currently playing itself out across the
Line of Control. Like two aged wrestlers fighting on a cliff, India
and Pakistan are locked together, rolling ever closer to the edge.

But their ancient hatred is no longer a matter only for them. The
risk of a nuclear battle, however improbable, makes Kashmir
everybody's problem. Right now it's the most dangerous place in the
world. These pathetic old fighters must be pulled apart, and soon.
Yes, that probably does mean intervention by the West, though Russia
seems eager to help as well, which is useful.

This should not, however, be the intervention that Pakistan wants.
The point is not to restrain Indian "aggression," but to make the
world safer for us all. The situation can only be stabilized if India
and Pakistan are both forced to back away, preferably to outside of
Kashmir's historic, unpartitioned borders. This "hands off Kashmir"
solution will have to be externally imposed on the reluctant
principals and will require that a large peacekeeping force be sent
to the region to support Kashmir as an autonomous area. But who in
the West wants that - it's just the old colonialist-imperialist power
trip, isn't it? And who's supposed to pay for all this peacekeeping,
anyway?

The answers to those questions are also questions: What's the
alternative? Do you have a better idea? Or shall we just stand back
and keep our postcolonial, nonimperialist fingers crossed? Will it
take mushroom clouds over Delhi and Islamabad to make us give up our
ingrained prejudices and try something that might actually work? In
the immortal words of the Spice Girls, "Will this d=E9j=E0 vu never end?"

Salman Rushdie is the author of "Fury: A Novel" and the forthcoming
essay collection "Step Across This Line."

_____

#2.

DAWN (Pakistan)
29 May 2002

India, Pakistan urged to avoid war
By Our Correspondent

HYDERABAD, May 28: The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human=20
Rights and former chairperson Human Rights Commission of Pakistan,=20
Asma Jehangir has urged both India and Pakistan to avoid war because=20
even the richest countries in the world today could not afford war.
At the same time she asked President Pervez Musharraf to resort to=20
what she described 'de-jihadization' in the country because it was=20
far more necessary for the people. She said that there was great=20
worry about an imminent war between the two nuclear powers of the=20
subcontinent.
Speaking to this correspondent on Sunday in Khipro after attending a=20
Hari Convention, Ms Asma said that war could be avoided and it must=20
be avoided at all costs because it was always the last resort.
She said that the rulers would have to set the tone for dialogue. She=20
called upon India to lift the ban imposed on people-to-people contact.
Ms Asma stressed the need for public diplomacy and people-to-people=20
contact. She came hard on jihadi forces in the country saying that=20
the jihadi industry was the worst thing for our domestic concerns.
She said that in the wake of the post-September 11 scenario the=20
government would have to review its policy viz-a-viz jihadi forces.=20
She, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of practical=20
measures against jihadis. "We have enough of rhetoric on the part of=20
General Pervez Musharraf but he is zero at delivery." She said that=20
Gen Musharraf had lost his credibility.
Referring to the forthcoming general elections, she called for=20
immediate removal of the chief election commissioner, adding that=20
under him she did not expect fair elections.
She opined that she was least bothered about who was coming into=20
power but was more concerned about transparent and fair elections=20
being held.
Ms Asma asserted that in case the witch-hunting of politicians=20
continued then the government would complicate the issues. She said,=20
"One thing is absolutely clear that if the people are less fond of=20
corrupt politicians, then they are lesser fond of a military regime=20
in the country."
She exhorted the government to begin the democratic process from=20
somewhere without delay. Severely criticizing the proposed National=20
Security Council, she said that since it was backed by an army=20
president, therefore it was a negation of restoring real democracy.
PRIVATE JAILS: Meanwhile, Asma Jehangir has made it clear that all=20
the private jails would be eliminated wherever they exist. She said=20
this while talking to a delegation of the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz,=20
led by Dr Mir Alam Marri, at Khipro on Sunday.
He strongly pleaded the case of Achro Thar, asking the HRCP=20
chairperson to constitute a fact-finding team to highlight his issue,=20
which had been neglected by the government. He said that this area=20
had no resources right from water to drainage, and from health to=20
education.
Mr Mari said that the agriculture of the province had been ruined=20
during the last couple of years.

_____

#3.

The Asian Age

SAHR asks India, Pak to ensure peace
- By Agency

New Delhi, May 27: In a statement released on Monday, South Asians=20
for Human Rights has called upon peace loving citizens of India and=20
Pakistan to "come forward and resist this mentality" of hate between=20
the two countries.

In the statement SAHR said, "the spectre of another conflict between=20
India and Pakistan is again haunting one-fifth of humankind. At the=20
same time the people desire only peace."

"They recognise the historical truth that war has never solved any=20
issue and that a war between India and Pakistan at this point in time=20
will further fuel the focus of militancy, terrorism and=20
quasi-religious bigotry that have already soured relations between=20
these closest neighbours and also plagued domestic peace on both=20
sides," it further stated.

_____

#4.

MAY 28, 2002
Update on Sadbhavna Padyatra Chitrakoot - Ayodhaya
(May 27-June 21, 2002).

Dear friends,
Sadbhavna Padyatra of NAPM from Chitrakoot to
Ayodhaya via Allahabad and Varanasi, started on May
27. It will conclude in Ayodhaya on June 21.
A report in this regard, is attached below. This
is written by senior Journalist and activist Farha
Salman. We shall provide you with regular updates as
far as possible.
If you need any information or help or assistance
in joining or supporting this march, please feel free
to contact us.
banking on your support,
best regards,

bobby ramakant
for
Sandeep & Arundhati
NAPM
A-893, Indira Nagar, Lucknow-226016. India.
Phone : 0 98390 7 33 55
Fax : 0522 35 30 20
email : ramakantbobby@y...

A PEACE MARCH WITH A DIFFERENCE
Farah Salman

Peace march of National Alliance of People's
Movement began from Chitrakoot on May 27, 2002. The
activists led by Sandeep Pandey, left the pilgrim town
of Chitrakoot for Dadri on Monday, and will then walk
to Allahabad, barefoot, before heading towards yet
another holy city, Varanasi, the padyatra for peace,
unity and amity is a statement no doubt.
The padyatra leader Sandeep Pandey will, at it's
conclusion, begin a fast-unto-death in an effort to
convey to the sangh parivar, particularly the VHP,
that meaningless violence is not the answer to
anything, therefore bagan with a parikrama of
Kamadgiri, one of the country's most revered hindu
religious places. Before this, the padyatris and their
supporters from different parts of the country sought
the blessings of the local church and islamic
leadership and before the march began held a public
meeting at the main Kamadgiri gate.
This meeting would ordinarily have been just
another gathering of social activists and peace
protesters, but quite a few things made it different
enough for participants to feel that their efforts had
touched a level above the mere token activism. To
begin with, there was the unexpected local support.
People from every walks of life, were at the
launch, and even as the preliminary parts of the
programme were held, the activists received many
spontaneous gestures of support. As they walked
through Chitrakoot, a local businessman - petrol pump
owner - Ajay Agaarwal, who had no prior involvement
with the cause, arranged refreshments for all of them.
In the muslim neighbourhood, they were served
'sherbet' by the residents. Even newly appointed
District Magistrate DP Kureel, stopped by 'uninvited'
to pledge support.
And to their great surprise, two leading religious
figures of Chitrakoot, Dr.Purshottam Das Mahant, of
Sri Kamadgiri Pradakshina Pramukh Dwar Trust, and Shri
1008 Mahant Ramashray Das, of the Nirmohi Akhada,
arrived unexpectedly at the Kamadgiri main gate, just
as the padyatra was about to commence. As discussions
at this point, were largely centered on communalism in
Gujarat, and the terrible excesses against muslim
women and children by people owing allegiance to the
sangh parivar, the arrival of the Mahants naturally
led to some anxiety. For a few flustered moments, no
one knew what to do. It was only when Mahant Ramashray
Das began to speak of how much he hoped the yatra
would be a success, and how significant it was that
social activists and NOT politicians were the moving
force behind it, there was much relief all around.

Dr.Purshottam Das meanwhile had set his feelings
on peace and communal harmony down in verse, and he
read his poem to the gathering. So inspiring were the
words like "Saathi Kabhi na peechhe hatna, manzil sab
ki ek hai, path anek ho bhale hamare, chalna saath
vivek hai".
Both Mahants were only critical of VHP and it's
temple movement and offered all possible support to
the campaign for peace.

One more thing that set the program apart was the
eyewitness accounts of the activists who have been to
Gujarat since the violence began, and readings from a
report of a fact-finding team, which tells the tales
of the women survivors of the worst kind of
atrocities, had many of the women activists in
unashamed tears. Even the rural Vanangana activists
responded to the suffering of sisters in far away
Gujarat with remarkable empathy.
While some cried with those who were telling them
of the way women and young girls were being treated by
the rioters and the administration, some like the
intripid RamDayya, reacted with anger, demanding that
the perpetrators and their backers, including CM Modi
be hanged.

_____

#5.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/300502/detoff01.asp
The Hindustan Times, Thursday, May 30, 2002

Us and them
Divya Dwivedi

Why am I going to Gujarat? Ever since the riots began, I had this=20
vague urge to go to Gujarat and see for myself its reality.=20
'Gujarat', the word does not denote a mere geographical space=20
anymore; it has become a signifier for a lot of things: charred=20
bodies, spilled brains, refugee camps, faceless mobs, government=20
disclaimers, the real death toll.

This linguistic space, a thousand kilometers away, whose "7 killed,=20
43 injured" could have been a headline just as well for Kashmir. The=20
reality that the word has subsumed into blanket images of gleaming=20
swords and fanatic mobs, began revealing as I got off at the Kalupur=20
railway station along with a group of students from Delhi University.

Everything seemed normal. The world was carrying on in its familiar=20
rhythm. Familiar except for a shop with blackened shutters, a neat=20
gleaming shopping complex with one floor charred and gaping holes=20
between sooty concrete pillars, a battered roof among mangled iron. I=20
was staring at them but the posh, Hindu-dominated west Ahmedabad=20
seemed completely self-absorbed.

Later we entered the Walled City. The city of 'borders' that had=20
'come up' after the 1969 riots. Of 'Hindu aur Muslim ilaaka'. Of rows=20
of burnt shops and houses, looted and bombed with gas cylinders, with=20
acid bottles whose unique chemical eats away even the plaster and=20
cement while burning the walls. Walls that in Sundaramnagar were=20
mowed down by trucks. Of the Jhoolta Minar under which a small camp=20
in a 'Muslim ghetto' is unable at night to protect itself from=20
miscreant bombs; families and men who have been 'combed' and held by=20
the police for 15 days, on suspicion of being terrorists or rioters.

Of the Chartoda Kabristan of Gomtipur atop whose dead graves live=20
human beings; they toss and turn with the heat worrying whether they=20
will be stoned to death or shot dead when they go back to their=20
demolished chawls everyday to bathe and defecate because there is no=20
water or sanitation system worth its name here. These people in these=20
appalling camps for almost three months, whose hopes for a safe=20
future are being systematically frustrated - they want to speak.

They want to speak of February 28 and March 1. They want to speak of=20
every Friday after the hour of namaaz and every Sunday after 2 pm=20
when the dhamaal used to start afresh. They want to speak of their=20
mothers, sisters, and children being killed and raped as the police=20
shielded the mobs and fired at the victims to 'disperse the rioters'.=20
They want to speak of how their amicable dalit neighbours were paid=20
to get drunk so as to 'indulge' in the carnage. They want to speak=20
because 'they' - the killers and rapists - are still armed and free.

They want to speak because wherever they go, to file FIRs, to pay=20
electricity bills, to withdraw their children's school certificates=20
they hear the same thing: "Bill bhar ke kya karoge, tum log to bas do=20
maheene ke mehmaan ho."

I have come back from Gujarat with the ignominious vocabulary of=20
'Hindu' and 'Muslim', 'us' and 'them' that has completely fractured=20
the precarious secularism of the language I used to pride myself on.=20
Because this is the reality that the Hindutva lobby wanted to foist=20
on us. And this precisely is what I have now resolved to resist, no=20
matter how puny my power or how small my voice.

_____

#6.

Newshour with Jim Lehrer [on Gujarat]
May 29, 2002

Real Audio version:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/jan-june02/india_5-29.html

Correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro of Twin Cities Public Television
reports on the internal struggle between Hindus and Muslims in western
India.

_____

#7.

http://www.womensenews.org

INTERNATIONAL
Report Says Women Targeted during India's Violence

By Barbara Crossette - WEnews correspondent

Photo: Residents at the Chartoda Kabristan camp in Ahmedabad. The=20
camp, with 6,000 residents, is located on the site of a Muslim=20
graveyard. Residents were sleeping in the open, between the graves.=20
Copyright 2002 Smita Narula/Human Rights Watch. -

(WOMENSENEWS)--In the Indian state of Gujarat, where attacks on=20
Muslims by Hindu mobs have killed at least 1,000 people in the last=20
three months, a shattered woman named Jannat Sheikh lives in helpless=20
agony.

In one terror-filled day, this Muslim mother saw her husband tortured=20
and burned alive, her baby niece doused in gasoline and set on fire,=20
her mother-in-law raped and teen-age girls in the neighborhood=20
rounded up and stripped before being sexually abused in the street.

"The police were on the spot, but helping the mob," she told a group=20
of Indian women of mixed religious backgrounds who set out late in=20
March to document what they feared most: that Muslim women in Gujarat=20
have become primary victims of behavior that ranks with=20
internationally recognized war crimes.

The delegation, sponsored by a civic organization in Ahmedabad called=20
Citizen's Initiative, found that at least 100,000 Muslims remain in=20
overcrowded refugee camps in the state and others are in hiding or=20
living with family or friends. Among them are countless women whose=20
stories have never been heard. Their men dead, their homes and=20
businesses destroyed, these vulnerable women have no hope of=20
returning to a normal life any time soon. Their stories echo those of=20
abused women who survived the ethnic cleansing of Bosnia or the=20
genocide in Rwanda.

"We have been shaken and numbed by the scale and brutality of the=20
violence that is still continuing in Gujarat," the six-member team of=20
women said in their report, published privately in India in April.=20
"Despite reading news reports, we were unprepared for what we saw and=20
heard; for fear in the eyes and anguish in the words of ordinary=20
women whose basic human right to live a life of dignity has been=20
snatched away from them," reads the report, titled "How Has the=20
Gujarat Massacre Affected Minority Women? The Survivors Speak."

Diverse Group of Intellectuals Express Alarm over Gujarat Attacks

The six women who went to Gujarat to document the victimization of=20
Muslim women represent a variety of independent organizations,=20
including the Muslim Women's Forum in New Delhi and the multi-ethnic=20
National Alliance of Women in Bangalore. They join a growing body of=20
Indian intellectuals expressing outrage at not only what is happening=20
to Muslims in that state, which has a Hindu nationalist government,=20
but also the failure of the federal government in New Delhi, also led=20
by Hindu nationalists, to act decisively. The filmmaker Mira Nair has=20
called the events in Gujarat a "pogrom." Others say the Hindu attacks=20
tarnish the secular image of India and strip it of credibility when=20
it berates Islamic militancy.

The violence in Gujarat began on Feb. 27, when a group of Hindu=20
militants returning from a pilgrimage were attacked after their train=20
stopped at the town of Godhra. The Hindus, some reports say, may have=20
taken food without paying Muslim vendors at previous stops; when they=20
reached Godhra, angry Muslims on the platform, possibly incited by=20
unidentified provocateurs, set fire to the train. Fifty-nine people=20
died. The women's investigating team noted that many of the Hindu=20
dead were also women. In the wake of the attack on the train, Hindus=20
in Gujarat began a massacre of Muslims in many neighborhoods.

"In many ways," they report, "women have been the central characters=20
in the Gujarat carnage and their bodies the battleground."

The government's tepid response to well-organized attacks on Muslims=20
in Gujarat--the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi--has led to the=20
resignation of one minister in the national coalition government led=20
by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party, which survived a=20
censure motion in Parliament only on a narrow, partisan vote.

In Gujarat, it took politicians, led by Chief Minister Narendra Modi,=20
and the police three days in early March to stop the initial violence=20
against Muslims and attacks still go on--except in a few places where=20
local leaders have taken a strong stand against it or Hindu neighbors=20
or rural tribal people have come to the aid of besieged families.

Women Bear Brunt of Violence

The targeting of women in mob violence is not new, but international=20
law experts and women's organizations say that this tactic has become=20
common in the civil disturbances and guerrilla wars that have come to=20
symbolize conflict over the last decade worldwide: Women, who bear=20
the sons of the "enemy," must either be destroyed or impregnated by=20
other side. The women collecting testimony in Gujarat in March said=20
they saw video footage of graffiti on charred buildings saying,=20
"Muslims quit India or we will ---- your mothers!" Women told them of=20
being gored in the stomach, having a fetus ripped out or having=20
sticks inserted in their vaginas.

Saira Banu said at a camp called Shah-E-Alam that this is what=20
happened to the sister of her sister-in-law: "She was nine-months=20
pregnant. They cut open her belly, took out her fetus with a sword=20
and threw it into a blazing fire. Then they burnt her as well." When=20
the visitors asked a child of 9 whether she knew the meaning of rape,=20
the little girl answered: "Rape is when a woman is stripped naked and=20
then burnt."

The women's team, which met with local politicians and police=20
officers, recommends that an independent inquiry commission should be=20
set up, headed by an Indian Supreme Court justice, to examine the=20
violence, beginning with the attack on the train at Godhra. Victims=20
need to have their cases registered and acted on by the police, the=20
team said, adding that special courts should be established to try=20
the accused, including public officials. The women also recommend the=20
dismissal of the state government, which the Indian Prime Minister,=20
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has the power to do. And they ask India to face=20
up squarely to sexual violence against Muslim women and the overall=20
threat to India's Islamic minority.

"The issue of sexual violence is grossly underreported," the team said.

Barbara Crossette is a former New York Times correspondent in India=20
and the author of three books on Asia.

For more information:

"How Has the Gujarat Massacre Affected Minority Women? - The=20
Survivors Speak": -=20
http://www.ektaonline.org/cac/resources/articles/womensreport.htm

http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/Women_s_reportGujrat02.html

Human Rights Watch report on State Participation and - Complicity in=20
Communal Violence in Gujarat -=20
http://hrw.org/reports/2002/india/India0402-03.htm#P527_94439

"How has the Gujarat Massacre Affected Minority Women?" -=20
http://167.216.192.97/gujarat/sec1.shtml

For photos, check:
HRW, communalism combat
And for other articles, see:
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/#information & analysis section on the=20
recent Communal
Riots in Gujarat, India
>
>
> (iii) Communalism Combat 'Genocide Gujarat 2002' issue
http://www.sabrang.com/cc/current/index.html

>
> (iv) report of the independent fact-finding mission comprised of Kamal M=
itra
> Chenoy, S.P. Shukla, K.S. Subramaniam and Achin Vanaik
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/GujCarnage.html

Another great resource:
http://www.onlinevolunteers.org

http://www.ektaonline.org/cac/resources/reports/index.htm has the links to
all these reports and they can all be read on the web.
gory photos:
http://www.genocideinindia.org (check out their photo galleries)
http://www.imrc.ws/html/photos.html
other photos:
Hindustan times also has a photo gallery at the sidebar in
http://167.216.192.97/gujarat/homepage.shtml
also, http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020303/main8.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1846000/1846453.st=
m
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1856000/1856433.st=
m

Copyright 2002 Women's Enews.

______

#8.

Buddhists protest projection of Buddha as Hindu god's incarnation

By Imran Khan, Indo Asian News Service

Patna, May 27 (IANS) Buddhists are up in arms against attempts to project
Lord Buddha as an incarnation of Hindu god Vishnu.

Minor skirmishes broke out Sunday over the issue between Buddhists and
Hindus gathered in Bodh Gaya, the pilgrim town 110 km south of this capital
city, where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment.

The occasion was Buddh Purnima, the full moon day when the Buddha is said t=
o
have been born 2,546 years ago. The event is the most important on the
Buddhist calendar.

Buddhists from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India gathered
in large numbers at Bodh Gaya to celebrate. But they objected to Hindu
rightwing groups trying to portray Buddha as the "ninth incarnation of Lord
Vishnu."

But some say the real bone of contention between the two groups is control
over the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya.

In March, Buddhist monks at the historic temple kicked up a storm, demandin=
g
that its entire management be handed over to them instead of being headed b=
y
a Hindu.

Around 200 Buddhist monks encircled the 7th-century temple in Bodh Gaya and
sat on protest.

This month the All India Monks' Association asked Shankaracharya Jayendra
Saraswati of Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu to intervene in the tussle between
Hindus and Buddhists over the control of the temple.

The temple ownership is vested with the state government while its
management comprises a committee of nine members nominated by the state
government, with a Hindu district magistrate as its chairman.

As per the 1949 Temple Management Act, a Buddhist cannot become committee
chairman as the post is reserved for a Hindu. If the district magistrate
happens to be a non-Hindu, the state government has to nominate a Hindu.

But a group of Buddhist leaders have accused the temple management committe=
e
of indifference in the maintenance of the sacred place and demanded that
they be handed over control.

Hindu rightwing groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have
been opposing any amendment in the Temple Management Act as they see
Buddhism as part of the larger Hindu family.

Bodh Gaya remains the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centre, attracting
a large number of pilgrims and tourists from across the world.

The temple's main attraction is a 150-foot high pyramid spire at the site o=
f
the Buddha's original Bodhi Tree, along with a golden image of the Buddha.

--Indo-Asian News Service
______

#9.

The Hindustan Times (New Delhi)
Thursday, May 30, 2002

VHP launches oust-Gill campaign
Raveen Thukral
(Ahmedabad, May 29)
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal have launched a=20
covert campaign to get K.P.S. Gill out of Gujarat. They are believed=20
to have the blessings of certain ministers in the Narendra Modi=20
government, who are pulling whatever strings they have in Delhi to=20
have the 'supercop' recalled.

The reason the Hindutva organisations are irked is easy to seek:=20
during the past fortnight, there has been a massive crackdown on=20
Hindu extremists.

The VHP and Bajrang Dal, said sources, have been under great pressure=20
from the families of arrested youths to 'act'. Gill, however, has=20
remained firm - refusing to interfere with the process of law.

It is learnt that among the Gujarat ministers keen on seeing the=20
government's security adviser leave is Gordhanbhai Zadaphiya. The=20
state home minister is a member of the VHP and a loyalist of Parishad=20
international secretary Praveen Togadia. That there may be others on=20
the anti-Gill list was demonstrated when two other ministers - Bharat=20
Bharot and Kaushik Patel - kept away from a meeting convened by the=20
officer recently.

Chief Minister Modi himself shares frosty relations with Gill. He=20
refuses to mention the 'supercop' at his public meetings, and Gill=20
prefers to work out of his room at the CRPF guesthouse, than to=20
attend office at the CM secretariat.

It is believed that the almost instant results produced by Gill, and=20
his feting by the media, has made Modi feel deeply insecure and=20
resentful. Among his friends, Gill can count, apart from the union=20
home ministry, the Muslims of Gujarat.

Initial apprehensions of his being a "tyrant" who had been brought in=20
to "flush them out like Punjab terrorists", have been allayed, and=20
the Muslims have now reposed full faith in him.

The feared Punjab Police - a force with a reputation for human rights=20
violations - too did not arrive, much to the relief of the community.=20
On his part, Gill has made all the right moves.

By handpicking Ahmedabad's police commissioner, he has sent out=20
signals that he means business, triggering a general sense of urgency=20
in the police force.

However, a section of policemen continue to feel aggrieved by Gill's=20
appointment. "What has he done," said an officer.

Several policemen have alleged the government had prevented them from=20
cracking down on rioters. Gill's initial request for Punjab commandos=20
too has not gone down well.

"He thinks that our force is not capable of handling such=20
situations," said an officer. Forces from Gujarat had been sent to=20
Punjab during the days of terrorism, he recalled.

--=20
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