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2002 Gujarat riots

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2002 Gujarat violence refers to a series of riots and other incidents of mob violence that occurred in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002. According to a Central Government report released in 2005, 254 Hindus and 790 Muslims were killed with an estimated 223 deemed missing, in the riots, which were driven by tensions between Hindus and Muslims in the state. The human rights groups estimate the death toll to be more than 2000 with about 140,000 people turning refugees.

The riots were triggered on February 27, 2002 by a fire on a passenger train, the Sabarmati Express, passing through the town of Godhra. The train was carrying Hindu activists called Kar Sevaks returning from a disputed religious site in Ayodhya. An estimated 59 passengers were killed, many of whom were women and children.

The Riots

In the massacres that followed the Godhra incident, it had been reported that over 1000 people were killed. Points of view differed on the number, with the figure 1000 being seen by some as an exaggeration, and by others as an understatement. Points of view differ with respect to how these deaths occurred: some refer to these as riots while others refer to these as a pogrom.

On February 28, in one incident in Ahmedabad, at Naroda Patia, a crowd of people set fire to the mainly muslim locality, altogether killing at least 65 people. The community religious place was burnt using LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders. In the following days, hundreds of young people with swords, daggers, axes, and iron rods walked around the area, shouting angry slogans.

According to Human Rights Watch, who visited Naroda Patia three weeks later, homes in the area were completely burnt for the affected. Several witnesses claimed that the police failed to protect residents.

In another incident on the same day, the former muslim MP of the city, Ehsan Jafri was burnt alive along with 37 others by a mob that attacked their housing society. This incident further highlighted the inabity of the state administration in controlling the mobs.

These killings were investigated in an unofficial inquiry headed by a retired Justice. The inquiry included gathering and analysis of 2094 oral and written testimonies, both individual and collective, from survivors and independent human rights groups, women's groups, NGOs and academics.

On part of the government's effort to control the riots:

  • Deployed the army, after 72 hours.
  • Made preventive arrests of over 33,000 people, mainly Muslim
  • Fired over 12000 rounds of bullets
  • Fired over 15,000 rounds of tear gas shells

However, the President of India at that time, K. R. Narayanan blamed the ruling BJP government for supporting the riots and pointed out that even though the army was deployed, it was not given the power to shoot thereby rendering it ineffective. ()

Various human rights groups as well as major Indian newspapers accused the Chief Minister Narendra Modi for tacitly supporting the riots. However, the Gujarati media claimed that his words were blown "out of context" by the English media. Even though, Narendra Modi's role in abetting the riots is widely contended, the US government revoked his visa under Section 212 (a)(2)(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act which makes any foreign government official who was responsible or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religions freedom, ineligible for the visa.() This decision was protested by the Indian government, but in response the US government pointed out that their decision was based on the report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India.

The cause of the train fire in Godhra

The reasons for the train fire and the riots are fiercely disputed.

  • One hypothesis states that the attackers were Muslim vendors at the Godhra station who had an altercation with the Kar Sevaks earlier, and that the riots were an expected retaliation to the train fire.
  • Another hypothesis states that the riots were pogroms in disguise, carried out by members of the Sangh Parivar using the train fire as a pretext (). *
  • A railway ministry inquiry led by Retired Supreme Court judge Umesh Chandra Banerjee concluded that the fire was accidental. "There has been a preponderance of evidence that the fire in coach number S6 originated in the coach itself without any external input," he said, "The possibility of an inflammable liquid having been used is completely ruled out as there was first a smell of burning, followed by then (sic) smoke and flames thereafter." ().

As of February 2005, the factual dispute regarding the 2002 Godhra train fire and the subsequent riots is not close to resolution.

Electoral consequences

Chief minister Narendra Modi resigned and sought a fresh mandate from the people of Gujarat. After campaigning throughout the state using a chauvinistic 'Gujarati Pride' platform, and insisting that the riots were blown out of proportion by the left-wing, English-speaking elite, he was re-elected by a landslide, in the biggest victory in the history of Gujarat.

Arrests and charging of alleged perpetrators during 2003

As of mid October 2003, about 80 people had been charged and arrested in relation to these incidents with the charge of conspiracy against the state. Almost all have been charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). According to Amnesty International, the arrestees have been subjected to arbitrary and illegal and incommunicado detention, have been denied access to lawyers, relatives, and medical attention, and have been tortured.

On November 24, 2003, a sessions court judge in the Nadiad District found 15 people guilty (out of 63 accused) for the killing of 14 people on March 3, 2002 in the village of Ghodasar.

See also

External references

Compilations of newspaper articles

Newspaper articles

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