Jump to content

2002 Gujarat riots: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 2: Line 2:
The '''2002 Gujarat violence''' describes a series of [[Communalism (South Asia)|communal]] [[riot]]s between the communities of [[Hindus]] and [[Muslims]] that took place in the [[India]]n [[Gujarat|State of Gujarat]] between February and May 2002.
The '''2002 Gujarat violence''' describes a series of [[Communalism (South Asia)|communal]] [[riot]]s between the communities of [[Hindus]] and [[Muslims]] that took place in the [[India]]n [[Gujarat|State of Gujarat]] between February and May 2002.


The riots occurred at the [[Godhra train burning]]. The train had left Godhra Station and it was forcibly stopped and attacked by a 500 strong weapon carrying Muslim Mob that targeted on of the coaches containing the Hindu religious pilgrims and burnt them alive. 58 Hindu pilgrims, 23 men, 15 women and 20 children perished. This incident was the flashpoint that started the communal Gujarat violence.
The riots occurred at the [[Godhra train burning]]. The train had left Godhra Station and it was forcibly stopped and attacked by a 500 strong weapon carrying Muslim Mob that targeted one of the coaches containing the Hindu religious pilgrims and burnt them alive. 58 Hindu pilgrims, 23 men, 15 women and 20 children perished. This incident was the flashpoint that started the communal Gujarat violence.


In September 2008 the Godhra Commission confirmed that there was an attack, by a Muslim mob.<ref>The Godhra conspiracy as Justice Nanavati saw it. Times of India. September 28, 2008.</ref> 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 put the train on fire, adding stones were thrown on passengers to stop them from fleeing. <ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sabarmati_Express_fire_was_pre-planned/articleshow/3526816.cms Sabarmati Express fire was pre-planned: Godhra report] Times of India - September 26, 2008</ref> <ref>[http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080066669&ch=9/25/2008%203:22:00%20PM Godhra case: Nanavati panel gives clean chit to Modi] NDTV - September 25, 2008</ref>
In September 2008 the Godhra Commission confirmed that there was an attack, by a Muslim mob.<ref>The Godhra conspiracy as Justice Nanavati saw it. Times of India. September 28, 2008.</ref> 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 put the train on fire, adding stones were thrown on passengers to stop them from fleeing. <ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sabarmati_Express_fire_was_pre-planned/articleshow/3526816.cms Sabarmati Express fire was pre-planned: Godhra report] Times of India - September 26, 2008</ref> <ref>[http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080066669&ch=9/25/2008%203:22:00%20PM Godhra case: Nanavati panel gives clean chit to Modi] NDTV - September 25, 2008</ref>

Revision as of 18:31, 1 December 2008

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

The 2002 Gujarat violence describes a series of communal riots between the communities of Hindus and Muslims that took place in the Indian State of Gujarat between February and May 2002.

The riots occurred at the Godhra train burning. The train had left Godhra Station and it was forcibly stopped and attacked by a 500 strong weapon carrying Muslim Mob that targeted one of the coaches containing the Hindu religious pilgrims and burnt them alive. 58 Hindu pilgrims, 23 men, 15 women and 20 children perished. This incident was the flashpoint that started the communal Gujarat violence.

In September 2008 the Godhra Commission confirmed that there was an attack, by a Muslim mob.[1] 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 put the train on fire, adding stones were thrown on passengers to stop them from fleeing. [2] [3] According to official figures more than a thousand people were killed in the violence after the train incident. Independent estimates by rights groups and NGOs place the figure higher, nearer to 2000. More than one hundred and fifty thousand people were displaced.

Organisations such as Human Rights Watch criticised the Indian government for failure to address the resulting humanitarian condition of people, "overwhelming majority of them Muslim," who fled their homes for relief camps in the aftermath of the events. [4] Many of the investigations and prosecution of those accused of violence during the riots have been opened for reinvestigation and prosecution.[5][6] 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.[7]

The large-scale, collective violence has been generally been described as riots or inter-communal clashes.[8] The perpetrators of the violence as well as Sangh parivar leaders[9] and the Gujarat government[10][11][12] maintain that the violence was a spontaneous, uncontrollable reaction to the Godhra train burning. Others have termed it a massacre[13] and an attempted pogrom or genocide[14] of the Muslim population, emphasizing that the violence was largely directed against defenceless people, indiscriminate with regard to age or sex and alleging that it was pre-planned, organised and aided by the local authorities and political leaders.[15]

Godhra train burning

Main article: Godhra Train Burning

On February 27 2002, 58 Hindus, including 25 women and 15 children[16] were burnt alive in a railway coach in the town of Godhra following an altercation between local Muslims and activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (Kar Sevaks) returning by the Sabarmathi express train from Ayodhya.[17] Initial media reports blamed the local Muslims for setting the coach on fire,[18] in what Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and the VHP leader Giriraj Kishore alleged was a "pre-planned" attack.[19][20] New Nanavati Report states that the Attack on the "Kar Sevaks" on train from Ayodhya was pre-planned and gives the clean-chit to the Chief Minister Narendra Modi[21]. Previous report on Godhra train burning was filed by Justice Banerjee stated that the Godhra Train burning was "accidental" while new report filed by Justice Nanavati states that Godhra Train Burning was "pre-planned" by the mob. The Gujarat High Court ruling, as of 2006, has declared as illegal the setting up of the Umesh Chandra Banerjee committee, which had concluded the fire started by accident.

The bodies of those killed in the train were brought to Ahmedabad, where a procession was held,[22] a move seen as a major provocation for the ensuing communal violence.[23] The VHP issued a call for a state-wide strike on February 28 2002, which was supported by the BJP-led state government.[24][25]

Post Godhra violence

151 towns and 993 villages[26] 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 February 28 and March 3, and after a drop, restarted on March 15, continuing till mid June.[27] Northern and central Gujarat, as well as the north-eastern tribal belt where Hindutva mobilisation efforts were strong, were the worst affected while Saurashtra and Kutch remained largely peaceful.[26]

Attacks by large mobs began in the districts of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Saberkantha and, for the first time in its history, Gandhinagar on February 28. 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.[28]

The first incidents of attacks on the minority 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.[29] 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.[29]

Hundreds of mosques and other Muslim shrines were damaged or destroyed and makeshift Hindu temples were installed in their place in some cases. 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.[30] Police records list 298 dargahs, 205 mosques, 17 temples and three churches as damaged in the months of March and April.[31]

Attacks on Muslims

In Naroda, according to Human Rights Watch, at least 65 Muslims were killed, many of them women who were sexually assaulted by violent mobs[32]. One of the witnesses alleged before the Nanavati commission that that BJP leader Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and others led mobs on February 28 in the Naroda-Patia area[33].

A high profile case involved an Ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was surrounded by Hindu mobs (including Congress workers[citation needed]) while many other Muslim residents in the area took shelter in his compound. Jafri was believed to have contacted the local police stations, MPs of the area as well as the Chief Minister Modi to save the people from the ever increasing mob. However, no police reinforcement had reached his place and the few policemen present were ineffective and unwilling to control the violent mob." Eventually he was burnt to death, along with fifty others.[34]

According to HRW in its widely-quoted report, mobs of thousands, dressed in saffron scarves and khaki shorts - the signature uniform of the RSS - and armed with swords, sophisticated explosives, and gas cylinders, were guided by voter lists and printouts of addresses of Muslim-owned properties, information obtained from the local municipal administration.[35] Muslims in Ahmedabad alleged that there were elements of planning in the violence.[36]

Fourteen people, including women and children, were killed by a mob at the Best Bakery in the town of Vadodara on the night of 1 March.[37]

On March 3, fourteen members of Bilkis Bano's family including her two-month old daughter were killed in a mob attack near Chapparwad village in Dahod district. Seven women including Bilkis Bano, then five months pregnant, were raped.[38][39][40]

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.[41] There was a significant loss of life[failed verification] and property.[42][43] 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.[44] According to the HRW report, over ten thousand Hindus were made homeless.[41]

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 is their code word. We are the only Hindus here, poison here means us. The rioting lasted between 2:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.[41]

Residents were unable 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.[41]

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.[45]

Unofficial estimates put the death toll closer to 2000, with Muslims forming a high proportion of those killed.[46]

Economic boycott of Muslims

The People's Union for Civil Liberties allege that pamphlets were circulated by the Sangh Parivar to incite violence against and call for an economic boycott of the Muslim community.[47]

Shortly after the riots, when most Muslims were still in relief camps, a leaflet campaign "urging Hindus to boycott Muslim-owned shops and other establishments" was widely reported.[48][49] The leaflets urged the Hindu reader not to frequent Muslim-owned restaurants, work in Muslim-run offices, hire Muslims or see films starring Muslim actors; they further assured the reader that the boycott would "throttle these elements. It will break their backbone. Then it will be difficult for them to live in any corner of this country."[48] The economic boycott and "pressure from Hindu radicals" caused fewer employers to re-hire returning Muslims.[49] No group claimed direct responsibility for the leaflets but a senior official of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) was quoted as saying he was "in complete agreement with whatever is propagated through them."[48]

As a consequence of the leaflet campaign, observers claimed that year[50] and even two and half years later[51], the economic boycott of Muslims was severe in Pavagadh district. As a consequence of the boycott and continued threats, relief organisations lamented that they were having to build "ghettoes" for the displaced.[52]. However, many Muslims have welcomed the post-riots stability[53], which has allowed for economic prosperity[54] for Muslims in some areas[55], as well as being a catalyst for encouraging education among the Muslim populace[56].

Security measures

By the evening of February 28, curfews were imposed in twenty seven towns and cities.[57] By March 25, thirty five towns were under curfew.[58] 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).[31]

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".[59]

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."[35] Calls for assistance to the police, fire brigades, and even ambulance services generally proved futile.[35]

By the end of April, police recorded 170 people as killed in police firing, of whom 93 were Muslims and 77 were Hindus.[31]

Hindu residents of Mahajan No Vaado, part of the Muslim dominated area of Jamalpur, told HRW that on March 1, the police ignored phone calls and left them fend for themselves when a Muslim mob attacked.[41] Numerous calls by Hindus throughout the riots were reportedly ignored by the police.[41]

One thousand army troops were flown in by the evening of March 1 to restore order. Intelligence officials alleged that the deployment was deliberately delayed by the state and central governments.[60] On May 3, former Punjab police chief K P S Gill was appointed as security adviser to the Chief Minister.[61]

The Gujarat government transferred several senior police officers who had taken active measures to contain and investigate violent attacks to administrative positions.[62][25][63]

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.[64]

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.[65] 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.[66]

An unidentified pamphlet circulated to journalists in Gujarat in 2007 labelled Modi's government as anti-Hindu for arresting VHP workers and Hindu activists involved in the riots.[67]

Role of government and police

About two hundred policemen lost their lives trying to control the violence in Gujarat[68]. The Modi led state government was reprimanded at various levels including the Parliament, Supreme Court and internationally. The upper house of the Indian parliament unanimously passed a resolution calling for federal intervention in Gujarat, after a similar censure motion in the lower house was defeated by about 100 votes.[69]

The United States Department of State in its International Religious Freedom Report 2003 stated:

The Gujarat state government and the police were criticized for failing to stop the violence, and in some cases participating in or encouraging it. NGOs report that police were implicated directly in nearly all the attacks against Muslims in Gujarat, and in some cases, NGOs contend, police officials encouraged the mob. The Government dispatched the NHRC to investigate the attacks against Muslims, but the NHRC's findings that the attacks against Muslims "was a comprehensive failure on the part of the state government to control the persistent violation of rights of life, liberty, equality, and dignity of the people of the state," led to widespread criticism in the Hindu community and allegations of government partiality.

[70]

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[71][72] was criticised as inappropriate by aid and reconciliation activists and other jurists.[73][74]

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" [11]

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. [75]

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.[5] Following this direction, police identified nearly 1,600 cases for reinvestigation, arrested 640 accused and launched investigations against 40 police officers for their failures.[6][76]

Human Rights Watch alleges [77] that state and law enforcement officials harass and intimidate[78] 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."[79]

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.[80] A key witness, Zaheera Sheikh, who repeatedly changed her testimony during the trials and the petition was found guilty of perjury.[81]

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.[39][40] 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.[38] In January 2008, eleven men were sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murders and a policeman was convicted of falsifying evidence.[82]

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[83] and failing to identify the attackers they had witnessed.[84]

Nine people were convicted of killing a Hindu man and injuring another during group clashes in Danilimda, Ahmedabad on April 12, while 25 others were acquitted.[85]

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.[86][87]

Fifty two people from Pavagadh and Dhikva villages in Panchmahal district were acquitted of rioting charges for lack of evidence.[88]

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.[89][90] 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.[91]

Public enquiries

Shah-Nanavati commission

On March 6, 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.[92] Following criticism from victims' organisations, activists and political parties over Shah's alleged proximity to the BJP, on May 22, the government reconstituted the commission, appointing retired Supreme Court Justice G.T. Nanavati to lead the commission.[93][94] In 2008, the Nanavati commission came out largely in favour of he 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 CRPF officer by the name of 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 liberation movement.[95]

The cpm and the 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.[96]

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 March-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[97] 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).

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.[98][99] 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.[100]

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. [101][102][103]

Aftermath

Opposition parties as well as three coalition partners[104] 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.[105]

On July 18, Chief Minister Narendra Modi asked the Governor of Gujarat to dissolve the state assembly and call fresh elections.[106] The Indian Election Commission ruled out early elections, citing the prevailing law and order situation, a decision the union government unsuccessfully[107] appealed against in the Supreme Court.[108]

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. Delhi Police Special Commissioner K. K. Paul noted their motive was to avenge the "injustices caused to [the] Muslims in Gujarat".[109]

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 Pakistani ISI and Islamic terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba were accused of supporting the terrorists.[110], but they have denied this accusation [111] [112][113]

Elections were held in December and Modi was returned to power in a landslide victory.[114]

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".

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".[79]

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.[115] Subsequently, the government set the compensation amount at 150,000 rupees. [116]

By March 27, nearly 100,000 displaced people moved into 101 relief camps. This swelled to over 150,000 in 104 camps the next two weeks.[27] 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.[117] At least another 100 camps were denied government support, according to a camp organiser.[118] and relief supplies were prevented from reaching the camps over fears that they may be carrying arms.[119]

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.[120]

On the 23rd of May 2008, the Union Government announced a 320 crore rupee (US $ 80 million) relief package for the victims of the riots[121].

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.[122]

Critical reporting on the Gujarat government's handling of the situation helped bring about the Indian government's intervention in controlling the violence.[122] The Gujarat government banned television news channels critical of the government's response. STAR News, Zee News, Aaj Tak, CNN as well as local stations were blocked.[122]

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.[122]

The Godhra fire received extensive news coverage until it was overtaken by the subsequent violence and the presentation of the Union budget.[122] Television and newspaper reports, particularly local Gujarati language media, carried graphic and at times sensationalised images and accounts of the Godhra train fire.[123] S Gurumurthy, Arvind Lavakare and columnist Rajeev 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.[124][125]

Rajeev Srinivasan questions the veracity of several newspaper accounts of the violence, alleging that they diminish or justify violence against Hindus or play up violence against Muslims. He disputes the view, which he attributes to "the intelligentsia", that the Ram janmabhoomi agitation and Hindu fundamentalism are the proximate causes of the Gujarat violence, arguing instead that a "general Hindu frustration" over allegedly discriminatory government policies and Islamic fundamentalism led to the riots.[126]

BJP MP Balbir Punj has criticised an Arundhati Roy essay, pointing out a factual error in it, and accusing a "secular pack" in the media of hyperbole and sensationalising the riots as part of an agenda of what he calls 'defamation' and 'left wing anti-India propaganda'.[12] Punj writes "She (Roy) terms Gujarat the 'petri dish' of the Sangh Parivar. The fact is that Godhra has been used as a crucible by the secular fundamentalists." Punj later continues, "Loss of 900-odd innocent lives (both Hindus and Muslims) is definitely not a 'genocide' of any one community". Punj also says, "The secular pack is not only guilty of parading half-truths but also of condoning and inciting violence".[66]

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.[127] Srivatsava denied the allegation,[128] 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.[129] 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.[130][131] 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.[132] While the report was criticized by some as being politically motivated,[133][134][135][136] some newspapers said the revelations simply reinforced what was common knowledge.[137][138][139][131] The Gujarat government blocked telecast of cable news channels broadcasting the expose, a move strongly condemned by the Editors Guild of India.[140]

Controversies on the riots

Atrocities against women

There was widespread public outrage regarding atrocities against women during the riots. These included acts of rape against women and female children, and mutilations[141]. In some cases, crime reports to the Police (First Information Reports or FIRs) were neither promptly nor accurately recorded and the victims harassed and intimidated. [142]

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."[143]

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.[144][145][146] which was strongly disputed as Gujerat did not have a State Commission for Women to act on the ground. [147] 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".[148]

Notes

  1. ^ The Godhra conspiracy as Justice Nanavati saw it. Times of India. September 28, 2008.
  2. ^ Sabarmati Express fire was pre-planned: Godhra report Times of India - September 26, 2008
  3. ^ Godhra case: Nanavati panel gives clean chit to Modi NDTV - September 25, 2008
  4. ^ Gujarat Officials Took Part in Anti-Muslim Violence -Human Rights Watch
  5. ^ a b "Court orders Gujarat riot review". BBC News Online. 2004-08-17.
  6. ^ a b "Gujarat riot cases to be reopened". BBC News Online. 2006-02-08.
  7. ^ 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. "BJP cites govt statistics to defend Modi". ExpressIndia. 2005-05-12. {{cite news}}: Text "author - PTI" ignored (help) PTI (2005-05-11). "254 Hindus, 790 Muslims killed in post-Godhra riots". Indiainfo.com.
  8. ^ Riot connection fails to upset Modi NDTV - December 23, 2007; Gujarat riot death toll revealed BBC News - May 11, 2005; My murders are better than yours Times of India - January 6, 2008
  9. ^ ""People Wanted Revenge And Got It"". Outlook. 2002-03-18., "Muslim forum flays RSS resolution". The Hindu. 2002-03-19.
  10. ^ "Sectarian violence in India". The Economist. 2002-05-01.
  11. ^ a b "NGO says Gujarat riots were planned". BBC News Online. 2002-03-19.
  12. ^ a b Fiddling with facts as Gujarat Burns,Outlook India
  13. ^ Ram Puniyani (2003). Communal Politics: Facts Versus Myths. SAGE. p. 282. ISBN 0761996672.
  14. ^ Tamara Sonn (2004). A Brief History of Islam. Blackwell Publishing. p. 371. ISBN 1405109009.
  15. ^ Brass (2005), pp. 387
  16. ^ "Massacres in Godhra and Ahmedabad". Human Rights Watch. 2002. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  17. ^ Varadarajan, Siddharth (2005-01-23). "The truth about Godhra". The Hindu.
  18. ^ "Call for calm after Indian train attack". CNN. 2002-02-27. "Scores killed in India train attack". BBC News Online. 2002-02-27. "Shoot-at-sight orders, curfew in Godhra". Times of India. 2002-02-27.
  19. ^ "70 killed, Army on stand by". Express India. 2002-02-28.
  20. ^ "Don't test patience of Hindus: VHP". Rediff News. 2002-02-28.
  21. ^ "Godhra report tabled, Narendra Modi gets clean chit". Indian Server. 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  22. ^ "Godhra panel: Plea to summon Modi". Deccan Herald. 2007-09-01.
  23. ^ "Modi wanted Godhra bodies to come to A'bad". Times of India. 2004-08-22.
  24. ^ "VHP-sponsored bandh begins in Gujarat; one killed in Baroda". Rediff News. 2002-02-28.
  25. ^ a b CELIA W. DUGGER (2002-07-27). "Religious Riots Loom Over Indian Politics". New York Times.
  26. ^ 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, p. 120
  27. ^ a b Paul R. Brass (2005). The Production Of Hindu-muslim Violence In Contemporary India. University of Washington Press. pp. 385–393. ISBN 0295985062.
  28. ^ Christophe Jaffrelot (July 2003), "Communal Riots in Gujarat: The State at Risk?" (PDF), Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics (17), South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg
  29. ^ 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
  30. ^ Smita Narula (2002). ""We Have No Orders To Save You" - State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat". Human Rights Watch. {{cite web}}: |chapter= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help), "Mob used bulldozer to raze heritage mosque". Indian Exress. 2002-03-13.
  31. ^ a b c Sanjay Pandey (2002-04-28). "More fall prey to police firings in Gujarat". Times of India.
  32. ^ ""We have no orders to save you"". Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2008-09-11. {{cite news}}: External link in |authorlink= (help)
  33. ^ "Riot witness names MLA, says she led Naroda mob". http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com. The Times of India. 2003-09-30. Retrieved 2008-09-11. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
  34. ^ "Report on the visit of NHRC Team headed by Chairperson, NHRC to Ahmedabad, Vadodra and Godhra". http://nhrc.nic.in. National Human Rights Commision. 2002-03-22. Retrieved 2008-09-11. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
  35. ^ a b c Police officials led Hindu attackers: HRW report on Muslims’ massacre in Gujarat, Dawn, April 30, 2002
  36. ^ Dev, Nirendra (2002-03-12). Rediff.com "Gujarat riot victims allege 'communal cleansing'". www.rediff.com. Rediff. Retrieved 2008-09-11. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  37. ^ "India: Justice, the victim - Gujarat state fails to protect women from violence". www.amnesty.org. Amnesty International. 2005-01-27. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  38. ^ a b "Charges framed in Bilkis case". The Hindu. 2005-01-14.
  39. ^ a b "A hopeful Bilkis goes public". Deccan Herald. 2004-08-09.
  40. ^ a b "Second riot case shift". The Telegraph. 2004-08-07.
  41. ^ a b c d e f Attacks on Hindus,Human Rights Watch
  42. ^ Riots hit all classes, people of all faith
  43. ^ A home for long now just a death trap
  44. ^ With no relief, they turn to religious places for shelter,Indian Express
  45. ^ 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. "BJP cites govt statistics to defend Modi". ExpressIndia. 2005-05-12. {{cite news}}: Text "author - PTI" ignored (help) PTI (2005-05-11). "254 Hindus, 790 Muslims killed in post-Godhra riots". Indiainfo.com.
  46. ^ ""We Have No Orders To Save You"". Human Rights Watch. 2002-04-30. {{cite web}}: |chapter= ignored (help), "UK reads the riot act to Narendra Modi". Indiatimes. 2005-03-22., Brass (2005) pp. 388,
  47. ^ An Interim Report to the National Human Rights commission People's Union for Civil Liberties
  48. ^ a b c "Drive for boycott of Gujarat Muslims", Dawn, March 22, 2002
  49. ^ a b "Sectarian Violence Haunts Indian City; Hindu Militants Bar Muslims From Work", by Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post, April 8, 2002
  50. ^ TITLE
  51. ^ Muslims still face economic boycott in Pavagadh-Ahmedabad-Cities-The Times of India
  52. ^ X. ECONOMIC MARGINALIZATION OF MUSLIMS - Human Rights Watch
  53. ^ Changing mindset: ‘Modi is not just chief minister of Hindus’ Hindustan Times - December 05, 2007
  54. ^ Arrogance is chief minister’s USP Hindustan Times - November 29, 2007
  55. ^ Gujarat: Muslims in Sikka prefer BJP NDTV - November 30, 2007
  56. ^ Muslims going to college, thanks to Narendrabhai Hindustan Times - December 6, 2007
  57. ^ Oommen (2005), pp. 120
  58. ^ "Where is normalcy? Curfew still on". Times of India. 2002-03-25.
  59. ^ Dugger, Celia W. Hindu Rioters Kill 60 Muslims in India New York Times. New York, N.Y.:1 March 2002.
  60. ^ Rahul Bedi (04/03/2002). "Soldiers 'held back to allow Hindus revenge'". The Telegraph. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  61. ^ "Gill is Modi's Security Adviser". The Tribune. 2002-05-02.
  62. ^ Kingshuk Nag (2002-04-29). "Disquiet among Gujarat police". Times of India.
  63. ^ "Modi Punishes good officers". Ahmedabad.com (Republished from The Asian Age). 2002-03-26.
  64. ^ BBC UK Website
  65. ^ BJP cites govt statistics to defend Modi
  66. ^ a b Truth in Gujarat by Balbir Punj
  67. ^ Modi vs BJP The Indian Express - December 8, 2007
  68. ^ Rosser, Yvette (2003). "Curriculum as Destiny: Forging National Identity in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh" (PhD Dissertation). The University of Texas at Austin: Pg. 356. Retrieved 2008-09-10. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  69. ^ "Indian MPs back Gujarat motion". BBC News Online. 2002-05-06.
  70. ^ International Religious Freedom Report 2003. By the United States Department of State. Retrieved on April 19 2007.
  71. ^ No police lapse in Gujarat riots: Justice Nanavati Rediff - May 18 2003
  72. ^ "Godhra probe: No evidence of lapse against govt". Times of India. 2003-05-19.
  73. ^ "3 organisations withdraw from Godhra hearings". Times of India. 2003-06-16.
  74. ^ "I didn't say so, says Nanavati". Indian Express. 2003-05-19.
  75. ^ Sridhar Krishnaswami (2004-09-16). "U.S. raised Gujarat riots with BJP-led Government". The Hindu.
  76. ^ "Gujarat riot probe panel moves against 41 cops". Indian Express. 2006-02-09.
  77. ^ 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)
  78. ^ India: After Gujarat Riots, Witnesses Face Intimidation (Human Rights Watch, 23-9-2004)
  79. ^ a b India Amnesty International
  80. ^ Dionne Bunsha, Verdict in Best Bakery case, Frontline, Volume 23 - Issue 04, Feb. 25 - Mar. 10, 2006
  81. ^ Why did Zaheera Sheikh have to lie?,Rediff.com
  82. ^ Jeremy Page (2008-01-23). "Rape victim Bilkis Bano hails victory for Muslims as Hindu assailants are jailed for life". Times Online.
  83. ^ "All accused in riot case acquitted". The Hindu. 2005-10-26.
  84. ^ "Over 100 accused in post-Godhra riots acquitted". Rediff News. 2005-10-25.
  85. ^ Rajeev Khanna (2006-03-28). "Sentencing in Gujarat Hindu death". BBC News Online.
  86. ^ "Hindus jailed over Gujarat riots". BBC News Online. 2007-10-30.
  87. ^ PTI (2007-10-30). "Godhra court convicts 11 in Eral massacre case; 29 acquitted". Yahoo! India News.
  88. ^ "52 acquitted in post-Godhra case". Rediff News. 2006-04-22.
  89. ^ Katharine Adeney (2005), "Hindu Nationalists and federal structures in an era of regionalism", Coalition Politics And Hindu Nationalism, Routledge, p. 114, ISBN 0415359813 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help); line feed character in |editors= at position 17 (help)
  90. ^ Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Shankar Raghuraman (2004). A Time of Coalitions: Divided We Stand. Sage Publications. p. 123. ISBN 0761932372.
  91. ^ "Pota Review Committee Gives Opinion On Godhra Case To POTA Court". Indlaw. 2005-06-21.
  92. ^ The Hindu : Probe panel appointed
  93. ^ Modi succumbs to pressure, Nanavati put on Shah panel The Indian Express - May 21, 2002
  94. ^ Former Supreme Court judge joins Gujarat probe The Hindu - May 23, 2002
  95. ^ The Godhra conspiracy as Justice Nanavati saw it. Times of India. September 28, 2008.
  96. ^ cong, cpm slam Nanavati report for reinforcing 'communal bias.' Times of India. September 28, 2008.
  97. ^ National Human Rights Commission
  98. ^ "India train fire 'not mob attack'". BBC News Online. 2005-01-17.
  99. ^ Press Trust of India (2006-10-13). "Banerjee panel illegal: Gujarat HC". Express India.
  100. ^ "HC terms Sabarmati Express panel illegal". Financial Express. 2006-10-14.
  101. ^ "Report of Concerned Citizens indicts Modi govt for riots". Times of India. 2002-11-21.
  102. ^ "Now citizens' tribunal pins Modi for riots". Indian Express. 2002-11-22.
  103. ^ "Concerned Citizens Tribunal - Gujarat 2002: An inquiry into the carnage in Gujarat". Sabrang.
  104. ^ KHOZEM MERCHANT (2002-04-12). "Hindu hardliners rally round Gujarat leader". Financial Times.
  105. ^ "Removal of Advani, Modi sought". The Hindu. 2002-03-07.
  106. ^ "Gujarat chief minister resigns". BBC News Online. 2002-07-19.
  107. ^ AMY WALDMAN (2002-09-07). "2 Indian Elections Bring Vote Panel's Chief to Fore". New York Times.
  108. ^ Mark Tully (2002-08-27). "India's electoral process in question". CNN.
  109. ^ Plan to kill Modi, Togadia unearthed; 3 held Rediff - August 30, 2002
  110. ^ Lashkar responsible for temple attack,Rediff.com
  111. ^ Gunmen Attack Hindu Temple in Gujarat,ict.org
  112. ^ NSG commandos rush to Gandhinagar
  113. ^ ISI instigated Akshardham attack: Gujarat police,Rediff.com
  114. ^ "Gujarat victory heartens nationalists". BBC News Online. 15 December. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  115. ^ Dugger, Celia W. Ahmedabad Journal - In India, a Child's Life Is Cheap Indeed New York Times. New York, N.Y.:7 March 2002
  116. ^ 254 Hindus, 790 Muslims killed in post-Godhra riots
  117. ^ Ruchir Chandorkar (2002-07-02). "Rains, epidemic threaten relief camps". Times of India.
  118. ^ Priyanka Kakodkar (2002-04-15). "Camp Comatose". Outlook.
  119. ^ NGO says Gujarat riots were planned
  120. ^ "Govt not to close relief camps". Times of India. 2002-06-27.
  121. ^ "Relief for Gujarat riot victims". BBC News. BBC. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  122. ^ a b c d e Sonwalkar, Prasun (2006), "Shooting the messenger? Political violence, Gujarat 2002 and the Indian news media", in Cole, Benjamin (ed.), Conflict, Terrorism and the Media in Asia, Routledge, pp. 82–97, 0415351987
  123. ^ Sevanti Ninan (2002-04-28). "An ounce of image, a pound of performance". The Hindu.
  124. ^ "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.
  125. ^ Rajeev Srinivasan (2002-03-07). "Blaming the Hindu Victim: Manufacturing Consent for Barbarism". Rediff News.
  126. ^ Rajeev Srinivasan (2002-05-13). "After the carnage: the predatory 'intelligentsia'". Rediff News.
  127. ^ ""I Paid Zaheera Sheikh Rs 18 Lakh"". Tehelka. 2007-12-06.
  128. ^ "Politician denies bribing witness". BBC News Online. 2004-12-22.
  129. ^ "Zahira sting: MLA gets clean chit". Times of India. 2006-01-04.
  130. ^ "Gujarat 2002: The Truth in the words of the men who did it". Tehelka. 2007-11-03.
  131. ^ a b "Sting traps footsoldiers of Gujarat riots allegedly boasting about killings with state support". Indian Express. 2007-10-26.
  132. ^ "Gujarat Govt counsel quits". Indian Express. 2007-10-28.
  133. ^ Tehelka sting a political conspiracy: Shiv Sena The Hindu - October 27, 2007
  134. ^ Tehelka is Cong proxy: BJP Deccan Herald - October 27, 2007
  135. ^ A Sting Without Venom Outlook India - November 12, 2007 issue
  136. ^ Godhra Carnage Vs. Pundits Exodus Asian Tribune - November 29, 2007
  137. ^ "Polls don't tell whole story". Times of India. October 2007.
  138. ^ "Ghosts don't lie". Indian Express. 2007-10-27.
  139. ^ Chitra Padmanabhan (2007-11-14). "Everything, but the news". Hindustan Times.
  140. ^ "Editors Guild condemns Gujarat action". The Hindu. 2007-10-30.
  141. ^ Citizen’s Initiative, Ahmedabad
  142. ^ [1]
  143. ^ Intl experts spoil Modi's party, say Gujarat worse than Bosnia
  144. ^ Womens groups decry NCW stand
  145. ^ Web-archive of above, from tehelka.com
  146. ^ Gujarat’s women were victims of extreme violence
  147. ^ [2]
  148. ^ NCM rejects Gujarat report:Directs state to follow its recommendations

Bibliography

  • Agsar Ali Engineer (2003). The Gujarat Carnage. Orient Longman. ISBN 8125024964.
  • M. L. Sondhi, Apratim Mukarji (2002). The Black Book of Gujarat. Manak Publications. ISBN 8178270609.
  • Siddharth Varadarajan (2002). Gujarat, the Making of a Tragedy. Penguin Books. ISBN 0143029010.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2002_Gujarat_riots&oldid=255246268"