31 jailed for life for burning alive 33 in a house during Gujarat riots, 42 walk free

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111110/jsp/nation/story_14731269.jsp

31 jailed for life for burning alive 33 in a house during Gujarat riots, 42 walk free

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Relatives of the accused wait for the verdict outside the court in Mehsana on Wednesday. (PTI) Ahmedabad, Nov. 9: A fast-track court in Gujarat today jailed 31 riot accused for burning alive nearly three dozen people, including children, as they hid in a house from a mob in one of the worst massacres during the 2002 violence. All 31 have been sentenced to life in prison for the March 1 mayhem in Sardarpura village in Mehsana district, 18km from chief minister Narendra Modi’s hometown Vadnagar. The number of convictions is the same as that for the Godhra train fire, which had killed 59 people two days earlier and triggered the riots. Of the 73 tried for murder, rioting, arson and criminal conspiracy in the Sardarpura case, judge S.C. Srivastava let off 42. Of those acquitted, 31 got the “benefit of doubt”. Among those convicted today of the nocturnal carnage were two former sarpanchs of Sardarpura village, one from the ruling BJP and the other a Congress member. According to the police case, a mob of around 1,500 people had attacked a Muslim locality known as Sheikh Mohalla. While many fled, the mob surrounded those who took shelter in the house of one Ibrahim Sheikh. The rioters locked the house from outside and set it on fire, burning alive 17 women, 11 children and five men who were hiding inside. Rights activist Fr Cedric Prakash welcomed the verdict, saying the wheels of truth and justice were slowly but surely moving in the “right direction”. The conviction of so many in a single case of communal violence in the country, he added, is “unprecedented”. The convictions in the village massacre, one of the nine cases probed by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), are the first in a case related to the Gujarat violence since a special court’s February 22 verdict on the Godhra train fire. On March 1 this year, the special court trying those accused of the Godhra train fire had handed death to 11 people and jailed for life 20, terming the case “rarest of rare”. SIT chairman R.K. Raghavan said today’s verdict was “very satisfying”. “I am happy with it. I don’t know if it is the biggest-ever conviction in the riot case, but 31 people convicted for life imprisonment in a riot case is a sizeable number,” said. Former state police chief R.B. Sreekumar, who is fighting for riot victims, hailed the verdict as “historic”. “Never before in the history of the trial of communal riot cases in the country these many people have been sentenced,” Sreekumar said, adding that there hadn’t been so many convictions even in the Bhagalpur riot cases. So far, 245 people have been convicted of involvement in the riots that broke out in and around Bhagalpur, Bihar, in 1989. Altogether 864 cases were filed, of which 329 went to trial. But the highest number of convictions in a single case — the Logai massacre in which 116 people were killed — was 14. The verdict was delivered on June 18, 2007. In all, 736 people have been acquitted. Cases are still on in various courts. Advocate Y.B. Sheikh said over 80 witness identified the accused in the Sardarpura case. Among those convicted were three electricity board employees — Madhur Trigam, Ramanbhai and Jayant — who helped the rioting mob identify the house where the minority community members had taken shelter. Then village sarpanch Kanubhai Patel, an active BJP member who led the mob, tried to mislead the police during the investigation but was later arrested along with his successor, Kacharabhai Patel, a member of the Congress. Current sarpanch B.K. Patel, a BJP member, confirmed the political affiliations of both Kanubhai and Kacharabhai. Most of those convicted are from the dominant Patel community, said Sardarpura resident Munsaf Khan. Of the 42 acquitted, 11 were freed because of “lack of evidence”, while the rest were given the “benefit of doubt”. These 31 have been asked to submit a solvency bond of Rs 25,000 each and the court has directed them not to leave the country without its permission. Asked whether the SIT would challenge the acquittals, Raghavan said: “We would be examining the text of the order before taking a decision on the issue.”

2002 Gujarat violence

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until thedispute is resolved. (January 2009)

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

The 2002 Gujarat violence describes the Godhra train burning and resulting communal riots between Hindus and Muslims. On 27 February 2002 at Godhra City in the state of Gujarat, the Sabarmati Express train was attacked by a large Muslim mob^[1][2] in a conspiracy.^[3] But some authentic sources deny the claim that there was a conspiracy.^[4] As a result, 58 Hindu pilgrims, mostly women and children of ladies compartment returning from Ayodhya, were killed. The attack prompted retaliatory massacres against Muslims and communal riots on a large scale, in which 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed and 223 more people were reported missing.^[5][6] 523 places of worship were damaged: 298 dargahs, 205 mosques, 17 temples, and 3 churches. Muslim-owned businesses suffered the bulk of the damage. 61,000 Muslims and 10,000 Hindus fled their homes. Preventive arrests of 17,947 Hindus and 3,616 Muslims were made. In total 27,901 Hindus and 7,651 Muslims were arrested. Nearly 10,000 rounds of bullets were fired in police shootings that killed 93 Muslims and 77 Hindus.^{[7][8][9][10]}

The nature of the events remains politically controversial in India. Some commentators have characterized the massacres of Muslims as a genocide in which the state was complicit,^[11] while some government sources have countered that the Muslim dead were victims of mere "riots" or "disturbances".^[12]

Contents   [hide]  1 Godhra train burning, investigations and judgements 2 Post Godhra violence 2.1 Attacks on Muslims 2.2 Attacks on Hindus 3 Toll 4 Security failure 5 Role of government and police 6 Criminal prosecutions 7 Public enquiries 7.1 Shah-Nanavati commission 7.2 National Human Rights Commission 7.3 Banerjee Committee 7.4 Concerned Citizens Tribunal 8 Aftermath 9 Relief efforts 10 Media coverage 11 Controversies on the riots 11.1 Atrocities against women 11.2 Riot cases controversy 12 See also 13 References 14 External links 15 Bibliography

[edit]Godhra train burning, investigations and judgements

Main article: Godhra train burning

On 27 February 2002, 58 Hindus including 25 women and 15 children, activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and other Hindu pilgrims (Kar Sevaks) returning by the Sabarmathi express train from Ayodhya,^[13] were burnt alive in a railway coach by a large Muslim mob^[2][3] in a conspiracy.^[3]

Initial media reports blamed the local Muslims for setting the coach on fire,^[14]. The New Nanavati Report states that the Attack on the "Kar Sevaks" on the train from Ayodhya was pre-planned, and exonerates Chief Minister Narendra Modi.^[15] A previous report on the Godhra train burning, filed by Justice Banerjee, a more recent report filed by Justice Nanavati states that it was "pre-planned" by the mob. The Gujarat High Court ruling, as of 2006, has declared as illegal and unconstitutional, setting up of the Umesh Chandra Banerjee committee, which had concluded the fire started by accident. Gujarat High Court quashed the conclusions of the Banerjee Committee and declared its formation as a “colourful exercise,” “illegal, unconstitutional, null and void,” and its argument of accidental fire “opposed to the prima facie accepted facts on record.".^[16][17] According to the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, "most Congress corporators" "and some Congress leaders of Gujarat had actively participated in last year's riots". The majority of the media and party remained silent over the issue Congress role in the riot

However, in September 2008 the Godhra Commission confirmed that there was an attack by a mob.^[2] Going further, the report claims that one Hassan Lalu had thrown burning objects into the train and 140 litres of petrol had been used to set the train on fire, adding that stones were thrown at passengers to stop them from fleeing.

Nine years after the Godhra train went up in flames the court on 22 Feb 2011 pronounced its judgement. Additional Session Judge delivered the verdict and convicted 31 people and acquitted 63.^[18][19][20] The bodies of those killed in the train were brought to Ahmedabad, where a procession was held,^[21] a move seen as a major provocation for the ensuing communal violence.^[22] The VHP issued a call for a state-wide strike on 28 February 2002, which was supported by the BJP.^[23][24] In February 2011, the findings of the Nanavati-Mehta commission were upheld in court, and the Godhra train burning was called a "pre-planned conspiracy". 31 people were convicted of setting fire to the train and "roasting alive 59 helpless kar sevaks."^[25] of which 11 were sentenced to death and 20 to life sentences.^[26]

[edit]Post Godhra violence

Tension gripped parts of Gujarat state while examinations all over the state were canceled. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has called for a statewide bandh to protest burning of Godhra train burning. Fearing communal clashes, administration imposed curfew in several areas. Rapid Action Force were deployed in Godhra's sensitive area and around Godhra station.^[27] The Indian government on March 1st dispatched around 1,000 paramilitary personnel to Gujarat and asked the army to be on standby to maintain law and order in the state. The Army began flag marches in the worst-affected areas and shoot-at-sight orders were issued in 34 curfew-bound cities and towns in Gujarat.^[28]

151 towns and 993 villages^[29] in fifteen to sixteen of the state's 25 districts were affected by the post-Godhra violence, which was particularly severe in about five or six districts. The violence raged largely between 28 February and 3 March, and after a drop, restarted on 15 March, continuing till mid June.^[30] Northern and central Gujarat, as well as the north-eastern tribal belt which are closer to Godhra City, were the worst affected while Saurashtra and Kutch remained largely peaceful.^[29]

[edit]Attacks on Muslims

Attacks by large Hindu mobs began in the districts of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Saberkantha and, for the first time in its history, Gandhinagar on 28 February. Violence spread to the largely rural districts of Panchmahals, Mehsana, Kheda, Junagadh, Banaskantha, Patan, Anand and Narmada the next day. Over the next two days, Bharuch and Rajkot and later Surat were hit.^[31]

The first incidents of attacks on the Muslim community started at Ahmedabad, where Hindus began throwing stones at and later burned a Muslim housing complex known as Gulburg Society, and then spread elsewhere.^[32] The initial violence was believed to be instigated by unsubstantiated rumours, endorsed by a senior VHP leader, of Muslims having kidnapped three Hindu girls during the Godhra train attack.^[32]

In Ahmedabad, the dargah of the Sufi saint-poet Wali Gujarati in Shahibaug and the 16th century Gumte Masjid mosque in Isanpur were destroyed. The Muhafiz Khan Masjid at Gheekanta was ransacked.^[33] Police records list 298 dargahs, 205 mosques, 17 temples and three churches as damaged in the months of March and April.^[34]

[edit]Attacks on Hindus

Attacks on Hindus by Muslim mobs in Danilimda, Modasa, Himmatnagar, Bharuch, Sindhi Market, Bhanderi Pole, and other localities in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat were perpetrated by Muslim mobs.^[35] There was a significant loss of property.^[36][37] Late in March, more than one thousand Hindus in Dariyapur and Kalupur, including 550 dalits, fled their homes to stay in makeshift shelters after being attacked by Muslims mobs.^[38] According to the HRW report, over ten thousand Hindus were made homeless.^[35]

Several Hindu residential areas, including Mahajan No Vaado, a fortified enclave in Muslim dominated Jamalpur, were targeted following calls for retaliation.

In the morning the mosques began announcing that Islam was in danger, that there was poison in the milk. This was used as a code word. The milk was meant to be Muslims & poison meant Hindus. The rioting lasted between 2:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.^[35]

Residents were unable to go to work, fearing attacks. A Hindu temple in the area was destroyed. In Himmatnagar, a young man was killed when he went to a Muslim enclave on business.^[35]

[edit]Toll

According to an official estimate, 1044 people were killed in the violence - 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus including those killed in the Godhra train fire. Another 223 people were reported missing, 2,548 injured, 919 women widowed and 606 children orphaned.^[39]

Unofficial estimates put the death toll closer to 2000, with Muslims forming a high proportion of those killed with a few dozen hindus^[40]

When missing people were declared dead after 7 years, total deaths went up from 1044 to 1,267.^[41][42]

[edit]Security failure

By the evening of 28 February, curfews were imposed in twenty seven towns and cities.^[43] By 25 March, thirty five towns were under curfew.^[44] Police records show 21,563 preventive arrests were made by the end of April (17,947 of the arrested were listed as Hindus and 3,616 as Muslims) as well as 13,989 substantive arrests (9,954 Hindus and 4,035 Muslims).

The New York Times' Celia Dugger reported that witnesses were "dismayed by the lack of intervention from local police", who often "watched the events taking place and took no action against the attacks on Muslims and their property".^[45] Human Rights Watch reported that in some cases members of the state police force led rioting mobs, "aiming and firing at every Muslim who got in the way", or instead of offering assistance "led the victims directly into the hands of their killers."^[46] Calls for assistance to the police, fire brigades, and even ambulance services generally proved futile.^[46]

By the end of April, police recorded 170 people as killed in police firing, of whom 93 were Muslims and 77 were Hindus.^[34]

Hindu residents of Mahajan No Vaado, part of the Muslim dominated area of Jamalpur, told HRW that on 1 March, the police ignored phone calls and left them fend for themselves when a Muslim mob attacked.^[35] Numerous calls by Hindus throughout the riots were reportedly ignored by the police.^[35]

One thousand army troops were flown in by the evening of 1 March to restore order. Intelligence officials alleged that the deployment was deliberately delayed by the state and central governments.^[47] On 3 May, former Punjab police chief K P S Gill was appointed as security adviser to the Chief Minister.^[48]

The Gujarat government transferred several senior police officers who had taken active measures to contain and investigate violent attacks to administrative positions.^[24][49][50]

RB Sreekumar, who served as Gujarat's intelligence chief during the riots, alleged that the state government issued "unconstitutional directives", with officials asking him to kill Muslims involved in rioting or disrupting a Hindu religious event. The Gujarat government denied the allegations, calling them "baseless" and instigated out of malice because Mr. Sreekumar was not promoted.^[51]

Defending the Modi administration in the Rajya Sabha against charges of genocide, BJP spokesman V K Malhotra said that the official toll of 254 Hindus, killed mostly in police firing, indicates how the state authorities took effective steps to curb the violence.^[52] BJP MP and journalist Balbir Punj disputed allegations of bias against Muslims by the BJP-run state government, pointing out that the majority of those arrested during and after the riots were Hindus.^[53]

An unidentified pamphlet circulated to journalists in Gujarat in 2007 labelled Modi's government as anti-Hindu for arresting Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) workers and Hindu activists involved in the riots.^[54]

[edit]Role of government and police

The Gujarat state government was reprimanded immediately for failing to prevent the riots, but then increasingly for actively fomenting and participating in it, which was a far more serious charge. Critiques came repeatedly from the Supreme Court, and the upper house of the Indian parliament unanimously passed a resolution calling for federal intervention in Gujarat; a similar censure motion in the lower house was defeated by about 100 votes.^[55]

The United States Department of State in its International Religious Freedom Report 2003 commented on the episode,^[56] based on a report by USCIRF:

“

India's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), an official body, found evidence in the killings of premeditation by members of Hindu extremist groups; complicity by Gujarat state government officials; and police inaction in the midst of attacks on Muslims. The NHRC also noted "widespread reports and allegations of well-organized persons, armed with mobile telephones and addresses, singling out certain homes and properties for death and destruction in certain districts-sometimes within view of police stations and personnel," suggesting the attacks may have been planned in advance. Christians were also victims in Gujarat, and many churches were destroyed.[57]

”

In April 2002, retired supreme court justices V. R. Krishna Iyer and P. B. Sawant headed a citizen's panel to investigate the riots.^[58] Their report includes testimony of the then GujaratBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Haren Pandya (since murdered), who testified about an evening meeting convened by Narendra Modi the evening of the Godhra train burning. At this meeting, officials were instructed not to obstruct the Hindu rage following the incident.^[59] The report also highlighted a second meeting, held in Lunawada village of Panchmahal district, attended by state ministers Ashok Bhatt, and Prabhatsinh Chauhan, and other BJP and RSS leaders, where "detailed plans were made on the use of kerosene and petrol for arson and other methods of killing."^[60]

In 2003, A comment by G.T. Nanavati, who leads the official commission investigating the riots, that part of the evidence collected and reviewed till then did not indicate any serious lapse on the part of the government or police in Gujarat^[61][62] was criticised as inappropriate by aid and reconciliation activists and other jurists.^[63][64]

Organizations such as Human Rights Watch criticized the Indian government for failure to address the resulting humanitarian condition of people, the "overwhelming majority of them Muslim," who fled their homes for relief camps in the aftermath of the events; as well as the Gujarat state administration for engaging in a cover-up of the state's role in the massacres.^[65]Many of the investigations and prosecution of those accused of violence during the riots have been opened for reinvestigation and prosecution.^[66][67] The large-scale civil unrest has been generally been described as riots or inter-communal clashes.

In response to allegations of state involvement, Gujarat government spokesman, Bharat Pandya, told the BBC that the rioting was a spontaneous Hindu backlash fuelled by widespread anger against Muslims. He said "Hindus are frustrated over the role of Muslims in the on-going violence in Indian-administered Kashmir and other parts of India".^[68]

The US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, John Hanford, expressing concern over religious intolerance in Indian politics, said that while the rioters may have been aided by state and local officials, he did not believe that the BJP-led central government was involved in inciting the riots.^[69]

At the same time, about two hundred policemen lost their lives trying to control the violence in Gujarat.^[70]

[edit]Criminal prosecutions

The Indian Supreme Court has been strongly critical of the state government's investigation and prosecution of those accused of violence during the riots, directing police to review about 2,000 of the 4,000 riot related cases that had been closed citing lack of evidence or leads.^[66] Following this direction, police identified nearly 1,600 cases for reinvestigation, arrested 640 accused and launched investigations against 40 police officers for their failures.^[67][71]

Human Rights Watch alleges^[72] that state and law enforcement officials harass and intimidate^[73] key witnesses, NGOs, social activists and lawyers who are fighting to seek justice for riot victims.

In its 2003 annual report, Amnesty International says, "the same police force that was accused of colluding with the attackers was put in charge of the investigations into the massacres, undermining the process of delivery of justice to the victims."^[74]

The Best Bakery murder trial received wide attention after witnesses retracted testimony in court and all accused were acquitted. The Indian Supreme Court, acting on a petition by social activist Teesta Setalvad, ordered a retrial outside Gujarat in which nine accused were found guilty in 2006.^[75] A key witness, Zaheera Sheikh, who repeatedly changed her testimony during the trials and the petition was found guilty of perjury.^[76]

After a local court dismissed the case against her assailants, Bilkis Bano approached the National Human Rights Commission and petitioned the Supreme Court seeking a retrial. The Supreme Court granted the motion, directing the Central Bureau of Investigation to take over the investigation, transferring the case out of Gujarat and directing the central government to appoint the public prosecutor.^[77][78] Charges were filed in a Mumbai court against nineteen people as well as six police officials and a government doctor over their role in the initial investigations.^[79] In January 2008, eleven men were sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murders and a policeman was convicted of falsifying evidence.^[80]

In 2005, the Vadodara fast track court acquitted 108 people accused of murdering two youths, during a mob attack on a group of displaced Muslims returning under police escort to their homes in Avdhootnagar. The court passed strictures against the police for failing to protect the people under their escort^[81] and failing to identify the attackers they had witnessed.^[82]

Nine people were convicted of killing a Hindu man and injuring another during group clashes in Danilimda, Ahmedabad on 12 April, while 25 others were acquitted.^[83]

Eight people, including a VHP leader and a member of the BJP, were convicted for the murder of seven members of a family and the rape of two minor girls in the village of Eral in Panchmahal district.^[84][85]

Fifty two people from Pavagadh and Dhikva villages in Panchmahal district were acquitted of rioting charges for lack of evidence.^[86]

A stringent anti-terror law, the POTA, was used by the Gujarat government to charge 131 people in connection to the Godhra train fire, but not invoked in prosecuting any of the accused in the post-Godhra riots.^[87][88] In 2005 the POTA Review Committee set up by central government to review the application of the law opined that the Godhra accused should not be tried under the provisions of POTA.^[89]

[edit]Public enquiries

[edit]Shah-Nanavati commission

On 6 March, the Gujarat government set up a commission of enquiry headed by retired High Court judge K.G. Shah to enquire into the Godhra train burning and the subsequent violence and submit a report in three months.^[90] Following criticism from victims' organisations, activists and political parties over Shah's alleged proximity to the BJP, on 22 May, the government reconstituted the commission, appointing retired Supreme Court Justice G.T. Nanavati to lead the commission.^[91][92] In 2008, the Nanavati commission came out largely in favour of the Gujarat government's aspect. Nanavati's evidence hinged on the acquisition of 140 litres of petrol hours before the arrival of the train and the storage of the said petrol at the alleged key conspirator's, Razzak Kurkur, guest house. This was further corroborated by forensic evidence showing fuel was poured on the train compartment before being burnt. The alleged mastermind was said to be the cleric Maulvi Husain Haji Ibrahim Umarji and a dismissed Central Reserve Police Force officer named Nanumiyan, from Assam, who had instigated the Muslim crowds. Furthermore, two Kashmiris, Gulamnabi and Ali Mohammed, were in the same guesthouse for a fortnight prior to the event speaking about the Kashmir liberationmovement.^[2]

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian National Congress party both came out railing against the exoneration of the Gujarat government by the commission citing the timing of the report (with general elections months away) as evident of unfairness. Congress spokesperson Veerappa Moily commented at the strange absolvement of the Gujarat government for complacency for the carnage. He also said the report reinforced communal prejudices.^[93]

[edit]National Human Rights Commission

In its Proceedings of 1 April 2002, the Commission had set out its Preliminary Comments and Recommendations on the situation and sent a Confidential Report of the team of the Commission that visited Gujarat from 19–22 March 2002 to Gujarat government and Central Home Ministry. The Gujarat government in its reply did not provide its response to the Confidential report. Therefore, the Commission was compelled to release the confidential report in its entirety^[94] and observed that nothing in the reports received in response "rebuts the presumption that the Modi administration failed in its duty to protect the rights of the people of Gujarat" by not exercising its jurisdiction over non-state players that may cause or facilitate the violation of human rights.

It further observed that "the violence in the State, which was initially claimed to have been brought under control in seventy two hours, persisted in varying degree for over two months, the toll in death and destruction rising with the passage of time despite the measures reportedly taken by the State Government".

The report claims failure of intelligence, failure to take appropriate action, patterns of arrests, uneven handling of major cases, and "Distorted FIRs: ‘extraneous influences’, issue of transparency and integrity" as key factors in the incident(s).

[edit]Banerjee Committee

In September 2004, a panel appointed by the central government and headed by former Supreme Court judge UC Banerjee to probe the Godhra train fire concluded that the fire was accidental.^[95][96] Its findings were challenged by the BJP and the Gujarat inspector-general of police. In October 2006, the Gujarat High Court ruled that the panel was set up illegally, in violation of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 which prohibits the setting up of separate commissions by state and central governments to probe a matter of public importance.^[97]

[edit]Concerned Citizens Tribunal

The citizen tribunal headed by retired Supreme Court justice Krishna Iyer collected evidence and testimony from more than 2000 riot victims, witnesses and others. In its report, the tribunal accuses the state government and chief minister Modi of complicity in the violence. While Krishna Iyer was nominally part of this tribunal, he made it clear in the preface of the report that his involvement was very limited.^{[98][99][100]}

[edit]Aftermath

Opposition parties as well as three coalition partners^[101] of the BJP-led central government demanded the dismissal of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for failing to contain the violence, with some calling for the removal of Union Home Minister L K Advani as well.^[102]

On 18 July, Chief Minister Narendra Modi asked the Governor of Gujarat to dissolve the state assembly and call fresh elections.^[103] The Indian Election Commission ruled out early elections, citing the prevailing law and order situation, a decision the union government unsuccessfully^[104] appealed against in the Supreme Court.^[105]

In August 2002 a plot by Lashkar-e-Toiba to assassinate Narendra Modi, Praveen Togadia, and other Sangh Parivar leaders was unearthed by Indian police. The terrorists were planning to set up a base in Gujarat and were trying to lure some of the riot-hit people into taking up "so-called jihadi activities" Delhi Police Special Commissioner (Intelligence) K K Paul said.^[106]

In September 2002, at least 29 people were killed when Islamic fundamentalist gunmen engaged in the Akshardham Temple attack in the city of Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The PakistaniInter-Services Intelligence and Islamic terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba were accused of supporting the terrorists.^{[107][108][109][110]}

Elections were held in December and Modi was returned to power in a landslide victory.^[111]

Emails made public by the perpetrators of a series of bombings in western India in July 2008 indicated that those attacks were "the revenge of Gujarat".

[edit]Relief efforts

Amnesty International's annual report on India in 2003 claimed the "Gujarat government did not actively fulfill its duty to provide appropriate relief and rehabilitation to the survivors".^[74]

The state government initially offered compensation payments of 200,000 rupees to the families of those who died in the Godhra train fire and 100,000 rupees to the families of those who died in the subsequent riots, which local Muslims described as discriminatory.^[112] Subsequently, the government set the compensation amount at 150,000 rupees.^[113]

By 27 March, nearly 100,000 displaced people moved into 101 relief camps. This swelled to over 150,000 in 104 camps the next two weeks.^[30] The camps were run by community groups and NGOs, with the government committing to provide amenities and supplementary services. Drinking water, medical help, clothing and blankets were in short supply at the camps.^[114] At least another 100 camps were denied government support, according to a camp organiser.^[115] and relief supplies were prevented from reaching the camps over fears that they may be carrying arms.^[116]

Relief camp organisers alleged that the state government was coercing refugees to leave relief camps, with 25,000 people made to leave eighteen camps that were shut down. Following government assurances that camps would not be shut down, the Gujarat High Court bench ordered that camp organisers be given a supervisory role to ensure that the assurances were met.^[117]

On 23 May 2008, the Union Government announced a 320 crore rupee (US $ 80 million) relief package for the victims of the riots.^[118]

[edit]Media coverage

Covering the first major communal riots following in the advent of satellite television to India, television news channels set a precedent by identifying the community of those involved in the violence, breaking a long-standing practice.^[119]

Critical reporting on the Gujarat government's handling of the situation helped bring about the Indian government's intervention in controlling the violence.^[119] The Gujarat government banned television news channels critical of the government's response. STAR News, Zee News, Aaj Tak, CNN and local stations were blocked.^[119]

The Editorial Guild of India rejected the charge that graphic news coverage aggravated the situation, saying that the coverage exposed the "horrors" of the riots as well as the "supine if not complicit" attitude of the state, helping propel remedial action. The team also faulted Gujarati language papers Gujarat Samachar and the pro-Hindutva Sandesh of distorted and provocative reporting.^[119]

The Godhra fire received extensive news coverage until it was overtaken by the subsequent violence and the presentation of the Union budget.^[119] Television and newspaper reports, particularly local Gujarati language media, carried graphic and at times sensationalised images and accounts of the Godhra train fire.^[120] S Gurumurthy, Arvind Lavakare and columnistRajeev Srinivasan argue that news reports emphasized the provocative behaviour of the kar sevaks on the Sabarmathi Express in an effort to rationalise the subsequent mob attack at Godhra and displace blame from the mob on to the kar sevaks.^[121][122]

In 2004, the weekly newspaper Tehelka published a hidden camera exposé alleging that a BJP legislator Madhu Srivastava bribed Zaheera Sheikh, a witness in the Best Bakery killings trial.^[123] Srivatsava denied the allegation,^[124] and an inquiry committee appointed by the Indian Supreme Court drew an "adverse inference" from the video footage, though it failed to uncover evidence that money was actually paid.^[125] In a 2007 expose, the newspaper released hidden camera footage of several members of the BJP, VHP and the Bajrang Dal admitting their role in the riots.^[126][127] Among those featured in the tapes was the special counsel representing the Gujarat government before the Nanavati-Shah Commission, Arvind Pandya, who resigned from his post after they were made public.^[128] While the report was criticized by some as being politically motivated,^{[129][130][131][132]} some newspapers said the revelations simply reinforced what was common knowledge.^{[127][133][134][135]} The Gujarat government blocked telecast of cable news channels broadcasting the expose, a move strongly condemned by the Editors Guild of India.^[136]

The riots were also the subject of a 2004 documentary film by Rakesh Sharma (filmmaker), called Final Solution (Gujarat Riots). The film was denied entry to Mumbai International Film Festival in 2004 due to objections by Censor Board of India, but won two awards at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival (2004)^[137]

[edit]Controversies on the riots

[edit]Atrocities against women

An international fact finding committee formed of experts from US, UK, France, Germany and Sri Lanka reported, "sexual violence was being used as a strategy for terrorising women belonging to minority community in the state."^[138]

Taking a stand decried by the media and other rights groups, Nafisa Hussain, a member of the National Commission for Women accused organisations and the media of needlessly exaggerating the plight of women victims of the riots.^{[139][140][141]} which was strongly disputed as Gujarat did not have a State Commission for Women to act on the ground.^[142] The newspaper Tribune reported that "The National Commission for Women has reluctantly agreed to the complicity of Gujarat Government in the communal violence in the state." The tone of their most recent report was reported by the Tribune as "lenient".^[143]

[edit]Riot cases controversy

In April 2009, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) setup by the Supreme Court of India to investigate and expedite the Gujarat riot cases submitted before the Court that Teesta Setalvadhad cooked up cases of violence to spice up the incidents. The SIT which is headed by former CBI director, R. K. Raghavan has said that false witnesses were tutored to give evidence about imaginary incidents by Setalvad and other NGOs.^[144] The SIT charged her of “cooking up macabre tales of killings”.^[145][146]

The court was told that 22 witnesses, who had submitted identical affidavits before various courts relating to riot incidents, were questioned by SIT and it was found that the witnesses had not actually witnessed the incidents and they were tutored and the affidavits were handed over to them by Setalvad.^[145]

The report which was brought to the notice of the bench, consisting of Justices Arijit Pasayat, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam, noted that the much publicised case of a pregnant Muslim woman Kausar Banu being gangraped by a mob and foetus being removed from sharp weapons, was also cooked up and false.^[144][147]

[edit]See also

• Babri Mosque
• Hindu extremism
• Best Bakery case

[edit]References

1. ^ India Godhra train blaze verdict: 31 convicted BBC News, 22 February 2011.
2. ^ ^a b c d The Godhra conspiracy as Justice Nanavati saw it. Times of India. 28 September 2008.
3. ^ ^a b c Godhra case: 31 guilty; court confirms conspiracy, rediff.com, February 22, 2011 19:26 IST. Sheela Bhatt, Ahmedabad.
4. ^ "Overview: The Anatomy Of Manufactured Lies".
5. ^ "790 Muslims, 254 Hindus perished in post-Godhra". Times of India. 2005-05-11.
6. ^ "790 Muslims, 254 Hindus perished in post-Godhra". BBC News. 2005-05-13.
7. ^ [1] Gujarat Govt website document.
8. ^ "'Post-Godhra toll: 254 Hindus, 790 Muslims'". Archived from the original on 2009-09-27. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
9. ^ Pandey, Sanjay (2002-04-28). "More fall prey to police firings in Gujarat". The Times Of India.
10. ^ "rediff.com: Vajpayee to visit two relief camps in Ahmedabad". Archived from the original on 2009-09-27. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
11. ^ Allan D. Cooper. The Geography of Genocide. 2009, page 183-4
12. ^ T. K. Oommen Reconciliation in post-Godhra Gujarat: the role of civil society. 2008, page 71
13. ^ Varadarajan, Siddharth (2005-01-23). "The truth about Godhra". Chennai, India: The Hindu.
14. ^ "Call for calm after Indian train attack". CNN. 2002-02-27. "Scores killed in India train attack". BBC News Online. 2002-02-27. Killed, One (2002-02-27). "Shoot-at-sight orders, curfew in Godhra". Times of India.
15. ^ "Godhra report tabled, Narendra Modi gets clean chit". Indian Server. September 2008.
16. ^ Banerjee panel illegal: Gujarat HC Indian Express - October 13, 2006
17. ^ Bannerjee Committee illegal: High Court The Hindu - October 14, 2006
18. ^ "Politics/Nation". The Times Of India. 2011-02-22.
19. ^ Sabarmati Express fire was pre-planned: Godhra report Times of India - 26 September 2008
20. ^ Godhra case: Nanavati panel gives clean chit to Modi NDTV - 25 September 2008. Accessed 2009-05-12. Archived 2009-05-16.
21. ^ "Godhra panel: Plea to summon Modi". Deccan Herald. 2007-09-01. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009.
22. ^ "Modi wanted Godhra bodies to come to A'bad". Times of India. 2004-08-22.
23. ^ "VHP-sponsored bandh begins in Gujarat; one killed in Baroda". Rediff News. 2002-02-28.
24. ^ ^a b Celia W. Dugger (2002-07-27). "Religious Riots Loom Over Indian Politics". New York Times.
25. ^ ‘Carnage was pre-planned’ Daily Pioneer - February 23, 2011^{[dead link]}
26. ^ Godhra: 11 get death, 20 life; parties to move HC IBN - March 1, 2011
27. ^ Mob sets fire to Wakf board office in Gujarat secretariat, Sheela Bhatt, February 28, 2002, Godhra
28. ^ "Shoot orders in many Gujarat towns, toll over 200". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 2002-03-02.
29. ^ ^a b Figure reported by the Gujarat additional director general of police to the Election Commission, T K Oommen (2005). Crisis and Contention in Indian Society. Sage Publications. pp. 120
30. ^ ^a b Paul R. Brass (2005). The Production Of Hindu-muslim Violence In Contemporary India. University of Washington Press. pp. 385–393. ISBN 978-0-295-98506-0.
31. ^ Christophe Jaffrelot (July 2003). "Communal Riots in Gujarat: The State at Risk?"(PDF). Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics (South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg) (17)
32. ^ ^a b Dugger, Celia W. 200 Are Dead In 3-Day Riot Of Revenge In West India New York Times. New York, N.Y.:2 March 2002. p. A1
33. ^ Smita Narula (April 2002). "“We Have No Orders To Save You” - State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat". Human Rights Watch., "Mob used bulldozer to raze heritage mosque". Indian Exress. 2002-03-13.
34. ^ ^a b Sanjay Pandey (2002-04-28). "More fall prey to police firings in Gujarat". Times of India.
35. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Attacks on Hindus,Human Rights Watch
36. ^ Riots hit all classes, people of all faith
37. ^ "A home for long now just a death trap". Archived from the original on 2009-07-23. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
38. ^ With no relief, they turn to religious places for shelter,Indian Express. Accessed 2009-07-21. Archived 2009-07-23.
39. ^ These figures were reported to the Rajya Sabha by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal in May, 2005. "Gujarat riot death toll revealed". BBC News Online. 2005-05-11. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. PTI (2005-05-12)."BJP cites govt statistics to defend Modi". ExpressIndia. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. PTI (2005-05-11). "254 Hindus, 790 Muslims killed in post-Godhra riots". Indiainfo.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009.
40. ^ "“We Have No Orders To Save You”". Human Rights Watch. 2002-04-30., Fernandez, Percy (2005-03-22). "UK reads the riot act to Narendra Modi". Indiatimes., Brass (2005) pp. 388,
41. ^ Khan, Saeed (2009-03-01). "Gujarat riot 'missing' declared dead". The Times Of India.
42. ^ Misra, Leena (2009-02-16). "Gujarat riots toll to go up from 952 to 1,180". The Times Of India.
43. ^ Oommen (2005), pp. 120
44. ^ "Where is normalcy? Curfew still on". Times of India. 2002-03-25.
45. ^ Dugger, Celia W. Hindu Rioters Kill 60 Muslims in India New York Times. New York, N.Y.:1 March 2002.
46. ^ ^a b Police officials led Hindu attackers: HRW report on Muslims’ massacre in Gujarat,Dawn, 30 April 2002
47. ^ Rahul Bedi (2002-03-04). "Soldiers 'held back to allow Hindus revenge'". London: The Telegraph.
48. ^ "Gill is Modi’s Security Adviser". The Tribune. 2002-05-02.
49. ^ Kingshuk Nag (2002-04-29). "Disquiet among Gujarat police". Times of India.
50. ^ "Modi Punishes good officers". Ahmedabad.com (Republished from The Asian Age). 2002-03-26. Archived from the original on March 27, 2008.
51. ^ BBC UK Website
52. ^ BJP cites govt statistics to defend Modi
53. ^ Truth in Gujarat by Balbir Punj^{[dead link]}
54. ^ Modi vs BJP The Indian Express - 8 December 2007
55. ^ "Indian MPs back Gujarat motion". BBC News Online. 2002-05-06.
56. ^ International Religious Freedom Report 2003. By the United States Department of State. Retrieved on April 19, 2007.
57. ^ United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. "Countries of Particular Concern: INDIA". Archived from the original on 2007-12-25. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
58. ^ Citizens’ tribunal to investigate Godhra carnage, communal riots, Express News Service, Monday , April 01, 2002, Ahmedabad.
59. ^ Gujarat Carnage-Role of Narendra Modi, Ram Puniyani, May 02, 2009, tehelka.com
60. ^ Leads From Purgatory, Darshan Desai, Dec 02, 2002, Outlook Magazine.
61. ^ No police lapse in Gujarat riots: Justice Nanavati Rediff - 18 May 2003
62. ^ "Godhra probe: No evidence of lapse against govt". Times of India. 2003-05-19.
63. ^ "3 organisations withdraw from Godhra hearings". Times of India. 2003-06-16.
64. ^ "I didn’t say so, says Nanavati". Indian Express. 2003-05-19.
65. ^ Gujarat Officials Took Part in Anti-Muslim Violence, Human Rights Watch
66. ^ ^a b "Court orders Gujarat riot review". BBC News Online. 2004-08-17.
67. ^ ^a b "Gujarat riot cases to be reopened". BBC News Online. 2006-02-08.
68. ^ "NGO says Gujarat riots were planned". BBC News Online. 2002-03-19.
69. ^ Sridhar Krishnaswami (2004-09-16). "U.S. raised Gujarat riots with BJP-led Government". Chennai, India: The Hindu.
70. ^ Rosser, Yvette (2003). "Curriculum as Destiny: Forging National Identity in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh" (PDF). PhD Dissertation (The University of Texas at Austin): Pg. 356. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
71. ^ "Gujarat riot probe panel moves against 41 cops". Indian Express. 2006-02-09.^{[dead link]}
72. ^ Discouraging Dissent: Intimidation and Harassment of Witnesses, Human Rights Activists, and Lawyers Pursuing Accountability for the 2002 Communal Violence in Gujarat, Human Rights Watch September 2004
73. ^ India: After Gujarat Riots, Witnesses Face Intimidation (Human Rights Watch, 23-9-2004)
74. ^ ^a b India Amnesty International
75. ^ Dionne Bunsha, Verdict in Best Bakery case, Frontline, Volume 23 - Issue 04, Feb. 25 - Mar. 10, 2006
76. ^ Why did Zaheera Sheikh have to lie?,Rediff.com
77. ^ "A hopeful Bilkis goes public". Deccan Herald. 2004-08-09.
78. ^ "Second riot case shift". The Telegraph. 2004-08-07.
79. ^ "Charges framed in Bilkis case". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2005-01-14.
80. ^ Jeremy Page (2008-01-23). "Rape victim Bilkis Bano hails victory for Muslims as Hindu assailants are jailed for life". London: Times Online.
81. ^ "All accused in riot case acquitted". The Hindu. 2005-10-26.
82. ^ "Over 100 accused in post-Godhra riots acquitted". Rediff News. 2005-10-25.
83. ^ Rajeev Khanna (2006-03-28). "Sentencing in Gujarat Hindu death". BBC News Online.
84. ^ "Hindus jailed over Gujarat riots". BBC News Online. 2007-10-30.
85. ^ PTI (2007-10-30). "Godhra court convicts 11 in Eral massacre case; 29 acquitted". Yahoo! India News.
86. ^ "52 acquitted in post-Godhra case". Rediff News. 2006-04-22.
87. ^ Katharine Adeney (2005). "Hindu Nationalists and federal structures in an era of regionalism". In Katharine Adeney , Lawrence Sáez (Eds.). Coalition Politics And Hindu Nationalism. Routledge. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-415-35981-8
88. ^ Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Shankar Raghuraman (2004). A Time of Coalitions: Divided We Stand. Sage Publications. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-7619-3237-6.
89. ^ "Pota Review Committee Gives Opinion On Godhra Case To POTA Court". Indlaw. 2005-06-21. Archived from the original on May 26, 2006.
90. ^ The Hindu : Probe panel appointed
91. ^ Modi succumbs to pressure, Nanavati put on Shah panel The Indian Express - 21 May 2002
92. ^ Former Supreme Court judge joins Gujarat probe The Hindu - 23 May 2002
93. ^ cong, cpm slam Nanavati report for reinforcing 'communal bias.' Times of India. 28 September 2008.
94. ^ National Human Rights Commission Archived 24 June 2007 at WebCite
95. ^ "India train fire 'not mob attack'". BBC News Online. 2005-01-17.
96. ^ Press Trust of India (2006-10-13). "Banerjee panel illegal: Gujarat HC". Express India.
97. ^ "HC terms Sabarmati Express panel illegal". Financial Express. 2006-10-14.
98. ^ "Report of Concerned Citizens indicts Modi govt for riots". Times of India. 2002-11-21.^{[dead link]}
99. ^ "Now citizens’ tribunal pins Modi for riots". Indian Express. 2002-11-22.
100. ^ "Concerned Citizens Tribunal - Gujarat 2002: An inquiry into the carnage in Gujarat". Sabrang.
101. ^ Khozem Merchant (2002-04-12). "Hindu hardliners rally round Gujarat leader". Financial Times.
102. ^ "Removal of Advani, Modi sought". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2002-03-07.
103. ^ "Gujarat chief minister resigns". BBC News Online. 2002-07-19.
104. ^ Amy Waldman (2002-09-07). "2 Indian Elections Bring Vote Panel's Chief to Fore". New York Times.
105. ^ Mark Tully (2002-08-27). "India's electoral process in question". CNN.
106. ^ Plan to kill Modi, Togadia unearthed; 3 held Rediff - 30 August 2002
107. ^ Lashkar responsible for temple attack,Rediff.com
108. ^ Gunmen Attack Hindu Temple in Gujarat,ict.org^{[dead link]}
109. ^ NSG commandos rush to Gandhinagar
110. ^ ;ISI instigated Akshardham attack: Gujarat police,Rediff.com
111. ^ "Gujarat victory heartens nationalists". BBC News Online. 15 December.
112. ^ Dugger, Celia W. Ahmedabad Journal - In India, a Child's Life Is Cheap Indeed New York Times. New York, N.Y.:7 March 2002
113. ^ 254 Hindus, 790 Muslims killed in post-Godhra riots^{[dead link]}
114. ^ Ruchir Chandorkar (2002-07-02). "Rains, epidemic threaten relief camps". Times of India.
115. ^ Priyanka Kakodkar (2002-04-15). "Camp Comatose". Outlook.
116. ^ NGO says Gujarat riots were planned
117. ^ "Govt not to close relief camps". Times of India. 2002-06-27.^{[dead link]}
118. ^ "Relief for Gujarat riot victims". BBC News (BBC). 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
119. ^ ^{a b c d e} Sonwalkar, Prasun (2006). "Shooting the messenger? Political violence, Gujarat 2002 and the Indian news media". In Cole, Benjamin. Conflict, Terrorism and the Media in Asia. Routledge. pp. 82–97. ISSN 0415351987
120. ^ Sevanti Ninan (2002-04-28). "An ounce of image, a pound of performance". Chennai, India: The Hindu.
121. ^ "Madam, will they be shamed by your blunt words?". New India Press. 2002-03-02.,Arvind Lavakare (2002-03-05). "Why 'secular' history repeats itself". Rediff.
122. ^ Rajeev Srinivasan (2002-03-07). "Blaming the Hindu Victim: Manufacturing Consent for Barbarism". Rediff News.
123. ^ "“I Paid Zaheera Sheikh Rs 18 Lakh”". Tehelka. 2007-12-06. Archived from the original on 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
124. ^ "Politician denies bribing witness". BBC News Online. 2004-12-22.
125. ^ "Zahira sting: MLA gets clean chit". Times of India. 2006-01-04.
126. ^ "Gujarat 2002: The Truth in the words of the men who did it". Tehelka. 2007-11-03.
127. ^ ^a b "Sting traps footsoldiers of Gujarat riots allegedly boasting about killings with state support". Indian Express. 2007-10-26. Archived from the original on 2009-05-29.
128. ^ "Gujarat Govt counsel quits". Indian Express. 2007-10-28.
129. ^ Tehelka sting a political conspiracy: Shiv Sena The Hindu - 27 October 2007. Accessed 2009-05-27. Archived 2009-05-29.
130. ^ Tehelka is Cong proxy: BJP Deccan Herald - 27 October 2007^{[dead link]}
131. ^ A Sting Without Venom Outlook India - 12 November 2007 issue
132. ^ Godhra Carnage Vs. Pundits Exodus Asian Tribune - 29 November 2007
133. ^ Nag, Kingshuk (October 2007). "Polls don't tell whole story". Times of India.
134. ^ "Ghosts don’t lie". Indian Express. 2007-10-27.
135. ^ Chitra Padmanabhan (2007-11-14). "Everything, but the news". Hindustan Times.
136. ^ "Editors Guild condemns Gujarat action". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2007-10-30.
137. ^ The Hindu Tuesday, 17 February 2004
138. ^ Intl experts spoil Modi's party, say Gujarat worse than Bosnia
139. ^ Women's groups decry NCW stand Archived January 22, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
140. ^ Web-archive of above, from tehelka.com
141. ^ Gujarat’s women were victims of extreme violence^{[dead link]}
142. ^ http://www.fisiusa.org/fisi_News_items/Godhra/godhra093.htm Archived January 22, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
143. ^ NCM rejects Gujarat report:Directs state to follow its recommendations
144. ^ ^a b NGOs, Teesta spiced up Gujarat riot incidents: SIT
145. ^ ^a b Setalvad in dock for 'cooking up killings' Setalvad in dock for 'cooking up killings' - Economic Times. Accessed 2009-05-11. Archived 2009-05-14.
146. ^ "Gujarat riot myths busted". Archived from the original on 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
147. ^ Inhuman rights India Today - 25 March 2010

[edit]External links

• Amicus Curiae report lays the ground for chargesheeting Narendra Modi
• Fiddling with Facts as Gujarat Burns - Balbir Punj Fiddling With Facts As Gujarat Burns
• Destruction of Gujarat's Muslim heritage
• The full story of Kauser Bano
• Truth in Gujarat by Balbir Punj
• Lalu panel calls Godhra an accident, what about flaming rags, ask victims
• Godhra train carnage survivor says he heard blast
• “We Have No Orders To Save You”:State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat- Human Rights Watch Report
• Politics By Other Means: An Analysis of Human Rights Watch Reports on India - Criticism of Human Rights Watch Report, Guest column for the South Asia Analysis GroupPolitics By Other Means: An Analysis of Human Rights Watch Reports on India
• The leftist filmmaker Rakesh Sharma's documentary India: Final SolutionInterview with Rakesh Sharma. BBC profile of India: Final Solution http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3829364588351777769&q=final+solution&total=966&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
• Foreign missions: undiplomatic leaks - Allegations of anti-India media bias
• Time Cover Story on Gujarat Riots
• Pictures of Gujarat Riots
• Gujarat: Riots and Politics, Outlook dossier.
• Gujarat Riots, Indian Express full coverage
• The Gujarat Riots, Rediff News
• Gujarat Riots: The Aftermath, Hindustan Times
• Report on Godhra Riots, Justice Tewatia
• Scarred: Experiments with violence in Gujarat, Dionne Bunsha
• Gujarat Riots: The True Story

[edit]Bibliography

• Agsar Ali Engineer (2003). The Gujarat Carnage. Orient Longman. ISBN 978-81-250-2496-5.
• M. L. Sondhi, Apratim Mukarji (2002). The Black Book of Gujarat. Manak Publications. ISBN 978-81-7827-060-9.
• Siddharth Varadarajan (2002). Gujarat, the Making of a Tragedy. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-302901-4.

View page ratings

Rate this page

What's this?

Trustworthy

Objective

Complete

Well-written

I am highly knowledgeable about this topic (optional)

Categories: 

• History of Gujarat
• 2002 in India
• 2002 riots
• Persecution of Muslims
• Riots and civil disorder in India
• Religious riots
• Religious violence in India

Myths of Gujarat Riots

Comments Off

Myth 1: 2,000 Muslims were killed in the Gujarat riots
Myth 2: Muslims were ‘butchered’ in Gujarat
Myth 3: Whole of Gujarat was burning
Myth 4: The Gujarat police turned a blind eye to the rioting
Myth 5: Gujarat police was anti-Muslim
Myth 6: Gujarat riots were the ‘worst ever massacre’ in India
Myth 7: Only Muslims were rendered homeless and suffered economically
Myth 8: The Gujarat government was involved in the riotsMyth 9: Gujarat riots were like the 1984 anti-Sikh riots
Myth 10: Gujarat became a dangerous place to live in, in 2002Myth 11: In Ehsan Jafri case, women were raped
Myth 12: The photo of Qutubuddin Ansari is genuineMyth 13: Narendra Modi said:”Every action has equal and opposite reaction”
Myth 14: Sangh Parivar organizations like VHP organized the riots
Myth 15: Narendra Modi gave free hand to rioters for 3 days
Myth 16: A pregnant woman’s womb was ripped open and foetus taken out
Myth 17: Gujarat Government did nothing to help the victims

http://www.gujaratriots.com/

27 February, 2011

The Godhra Verdict: The Conspiracy Theory
By Ashish Khetan

If there was a “conspiracy” in Godhra, it was not by the Muslims. Ashish Khetan picks apart Judge Patel’s verdict and shows how a devious lie was constructed

16 May, 2010

When It Rained Blood 
By Nachiketa Desai

Having covered Gujarat as a journalist for over two decades, Nachiketa Desai was a witness to the Sangh Parivar's Fascist methods and its devastating effects on the life and psyche of the people. He traces the roots of Fascism that culminated in the genocide of 2002. This article was published in 2002 and published on Countercurrents.org in 2010

25 April, 2010

“Voices Of Hindutva: Creating And Exploiting Religious Binaries” 
By Sameer Malik

In 2002, Gujarat, India experienced a traumatizing episode of communal violence in which Muslims, a religious minority, were actively targeted. It is widely believed that the state government, run and influenced by extreme Hindu Nationalist (Hindutva) groups, is at least partly responsible for this. Although the extent of their logistical involvement is debated, the rhetoric of many Hindutva organizations creates and demonizes a religious other. In contrast to the majority of Hindus and the majority of Indians, leaders of a number of Hindutva elements use language that creates pervasive religious binaries, which are instrumental in the recurrence of violence. The political success of Hindutva groups in Gujarat therefore complicates peace-building efforts, as illustrated by the dynamics of responses by local non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) to the violence

17 April, 2010

Narendra Modi: Travails Of Travel Abroad 
By Ram Puniyani

A group of German MPs justified the denial of visa to Modi. They advocated a ban on his visiting Europe. This parliamentary delegation was on a two day visit to the city of Ahmedabad to study the state of minorities in Gujarat. It concluded that the European Union (EU) decision not to grant visa to him was justified. They went to the extent of banning his trip to Europe in near future. They pointed out that “the Chief Minister of Gujarat has a radical tone to his politics and is described as dictatorial. He has a wrong perception of religious freedom.” This four member team has been closely following developments in the Gujarat riot cases

06 April, 2010

When Modi Met Caesar’s Wife 
By R.B Sreekumar

The Gujarat CM’s summon drama has further dipped the SIT’s credibility

30 March, 2010

Narendra Modi: The Second Coming 
By Mustafa Khan

Do Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitly think that there is a certain amount of immaturity in the democratic set up which they conveniently address through their maneuverings? Has Modi a sleight of hand ready for any occasion and all the times? He made out March 21st tryst with SIT to turn it upon the head of SIT figuratively and literally

24 March, 2010

Narendra Modi: Living With The Ghosts
By Dr. Shah Alam Khan

Narendra bhai Modi, as he is popularly called, has a task cut out. Either he faces the SIT to answer questions he has been evading since February 2002 or he continues to live in the shadow of ghosts

03 March, 2010

Gujarat Pogrom: The End Of Impunity 
By Teesta Setalvad

It's the 8th anniversary of the gujarat genocide. Will justice ever be done?

28 October, 2009

Modi Denied Visa By Oman -
News Reverberates In India
By Mirza A. Beg

Mr. Modi nefariously planted stories of being invited by the Sultanate of Oman. Again some concerned people took it upon themselves to circulate a petition on line. Again many human rights organizations all over the world, but most importantly from India extended their full support. Many wrote personal letters to the Ambassador and the government of Oman. In response, not only the Ambassador of Oman in India refused the visa, but took out an advertisement in a well respected national newspaper, Indian Express, stating that the Sultanate of Oman had not invited Mr. Modi to Oman

10 October, 2009

More Inhuman Stories From Gujarat 
By Shabnam Hashmi

The latest in the series of inhuman treatment against muslims is the building of a road in the middle of a grave yard in Dahod with human remains still sticking out

30 September, 2009

More Human Rights Violations In Gujarat 
Press Release

In a pattern which has become increasingly familiar in many parts of India, but particularly in Gujarat, once again in the run-up to the assembly by elections in Gujarat, a number of Muslim youth were picked up by police officials in plain clothes, illegally detained and severely tortured, before they were sent to judicial custody

12 September, 2009

Extra Judicial Killings:
The Magisterial Enquiry Findings 

The judicial enquiry reoport into the 2004 killing of Ishrat Jahan and three others in an encounter by Gujarat police. The magisterial report has found out that the four were gunned down in cold blood by police officers eager to get promotions and the appreciation of Chief Minister Narendra Modi

08 September, 2009

Former Gujarat Minister Writes To SIT
To Probe Modi's Role Into Gujarat Pogrom
By Jaspal Singh

Jaspal Singh in the letter has urged the SIT to investigate in details the communalization of Gujarat and examine the participants (officials as well as ministers) of the crucial meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Narendra Modi on the day Godhra carnage occurred. In the letter Singh named some officers who attended the meeting, and urged the SIT to examine them

11 June, 2009

Special Investigation Team (SIT) – Hope Or
Despair Of 2002 Gujarat Genocide Victims ? 
By R.B.Sreekumar

Being fully confident about the proven eminence and integrity of the Chairman of the SIT, well meaning citizens are optimistic about positive move from the SIT, soon, against the planners and executioners of 2002 butchery of the innocents in Gujarat

02 May, 2009

Gujarat Carnage: Role of Narendra Modi 
By Ram Puniyani

The direction of the Supreme court of India to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the role of Modi, his cabinet colleagues and other top functionaries of state and those involved in violence, has come as a sigh of hope

28 March, 2009

Maya Kodnani: Conceiving And
Aborting Career In Misdeeds
By Mustafa Khan

On February 21, 2009 the Gujarat Government submitted in the High court an affidavit in which it says “in spite of being an MLA, Kodnani was a leader of the mob instigating them to commit the crimes and in fact even fired from her pistol”. If the government of Narendra Modi said that to the High Court why did it not ask her to resign there and then? With her arrest on March 27 it is morally imperative that the Modi government should either resign or the Centre impose its rule in the state

04 March, 2009

Dalits In 'Hindu Rashtra' 
By Subhash Gatade

All over Gujarat one finds thousands and thousands of boards put at prominent places by one of the affiliates of the Sangh Parivar that 'you are entering this or that locality of Hindu Rashtra' which is completely illegal and an open proclamation of 'secession' from the rest of the society

30 September, 2008

Nanavati Report On Godhra Tragedy:
Erasing The Obvious Truths 
By Ram Puniyani

Recently Justice Nanavati-Mehta (N-M) submitted their report to Govt. (Sept 2008). What it has done must be very close to the desire of the ruling establishment which reaped a rich harvest due to the Godhra train burning and the anti Muslim pogrom in the aftermath of the same

29 September, 2008

Hunter Better Than Nanavati 
By R.B. Sreekumar

The Nanavati Commission report deserves the description as a whitewashing document of the aggressors than the conclusion of an enquiry. This is an immature, partisan and inconclusive report which has a political motive. It can only be seen only as a predetermined script. The report hides the heinous acts of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and co, who were the perpetrators of the violence

18 June, 2008

Why Narendra Modi Loves To Hate
Prof. Ashish Nandy? 
By Subhash Gatade

Prof. Ashish Nandy, India's leading intellectual acknowledged as the founding fathers of postcolonial studies has recently got a new 'identity'. According to the Gujarat Police he is now an accused in a criminal case supposedly for 'promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth and language.' Definitely neither Prof Nandy nor many of his admirers would have ever imagined in their wildest dreams that a day would arrive when he will face prosecution for his writings. But as they rightly say it, in Gujarat things happen bit differently

04 June, 2008

Another Bakery, Another Parzania 
By Harsh Mander

The carnage of 2002 changed everything for Abdulbhai and Noorie.... Today, more than six years after it was charred in the flaming carnage of 2002 in Ahmedabad, their small cottage bakery remains shut. The rebuilt furnace stands forlorn and empty, the metal trays and moulds piled unused and rusting in a corner, like the skeletons of the dead. None of their former clients agrees any more to buy their flour biscuits, cakes and bread, although these were popular in the past

04 April, 2008

Gujarat: Cry For Justice! 
By Ram Puniyani

Fresh Probe Ordered in to Gujarat Carnage Cases

12 February, 2008

The Mockingbirds Of Gujarat 
By Jawed Naqvi

This is a tribute to just four of Gujarat's countless mockingbirds
that were humiliated or killed by the people they sang for. Every year in February, when newspapers begin to chatter about the arriving budget, the memory of Rasoolan Bai, Fayyaz Khan, Ehsaan Jaafri and Wali Dakhani begin to haunt me. It was on a budget day when helpless women were being raped and murdered across Gujarat on Feb 28, 2002, with the approval of the state

27 January, 2008

Importance Of Being Bilkis 
By Kalpana Sharma

It took exceptional courage for Bilkis Bano to walk up to the police station and file a complaint, and persist with it

26 January, 2008

Saluting Bilkis Bano: Reflecting On Gujarat 
By Ram Puniyani

The grit, determination and strength of the victim, Bilkis bano, and the support of civil rights group which supported her, are crucial factors in getting the justice. The justice in this case stands out as a small ray of respite, in the gloomy scenario of Gujarat, where by now justice for minorities is conspicuous by its absence

24 January, 2008

Democracy's Bilkis Test 
By Ajay K. Mehra

The judgment on the Bilkis Bano case provides an opportunity to reflect on a range of issues relating to inter-community relations as well as the state and legal mechanisms available to deal with riots in India

14 January, 2008

Gujarat: Blame The Middle Class 
By Ashis Nandy

Recovering Gujarat from its urban middle class will not be easy. The class has found in militant religious nationalism a new self- respect and a new virtual identity as a martial community, the way Bengali babus, Maharashtrian Brahmins and Kashmiri Muslims at different times have sought salvation in violence. In Gujarat this class has smelt blood, for it does not have to do the killings but can plan, finance and coordinate them with impunity. The actual killers are the lowest of the low, mostly tribals and Dalits. The middle class controls the media and education, which have become hate factories in recent times. And they receive spirited support from most non-resident Indians who, at a safe distance from India, can afford to be more nationalist, bloodthirsty, and irresponsible

30 December, 2007

Modi's Victory: Portents For Indian Democracy
By Ram Puniyani

Modi's victory is a warning signal of transition of sub critical fascism, transcending the critical line to strangulate democratic values in an ideological form all over the country. The disarray in the BJP will give way to strong optimism, to strive for power at center. All this may take place sooner than later if the secular movements do not wake up and broaden their reach

17 December, 2007

Modi's Gujaratis 
By Nasiruddin Haider Khan

What will we call Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, who put Gujarat on the painting map of the world. What about Bandukwala? What name will be given to garba music of Ismail Darbar? Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Saira, Rashida, Niazben where will they fit? Are they Gujarati or just "them" in Modi's Gujarat?

11 December, 2007

Erosion Of Democratic Norms: A case Of Modi 
By Ram Puniyani

The terrorizing atmosphere created in Gujarat does remind us of the status of minorities. Now the large sections of minorities feel that they have been relegated to the second class citizenship status. Their insecurity is the index of our democratic ethos. It is correctly pointed out that if you want to see the state of health of democracy, have a look at the status of its minorities!

Justice For The Victims Of Gujarat Pogrom 
By Mirza A. Beg

The perpetrators, the victims and the average Indians know that Narendra Modi's government engineered the riots in Gujarat resulting in the death of 2000 innocent people and injuring hundreds of thousands more in 2002. The justice to the victims is being denied because the BJP controlled governments in Gujarat and at the Center concealed the evidence, precluding a citizen’s ability to seek redress in the courts of law. Therefore, it was not a spontaneous riot, but a planned Pogrom

27 November, 2007

Gujarat Muslims: The Way Ahead 
By Ram Puniyani

That a section of our society is made to think that one sided forgiveness is the only way out just shows that our system is deeply infected and needs to be cleansed by the spirit of Indian ness. And that's where all the conscientious and aware citizens believing in democracy have to stick together, for getting justice for all and to soothe the wounds of those thinking of unsolicited, unilateral forgiveness

10 November, 2007

Does Anything Matter? 
By Tarun Tejpal

The fact is India needs not just economic tinkering but great political vision. And there are no signs of it. The apathy of Gujarat tells us that the most complex country in the world faces its most complex challenges ever

06 November, 2007

Modi Must Be Punished 
By Kuldip Nayar

The brutality of a pogrom is not lessened if it is hidden from the nation. Exposing a crime is not linked to electoral strategy, but to the value system. I believe, a person begins to die the day he sees an act of injustice being committed but keeps quiet

05 November, 2007

Modi A Psychic Killer 
By Yoginder Sikand

Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, Should Be Jailed, says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister

The Truth Of Gujarat Carnage 
By Ram Puniyani

Time has come that we face the truth head on, punish the guilty and protect the innocent irrespective of religion and caste. In Gujarat if state Government has failed to prosecute the guilty, that's a breach of the oath taken by political leadership and it has to be dealt with like that, i.e. violation of constitutional obligations by state Government

02 November, 2007

Tehelka, Journalists Lead Indians
To Redeem Their Values
By Mirza A. Beg

Tahelka, the intrepid news magazine did what the Indian government should have done in the past five years. The nation owes a debt of gratitude to the editor of Tahelka, Tarun Tejpal and reporter Ashish Khetan who took enormous risk to procure evidence on video tapes about the planning of the genocide perpetrated by the fascistic Gujarat state government in February – March 2002. The tapes also record admissions of suppression of evidence and bribery by the public prosecutors to protect the guilty

01 November, 2007

Gujarat: Silence Of The Lambs
By Shoma Chaudhury

The real faultline in India today is not between Hindus and Muslims. It is between Hindus and Hindus. If the Hindus of Gujarat are going to re-elect Modi after being confronted with visual proof of what he stands for, we have to aggressively reclaim what being Hindu means. The problem is too few people seem to have a stomach for that fight. It is not a fight that can be won by burning and slashing. Or ducking. It requires words and eloquence and conviction

Narendra Modi And Indian Democracy:
They Two Cannot Coexist 
By Daya Varma & Vinod Mubayi

The hesitation of the UPA government, which survives with the support of the left parties, on the Gujarat genocide is beyond comprehension. This marriage between parliamentary democracy and feudal highhandedness must be broken if India is to emerge as a modern democratic society

31 October, 2007

Public Statement On The Gujarat Carnage 2002
By Concerned Citizens

We therefore call upon the Central government and the Supreme Court, whose duty it is to enforce the rule of law and protect the Constitution, to immediately take the above steps. We also call upon all right thinking people of Gujarat to come out in support of these demands. What is at stake is not merely the survival of Constitutional values and the rule of law but the survival of civilisation itself in this country

30 October, 2007

Can We Resist Fascism With Indignation Alone 
By Jawed Naqvi

Suppose Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, is called a fascist, which he is, and it translates into more votes for him in the coming state elections. How does one respond to this possibility, which, as many have concluded, is in fact the bitter truth? This is the backdrop we have to keep in mind about Tehelka's otherwise skillful and daring expose with concealed cameras of the manic Hindutva hordes that raped and killed at will in Gujarat in 2002, and their cheerleader, the chief minister himself

29 October, 2007

On Tehelka's Gujarat Sting 
By Mukul Dube

Over five years after the Gujarat genocide, it looks as if a beginning has been made to bring to book those who were responsible for it. It would be premature, though, to think that the battle is won. Our legal system is well known for its slow functioning. Worse, while the recorded admissions of criminals damn them personally, the evidence that Tehelka's work has brought out against Modi, for example, must be described as hearsay

Moving From Moditva To Sanity:
The Stakes In Gujarat 
By Praful Bidwai

The Congress has a historic chance to inflict a stinging defeat on the BJP. To do this, it must offer an alternative vision, take a strongly secular line, build alliances with other anti-communal parties/groups, and run a spirited campaign with a wise choice of candidates, while keeping the BJP dissidents at an arm's length. The fight is winnable-and certainly worth winning

22 October, 2007

Modi Won't Talk Godhra, Walks Out Of Interview 
By Karan Thapar

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi walked out of an exclusive interview with Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate because he was questioned about Godhra. Narendra Modi walked out of the interview less than five minutes after it started in Gandhinagar

09 October, 2007

The Muslim Question In Gujarat 
By Vidya Subrahmaniam

By an unspoken consensus, Muslims have been excluded from the election debate in Gujarat

04 October, 2007

Godhra, Gujarat: POTA-Affected Families
Struggle To Survive 
By Yoginder Sikand

Almost six years after a deadly wave of genocidal attacks that targeted Muslims in Gujarat, the victims of the state's worst case of anti-Muslim violence still wage a tough battle for survival. In one of the worst-hit parts of the Gujarat, the Panchmahals district, scores of Muslim families have been reduced to penury after having lost their homes and possessions and with their male earning members still languishing in jails

08 September, 2007

Muslims In Gujarat: Victims Of A conspiring State 
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Gujarat could be saved by a strong people's movement involving every segment of the marginalized sections of our society including Muslims and all those victims of Narendra Modi's rabid anti Dalit, anti tribal and anti farmer policies. It is also time to take these religious lunatics head on otherwise they will deny every one a right to live with dignity and freedom to express

04 June, 2007

Gujarat: Symptoms Of Hindu Nation 
By Ram Puniyani

As far as the gross violations and that too the one's related to minority community are concerned, Gujarat is the worst state without any shadow of doubt. In other BJP ruled states like MP, Rajasthan and Chattisgarhg also, the violations are of severe degree, still they do not match with the ones in Gujarat

19 March, 2007

Global Fundamentalist Wars 
By Gary Corseri

A review of The Gujarat Genocide. Garda Ghista, Author House, Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A

02 March, 2007

Truth Trickles Out: The Gujarat Pogrom
Five Years Later 
By Zahir Janmohamed

Some have accused assessments by anti-communalism activists of what transpired in Gujarat as being excessively sentimental. This indeed may be the case, but it is not without reason

01 March, 2007

Five Years After Godhra And The Pogrom 
By Dionne Bunsha

There is no violence but the atmosphere of fear and prejudice still prevails. Gujarat is a society divided — where minorities are segregated and face social and economic boycotts. Muslims have been pushed into ghettos

08 February, 2007

Gujarat : Lengthening Shadows Of Swastika 
By Ram Puniyani

The processes going in Gujarat are a definite pointer towards "Hindu Rashtra in One state", an Indian variant of Fascism. While looking forward to the change in the turn of the tide in anticipation of the fifth anniversary of the genocide, one hopes the worst is over and the society at large will not only welcome Perzania with open eyes and mind but will also revive the humane spirit of the Indian nationalism

16 January, 2007

Second - Class Citizens Of Gujarat 
By Akash Bisht

Four years have passed since the state-sponsored Gujarat carnage shook the entire nation,leaving hundreds dead and lakhs displaced and brutalised, but till this day many of the survivors of the post-Godhra killings have not found their way back home. These exiled 'second-class citizens' are living in inhuman conditions in make-shift camps and are deprived of basic amenities

16 December, 2006

Guajarat: Grave Mistakes 
By Teesta Setalvad

The challenges thrown up for India, post-Godhra of 2002, are fundamental. Are the politically powerful, even if they be organisers of mass murder and rape, immune from the law?

19 October, 2006

Guajarat 2006 Is Deadlier Than 2002 
By Prashant Jha

That is the story of Gujarat 2006. A tale of a society that is sharply polarised and prejudices about the 'other' deeply entrenched, and a state that happily engineers everyday hatred. In its wake, lies a community that lives in fear. The Gujarat of today is in some senses more dangerous than the Gujarat of 2002. For here, the violence is invisible. It operates systematically, as well as subtly, at the establishment and social level

17 October, 2006

Keeping Alive The Ghost Of Godhra 
By Farzana Versey

The Gujarat High court has dismissed the very existence of the union government setting up the U.C.Banerjee committee and its findings into the death of 59 people who were burnt in the train on February 27, 2002. On Friday, October 13, 2006, Justice D N Patel repeated what Narendra Modi and the saffron parties have been saying. It is an endorsement of their insecurities. The arguments do not work

06 October, 2006

Naseem's Story 
By Azim Sherwani

Naseem Mohammad Shekh is an activist working with victims of the state -sponsored anti-Muslim carnage in Gujarat in 2002. She is based in the Qasimabad Colony, near Kalol in the Panchmahals district of Gujarat. Eleven members of her own family, including her daughter and husband, were slaughtered in this most large-scale wave of anti-Muslim violence in India in recent times, the victims of which are yet to get justice

21 September, 2006

Gujarat Bill: Denying Religious
Freedom In Freedom's Name 
By Yoginder Sikand

The recent passing of a controversial bill by the Gujarat Assembly has, understandably enough, generated a storm of protest. Ironically called the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2006, the Bill, critics argue, represents a major assault on religious freedom, particularly of non-Hindus, in Gujarat

25 February, 2006

Gujarat: Four Years After The Genocide 
By Azim Khan

The Gujarat police are almost completely saffronised,cooking up false cases of sedition, illegal arms and criminal conspiracy against young and innocent boys of the Muslim community. Extending illegal detention of poor Muslims by the Anti-Terrorist Squad and Crime Branch is an everyday affair. In Modi's Gujarat equality before the law and equal protection of the law have no meaning

Shared Traditions In Gujarat
Challenge The Communal Divide 
By Yoginder Sikand

Exactly four years ago, Gujarat witnessed a state-sponsored genocide that culminated in the deaths of some three thousand Muslims and led to a complete breakdown of inter-community relations, the scars of which have still not healed. Yet, despite the relentless assault of Hindutva forces in Gujarat, all is not lost

08 January, 2006

I Owe This To Mukhtar 
By Shabnam Hashmi

Social activist Mukhtar was arrested on the eve of the New Year by the Modi government on a false and bogus rape case

27 September, 2005

The Hindu Rashtra Of Gujarat
By V.B.Rawat

A journey into Narendra Modi's Gujarat

01 April, 2005

Move On And Get Modi Tried
By Subhash Gatade

The US denial of Visa and the cancellation of Modi's visit to UK is indeed a victory. But activists must move ahead and get Modi tried in Indian and International courts

30 March, 2005

Last Refuge Of The Scoundrel 
By Praful Bidwai

When India demanded to withdraw Brigadier-General Paul Tibbetts, the pilot who had dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, from the United States embassy in New Delhi nobody then thought that issues of diplomatic protocol, "courtesy" and "sovereign" rights of states come prior to the moral-political imperative of preventing, protesting and punishing grave crimes against humanity. By contrast, the US denial of a visa to Narendra Modi has caused a great outpouring of crude nationalistic anger in India

29 March, 2005

Et Tu George?
By Ra Ravishankar

A fictional account of LK Advani's letter to US President George Bush on the denial of Visa to Gujarat Chief Minsiter Narendra Modi 

28 March, 2005

Visa Denial Hurt National Pride?
By Harsh Mander

Nehru once refused a request by Mussolini to meet him, because he was a fascist. This was widely admired as a principled stand based on democratic and humanist traditions, and never an affront to the people of Italy. Similarly, most nations refused diplomatic relations with the apartheid regime of South Africa, which was an act not of insult but of solidarity of the international community with large sections of the South African people

22 March, 2005

How We Made U.S.Deny Visa To Modi
By Angana Chatterji

That Narendra Modi was denied a visa, that his active involvement in crimes against humanity has been officially noted, is something to celebrate. The larger task remains to hold accountable Narendra Modi, who has committed genocide

10 March, 2005

A State Terrorist Visits American Hoteliers 
By Vijay Prashad

For a business sector that likes to call itself the "hospitality industry," it is painful that the chief guest at its March 2005 gathering will be Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, who presided over the genocide of over 2000 muslims in March, 2002

03 March, 2005

Former President Narayanan Speaks Up 
By Manava Samskriti

"If the military was given powers to shoot at the perpetrators of violence, recurrence of tragedies in Gujarat could have been avoided. However, both the state and central government did not do so"

Three Years After Genocide In Gujarat 
By Asghar Ali Engineer

Gujarat genocide keeps us reminding what to expect when communal and fascist forces come to power. The fight against communal forces should go on through democratic methods. They must be isolated and weakened

01 March, 2005

Remembering The Gujarat Genocide
By M Hasan Jowher

The victims of post-Godhra riots await for justice done, security strengthened and compensation awarded. For three years to this week they have waited for truth to prevail

22 February, 2005

Honoring Narendra Modi! 
By Coalition Against Genocide

The Asian American Hotel Owner Association's (AAHOA) has created a storm in US by inviting the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi,who is accused of sharing responsibility in the massacres, sexual mutilations and rapes of Muslims and persecution of Christians, indigenous tribes and moderate Hindus

06 October, 2004

Speaking From Gujarat
By Dr. Juzar Bandukwala & Yoginder Sikand

Dr. Juzar Bandukwala is well-known and widely-respected social activist and journalist, he has been in the forefront of the struggle for justice to the victims of the recent state-sponsored violence directed against the Muslims of Gujarat. In this interview he speaks to Yoginder Sikand about his work and about the situation in Gujarat today

24 September, 2004

Gujarat Government Is Obstructing Justice 
Human Rights Watch Report

The government of the Indian state of Gujarat continues to obstruct justice and prevent accountability for the perpetrators of violence committed during communal riots in 2002 that left as many as 2,000 Muslims dead

22 August, 2004

Gujarat: The Wheels Of Justice Get Moving 
By Jyotirmaya Sharma

Faced with a hostile Centre, a determined Supreme Court, and an unforgiving set of liberal activists, the Narendra Modi regime will not have it easy in the weeks ahead. Some of the affidavits filed in the riot cases too show up the Gujarat Government

Let's Not Forget Godhra
By Siddharth Varadarajan

Two years after 58 people were killed on board the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, the incident is still shrouded in mystery. It is high time a Central probe was launched into the case

29 July, 2004

Body Of The Nation: Why Women
Were Mutilated In Gujarat 
By Martha C. Nussbaum

The woman functions as a symbol of the site of weakness and vulnerability inside any male, who can be drawn into his own mortality through desire. The Muslim woman functions doubly as such a symbol. In this way, a fantasy is created that her annihilation will lead to safety and invulnerability The paranoid anxiety that keeps telling every man that he is not safe and invulnerable feeds the desire to extinguish her

03 July, 2004

There Was No Waiting Mob At Godhra
By Darshan Desai

Depositions before the Nanavati Commission suggest that Godhra wasn't the premeditated act it was made out to be

29 June, 2004

Encounter or Murder?
By Sukla Sen

Given the seriousness of the allegations and counter-allegations made about the Ahmedabad encounter killings of three men and a nineteen year old girl, a full-scale judicial enquiry headed by a serving supreme court judge, assisted by a team of dedicated professional investigators, is very much the need of the hour

19 June, 2004

Truth About Godhra: Case For A
Fresh Commission Of Inquiry
By Siddharth Varadarajan

Now that the UPA government is in power, it should speed up the investigations into the Godhra tragedy. It should also actively support the NHRC's demands, now pending before the Supreme Court, that the CBI be tasked with investigating Godhra and that the case be transferred out of Gujarat.

10 May, 2004

Two-Nation Theory... 
By Sheela Reddy

In Gujarat new boundaries segregate the Muslim and Hindu communities dividing the neighbourhoods virtually into two nations 

06 May, 2004

Gujarat-Lengthening Shadows Of Trident
By Ram Puniyani

The tragic affairs of Gujarat are just a mirror to our democracy. How if unguarded, the fascist tendencies can grow and engulf the democracy lock sock and barrel. Gujarat is very close to 'Fascism in one state' as far as Indian nation is concerned

04 May, 2004

Criminal Case Against Modi Launched in Gujarat

Gujarat Chief Minister to face Genocide, Torture and Crimes
against Humanity charges from UK family

17 April, 2004

Who Cares For Supreme Court In Gandhi's Gujarat?
By Digant Oza

Shameless defense of the Modi government continues

16 April, 2004

Darkness And Light In Modern India 
By Harsh Mander

The agony of Gujarat, its blood-drenched humanity soaked in ideologies of hatred and divide, has hurtled the people of our vast country into a defining crossroads. The manner in which they respond today will determine the kind of country and world that we leave behind for our children

05 April, 2004

Lamps Lit In Darkness 
By Harsh Mander

If the savage massacre in Gujarat and its unconscionable conspiracies of silence and complicity marked a monumental collapse of traditional 'civil society', it witnessed simultaneously a countrywide upsurge of spontaneous voluntary action, luminous acts of compassion, conscience and faith

22 January, 2004

Gujarat Carnage And Muslim Women 
By Asghar Ali Engineer

The crimes against women during the gujarat carnage were really unspeakable. The wounds inflicted on minority women can hardly heal especially when they were subjected to such unspeakable crimes. Still they are living with sense of shame and agony

28 December, 2003

Remembering Gujarat 
By Kalpana Sharma

Can we afford to bury and forget the terrifying messages that the massacres in Gujarat carry?

04 December, 2003

Reviving Gandhi To Cover Up Gujarat's Shame 
By Ruchir Joshi

In an effort to project a more humane face for Gujarat after the post Godhra pogrom against the Muslims, the Gujarat government is reviving Gandhi

23 November, 2003

Gujarat's Victims Completely Isolated 
By Harsh Mander

After the riots, the state authorities in Gujarat have mounted a systematic assault on the rights and security of a segment of its citizens, on a scale and with an impunity that is unmatched in independent India, barring the dark months of the Emergency

25 October, 2003

False Case Against Mallika Sarabhai
A letter From Mallika Sarabhai

Gujarat government has framed yet another false case against Mallika Sarabhai to cow her down politically

23 October, 2003

Little More Vibrancy And The Gujarat
Volcano Would Explode
By Digant Oza

People of Gujarat are vibrating with anguish, agony and anger against Mody Government, ever since Congress and other secular parties presented on silver plate power in Gandhinagar to Bhartiya Janta Party, thanks to their stupid strategical mistakes

22 October, 2003

Survivor's Of Godhra Give VHP
The Cold Shoulder

Of the 38 residents of Ramol Janata Nagar in Gujarat who went to Ayodhya in February 2002, only 28 returned. Ten were killed in the S-6 compartment of Sabarmati Express which was torched at Godhra on February 27. And the others who returned are disillusione with the VHP

18 September, 2003

Judging Genocide In Gujarat
By Praful Bidwai

Letting the Gujarat culprits get away and papering over the gravity of what happened would be the surest way of destroying the constitutional edifice of governance - indeed, this society. The Supreme Court must not disappoint the public

16 September, 2003

End Of A Love Affair With India 
By Luke Harding

As a young backpacker Luke Harding found India charming and eccentric. Fifteen years later he returned as the Guardian's correspondent. Now, after finishing his time there, he recalls how one terrible incident of sectarian violence in Gujarat brought his love affair with the country to an end

29 August, 2003

The Hell That Was Naroda-Patiya
By Manas Dasgupta

Naroda-Patiya Victims Narrate `Hellish Experience' To Nanavati Panel

03 August, 2003

Nanavati Commission Boycott
By Digant Oza and Nachiketa Desai

Fearing reprisal from the the perpetrators of carnage the riot victims do not turn up for the hearings held by the Justice Nanavati commission enquiring into the communal violence in Gujarat

31 July, 2003

Best Bakery Case- NHRC Comes To The Rescue
By Manoj Mitta

NHRC to move special leave petition in Supreme Court asking for retrial

26 July, 2003

Gujarat’s ‘Successful Experiment’ 
Arvind Rajagopal

The racial violence gripping Indian politics may appear to be the latest manifestation of an age-old problem. But this is deceptive. Modern technology and globalisation have brought about a mutation

20 July, 2003

Counterfeit Peace In Gujarat
By Harsh Mander

The peace that prevails in Gujarat is only counterfeit. Authentic peace can be founded ultimately only on justice, trust and dignity.

12 July, 2003

Best Bakery Was 37th Riot Acquittal
By Leena Misra

There have already been 36 riot cases where trials have been conducted and the accused were acquitted since the witnesses either did not turn up or they turned hostile, and the Best Bakery case was the 37 th

06 July, 2003

‘Trembling With Fear, We Lied In Court’ 
By Abhishek Kapoor & Ayesha Khan

Barely one week after the court set free all 21 accused in the Best Bakery massacre in the Gujarat riots, Sehrunissa Sheikh, one of the main witnesses and wife of the bakery owner, has come out and told The Sunday Express that she lied in court ‘‘trembling with fear’’ for her life

The Social Engineering Of Gujarat
By Hemant Babu

The ongoing violence and its broadening social and geographical base in Gujarat is a consequence of the political recasting of social identities

02 July, 2003

Muslims Recant, and Hindus Are Acquitted in Riot Trial
By David Rhode

The faith of India's 140 million Muslims in the country's commitment to equal justice is again being tested in Gujarat

01 July, 2003

India: Gujarat Massacre Cases Sabotaged
Human Rights Watch

The new report published by Human Rights Watch " Compounding Injustice: The Government's Failure to Redress Massacres in Gujarat", examines the record of state authorities in holding perpetrators accountable and providing humanitarian relief to victims of state-supported massacres of Muslims in February and March 2002

30 June, 2003

Menace Of Moditva
By Amulya Ganguli

Instead of boycotting the Nanavati commission, as some of them are doing, they should forsake such a defeatist attitude and try all the harder to help it discover the truth by standing by the scared witnesses

29 June, 2003

We, The Guilty 
By Sundeep Dougal

If the first verdict involving Gujarat's post-Godhra carnage is any indication, there is no hope for any justice in the other cases under trial. And we are responsible

18 June, 2003

PUCL-Vadodara Shanti Abhiyan (VSA) Withdraw
From The Nanavati-Shah Commission Hearings

PUCL- VSA submitted an affidavit stating that, in view of their lack of faith in the inquiry proceedings, they will not participate in them further

12 June, 2003

An Encounter With A Judge
By Manoj Mitta

The inquiry into the Gujarat riots is yet to cover Ahmedabad and Vadodara, where most of the killings took place. So, what on earth could have made Justice Nanavati, make the gratuitous assertion that the evidence recorded so far did not indicate ''any serious lapse'' on the part of the police or administration?

06 June, 2003

No Justice Nanavati, What You Say Is Not Correct
By Asghar Ali Engineer

Justice G.T. Nanavati who has been investigating Godhra incident and the Gujarat riot almost gives a clean chit to the administration. Such a statement from the inquiring judge at an unfinished stage is quite improper.

28 May, 2003

NHRC asks Modi Govt To Explain Lax In Riot Probe

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Gujarat government to explain why riot victims were not deposing before the Nanavati Commission

21 May, 2003

Turning hostile: The story of Zahira 
By Abhishek Kapoor

Is it so easy to forget what happened in Gujarat?

02 May, 2003

Movers and shakers in a divided city 
By Tanvir Siddiqui 

So has normalcy returned to Ahmedabad? Judge for yourself...

Carnage in Gujarat Unpunished
Communal Violence Continues

Human Rights Watch report that even one year after the communal violence in Gujarat the culprits are roaming free while the victims are still getting punished by the state as well as the earlier persecutors

Trial begins in just 1 of 961 riot cases!
By Sourav Mukherjee & Amit Mukherjee

A year after the gujarat violence, process of justice is still crawling. Unlike the Godhra case, which is witnessing rapid developments, trial begins in just 1 of 961 riot cases!

Gujarat's Gendered Violence
by Ruth Baldwin

Women's bodies were central battlegrounds in the worst bout of Hindu-Muslim bloodletting to grip India in over ten years

Just Another Day in Ahmedabad
by Gurpal Singh

Account by a peace worker about the pathetic conditions of the relief camps in Ahmedabad

Who lit the fire?
by Mohan Guruswamy

Forensic report proves that the fire on Sabarmati Express at Godhra was lit from inside the train 

Genocide in Gujarat

Report by Sahmat Fact Finding Team to Gujarat"Ethnic Cleansing Not Communal Riot"

NHRC Recommendations

NHRC Recommend CBI Enquiry into the violence

NHRC final order

Final Order on Gujarat by NHRC a severe indictment on the state government

Deliver Justice

Amnesty International Memmorandum to the government of India and gujarat

Say No
by Mahasweta Devi
Mahasweta Devi's appeal"Ban all blood thirsty religious institutions" 

Cry The Beloved Country 
by Harsh Mander
Eye Witness account of the genocide in Gujarat by Harsh Mander

The Way Out
by Anand

Author and thinker Anand writes about the genocide in Gujarat"It was designed in the laborataries of Hindutwa"

Stable Bank, Fraudelent Cheques
by Anand

Anand On the Moral Bankruptcy of the Indian state

Human Rights Watch Report

"We Have No Orders to Save you" State participation and complicity in communal violence in Guajarat

Gujarat riots in pictures

First | Previous | Next | Last

An outside view of Shah Alam Dargah Camp, Ahmedabad