IMAC Digest 08 May 2002

IN GUJARAT, A SEWER IS SAFEST PLACE
By Tushar Prabhune
Ahmedabad, May 6
Asian Age.

http://www.hclinfinet.com/2002/MAY/WEEK1/3/IndiaInsideRL2.jsp

First it was the police atrocities and “biased”
behaviour towards them. Now it is the fear of the
police allegedly taking away valuables from their
homes “forcibly” during combing operations that is
plaguing residents of communally sensitive areas in
the Walled City.

As a result of this, fear psychosis has gripped the
minority community in riot-prone areas of Gomtipur,
Juhapura, Shah Alam and Shahpur. Residents have
started finding innovative means to protect their
valuables from being “forcibly taken away” by
policemen during the combing operation.

Sabir Hussain Mallik, a resident of Gomtipur, has
hidden jewellery, traditional copper vessels and other
precious things in a four-feet deep pit hardly 100
metres from his house. Mr Mallik alleged, “Such
behaviour of the police is not surprising for us. We
have experienced this during communal riots of 1992
too when the police took away our cash and jewellery
and we were mute spectators.”

Another resident of the same area, Aminabibi, who has
also witnessed the 1969 riots said, “After violence in
our area, the police started searching for weapons.
First they asked us to wait outside till their search
was completed. We heaved a sigh of relief as they went
away without harassing us, but to our dismay, the
whole jewellery box and some old vessels had
disappeared.”

According to some residents of these areas, gutters
and underground water lanes also prove to be a safe
haven for valuables for these people. It is as simple
as collecting all the cash and jewellery in a piece of
cloth or a plastic bag and hiding it in the sewage
pipes under the house, they added.

Rizwan Amaan, owner of a grocery store at Behrampura
revealed, “After sudden violence, there were chances
that the police might carry out combing operation in
the area. And nothing is as safe as a gutter.”

Other than such “innovative” means to protect their
valuables, bank lockers obviously are considered the
safest. However, with curfew clamped in many areas,
not many people have been able to go to banks for
depositing cash and other valuables.

Copyright 2002 AsianAge Online. All rights reserved.

I am against Hindu militancy too: PM
HT Correspondent
Hindustan Times
New Delhi, May 6, 2002

http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/070502/detNAT01.asp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Prime Minister said in the Rajya Sabha that the
Government considered the Gujarat violence a blot on
the nation and would not hesitate to invoke Article
355 in the state.
The Prime Minister's statement comes a day after he
said in Gwalior that there was no need to invoke the
provision if the state government was working in
concert with the Centre's directions.

Vajpayee clarified his Gwalior statement and said, "I
was asked whether notice was being given to the
Gujarat government under Article 355 as promised by
the government during the discussion. I said the
debate is on in Parliament and in effect, it is a
notice to the Gujarat authorities," he said.

In his reply on the Gujarat debate, he said the path
of confrontation would not solve the state's problems.
The reply to Godhra was not Ahmedabad, he said. He
said Gujarat had the capacity to "stand up" again and
the Opposition could help the state in doing so.

Vajpayee said the government supported the Opposition
motion, not because it was in a minority in the Upper
House but wanted the world to know that the government
and the Opposition were united over Gujarat. Vajpayee
said there was a need to look forward.

"My entire life has been devoted to building communal
harmony and national unity," the Prime Minister said.
While there could be differences, questions were being
raised not about what he said but how he said them.

Vajpayee said he had never criticised Muslims.
Religious fundamentalism is rising in many other
countries and India isn't free from it, he said. When
he spoke of Islamic militancy, he had also talked
about Hindu militancy. Unfortunately, it was not
highlighted in the media, he said.

The Prime Minister advised the Opposition to be
patient and wait for the Lok Sabha polls before they
can "grab power".

In his reply to the debate, Congress leader Arjun
Singh said Vajpayee’s speech was full of words and had
little sentiment. He said Vajpayee wanted suggestions
to act. He could simply listen to his heart and act,
he said.

While Vajpayee had ruled out Chief Minister Narendra
Modi's removal asking if there was "no other way of
following rajdharma than by removing Modi". Arjun
Singh replied that that the government should first
dismiss Modi. "You can place him anywhere, except give
him the CM's post," he said.

The Congress leader asked what had prevented the
government from accepting the NHRC's recommendation
for an inquiry by a Supreme Court judge. Some cases
could be handed over to the CBI, as suggested by the
NHRC.

****

Cong keeps pressure

The Congress on Monday renewed its demanded for
Narendra Modi's removal, saying that the Government's
support to the Opposition-sponsored motion on Gujarat
endorsed the charge that there was a breakdown of
constitutional machinery in the state. It demanded
that the state government be formally put on notice
under Article 355.

HTC, New Delhi

Copyright (C) Hindustan Times 2002. All rights
reserved

WE DECIDED TO SACK MODI BUT CHANGED MIND: PM
By Our Special Correspondent
Asian Age Online
May 7th 2002
New Delhi, May 6

http://www.hclinfinet.com/2002/MAY/WEEK1/3/AAOInsideNN1.jsp

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee stood firm behind
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, claiming that
his removal was not the “solution to end the ongoing
violence” as communal violence in Gujarat raged on
unabated.

Intervening in the debate on the Opposition-sponsored
censure motion in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, the Prime
Minister informed the House that the government
“decided to continue with Mr Modi since any change of
guard could have worsened the situation in Gujarat.”

Mr Vajpayee during his intervention told the House
that before the BJP national executive in Goa, the
government had made up its mind to effect a change of
guard in Gujarat. “Later, looking at the situation, we
came to the opinion that any such move might escalate
violence and not end it.

Therefore we decided not take such a step. Our
decision was right,” Mr Vajpayee said. Commenting on
the Opposition criticism of his usage of the word “raj
dharma” in Gujarat, the Prime Minister said, “But is
there no way to perform raj dharma without removing
Modi?” The Opposition responded with shouts of “No
way, nahin.”

Clarifying his statement in Gwalior on the motion, the
Prime Minister declared that the government would
fully implement in letter and spirit the motion on
Gujarat seeking more effective action under Article
355 of the Constitution.

“I said the debate is on in Parliament and, in effect,
it is a notice to the Gujarat authorities.” Facing
certain defeat in the Upper House, the government in a
tactical move decided to support the
Congress-sponsored motion moved under Rule 170. The
motion was adopted unanimously. Despite the
government’s “gesture,” the Opposition stuck to its
stand on the removal of Mr Modi, setting up of an
inquiry committee under a Supreme Court judge and a
CBI probe into the Gujarat violence.

Mr Vajpayee also sought to distance himself from
“militant Hinduism.” He called for action against
militant Hindu organisations but later added, “I hope
no Hindu organisation will ever become like that.”

Union home minister L.K. Advani distanced himself and
the government from statements by VHP leader Ashok
Singhal justifying the violence against Muslims in
Gujarat. However, both the Prime Minister and the home
minister indicated that the government was not going
to act against Mr Modi nor make any move to dismiss
his government. Instead, Mr Advani claimed that the
government had already been taking action in Gujarat
under Article 355. The Prime Minister added that there
was no plan to hold immediate elections in the state.

The Prime Minister told the Opposition that he was
often accused of not acting against militant Hinduism.
He observed that the “kind of Hindutva being
propagated was dangerous. We should be far away from
it and such ideologies must be opposed.” Mr Vajpayee
said any Hindu organisations “which are dangerous for
the country must be dealt with sternly,” adding, “I am
sure there will be no such Hindu organisation.” Both
Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani described the Gujarat
carnage as “shameful” and “a blot on the nation.”

Mr Advani took objection to Leader of the Opposition
(in the Rajya Sabha) Manmohan Singh’s observations
that there was a need to “de-communalise the police.”
Mr Advani said: “Let’s not indulge in sweeping
condemnation of the Gujarat police. I don’t agree that
the police is communal. Such statements don’t stop
communal violence.”

Denying that he had criticised Islam and attacked
Muslims in his Goa speech, the Prime Minister said, “I
can’t even think of casting aspersions on any
religion.” He also accused the Opposition of raising a
hue and cry over the Gujarat issue and said they did
not want to wait till the next Lok Sabha elections and
wanted power early.

The motion moved by Congress member Arjun Singh
stated: “This House expresses a deep sense of anguish
at the persistence of violence in Gujarat for over six
weeks, leading to the loss of lives of a large number
of persons, destruction of property worth crores of
rupees and urges the Central government to intervene
effectively under Article 355 of the Constitution to
protect the lives and properties of citizens and to
provide effective relief and rehabilitation to the
victims of violence.”

Copyright (C) Asian Age 2002. All rights reserved.

Teacher among 8 dead in Ahmedabad violence
TIMES NEWS NETWORK & AGENCIES
[ TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2002 6:04:18 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=9175669

AHMEDABAD: Violence still stalks the city. By
afternoon, 7 people had lost their lives, after mob
fury claimed the life of a school teacher.

Riots started afresh on Tuesday morning when a mob
waylaid a scooterist in the city's outskirts and burnt
him alive. The victim was later identified as a
teacher in the Information Technology Institute in the
city. The incident took place in the morning around
10.45 am at a bus stand in Sarkhej.

The killing triggered retaliation in the adjoining
Juhapura locality, where a camel-cart driver, who was
on his way to deliver a cargo of iron rods in the
area, was accosted and stabbed to death. His body was
later set on fire by the mob.

Later, two people in the Muslim-dominated locality of
Juhapura were shot dead in police firing. The police,
there to control rioting, said the two youths, aged 22
and 24, were part of the mob. Residents, however,
disputed that and said the two were shot dead
point-blank.

Trouble was also reported from other areas of
Ahmedabad. The police said two people were stabbed to
death in Kalupur's Kadiya Kui locality. Indefinite
curfew was imposed in the area. Another person was
stabbed and critically wounded in Jamalpur in the
morning at around 10 am.

Fourteen people have been killed in violence over the
last three days and curfew has been clamped in three
more police station areas of the city.

The Sarkhej-Juhapura-Vejalpur belt is the latest area
to come under the grip of violence this week. The
government has sent additional forces to the area, and
curfew has been imposed there

Copyright © 2002 Times of India. All rights reserved.

Mob attacks ambulances carrying riot victims
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2002 11:41:48 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=9198960

AHMEDABAD: The myth of VS Hospital being a safe haven
for Muslim patients lay shattered as a mob attacked
two ambulances carrying victims and stabbed a
22-year-old youth, who was accompanying his brother
injured in police firing.

The ambulances were carrying two dead and two injured
in the rioting at Juhapura. ‘‘They are killing our
people...they should not be treated here,’’ the mob
reportedly shouted, blocking the way of the
ambulances.

‘‘I got down from the ambulance thinking that the
people had come to help the patients. As soon as I
stepped out, they started beating me and one of them
also slashed me on the neck,’’ a victim told Times
News Network, showing the neck injury. The victim
escaped and hid in a toilet in an adjoining building.

While one of the ambulances retracted and admitted the
patients in one Riaz hospital in Juhapura, patients in
the other ambulance fled to Kagdiwad. ‘‘From there, we
called a Congress leader who arranged for us to go
back to the hospital safely,’’ said a person who was
accompanying his nephew’s body who was killed in
police firing in Juhapura.

Hospital sources said that tension prevailed in the
atmosphere since morning when in a meeting of NGOs and
the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) officials,
one of the representatives accused the doctors of
being communally biased. ‘‘The leader accused the
doctors of being communally biased and deliberately
amputating limbs,’’ conceded a senior official.

‘‘The representative made that point, but his
intention was not to accuse. What he was saying was
that misgivings might exist when the patients feel
that their hands or feet could have been saved and
would not consent with the doctor’s judgment which is
more informed. So there is need to build a rapport
between the patients and the hospital staff,’’ said
senior Gandhian Chunibhai Vaidya who attended the
meeting.

The comment nevertheless led to a ruckus when one of
the senior most AMC officials accompanied by doctors
staged a walkout and a group of people stormed into
the room and threatened the representative.

While the situation was saved, there was lot of unrest
among the hospital staff when one of the AMC
safai-karamcharis, who was stabbed in Jamalpur, was
brought in the hospital. Leader of Ahmedabad Municipal
Servants Association Dinkar Bhatt is believed to have
raised the question of safety of the corporation
employees while working in Muslim-dominated areas.

The attack on the ambulances happened when the one
shift of the hospital employees had ended and workers
had gathered in the hospital compound. ‘‘Most of the
mob was from outside but some of the hospital
employees who were annoyed since morning also joined
in,’’ informed a hospital source.

Resident medical officer of the hospital Dinesh
Chandana said the incident was sparked off by
outsiders but immediately brought under control.
‘‘There is no tension. The mob was immediately
dispersed. We have been looking after the patients
well.’’

Copyright (C) 2002. All rights reserved.

Ahmedabad posters hail Modi
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ WEDNESDAY, MAY 08, 2002 9:05:59 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=9237962

AHMEDABAD: 'Shri Narendra Modi no ekmatra vikalp,
Praveen Togadia. Congression bolo tamne kaun pasand
che? (VHP chief Parveen Togadia is the only
alternative for Narendra Modi. Let Congressmen say who
they'd prefer).

If there is a gauge for Modi's popularity in the city
then it's Khadia, a thickly populated Hindu stronghold
in the Walled City. Posters and banners carrying
loaded messages as these are commonplace. Considered
to be a BJP bastion, Khadia today is virtually painted
with proclamations that say if Modi goes then the only
option will be the international general secretary of
the VHP Praveen Togadia.

Take your pick, says a poster stretched across the
balconies of three houses, a short distance from the
Raipur Darwaja. Large alphabets painted in blue and
red on a long strip of cloth say: "Wah wah Narendra
Modi hamne dekha tumhara kamal. Tumhari jawan mardi ko
Gujarat ka lakh lakh salaam... Kasam khate hai aaj
gaddaron ko dafnane ki, kasam khate hain aaj Ram
Mandir banane ki."

Nilesh Soni, a local resident and the regional sales
manager of a pharmaceutical company, reflected the
views of Khadia's residents: "This poster is putting
in black and white what had hitherto been in our
hearts. There is nothing false about the
proclamations. It's just a message for those
attempting to remove Modi from the CM's post".

Above the Chakleshwar Mahadev temple in Khadia is yet
another poster that argues: "Five persons die everyday
in Bihar. Has Rabri Devi resigned? Narendra Modi nu
rajinamu kyare nahin, koi kale nahin (Narendra Modi
will never resign, never ever)."

Similar parallels are also drawn between prevalent
situation in the north-eastern states and Punjab
(after the assassination of Indira Gandhi) on
different posters that hang overhead in Khadia.

The man behind these posters talked to TNN on
condition of anonymity. He said: "I fear that if I
reveal my identity I could be targeted. I don't
glorify the backlash to the Godhra massacre but what I
do know is certain people of our society live in India
and work against national interests. If Modi goes then
only Togadia can take over. I leave it to these
'pseudosecularist parties' to decide who they want."

Khadia corporator Bhusan Bhatt says "Similar posters
have come up in different parts of the city. The
feelings of local residents are reflected through
these posters warning anti-Hindu elements."

As you pass by the Raipur Darwaja, you'll come across
a poster claiming that over 3,000 people were killed
in the riots of 1969 when Hitendra Desai of the
Congress was the chief minister of Gujarat. "Did Desai
resign? No! Then why should Modi resign?," asks the
poster signed by a 'Jagrut Khadia Wasi'.

Copyright (C) 2002 Times of India. All rights
reserved.

Ahmedabad tense after blast near mosque
PTI
[ MONDAY, MAY 06, 2002 3:23:31 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=9064483

AHMEDABAD: A crude bomb was thrown at a mosque by
unidentified miscreants in curfew-bound Mirzapur
locality of the city this afternoon, police said.

The bomb exploded on the road outside the mosque,
where a prayer session was on. Tension gripped the
area as mobs took to the streets after incident and
police had to fire teargas shells to disperse them.

However, no injuries were reported.

Efforts are on to restore PM's secular image
SMITA GUPTA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2002 11:43:12 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=9199058

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s media managers are
once again working hard to help him re-wear his
secular mukhota.

First, it ensured that the entire text of the
controversial speech he delivered at the BJP national
executive was not just published in the RSS organ,
Panchajanya in Hindi, but also in an English national
daily to ‘‘clarify’’ that when he was speaking on
Muslims not wishing to integrate in the societies they
lived in, he was referring only to jehadi Muslims.

Next, after leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi briefly
poked gentle fun at the PM when she was invited to
address the CII, his speech at the concluding session
was totally rewritten, with a little less than half
devoted to giving her a suitable reply and, in the
process, acknowledging that she was a worthy equal.

Not just that, a great deal of trouble was spent on
collecting copies of all the speeches at CII as well
as the original letters of invitation just to prove
that there was no ‘‘inaugural’’ and therefore Sonia
had overstepped the line.

And on Tuesday, copies of a glossy compilation of the
PM’s speeches/ comments on Gujarat — a sort of ready
reckoner — began to be circulated to reinforce his
‘‘secular’’ image, his concern for Muslims and
restoration of law and order in Gujarat. Entitled
‘‘Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the
communal violence in Gujarat’’, the cover carries a
photograph of him captioned, ‘‘A pained Prime Minister
speaking from his heart at the Shah Alam Relief Camp
in Ahmedabad on April 4, 2002.’’

The introduction, written by the Prime Minister’s
Office, says, ‘‘We have put together ...all his
observations on the subject...In some places, these
include his observations on the Ayodhya developments,
both because they were taking place simultaneously and
also because the Prime Minister’s comments on this
subject form an integral part of his views on
secularism.’’

In the post-Gujarat violence phase, the image of the
Prime Minister — along with that of the NDA government
he leads — has taken a severe beating. This has been
due as much to the Centre’s refusal to intervene
effectively in Gujarat as also to the PM’s ambivalence
on the subject and his tendency to tailor his
statements depending on his audience.

Copyright (C) 2002 Times of India. All rights
reserved.

Tribals made cannon fodder in Gujarat’s communal war
Chandrakant Naidu
Hindustan Times
New Delhi, May 6 2002

http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/070502/detNAT02.asp

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

Tribals are being used as cannon fodder in Gujarat's
communal war. On February 28, shortly after the Godhra
train tragedy sparked off riots, the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP) organised a meeting at Torda village of
Bhiloda taluka in Sabarkantha district and called the
tribal youth to teach Bohra shopkeepers a lesson. The
youth responded almost instantaneously by looting and
burning shops belonging to Muslims in the area.
A similar meeting held earlier in Kushalpur village of
the same taluka issued a similar call to tribals, who
attacked about 70 Muslim homes in Mudeti village of
Sabarkantha.

On March 1, Muslim landlords in Munai village of
Bhiloda taluka were attacked by tribals.

In Thalawada and Mankadi villages of Danta taluka
districts of Banaskantha, hundreds of tribals looted
the Bohra businessmen.

While some of these instances could pass as
spontaneous reaction to provocative circumstances,
most appear to be designed to terrorise minority
communities. Gujarat's track record over the past 13
years points to a sustained effort at social
engineering.

A study by the Indian Social Action Forum observed
that the Hindutva forces have for long used tribals as
a 'shield' to carry out 'ethnic cleansing'.

The state has witnessed a systematic infusion of
communal hatred since the late eighties. The Sangh
Parivar had first mobilised a large number of tribals
for the Ram Janaki Shobha Yatra to draw support for
L.K. Advani's Rath Yatra in 1989.

Soon after Advani's arrest at Samastipur in Bihar
during the last leg of his Rath Yatra, some tribals
had attacked Muslims in Virpur, a town between two
tribal districts of Sabarkantha and Panchmahal.

Encouraged by the response to the Shobha Yatra, the
Sangh Parivar moved into the tribal areas of the state
in the 1990s through outfits like Vanavasi Kalyan
Parishad (VKP) and the Vivekananda Kendra.

The Sangh Parivar adopted a two-pronged strategy of
containing the Christian missionaries in their area
and communalising the tribal mind. Educational
institutions were set up for tribal children, offering
an alternative to the Christian missionaries operating
in the areas. With the Congress hold weakening among
the tribals, the BJP scored on the political front
too. In 1998, it wrested both the Lok Sabha seats of
Mandvi and Valsad, reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

(With inputs from Vipul Mudgal, Jay Raina and Rathin
Das)

Next: Strife in other states

***

‘Humanitarian crisis’

The United States on Monday termed the situation in
Gujarat as a "humanitarian crisis" and said it is not
an "issue of investment". "The situation in Gujarat is
a humanitarian crisis and not an issue of investment,"
visiting US assistant secretary of commerce for market
access and compliance William H. Lash said in New
Delhi.

PTI, New Delhi

©Hindustan Times Ltd. 1997.

Muslims held to ransom over FIRs
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ MONDAY, MAY 06, 2002 11:26:41 PM]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=12097962

GODHRA: Yakubbhai of Randikpur, an inmate of the
relief camp here, will not go back to his village
unless the persons he has named in his FIR are
arrested. On the other hand, Randikpur villagers have
threatened they will not let his family return till he
withdraws the names from the complaint.

This see-saw battle over resettlement between the
riot-hit and those that drove them out of the villages
is obstructing the return of peace to Panchmahals.
Besides, the district administration, which is under
‘‘tremendous pressure from the state government’’ to
ensure that rehabilitation is complete by May 31, is
in a fix.

With chief minister Narendra Modi setting the agenda
for the district authorities in no uncertain terms,
that all camps should wind up by the month- end,
rehabilitation will not only prove a tall order, but
senior officials admit it will lead the volatile
district to the brink of another disastrous conflict.

The mood in the four main relief camps in the district
— Godhra, Lunawada, Halol and Kalol which house about
5,000 victims — is anything but normal. The victims
have put their foot down with a three-point demand:
arrest all named in the FIR, carry out a proper survey
of damaged property and provide adequate compensation
and declare officially the number of dead persons
along with details, removing ambiguities like ‘missing
persons’.

‘‘Conflict resolution is not a matter that can be
achieved instantly,’’ admits the district collector
and the people’s mood seems to echo the same. ‘‘As
many as 12 persons died in a gruesome incident in our
village. We were attacked by a mob on March 2. For
three days, we couldn’t contact the police. On March
5, we were told to wait for the police in a house,
when the whole group was attacked by a mob. I lost my
sister, two daughters, my nephew, his wife and his
son,’’ says Anwar Mirkhan Shaikh of Ajanwa village, 50
km from here.

Anwar, who stays in the relief camp here, has vowed
not to return. ‘‘None of those named in the FIR has
been arrested and are moving around freely. The
killings still haunt me. How can I go back till the
culprits are arrested. I will not leave Godhra even if
I have to beg for a living if this camp is closed
down.’’

Copyright © 2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights
reserved.

Riots put doctors in quandary
RADHA SHARMA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ MONDAY, MAY 06, 2002 9:22:33 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=12088556

AHMEDABAD: When a team of doctors visited the Aman
Chowk relief camp in sensitive Bapunagar area of the
city on Saturday they were in for a shock. Their
patients in the camp accused them of being communally
biased.

"Tum Hindu doctor ho na. Tumhare dimaag mein hamare
liye zahar bhara hai (Aren't you Hindu doctors. Your
minds are poisoned against us)," threatened a group of
inmates when the doctors refused to revise
certificates of injury given to patients in the camp.

The situation became so tense, recalled one of them,
that we beat a hasty retreat. "It was horrible and
unnerving experience. These people accused us of
deliberately not giving certificates showing the
injury as more serious that what it actually is. We
tried to explain that if a person is hit by a stone,
then according to the guidelines he'll get a
certificate of only 10 per cent injury. But they
refused to listen and started accusing us of being
communally biased," the doctor said, pleading
anonymity for safety reasons.

The doctors have decided to report the matter to their
higher-ups and reiterate their demand for security if
they are expected to visit sensitive relief camps.

Though the medical fraternity is supposed to remain
above religious bias, the communal misgivings in the
city have begun casting their ugly shadow on this
profession, too.

Attacks and threats like the one at Aman Chowk have
left many of the 50 medical teams visiting relief
camps worried about their security.

The trend started early in April when Dr Amit Mehta
was stabbed at his clinic in Juhapura, sending a wave
of panic in the medical fraternity. Subsequent attacks
and threats have only confirmed the fears of the
doctors.

The scene is equally bad for those practising in
sensitive areas like Jamalpur, Behrampura, Bapunagar,
Gomtipur, Shah Alam, Shahpur, Dariapur and Juhapura.
Many doctors in these areas have either shifted to
safer areas or are scouting for a place to start
afresh outside the sensitive zones.

"I narrowly escaped death on February 28 near my
clinic when a mob gheraoed my car and started
demanding that I disclose my religion," said Neeru
Shah, a gynaecologist in the sensitive Delhi Chakla
area. She has decided to shift shop after 20 years of
treating patients in the area.

The 55-year-old doctor has witnessed four attacks
outside her clinic in the past two months. On one
occasion, one of her patients was forced to flee the
clinic just a few hours after a caesarean section was
performed on her.

"It's becoming impossible to practise here. My clinic
is on the border of a Hindu and Muslim locality.
Muslim patients say they will not come if Hindu
patients are treated here and vice versa. Not to
mention, the security apprehensions that I find
difficult to address at my age," she conceded, adding
she is planning to get affiliated with one of the
corporate hospitals of the city.

General practitioner Nilesh Thhakar inaugurated his
clinic in Paldi on Thursday. Two months of riots and
Dr Thakkar has given up on practising in the Jamalpur
and Behrampura. "The safety concerns were getting too
much. I wanted to practise in an area where there is
no constant curfew," he told TNN.

His father, however, continues to practice in the two
sensitive zones, but Thakkar insists that if the
situation continues to remain tense, winding up
completely is not out of question.

"This is a grave trend where a number of doctors
practising in the sensitive areas are contemplating
moving out to safer zones. One doctor whose clinic is
situated on the border of Juhapura wants to move out,
while another in Vatva Gam has also asked us to look
for suitable property for his clinic in a safer area,"
said former Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA)
president, Abhay Dixit.

Copyright © 2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights
reserved.

Now, boulders add to Gujarat hate arsenal
Indian Express
Express News Service
May 7th 2002

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=2227

Ahmedabad, May 6: Two daily wage workers were killed
today in Dhol Bazaar area on Kankaria road by a mob
which smashed their heads with heavy stones. According
to the Kagdapith police, the men were on their way to
work when stones were hurled at them. They died on the
spot. The police arrived after an hour and took the
bodies to Civil Hospital. Following the incident, the
BSF was deployed and an indefinite curfew clamped in
the area.

Tension also spread in Mirzapur area after a powerful
explosion near Rani Roopmati ni Masjid. However, no
untoward incident has been reported from the area.
During combing operations in Danilimda area, the
police found one country-made pistol, four empty
12-bore cartridges, two pipe bombs, one cylinder
shaped bomb, seven ‘sutli’ bombs and one sword.

At least 10 people were injured when a crude bomb
exploded in a Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation
(GSRTC) bus at Lunawada in Panchmahals today. Police
said the incident took place at around 11.50 am when
the Malwan bound bus was about to leave from Lunawada
bus stand. An unidentified youth was reportedly seen
boarding the bus and alighting very soon. ‘‘As soon as
he fled from the spot, eyewitnesses saw smoke
emanating from the bus and a small explosion,’’ said
the Panchmahals police chief.

Ten people, including the conductor of the bus who
received splinter injuries due to the explosion, were
rushed to the hospital. Police said a computer sketch
of the youth, who reportedly planted the crude bomb,
is being prepared and a hunt has been launched for
him. Security has been intensified in the township
following the incident with SRP personnel and
patrolling the town.

© 2002: Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd. All
rights reserved throughout the world.

Bombs keep these men alive, then kill them
Indian Express
Express News Service
May 7th 2002

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=2226

Ahmedabad, May 6: * Shabbir Lalmiya Sheikh, 26, a
Kalupur auto mechanic, became jobless when the garage
where he worked was gutted last month. To make a
living, he started selling waste engine oil retrieved
from the garage. For Rs 1,000, he made at least 300
crude bombs in the last 15 days. Shabbir later
succumbed to injuries sustained while making a crude
bomb which exploded in his face.

* Mohammed Hanif Ahmed Hussain Sheikh, 26, of Charwad
in Daripur does odd repair jobs. He was out of work
for the last month until some one asked him to make
‘pipe bombs’ on a contract of Rs 2,000.

These are just two examples of the deadly industry
thrown up by Ahmedabad’s walled city, torn between
fear and retribution. Hundreds of unemployed youth,
garage mechanics, and electricians, jobless for the
last two months, have begun making and selling crude
bombs and missiles, launchers and Molotov cocktails
known locally as kakdas. And, what started as a
‘self-defence effort’ is now a small industry with
hundreds of youths.

Partially burnt or abandoned houses serve as
bomb-making factories where youngsters whip up a
deadly mix of gunpowder, pieces of metal and glass. To
make around a dozen crude bombs a day these youths are
paid around Rs 100, more than what they earned
earlier.

As such, accidents are common, with dozens of bombs
exploding in careless and untrained hands. Between
April 14 and 29, 67 people, injured while making
bombs, were admitted to various hospitals. Seven died
while a dozen others have been handicapped.

The weapons they make are quite lethal. Second
Inspector of Shahpur Police Station, Ranjan Mahadev
Desai, who was in the thick of action when crude bombs
and missiles were raining in the area last week, says:
‘‘These improvised bombs are more lethal. Instead of
using petrol, they use engine oil which is difficult
to tackle. When it is thrown on a person, it leads to
third degree burns and in many cases causes death.’’

Deputy Commissioner, Zone II, K.C. Patel, says many
unused bombs were seized in combing operations
recently. ‘‘It is like a factory. They are paid quite
a sum for making the bombs,’’ he said.

According to him, the ‘can bombs’ are very dangerous.
‘‘Lots of gunpowder, glass pieces and nails are packed
into cans, sealed with adhesive tape or wire, which is
then fused with a rag dipped in engine oil. It is a
little heavier and when thrown goes farther than
kakdas or Molotov cocktails before it explodes,’’
Desai said.

Deputy Commissioner, Zone III, R.D. Makadia, hits the
nail on the head. ‘‘During a flare-up in Kalupur or
nearby areas the police finds itself walking into a
battlefield. All kinds of bombs explode around you and
you don’t know where they are coming from. An
innocuous-looking pipe half an inch in diameter may
explode in your face, causing severe injuries.’’

© 2002: Indian Express Newspapers

Gill wants impartial force to curb violence
TIMES NEWS NETWORK & AGENCIES
[ MONDAY, MAY 06, 2002 10:11:15 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Articleshow.asp?art_id=12091894

SURAT: Gujarat CM Narendra Modi on Monday said those
triggering communal violence in the state had been
identified, while security adviser Gill suggested
intensive training for the police force.

"Certain elements who were engaged in creating
communal tension in Ahmedabad and Baroda have been
identified by the vigilance wing of Gujarat police.
The elements, who incited people, would be dealt with
sternly", Modi told reporters after inaugurating a
water supply scheme in tribal-dominated Vyara and
Kamrej talukas.

Modi said there was a "planned conspiracy" to tarnish
the image of the state after the February 27 Godhra
carnage and in the interest of the economy of the
country, it was the need of the hour that people from
all religions join hands to create communal harmony
and bring back total normalcy.

He said political parties led by Congress tried to
engineer a split among NDA allies on the censure
motion in Parliament on Gujarat, but their vote bank
politics "was exposed".

He said former Punjab DGP K P S Gill was not appointed
as security advsior under pressure from the Centre but
"his service was meant to strengthen and bring
professionalism in the police force as Gujarat also
happens to be a border state", Modi added.

Meanwhile, Gill has said that intensive police
training for all cadres of the force is necessary to
increase professionalism.

"Police training from the constable upwards is a
long-term need. Because ultimately it is that trained
manpower which has to handle the situation," he said.

Gill, 68, said police must remove any trace of
suspicion about their impartiality by firmly acting on
the complaints of riot survivors.

"This suspicion can be removed by interaction and by
taking care of their grievances and complaints," said
Gill, dubbed 'Super Cop' by the media for ridding
Punjab of insurgency in the 1990s.

Gill said initiating a dialogue between Hindus and
Muslims would help rebuild trust and communal harmony.
But he cautioned there was no quick fix to end the
more than two-month bloodshed that has claimed more
than 900 lives.

"There are certain things that need to be done
immediately and some long-term measures. You can't
change the system overnight," Gill said.

"Dialogue between the two communities is required,
especially at the local level. That's where there
should be a rebuilding of confidence," he said.

Gill, who moves with a high security cover, called for
a heavier security presence in Gujarat.

"Delhi has to play a role. I will be apprising the
leaders of the situation and further steps needed," he
said.

Copyright © 2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights
reserved.

Those triggering violence identified: Modi
PTI
Times of India
[ MONDAY, MAY 06, 2002 7:52:22 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=9083056

SURAT: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Monday
said those engaged in triggering communal violence in
worst-hit Ahmedabad and Baroda had been identified.

"Certain elements who were engaged in creating
communal tension in Ahmedabad and Baroda have been
identified by the vigilance wing of Gujarat police.
The elements, who incited people, would be dealt with
sternly", he told reporters after inaugurating a water
supply scheme in tribal-dominated Vyara and Kamrej
talukas.

Modi said there was a "planned conspiracy" to tarnish
the image of the state after the February 27 Godhra
carnage and in the interest of the economy of the
country, it was the need of the hour that people from
all religions join hands to create communal harmony
and bring back total normalcy.

He said political parties led by Congress tried to
engineer a split among NDA allies on the censure
motion in Parliament on Gujarat, but their vote bank
politics "was exposed".

He said former Punjab DGP K P S Gill was not appointed
as security advsior under pressure from the Centre.

"His service was meant to strengthen and bring
professionalism in the police force as Gujarat also
happens to be a border state", Modi added.

Copyright © 2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.

Concern over Gujarat violence
By Sridhar Krishnaswami
May 7 2002

http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002050807460100.htm

WASHINGTON MAY 7. The United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom has said that it
continues to remain "very concerned'' about the
violence in Gujarat.

"We remain very concerned about it and we continue to
urge the U.S. Government to actually work with the
Indian Government to take steps to stop the
violence,'' the Commission Chairman, Michael Young,
said at a news conference at the National Press Club
here on Monday.

"We have done more than just express concern'' about
the goings-on in Gujarat, Mr. Young said and made the
point that in March the Commission had issued a
statement not only taking note with "great concern''
the Gujarat violence but also urging the U.S. to help
India foster a "climate of religious tolerance''.

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu.

Stabbing spree in Ahmedabad
By Manas Dasgupta
The Hindu,
May 7 2002

http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002050804370100.htm

AHMEDABAD May 7. A t least 10 persons were killed and
scores injured in stabbing, police firing and stoning
in Ahmedabad today while most other parts of the State
remained incident-free. Kalupur, Vejalpur, Juhapura
and Sarkhej areas in the city were placed under curfew
today. Dani Limda, Behrampura and Shahpur have been
under curfew since Sunday evening.

The city witnessed 15 incidents of stabbing today.
While two persons were stoned to death, two killed in
police firing and one succumbed to injuries sustained
in a bomb blast. In most of the cases, the bodies of
those stabbed to death were set afire.

A youth was stabbed right inside the V. S. Hospital,
run by the Congress-controlled Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation, in the presence of police. The youth was
stabbed when he alighted from an ambulance carrying a
patient stabbed in Juhapura locality when some Sangh
Parivar volunteers were demonstrating against the
alleged "partisan attitude'' of the hospital
authorities against Hindu patients.

While three persons each were killed in Kalupur and
Vejalpur localities, two were killed in Juhapura and
one each in Jamalpur and Dani Limda areas. Perhaps for
the first time the night remained by and large
peaceful and most of the violent incidents took place
in broad day-light.

The day began with a stabbing incident in Majoorgam
under Kalupur police station and soon the violence
spread to the outskirts of the city. A college
instructor was stabbed to death and then his body set
afire in Sarkhej locality.

The incident had its repercussions in the neighbouring
Juhapura and Vejalpur localities where violent mobs
came out on the streets and indulged in stone throwing
and attacked passers-by. At least three trucks in
Sarkhej and Juhapura localities were set ablaze after
their drivers fled.

A camel cart owner was stabbed to death in Vejalpur
where two others were killed when police opened fire
to disperse the violent mobs. The Juhapura and
Vejalpur incidents spread tension in the city with one
person was stoned to death near Revdi Bazar in
Kalupur. At least seven persons, including three
policemen, were injured in a bomb blast near the
Kalupur police station. One of the injured later died
in the hospital. The charred body of a middle-aged
person, believed to have been stabbed to death and
later set afire, was recovered from Jamalpur.

Police admitted that bombs were being exploded like
firecrackers and there was no count of the number of
bombs exploded in the city.

The State ruling BJP president, Rajendrasinh Rana,
expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order
situation and admitted that the image of Gujarat and
that of the BJP had taken a beating. Stressing the
need for immediate steps to stop the violence, Mr.
Rana said strict action must be taken against all
those involved in violent activities. "They are
criminals and criminals have no religion, caste or
creed or any political affiliations. All of them must
be dealt with firmly,'' Mr. Rana told media persons.

However, Mr. Rana said the BJP was going ahead with
the preparations for the Assembly elections the
timings for which would be decided by the Chief
Minister, Narendra Modi, if accepted by the Election
Commission. He said he would convene a meeting of the
State party executive towards the end of this month
for election preparations.

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu.

Analysis

Gujarat's siege mentality

BBC UK

May 08, 2002.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1975000/1975481.stm

India's western state of Gujarat should be a model of
Hindu-Muslim integration.

Muslims are expected to evolve an identity which
culturally submits to the Hindu ethos
Sociologist Imtiaz Ahmed

For centuries, the two communities co-existed in
apparent harmony.

Muslims were among the first traders to settle and
prosper in what became one of the country's most
entrepreneurial states.

They are said to have assimilated with ease and
adopted a strong Gujarati identity.

Yet it is their very success that has made them so
vulnerable to the mob carnage that has engulfed the
state since February.

Diverse cultures

India's constitution, enacted in 1950, clearly sets
out a vision of a modern, secular, integrated society.

There are harsh lessons to be learned from Gujarat

But according to sociologist Imtiaz Ahmed, the Hindu
hardliners who have risen to prominence in recent
decades have a very different idea of what integration
should mean.

The constitution, he says, "gives a lot of space to a
variety of diverse cultures and practices".

The Hindu hardline view, however, is rigid in its
adherence to symbols and rituals.

Mr Ahmed sees among hardliners an entirely different
belief that in order to integrate into Indian society,
Muslims are "expected to evolve an identity which
culturally submits to the Hindu ethos"

And it is an ethos that is gaining in strength and
popularity in Gujarat.

Violence

The state is no stranger to communal violence. Riots
broke out in 1969 and again in 1985.

But it was the launch in 1989 of the campaign to build
a temple in Ayodhya on the site of the 16th century
Babri mosque that unleashed hardline Hindu support in
the state.

We intend to stay here. In fact, even after we die, we
will be buried right here

Muslim banker in Gujarat

The crusade, spearheaded by now Home Minister LK
Advani, garnered massive support for his Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), which eventually took power in the
state in 1995.

The BJP, which aside from a one-and-a-half year break
has been in power ever since, has had both the time
and the opportunity to set the terms for its version
of a Hindu society.

The party has tried hard to convince its constituency
that minorities, especially Muslims in India, have
been pampered by other political parties.

Long years of single-party rule in Gujarat have been
used to make the majority Hindu community feel like a
minority.

Resentment

Hindus have been encouraged to believe that Muslims
are taking them for a ride in their own land.

This has fuelled resentment over issues such as the
fact that Muslims have their own separate laws,
including one that allows them to have four wives.

Support for hardline Hindu groups is increasing

"If only there was a uniform civil code for all
citizens in India, there would be no problems," said
Rakesh Rathod, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
or World Hindu Council.

The resentments have created a siege mentality among
Hindus that has set the stage for the violent backlash
of recent months.

The main opposition Congress party has concentrated
its energies on fighting electoral battles in Delhi,
leaving the BJP and its sister organisations free to
spread their message in the state uncontested.

Critics also say that Congress lacks the wider
ideological motivation to counter the BJP's worldview.

Analysts say that the situation in Gujarat has become
even more complex given the state's rapid economic
development.

"Groups very low down the social and economic order
until recently have suddenly due to new economic
opportunities become wealthy and powerful," said local
journalist Dev Dutt.

"This has happened too quickly, upsetting old
equations, and social tensions have often found an
easy release in violence."

Lessons to learn

There are fears that Gujarat may not be just an
isolated case, and may actually mirror conditions in
some other parts of modern India.

Hardline Hindus believe Muslims are pampered

Analysts say it is important for Indians to learn the
lessons of Gujarat, particularly because people have
no choice but to live together.

"Where would we go?" asked A. Master, a Muslim bank
manager in Ahmedabad.

"We intend to stay here. In fact, even after we die,
we will be buried right here. No part of us will be
travelling to Pakistan," he said.

And that, perhaps, is the reality that modern India
needs to come to terms with.