Tribunal 1

1 Concerned Citizens Tribunal - Gujarat 2002
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The Indian Express, The Tribune
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Ioreward 5
Introduction 9
History of Communal Violence in Gujarat 12
Political Backdrop to the Carnage 1
Mapping the violence 19
Godhra 23
Incidents of Post-Godhra Violence
Ahmedabad
Chamanpura 26
Naroda Gaon and Naroda Patiya 3
Rest o Ahmedabad 43
Ahmedabad Rural 61
Panchmahal 65
Anand 8
Mehsana 90
Dahod 95
Sabarkantha 114
Banaskantha 130
Patan 131
Vadodara 133
\adodara Rural 154
\adodara Tribal Belt 162
Bharuch 10
Kheda 184
Bhavnagar 189
Rajkot 190
Attack on Christians 191
List of statements placed before the 1ribunal 192
Continuing Violence 193
Lxpert Witnesses 20
List of Annexures 23
Annexures 238
Vhat a shock and shame that India`s air secular name should suer dastardly dis-
grace through the recent goernment-abetted Gujarat communal rage, compounded
by grisly genocidal carnage and saage arsonous pillage, ictimising people o Muslim
intage-and unkindest cut o all`- allegedly eecuted with the monstrous abet-
ment o chie minister Modi, his colleagues and party goons. The graamen o this
pogrom-like operation was that the administration reersed its constitutional role and,
by omission and commission, engineered the loot, raishment and murder which was
methodically perpetrated through planned process by chauinist \HP elements, goaded
by terrorist appetite. Vhat ensued was a ghastly sight the like o which, since bleed-
ing partition days, no Indian eye had seen, no Indian heart had conceied and o
which no Indian tongue could adequately tell. ivvtra barbarians came out on the
streets in dierent parts o Gujarat and, in all laming ury, targeted innocent and
helpless Muslims who had nothing to do with the antecedent Godhra eent. They
were brutalised by miscreants uninhibited by the police, their women were unblush-
ingly molested, and Muslim men, women and children, in a traesty o justice, were
burnt alie. The chie minister, oath-bound to deend law and order, icariously
connied at the inhuman iolence and some o his ministers een commanded the
macabre acts o horror.
There was none to question the maleolent managers o communal massacre. The
criminal outrage, there was none in uniorm to resist, not een to record inormation
o the elonies. Nor was there any impartial oicial to render succour or assure ciilised
peace. Vhen goernment ailed and the local media distorted the truth, the ascist
trend lourished and the barbaric, anatic, rapist human animals remained unchecked.
Awakened by this sinister scenario, people o conscience, all oer the country, elt
the gory, catastrophe merited inestigation. Thus was set up a committee o enquiry
ormally headed by me, but actiely and unctionally managed by a great young lady-
Teesta Setalad. She organised the serices o eminent judges whose retirement
would not inhibit them rom throwing all their energy to the enquiry process-a sig-
nal public serice. A great team, aliant paradigm, joined them. They collected
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eidence o the gruesome eents, lethal incidents, icious enirons and the complic-
ity o people in authority who were icariously guilty o the indescribable oenses.
Those who sat on the committee-they were superannuated judges, a militant marel
o an adocate and our other noble public igures-made great sacriice and ren-
dered ree serice. They were eperienced as judges and seasoned social actiists, and
knew what a judicial enquiry called or-an objectie, yet sensitie eamination o
the oerall holocaust. They pooled testimonies sought rom oicial and non-oicial
sources, and pooled all probatie material. People came and gae eidence, some
oicials showed up to unold what they knew had happened. The Tribunal toured,
restlessly stroe to get at the traumatic truth and were guided by the necessity o
hearing both parties. Grieances poured in. Tears and ears were placed beore the
Tribunal. I was there only or a day and, thereore, cannot claim to hae participated
substantially in the enquiry. But my colleagues hae done an anguished job, looking
into tons o material, siting and sorting and producing a brae, massie report. I
commend their task to the Indian People. I cannot but condemn the culpable delin-
quency o those in power in Gandhinagar nor, indeed, is it possible to absole the
Central rulers in Delhi who ailed to act and, perhaps, connied by omission, the
harrying operation in Gandhi Country, I mean Gujarat, where the greatest man o our
time was born, with the noblest eample o secular symphony o religions. \et, action
has to be taken against heinous culprits since justice shall be done under the Indian
Constitution. Be you eer so high, the law is aboe you.
My message and my mission is the presentation o an ehaustie report, which
does credit to those other than me, who prepared, sedulously and eelingly, indings
which they were commissioned to do by their conscience and the nation.
There are tragic, traumatic conclusions and creatie, correctie recommendations.
There are measures, punitie and rehabilitatie, or ictimological constitutional ac-
tion. My task is to place the report beore the people. Know ye the Truth and the
Truth shall make you lree-proided Ve, the people o India, act promptly and
earlessly.
The melody o communal unity, the beauty o religious amity and the secularity o
Indian humanity-these glorious alues are the mission and message to the nation.
Let us struggle to sustain this supreme alue, lest we, as a people, perish by diisie
ideology. The Gujarat episode is an eil eent and disastrous portent. Let us battle
or the success o our pluralist culture, secular heritage and social-justice-illumined
democracy. India must win! The integrity o our raternity shall neer surrender to
berserk, blood-thirsty political bestiality.
October 24, 2002 Justice VR Krishna Iyer
Concerned Citizens Tribunal - Gujarat 2002
An Inquiry into the Carnage in Gujarat
Report of the Tribunal
Justice VR Krishna Iyer Justice PB Sawant
Retd Judge, Supreme Court Retd Judge, Supreme Court
Justice Hosbet Suresh Adv KG Kannabiran
Retd Judge, Mumbai High Court President, PUCL
Ms. Aruna Roy Dr. KS Subramanian
Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan Retd IPS, Former DGP, Tripura
Prof. Ghanshyam Shah Prof. Tanika Sarkar
Professor of Social Sciences in Professor of History, JNU
Community Health, JNU
Dated this 21st day of November 2002
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The Concerned Citizens Tribunal - Gujarat 2002, was conceied as a response to
the carnage that rocked the state o Gujarat ollowing the Godhra tragedy on lebru-
ary 2, 2002. The eight-member Tribunal was constituted in consultation with a large
number o groups rom within Gujarat and the rest o the country. A copy o its
terms o reerence and a list o the groups urging that such a People`s Inquiry be
launched is anneed hereto and marked as Anneure 1.
The Tribunal collected 2,094 oral and written testimonies, both indiidual and col-
lectie, rom ictim-suriors and also independent human rights groups, women`s groups,
NGOs and academics. The documentation work done by relie camp managers and
community leaders, rom lists o persons killed or missing`, to the meticulous tabula-
tion o economic loss and religious desecration, is unprecedented and immense. The
Tribunal has beneited greatly rom these and they are being published in a separate
olume o anneures to our report. In addition, oer one dozen detailed act-inding
reports and inquiries were placed beore the Tribunal and we hae beneited greatly
rom a close scrutiny o these. Ve hae also collected photographs, copies o lIRs,
audio- and ideo-tapes, as eidence. The sheer olume o the eidence on record took
an enormous amount o time and human resources to sit through and ealuate. \et, as
in all human endeaours, there may be deiciencies in the report. lor these, we plead
etenuation and understanding as unlike in case o oicial inquiries, it has been olun-
tary commitment rom a whole team that has enabled the completion o this report.
The Tribunal pays tribute to the ictim-suriors, indiidually and collectiely,
who deposed beore us at great risk to their person in the simple hope that one day
justice will be done and the guilty be punished. Len as the Tribunal sat in Ahmedabad,
there were threats and premises like the circuit house at Shahibaug were denied us
due to the omnipresence o prowling mobs. Ve acknowledge our great debt to the
actiists on the ground who worked day and night to bring the ictims and reliable
eyewitnesses to us.
Ater recording eidence, isiting sites, placing on record statements and collecting
other releant material, the Tribunal arried at some riva facie conclusions. These
were orwarded along with our recommendations to both the central and state go-
ernments and their iews were awaited. Howeer, the Tribunal regrets that neither
the state goernment nor the central goernment, or indiidual ministers to whom
request letters were sent, responded. Though we are entitled to draw aderse conclu-
sions rom this lack o response, because that they did not respond to the interim
indings, we do not propose to do so.
Howeer, many senior goernment oicials and police oicers did agree to meet
the Tribunal, responded to our queries, shared insightul obserations and presented
some aluable eidence to us. One minister also appeared and deposed beore us. The
Tribunal had assured this witness minister, and other oicials that their anonymity
would be protected. Hence, while their aluable eidence is relected in the |ivivg.
o the report, they hae not been identiied. Anonymity was urged especially because
o the ear o reprisal rom political bosses i names became known.
The Tribunal has independently accessed olumes o material that helped us arrie
at our inal |ivivg. av Recovvevatiov.. The Ivteriv fivivg. av Recovvevatiov. are
anneed as .vvevre , 1ovve 1.
In a democracy, the people`s right to inormation should be paramount. Any go-
ernment wedded to this basic right should hae eagerly cooperated in the eort o a
citizen`s tribunal to inquire and let the people know what happened in Gujarat, who
engineered the carnage, and who the guilty are.
The Tribunal undertook this huge task as part o the eercise o this undamental
human reedom. The health o any society lies not in denials and hal-truths when
grae injustices hae occurred, but in courageously admitting to them, righting those
wrongs with justice and then reconciliation. That both the goernment o Gujarat
and the goernment o India did not participate in the inquiry reeals their utter
disregard or the people`s basic democratic right to know.
Haing completed its task, it is with humility that the Tribunal presents this report
to the country and the world. Len as we complete our task, we know and recognise
that our country`s record in the matter o punishment o the guilty in cases o mass
crimes, against the minorities, against Dalits, and against the poor has been pathetic.
\et, with hope that is eternal to the human condition, we do present this report in the
belie that, this time, knowing the truth will help us chalk a uture that is radically
dierent.
The sorry state o the rule o law in the country is closely connected to the unc-
tioning and accountability o our courts, and the criminal justice system is crying out
or radical reorm. Ve hope that with justice to the ictim-suriors, these reorms
will become a matter o urgent political debate.
The Tribunal would like to epress its gratitude to justice GG Loney retd, who
participated in some sittings o the Tribunal. The panel also beneited rom the in-
sights proided by justice PD Desai ormer CJ Mumbai, Kolkata and Himachal Pradesh
High Court, who met us in Ahmedabad, and oer lengthy discussions, enhanced our
understanding and grasp o the situation.
The setting up and the unctioning o the Tribunal was made possible due to the
Citizens or Justice and Peace, an association o committed citizens rom all walks o
lie, rom Mumbai and Ahmedabad, who came together to garner support or the ight
or justice, post-carnage. The Tribunal acknowledges its huge debt to this group that
elt duty and conscience bound to support and make possible such a Citizen`s Inquiry.
The committed team rom Sabrang Communications and Publishing, Mumbai, ably
handled the secretariat o the Tribunal. Dr Uma Sheth and Rashmi contributed o
their time generously. Their responsibilities included coordinating the schedules o
the Tribunal in Ahmeabad and rom it`s districts-- its sittings, recording o eidence,
translating and transcribing the eidence and handling oluminous material. Then
came the task o deliberations on the eidence by the panel which constituted the
Tribunal and inalising this report.
During the Tribunal hearings, the India Centre or Human Rights and Law, Mumbai,
Prashant, Ahmedabad, and PUCL-Shanti Abhiyan, \adodara, proided able support
or the Tribunal`s hearings.
The panel that constituted the Tribunal pays a humble tribute to all the hapless and
innocent ictims o the ghastly Gujarat carnage. Ve dedicate this report to them and
to their suriing relaties. And also to each one o those women and men who, at
great risk to their person, proided succour and helped epose the truth.
VR Krishna Iyer PB Sawant
Hosbet Suresh KG Kannabiran
Aruna Roy KS Subramanian
Ghanshyam Shah 1anika Sarkar
1lere are vav, reigiov. a. tlere are iviriva.; bvt tlo.e rlo are cov.ciov. of tle .irit of
vatiovait, o vot ivterfere ritl ove avotler`. reigiov. If ivv. beiere tlat Ivia .lov be
eoe ov, b, ivv., tle, are irivg iv a reavav. 1le ivv., tle Maloveav., tle
Par.ee. av tle Clri.tiav. rlo lare vae tleir covvtr, are feor covvtr,vev av tle, ri lare
to ire iv vvit, if ov, for tleir orv ivtere.t. Iv vo art of tle ror are ove vatiovait, av ove
reigiov .,vov,vov. terv.; vor la. it erer beev .o iv Ivia.`
Mahatma Gandhi, quoted by Jagmohan Reddy and
Nusserwanji \akil in the Judicial Commission Report on the Ahmedabad Riots, 1969.
To no state o the country could these warning words apply better than to Gujarat,
the birthplace o the Mahatma, where the misuse o religion or political ends re-
sulted in the worst carnage against a religious minority post-Independence.
Between 1961-1, 16 districts in Gujarat were rocked by communal iolence, recording
some 685 incidents in urban and 114 in rural areas. O the 685 incidents in urban Gujarat
recorded or the decade, 58 occurred in 1969 alone, during the worst riots in that ten year
period. Starting with Ahmedabad, the worst aected city, iolence spread to seeral other
places including \adodara. The description o one instance o rioting in Ahmedabad, as re-
counted beore the Tribunal by a prominent human rights actiist rom Gujarat who was an
eyewitness at the time, epitomises the malaise o inter-community relationships in the region:
A gruesome episode in the aternoon September 20, 1969, brings out the depth
o animosity against the Muslims. A young Muslim, enraged by the destruction o his
property said he would take reenge. Upon this the crowd seized him, showered blows
on him, and tried to orce him to shout ]ai ]agavvatl`. Staying irm, the youth reused
een i that meant death. To this, someone in the crowd responded that he might
indeed be done away with. Vood rom broken shops was collected, a pyre prepared in
the middle o the road, petrol sprinkled on the pyre as well as on the youth, and he
was set alight with ruthless eiciency. Vhat is remarkable is that there was no resis-
tance rom any Hindu. The wails o the Muslim inhabitants o the area were drowned
in the celebration o the incident by the Hindus.`
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This was Gujarat`s irst major bout o communal iolence inoling massacre, arson
and looting on a large-scale. The iolence took oer 1,100 lies and property worth
seeral crore rupees was destroyed. \engeul slogans on the streets shouted by ]av.avgli.
- the BJP in its ormer incarnation - basically called the iolence a reprisal or reenge
or 1946. Beore Partition and Independence, the Muslim League had a signiicant
presence in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation,. Pavve riot. took place or the irst
time in \adodara in 1969. Shops o Muslims, marked out in adance or easy identiica-
tion were systematically destroyed, suggesting pre-planning and organisation.
In the period, 194-1980, other issues preoccupied Gujarati society. The 1981 anti-
reseration agitation, a reaction to the KHAM policy adopted by the ruling Congress
at the time, was re-channelised into a major communal conlagration, in a shrewd bid
to check the sharp polarisation taking place among Hindus along caste lines. Con-
ceied as a ote bloc o some OBCs, Dalits, Adiasis and Muslims, KHAM, K as in
Kshatriya - not to be conused with the upper caste Kshatriyas -, H as in Harijan, A
as in Adiasis and M as in Muslims,, the logic o numbers rendered KHAM
unmatchable in terms o electoral arithmetic.
This etched the Congress huge electoral diidends, deying the anti-incumbency
actor, the party swept the polls in the 1985 polls, winning many more seats in the
Assembly than it had in 1980. But apart rom the upper castes, KHAM outraged
Patels, the intermediate caste with real economic muscle and immense political clout.
As the Patidars Patels, took upon themseles the task o dismantling KHAM, the
Congress leadership, which had discoered the magic electoral ormula was either
unwilling or unable to eole a political programme to sustain the onslaught. And
Muslims, the last link in the chain, proed to be the weakest link.
The issue o reseration quotas or backward castes and communities became the
ocal point or the hostile political mobilisation o the upper castes, which turned io-
lent. Communal riots between Hindus and Muslims now began to ollow on the heels o
caste iolence as the ormer sered the cynical purpose o dierting attention away
rom the growing cleaage within caste-Hindu society. lortuitously or the caste-Hin-
dus, the caste struggle in Gujarat coincided with the establishment o the \HP and
soon thereater, the Bajrang Dal in the state. These RSS outits were conceied with a
speciic agenda - wooing o the lower` castes with a programme o Hindu unity`.
People in aected areas o Ahmedabad which led the way or \adodara and other
cities, irmly denied any build up o hostilities prior to the riots. More telling was the
way in which the burning o shops was balanced out, arithmetically as it were, between
the Hindus and Muslims in the initial stages. It took some time beore rioting gathered
momentum on its own. Retaliation and counter-retaliation sent waes o iolence across
cities, its irulence maniest in the act that or the irst time stones and crowbars were
giing way to guns, petrol bombs, and other eplosies. This was progress` o a nasty
kind. The caste war had doetailed into a communal conlagration.
A striking new eature o the 1985 anti-reseration stir was the mobilisation o
upper caste women in support o their men olk. They stood like a buer between the
agitating mob and the police. lacing insults and brickbats, the police was eectiely
preented by these women rom taking any strong action against the mob. In April
1985, the police reolted and participated in the iolence. They burnt down the oice
o Cvarat avaclar in Ahmedabad. In the course o the communal riot engineered to
quell the caste war, it was under police superision that 400 Muslim houses were set
ablaze and reduced to ashes all oer the state.
To bring the diicult situation under control the army had to be called in. It soon
ound itsel in the midst o etremely trying circumstances. The \HP, hardly a orce
so ar, launched a icious campaign charging the army with pro-Muslim bias. The
reason: its commanding oicer happened to be a Muslim. The Muslims, on the other
hand, complained o a pro-Hindu bias. In order to win ciic conidence the army een
had to undertake a poster campaign.
Unlike 1981-82, by 1985 the lower castes were better organised, oten with aggres-
sion. The last phase o the agitation saw an Adiasi backlash. Huge rallies were
organised in tribal areas sending warning signals to the upper castes. In Bhiloda, a
tribal pocket in Sabarkantha district, armed young tribals went on the rampage. Patels
liing in the neighbouring illage o Takatunka were attacked and robbed. Vithin a
ew minutes, 26 shops were deastated.
The neus between anti-social elements o both communities, and politicians,
which was started in 1969, when Hitendra Desai was chie minister, and encouraged
under Chimanbhai Patel`s rule rom 1969-190, got a urther boost in the `80s when
Madhasinh Solanki was chie minister. The patronising o liquor maia dons belong-
ing to rial communities, Hindu and Muslim, by dierent actions o the Congress in
Ahmedabad and \adodara led to the criminal-politician neus behind communal io-
lence suracing with a engeance.
In 1982, in \adodara, there were riots around a Cave.l Clatvrtli procession. In
1983, there was the irst political mobilisation by the avgl Parirar around the Cavga
]a` Holy water rom the Ganges`, and the larat ta Yatra` symbols. In 1985, it
started with anti-reseration riots again, the issue being a hike in quota or OBCs by
the Congress goernment. Communal riots were then engineered by the party in power
to deuse the eplosie caste conlict.
Between 198 and 1991, 106 communal incidents took place in Gujarat. Political
rialry and conlicts during elections were responsible or triggering around 40 per-
cent o these riots. Tensions related to religious processions` were responsible or
another 22 percent o these clashes.
It was rom Gujarat, in September 1990, that LK Adani launched his Somnath to
Ayodhya ratl ,atra leaing a nationwide trail o iolence in its wake. In 1990 itsel,
there was major iolence in Gujarat because o Adani`s ratl ,atra. Starting rom
Somnath, the ,atra traersed through the heart o Gujarat. The chie architect o that
,atra was Narendra Modi. During the years o communal iolence in 1986, 198,
1989 and 1990, Modi was general secretary o the BJP. That is when the Ravavvabloovi
campaign became a central issue in Gujarat. Men, women and youngsters rom Gujarat,
constituting possibly the largest contingent rom anywhere in the country, partici-
pated in the demolition o the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. Surat, a town with
an unblemished record o communal harmony, joined other centres in Gujarat which
had a more ractured history o inter-community relations. \iolence spread to rural
areas that had hitherto been largely unaected.
In September 1990, on the occasion o Cave.l 1i.arav, \adodara saw the worst-
eer riots in the walled city. Shops belonging to Muslims in the walled city and Raopura
were broken open with the aid o gas cutters, looted and burnt. During the Cave.l
1i.arav procession, the destruction took place in broad daylight, in the presence o
the police. Llected leaders o the BJP directed well-planned attacks on the property
o Muslims on the main road. The Jumma Masjid near Mandi was also attacked. It
was soon ater this riot in \adodara that Adani`s ratl ,atra began. Stray incidents o
iolence continued or months ater this incident.
Sustained and systematic eorts were made by organisations like the BJP and its
avgl Parirar ailiates to communalise Gujarati society, through large-scale distribu-
tion o hate literature and other means. Hinduism was gien more and more aggres-
sie interpretations with a conscious design to promote a eeling among Hindus that
they, the majority community, were being treated unjustly through appeasement` o
Muslims by arious ested interests`. The iew that Muslims were undamentalist,
anti-national, and pro-Pakistan was systematically promoted. In some cases, Hindus
were een ehorted to take up arms to deend their interests.
Ater 1992, there was a relatie lull punctuated by stray incidents o iolence against
Muslims. lrom 199 to 1999, especially in south Gujarat, a new trend was isible.
The avgl Parirar managed to create a diide, turning Hindu tribals against Christian
tribals. In `98 and `99, Christian institutions - churches, schools, hospitals were sys-
tematically targeted particularly in Dang, Surat and \alsad districts. This diided the
tribal community into two camps - Hindu and Christian.
The BJP irst came to power in Gujarat in the mid-nineties. But, since 1998, with
the coming o the Keshubhai Patel goernment, and more so with Narendra Modi
taking oer as CM in September 2001, public space and atmosphere has been com-
pletely itiated within the state. In recent years, the unending barrage o hate litera-
ture helped create a state o mind, een as persistent communal tension contributed
to the perpetuation o iolence as a way o lie. Steady state support was etended to
the actiities o organisations such as the RSS, \HP, Bajrang Dal and the organisations
it spawned. Anti-Christian propaganda and iolence were initiated. Posts within the
bureaucracy at arious leels, police and Home Guards and educational institutions
hae been steadily illed with persons wedded to a communal worldiew.
Sustained eorts hae been made to penetrate the tribal belt, where the inluence o the BJP
was earlier limited. 1ri.lv., swords and other weapons hae been distributed during ceremo-
nial and religious unctions. Training campaigns were organised to spread hate-ideology.
Contried aggressions` by the Muslim community abduction` and orced mar-
riage` with Hindu girls,, and Christians orced conersions`, hae been used to whip
up local sentiments to a eer pitch. The utter ailure o the law and order machinery
and other wings o the state to check such blatantly unconstitutional behaiour are
truly worrying or the uture o secularism and democracy.
In the past our years alone, an atmosphere o threat and intimidation has deeply
aected the social abric o Gujarati society. In 1999, during the Kargil war, iolence
erupted in Ahmedabad city when Gujarat`s Muslims were subtly and not-so subtly
projected as being pro-Pakistan and anti-India. In 2000, Muslim property running
into crores o rupees was looted or destroyed all oer the state in retaliation` to the
killing o Amarnath ,atri. by terrorists in the Kashmir alley. The actiities o
organisations like the \HP, RSS and BD hae become more and more brazen as they
dey the law, conident that with our goernment` BJP, in power, they need hae no
ear o any censure or penal action.
It is under this political dispensation that the ground or the present carnage was
careully laid and at any appropriate moment, ruthlessly implemented. I the letter
and spirit o the Indian Constitution are to be redeemed and reairmed, that eercise
must begin with Gujarat - the land o the Mahatma. Let eery man or woman guilty
o base crimes, howeer highly placed they be and irrespectie o the short-term
political consequences, be tried speedily and punished. India and its Constitution are
crying out or redressal. As are the souls o the ictims massacred in gruesome ash-
ion. And the plaints o the traumatised suriors o the Gujarat carnage.
]vicia Covvi..iov. ov Covvvva 1ioevce iv Cvarat
The Jagmohan Reddy and Nusserwanji \akil Commission o Inquiry was instituted
in 1969 in the wake o the iolence that claimed 1,100 lies. Unortunately, irrespec-
tie o their political ailiation, successie goernments in power hae shown no
interest in punishing the guilty, or in initiating the systemic changes recommended to
check the recurrence o unbridled iolence.
In 1986, the Dae Commission was appointed, but the CongressI, goernment
under Chimanbhai Patel ound its recommendations politically inepedient. Hence, it
simply did not accept the indings that were made. In between, the Kotwal commis-
sion also inestigated bouts o communal iolence in Ahmedabad city. Again the
report was not implemented.
The Chauhan Commission was set up ater the brutal iolence in Surat in 1992, in
the course o which, too, women were gang raped. This commission had completed
its report and needed barely a 15-day etension or inalisation o the document,
when the Congress-supported \aghela goernment disbanded it. As a result, the ind-
ings o this commission could not een be made public, let alone the issue o its
recommendations being acted upon.
The political backdrop o the Gujarat carnage is not insigniicant gien the cynical use o com-
munal iolence by political parties o all hues in the past. Haing assumed power in Gujarat in 1998
ater winning by an oerwhelming two-thirds majority, the BJP has since been suering deeat in
local elections or reasons that need not be gone into here.
In the avcla,at, tava and district elections that took place in 2000, two-thirds o the areas
were won by Congress. That was the irst major deeat BJP suered ater coming to power. In
the elections to si municipal corporations, to 25 district avcla,at. and to the closer-to-the-
ground tava elections held simultaneously in December 2000, the BJP lost heaily. It lost
control in almost all the district avcla,at.. It retained our o the si municipalities but its two
losses were in the most prestigious municipalities o Ahmedabad and Rajkot, where the avgl
Parirar had its strongest oothold. The BJP had held the Ahmedabad corporation or the last
15 years and Rajkot or the last 25 years. The Congress party was the biggest beneiciary o the
BJP`s electoral reersals.
In September 2001, the BJP lost to the Congress in the by-elections or two assembly seats
that were held. Shortly ater that debacle, chie minister Keshubhai Patel was replaced by
Narendra Modi in a bid to arrest the party`s dwindling ortunes in a state that the avgl Parirar
considers to be the Laboratory o ivvtra`. Howeer, in by-elections held on lebruary 24,
2002, or three assembly seats, all o which were held preiously by the BJP, it lost two o
them by heay margins to the Congress. Modi was elected rom Rajkot, the third constituency,
but by a much-reduced margin as compared to the preious poll.
Gien the continuous downslide o the BJP in the state since `98, the question has been raised
by many as to whether there were any electoral-political calculations and machinations behind
what subsequently happened in the state rom lebruary 28 onwards. Vhile this remains in the
realm o speculation, the act is that the Modi goernment prematurely dissoled the state assem-
bly and pushed ery hard or early elections een though the situation in the state was ar rom
normal. lor this he was widely criticised and the BJP was charged or trying to cash in on the
carnage. The impression certainly gained ground that with the BJP consistently losing at the grass-
root leel and with assembly elections in the oing, Modi cynically tried to use the politics o
diision and iolence to gain a resh mandate rom the people. That his plan was rustrated
because o the assessment o the Chie Llection Commissioner, JM Lyngdoh that in the preail-
ing circumstances, a ree and air poll was not possible in Gujarat reairms the common citizens`
aith in constitutionalism and the rule o law.
F0llll08l 880k0f0 l0 l00 08f80
Gujarat
Siteen o Gujarat`s 24 districts were enguled in the most organised armed mob attacks on
Muslims between lebruary 28 and March 2, 2002, when most o the attacks were concen-
trated. Rampaging mobs were at it until mid-March. In some parts o Ahmedabad and Mehsana
they are still on the loose.Another three districts had sporadic bouts o organised iolence.,
Nowhere were the mobs less that 2-3,000, most oten they were more than 5-10,000 strong.
This and the act that they were armed with swords, tri.lv. and agricultural instruments that
could kill, the act that the manner o arson, hacking and killing was chillingly similar, all suggest
a careully laid out plan behind the attacks. It is only trained cadres who can spill out in such an
organised ashion, in thousands across the state o Gujarat, within the 2 hours` it took Chie
Minister Modi to bring things to normal.`
Iebruary 27, 2002
* Godhra: 58 persons torched alie in bogie o Sabarmati epress.
Stray stabbings at Ahmedabad and Anand,.
Stabbing at \arodara o a Muslim endor as Kar .era. returned
Rajpardi illage, Bharuch
65 persons traelling in a tempo rom Kidiad to Modasa in Sabarkantha burnt alie at
Babaliya, Khanpur clori Panchmahal.
Iebruary 28, 2002
* Ahmedabad: Ciil Hospital, Sola. Bodies are brought, angry slogans raised
* Gulberg Society, Chamanpura: Armed mob o 20-22,000 holds the whole o Gulberg
society to ransom or oer seen hours. Seenty persons hacked and burnt alie. 10-12 women and
girls were raped,. Commissioner Pandey ailed to sae the ictims.
* Naroda Gaon-Naroda Patiya: Armed mobs o 15,000 attack and kill women, children
and men - oer 200 lies lost, Ample eidence o priate iring with riles by the mobs also
armed with tri.lv., laria., spears and other weapons. Police watched,.
* Naroda Iruit Market: Armed mobs o 10,000 attack Muslim wholesalers selectiely.
* Odhav, Gomtipur and Amraiwadi. Mobs attack.
* Paldi: attacked by huge mob. Judges,Police Quarters attacked
* Kabadi Market: attacked by mob o -10,000, destruction carries on or our days.
* Vatwa: attacked by mob o 10-20,000.
N8l l00 9l0l000
Restaurants and housing societies within minority areas are selectiely targeted.
1,100 hotels in Ahmedabad, Baroda and on the Highways torched with special chemical
between lebruary 28 and March 1.
A mob irst ransacked a Honda City car showroom on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway
* Vadodara: At least persons killed and 30 injured in mob attacks on the localities o
latehpura, Chhipwad and Makarpura.
* Vadodara Rural: Sali, Chhotaudaipur, Desar, Sokhda, Lamipura , Padra, \adu, Karjan,
\aghodiya, Udalpur, Tarsali. Kisanwadi, Sama Society, Madhanagar, Ashabi Chawl were at-
tacked. In rural parts, Sokhada and Chappad were targeted.
* Gandhinagar: A mob enters the Old Secretariat building in the high-security zone and
burns down the oices o the Vak Board and the state Minority linance Corporation.
* Sabarkantha:
* Near Prantij: Three British Nationals traelling in a local tai are attacked, one suries,
the drier is killed, two are still missing.
\illages,towns across this district are brutally targeted or our-ie days: Meghraj, Bayad,
Dhansura, \adali, Prantij, \ijaynagar, Dolapur, lazalpur, Madhakampa, Talod, Modasa,
Malpur, Sardoi, Himmatnagar, Idar, Khhedbrahma, Bhiloda, Tintoi, Gajra, Jadar, Zaledar,
laredi, Pandharwada, Kaath, Unjha, Dailol, Meghdharol, Sathamba, Shamlaji, Demai,
Limkheda, Halol. The Highway through Sabarkantha was targeted by rampaging mobs.
Mobs in the aboe-mentioned areas led by local leaders o the \HP and BD encircled and
cordoned o the roads and stopped all ehicles carrying milk, egetables and other basic ood items.
*Himmatnagar: One young Muslim boy was allegedly shot to death at point blank range
by the Superintendent o Police in Himmatnagar.
* Ahmedabad Rural: Dholka, Jetalpur, Ramol, Mandal targeted by mobs o not less that
3,000, armed with tri.lv., swords and agricultural implements.
*Bharuch city
*Ankleshwar GIDC area
March J, 2002
*Panchmahal:
*Pandharwada: 0 people burnt alie Pandharwada illage in Khanpur tava o Panchmahal.
Si persons burnt alie by large mobs near Dailol railway station located between Kalol and
Halol, about 50 km rom Godhra, The ictims were walking on the Highway when a mob o
more than 200 people caught up with them, doused them in kerosene and burnt them alie.
O the ictims, our were women.
Other towns and illages brutally attacked:Godhra, Kadadara, Anjana, Santrampur, a-
ected: Limkheda, Dailol, Mora.
*Mehsana: Sardarpura illage:8 arm labourers belonging to the minority community burnt alie.
Other towns and illages brutally attacked: Pansar, \isnagar, Unjha, Umta, Becharaji.
*Kheda: \illages,towns badly aected: Mehmdaad, Jinger, Ghodasar, Kheda, Nadiad,
Rural: Ode, \asad, Petlad, Khambhat, Sojitra, Dharmaj, Borsad, Mehmdaad, Kathlal, \irsad,
Balasinor, Pij, Sarsa, Chikhodara, Dakor, Nilampura, Pahad, Thasara, Sealiya, Ratanpur,
Haldasar, Timba, Khalsar, Chaklasi, Peej, Piplak, Dumral.
*Ahmedabad: Gomtipur, \atwa: large ba.ti. gutted and property looted
*Gandhinagar: Curew in Gandhinagar or the irst time in 30 yrs on March 1. Mobs moed
reely in the capital targeting speciic residences and establishments belonging to Muslims. Super-
intendent o police L Radhakrishna said that the curew had been imposed as a precautionary
measure. The incidents took place in Sector 21, Gha-2 , Gha-6, Sector 25, Sector 26 and Sector
2. Houses were set on ire in Sector 2 while commercial establishments were andalised in the
other areas. Residents o Sector 29, which has a sizeable number o minority members, including
businessmen and goernment serants, said that the iolence was unthinkable and they were
araid or the irst time.
*Junagadh: This haen o communal harmony saw some tension errupt with a stabbing
on March 1 but matters were handled switly by the local police.
*Banaskantha: Mankdi, Thalwad, Jitpur in Danta tava:entire illages hae been burnt.lour
Bohra Muslims burnt alie,.\illages badly aected: Deesa, Sesanaa, Danta, Dhanera, Thara, Tharad,
Bhildi, Sihori, Bhabhar, Hadad, Mankdi, Panthawada, Malotra, Palanpur, \ijaynagar, \adgam, Lakhani.
*Patan: \iolence in Chanasma.
In Radhanpur illage three persons traelling in a jeep attacked, two killed, one suries.
Varodara-BLST Bakery, Hanuman Tekri, \adi Panigate, Raghopura, Machchipith
\arodara Rural-Rahopura, Tulsiwadi, Bhayli. Lamipura, Bajwa, Maretha, Tejgadh and
Kanwat in tribal parts o rural \arodara are targeted
*Anand: \illages badly targeted: Mogar, Sarsa, Chikodra, Bedwa, Samarkha and Odh,
\asad.
* Bharuch: Rajpardi, Rajpipla, Dealiya.
March 2, 2002
*Bharuch: Bharuch city, Ankleshwar
Rural: Bhimpura, Amod, \aliya, Netrang, Jambusar, Nandod, Jhagadiya, Andada, Dia.
*Halol: lactories, trucks set on ire , 5 units in Halol Industrial Belt set on ire, 9 trucks
carrying 63 Opel astras rom the General Motors actory in Halol are burnt. Lucky Studio,
owned by ilm producer Sajid Nadiadwala, was also gutted.
The 5 units that were set on ire included our plastic actories and one engineering
unit. The industrial town o Halol remained tense as only 1 policemen were on duty in
the town limits and they are unable to stop the rampaging the mobs rom targeting the
actories.
*Rajkot: Rajkot neer eperienced communal iolence beore this, saw iolence spread
in the industrial areas o Ajit, Shapar-\eraal and GIDC estate. 25 small and medium indus-
trial units were set ablaze in the Ajit industrial area alone. In the Shapar- \eraal area, units
like Suraj Industrial, Nazeen Industries, Polymer Packaging and Antech Teleision were dam-
aged by the mobs.
Rajkot city, and illage Gondal. Are targeted
*Latipot: About 15 units with stocks o wooden logs, were set on ire, causing a
loss o about Rs. 5 crore. In the Kedawadi and Gundawadi areas, units like Bazuki
Industries and Kirti packaging which had large stocks o packaging material and card-
board , were torched. Lyewitnesses say that the police deployment was inadequate in
these areas.
\iolence erupts in Mehsana, Godhra, Surat, \adodara and Anand. Len as chie minister
Modi boasted about how peace had returned` and made tall claims o 90 per cent iolence
ebbing down,` as many as 29 Muslims were torched to death at Sardarpara illage in Mehsana
and oer 39 people were killed in separate incidents in Surat, Bhanagar, Sabarkantha and
\adodara.
March 2, 2002
lamilies rom ar-lung areas in districts o o Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Banaskantha,
Panchmahal, Ahmedabad, Kheda, Baroda, Broach, Surat and Bhanagar led to saer places as
their houses and business centres had been destroyed in iolence by unruly mobs since lebru-
ary 28.The worst hit districts were Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Sabarkantha and Panchmahal where
a large number o houses and shops belonging to minority community were set aire ater
ransacking and looting o houses and shops, and amily members being killed during the orgy
o iolence in the past ie days.
March 3, 2002
*Gandhinagar: A large number o shops, showrooms, arrigaa. and een houses belonging
to Muslims were set on ire in all parts o the city on leb 28, March 1 and 2.
March 4, 2002
*Surat, Bhanagar, Ahmedabad, Morbi in Rajkot district. \iolence spreads to the streets in
seeral areas, including Surat, Bhanagar and Ahmedabad on March 3. Police opened ire on
mobs setting ire to property and looting goods in Bhanagar and Surat. Morbi in Rajkot
district is also enguled in iolence.
March 4, 2002
Police iring on rioting mobs claimed 2 lies in Sabarkantha and one in Kheda, while 6 people
were killed in other incidents o iolence in \adodara, Mehsana and Dahod.
*Vadodara Rural: Sali, Chhotaudaipur, Desar, Sokhda \adodara,, Lamipura illage, Padra,
\adu, Karjan, \aghodiya, Udalpur, \iolence in Chotaudaipur continued until March 12,.
March 6, 2002
Mass burials sans relatives for Naroda, Gulberg victims.
As many as 96 bodies o ictims o the post-Godhra carnage were buried in a mass grae in
the Dudheshwar graeyard this eening, another mass grae or about 200 ictims was being
readied in Sarkhej, on the outskirts o the city, or a burial tomorrow.
A big grae was dug and the bodies, brought rom the Ciil Hospital morgue, lowered into it
one by one. They were ictims o the Naroda Patiya and the Gulberg Society carnages. Among
them were 5 children, including a 6-month-old baby, 46 women, including one who was preg-
nant, and a handicapped man whose crutches lay by the side. 500 persons silently watched and
prayed. CM Narendra Modi, driing less than a kilometre away, did not isit the graeyard.
The Sabarmati Lpress train started rom Ahmedabad or Ayodhya on lebruary
22, 2002, with ar .era. on board. It appears that on its onward journey to Ayodhya,
there was an incident at Dahod railway station where the ar .era. indulged in an-
dalism and terrorising o Muslim endors at the station. According to another er-
sion, the Dahod incident took place on the return journey. There is no clear eidence
o the date o the incident but it is clear that it took place.
There was another incident between Rudauli and Daryabad stations closer to
laizabad, wherein the ar .era. attacked Muslim passengers, including innocent
women and children. Vhen some young man protested against this, he was thrown
o the train between Patranga and Rojagaon stations. Seeral women, badly wounded
and coered in blood, jumped o the train at Rudauli station. The ar .era. got o
and started attacking those whom they identiied as Muslim rom among those present
at the platorm.
At Rudauli station, other similar incidents occurred, such as orcing the Muslims to
shout, ]ai lri Rav!`, pulling the beards o some o them, including stabbing with
tri.lv. Despite the seerity o these incidents, there was no prompt action taken
either by the railway authorities or the police, nor were those seriously injured rushed
to hospital. It appears that both local Hindus and Muslims condemned the attack and
that Muslim religious leaders appealed or peace and urged that there should be no
retaliation. (Reort iv Jan Morcha, vbi.le frov |aiaba ov |ebrvar, 2:, 2002, tro a,.
before tle Colra ivcievt ov tle retvrv ovrve, of tle .ave abarvati re..- .ee .vvevre
1ovve 1.,
As the train traelled back rom Ayodhya on its return journey to Ahmedabad, ar
.era girls and boys armed with tri.lv. and lathis, were getting down at eery station
and shouting slogans like, Mavir 1aliv ava,evge!`, ]ai lrirav!`, Mv.iv larat
Cloo, Pai.tav ]ao` (Mv.iv., Qvit Ivia! Co to Pai.tav`,, Dvl vavgo tlo leer evge,
Ka.lvir vavgo tlo cleer evge` (.. for vi av re` gire ,ov leer (vivg,, vt a. for
Ka.lvir av re` cvt ,ov v`,. Many passengers elt harassed by this behaiour but were
6000f8
constrained to silence because the ar .era. had captured all the resered seats and
the train was jam-packed.
The train reached Godhra station at .30 a.m. three hours late,, on lebruary 2,
2002. There were certain incidents on the platorm. There were some reports to the
eect that a Muslim girl was molested by the ar .era. who attempted to pull her
into the train. The attempt to take her into the train was aerted due to the interen-
tion by Muslim endors at the Godhra railway station.
In a separate incident, a Muslim tea endor had boarded coach S-6 with an alumi-
num tea iti and plastic cups to sell tea. Passengers started to buy tea rom him but he
was insulted by some o the ar .era. and sent out o the coach. It appears that some
ar .era., identiied by their saron head bands and tri.lv., had climbed onto the
roos o coaches o the Sabarmati Lpress as it stopped at the Godhra railway sta-
tion, stripped themseles and made obscene gestures at Muslim women residing just
opposite the station, who had come out to perorm their morning chores. There was
also some stone throwing, both rom within and rom outside the compartments.
As the train let the platorm, at .48 a.m., it was immediately stopped by someone
pulling the chain. The obious reason or this was to enable some o the ar .era. who
were still let behind on the platorm to enter the train. The train proceeded or about a
kilometre. At Singal lalia the train stopped. Vhether this was on account o someone
pulling the chain or otherwise is not clear. The engine drier, at that point o time, had
only seen someone rom outside pelting stones at the train though not at coach S-6.
Soon thereater, coach S-6 was on ire. The question is, how did the ire occur
The ersion o the goernment appears to be that the Ghanchi Muslims residing
near the railway station, who had gathered in large numbers, threw ireballs into the
train and that resulted in the ire. The goernment ersion also has it that these
Ghanchi Muslims wanted to attack the ar .era., and that there were about 2,000
Muslims who were bent on attacking the train.
It may be stated at this stage that the ull capacity o the train is 1,100. But, in act,
the train at that time had about 2,000 passengers, o which about 1,00 were ar
.era.. As ar as coach S-6 o the Sabarmati Lpress is concerned, the reseration
capacity is 2. Howeer, it was jam-packed on that day. Only one coach was burned
and een in that coach one is not sure how many passengers were ar .era.. The train
had 11 coaches with estibule connection and the ar .era. were spread all oer the
train. So why did anyone target coach S-6 I 2,000 Muslims had gathered there,
could they not hae attacked the other coaches Again, did anyone try to come out
rom the other coaches I it is reasonably presumed that some o the passengers,
including ar .era., rushed out, did anyone attack them On all these questions there
is no satisactory answer.
In all, 58 bodies were ound in coach S-6, out o which 26 were o women, 12 were
o children and 20 were o men. It appears that 43 persons sustained injuries, o
whom only 5 were admitted to the hospital. The rest were treated or minor injuries
like bruises, and were allowed to go. Out o the ie admitted to hospital, one died,
and the rest were discharged ater 3 or 4 days.
Since the bodies were charred beyond recognition, it was not possible to identiy
anyone on the basis o physical eatures. The collector o Godhra told the Tribunal that
only ie bodies could be identiied on the basis o articles or things which were on their
person. One was the local station master`s wie who had boarded the train at Godhra to
go to \adodara. She had a metal tiin bo in her hand and she was thus identiied.
Thus, no one could say with certainty that the dead bodies were all o ar .era..
l0l00l8 0l F08l6000f8 l0l000
)DA@=>=@
GULBLRG SOCIL1Y, CHAMANPURA
This is probably the irst carnage to hae been unleashed ater the Godhra tragedy,
ater the corpses o the burnt bodies had been taken rom Godhra to the Sola Ciil
Hospital in Ahmedabad. The attack on Gulberg society, which was home to Ahsan
Jari, ormer trade unionist and MP o the Congress party, was launched with military
precision rom .30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on Thursday, lebruary 28. A 20-25,000 strong
mob surrounded the Chamanpura area in the heart o Ahmedabad city. The lIR lodged
by KG Lrda o the Meghani Nagar police station itsel gies a detailed account o
the utter ailure o the police to put o the assailants or protect the trapped residents.
The lIR admits that the arson and destruction began rom that morning itsel. The
Tribunal recorded detailed testimonies o a the eye-witnesses to the Gulberg society
carnage, including a Parsi, who was with Ahsan Jari until the end, when, at around
2.30 p.m., he surrendered himsel to the mob in a desperate attempt to sae the
persons who had sought shelter in his home rom nearby clar.. One o the most
shocking aspects o the Gulberg society carnage, to which two eyewitnesses and two
others testiied, is the act that the commissioner o police, Ahmedabad, PC Pandey,
isited Ahsan Jari at 10.30 a.m. that day, and assured him o police reinorcements.
The CP stands directly indicted because he did not keep his promise o sending police
help. The ew men who were deputed rom the Meghani Nagar clori, merely watched
as 0 persons were butchered and burnt in a macabre dance o death. The 10-12
women among the ictims were brutally gang raped.
The centre o an Indian commercial city saw a medieal and macabre dance o
death, humiliation and reenge heaped on women, children and men. Ten to twele
gas cylinders were eploded that day and used as arsenal in the attack. Members o
the Tribunal isited the site on May 3, 2002. Ve ound hundreds o little glass bottles
containing a whitish powder scattered all round. This was used to heighten the impact
and intensity o the ire and ensured that the bodies were burnt to ashes.
According to eyewitness accounts as well as the ull list o dead and missing per-
sons attached to the lIR, about 0 persons hae died - 49 rom the society, and 18-
20 rom outside, who had come to seek shelter at Jari`s home. This is not the igure
mentioned oicially. The oicial igure released is 59., Lidence o one Manoj
Kumar, a Hindu neighbour, has also been placed beore the Tribunal. He testiied to
the act that the attackers pulled the babies out with the men, then poured petrol oer
them and burnt them. The police merely stood back and watched. Vhen questioned
about this gross dereliction o duty, commissioner PC Pandey shrugged and said: Ve
were outnumbered.`1le 1ive. of Ivia, March 2, 2002.,
At about 10.30 a.m., police commissioner Pandey, with Ambalal Nadia, the Con-
gress valavavtri, Vard No. 19, and Kannulal Solanki rom Vard No. 20, isited Jari
and gae him a personal assurance that they would send reinorcements and that he
would be ully protected. Vithin ie minutes o the CP`s departure, at 10.35 a.m.,
the Zahir Bakery and an autorickshaw just outside Gulberg society were burnt. The
stoning o Gulberg society began around 11.15-11.30 a.m. lorty-ie minutes later,
at about 12.15-12.30 p.m., stones, acid bulbs, bottles and petrol bombs were thrown
at Gulberg society rom the rear side o the comple o buildings and bungalows.
lrom the terrace o an adjacent bungalow belonging to a non-Muslim, between 12.30
and 12.45 p.m., there was heay stone throwing, including big boulders. This caused
the biggest damage, because, without this rontal attack using premises rom within
the residential colony itsel, the residents might hae been able to protect themseles.
The olley o huge stones, along with acid bulbs and burning cloth balls, continued
until 1-1.15 p.m. Around 1 p.m., one \usu, a resident o the society, was caught, cut
up and torched. lear amongst the residents had mounted. By this time there were
nearly 80 persons in Jari`s house. Amid shouts o Clv.iao` Get in!`,, between
2.30-2.45 p.m., suddenly the gate at the rear end o the Society, near the railway
tracks, was broken down. Between 2.30-2.45 p.m., Ahsan Jari, who was clearly a
speciic target, allowed himsel to be dragged out o his own house. There, just out-
side the home that he had so painully created, or 45 minutes, he was brutally dis-
membered and then inally decapitated. He was stripped, paraded naked, and asked
to say, 1ave Matarav!` and ]ai lri Rav!` He reused. His ingers were chopped
o and he was paraded around in the locality, badly injured. Net, his hands and eet
were chopped o. He was then dragged, a ork-like instrument clutching his neck,
down the road, beore being thrown into the ire. A man who had deoted his lie to
public serice, had met a brutal end. In this attack, Jari was killed along with his
three brothers and two nephews.
At this time, 2.45 p.m., Anwar, another resident, was also killed. The main accused
whose names appear later, brought in logs rom the nearby Sansar Bakery and began,
ominously, to prepare our uneral pyres. Anwar was killed and then cut up into pieces
and burnt. There was a relentless barrage o stoning, throwing o ireballs and rontal
attacks on Jari`s house in particular. This was conirmed by many eyewitnesses to the
tragic carnage, all o whom deposed beore the Tribunal.
Ater this, Shai Mohammed Munawar Sheikh was also cut into three pieces, and
burnt alie. It was between 3.30-4.30 p.m. that 10-12 women were irst raped, then
cut into pieces with gvti., and then thrown into the ire. The police inally arried
between 4.30-5.00 p.m. At 5.20 p.m., the police party which was trying to rescue the
people, was stoned. linally, at around p.m., the suriors were taken out o the area
under police escort.
One o the eyewitnesses who was with Jari until the end, a Parsi woman whose
12-year-old son is one o those who has been missing since that day, gae the Tribu-
nal an elaborate testimony. This witness contacted an inluential relatie, a legal lumi-
nary, or help and the latter rushed to meet the police commissioner in person. The
CP the telephoned the witness. He asked her, How many rom your amily are trapped
there` Three, Sir,` she replied, implying that there were only three Parsis trapped
there - she, her daughter and son - since her husband was at the Meghani Nagar police
station. She then saw the other ictims around her, quickly recoered hersel and
said, No there are 40 persons here.` He then took the address but the help, when it
came, was too late.
This witness was in her erandah, in the same building as Jari, when about 6-
persons came to the neighbourhood to close down eerything because o the bavl. A
boy who was standing opposite had closed his shop, but they ran to beat him up. He
was shouting or help, and there were 6- policemen also standing there, who were
watching, but did not help. Vhen his brother came to help him, they started beating
him up as well. Then the irst boy ran inside, to be ollowed by a boy with a knie. She
could see them because they were in the society, but she could not see what happened
to the other boy.
This witness saw Jari go out to meet CP Pandey at 10.30 a.m. Jari returned ater a
ew minutes, apparently reassured that orces would be sent soon. He told others that
he had told the CP that i they could not send orces they should escort the Gulberg
society residents out. Children rom the dierent homes in Gulberg society were tak-
ing their morning tuition classes when, in panic, parents had to summon them back
home. The attackers irst torched all the ehicles outside.
The mobs were shouting ]ai ri Rav!` and Kill! Slaughter! This is what they did
to us in Godhra. Ve will do the same to them here!` Lyewitnesses who deposed
beore the Tribunal saw that they used gas cylinders rom the abandoned homes as
ammunition or the attacks. Chemicals were sprayed into the room, then gas cylinders
thrown in ater remoing the seals. Vith ireballs proiding the spark, the gas cylin-
ders eploded like bombs. The blast was so powerul that it made the plaster peel o
walls, so much so that the structural steel rods were eposed. The attackers were
pulling out the girls and killing anyone who came out o Jari`s home, either with
swords or by pouring kerosene oer them and torching them.
By 11 a.m., women had collected in Jari`s lat, bringing their aluables, earing the
worst. Vitnesses also saw the mob throwing something that would all near their
houses and then burst into lames.
Despite the CP`s isit to Gulberg society, the police did not come. Jari kept look-
ing outside with apprehension while he made calls to all the inluential people listed
in his diary. He made numerous calls including calls to Congressman Amarsingh
Chaudhry, the commissioner, and the local police station.
By then, the mob had started breaking windows. They threw burning tyres inside
and the women inside would catch them and throw them out. In act the witness`
hands were singed. There was no water in the house because it had all been consumed
and the water rom the tanks below had been leaked out by the mob. Inside, the
people did all they could to sae themseles in those terrible two hours. They ripped
o carpets so that they did not catch ire.
At about 2-2.30 p.m., the phone was disconnected. By then Jari had begun plead-
ing with the mob or orgieness-he was speaking in Gujarati-and telling them to
let them go. He said that all the residents o Gulberg would leae without any belong-
ings, only their lies. They said, \ou burnt our parents, our sisters, so we will not
spare you.` The Parsi lady een said, I am a Parsi - we are neither Hindus nor Mus-
lims,` to which they replied, Ve know no Parsis or anything else.` They were in such
a murderous mood at the time. They had been burning the kitchens in all the houses
irst. At about 3 p.m., they een poured petrol oer this witness and her 11-year-old
daughter. They had brought petrol in plastic bags and they threw the bags at them so
they were soaked with petrol. By this time only one room o Jari`s home was not on
ire but the rest were ull o smoke. Many persons collapsed due to asphyiation.
There were bodies o women and children eerywhere. Many died choking rom the
smoke. Only the strong and the lucky could surie. The police arried at about 4.30
p.m. Vhen the ictim-suriors were escorted out by the police, the mob stoned the
an. That is when PI Pathan gae orders to shoot into the crowd rather than in the air.
I he had not ired, and dispersed the crowd somewhat, een the rest would hae
died. Len when they got into the an, the ictim-suriors had only the drier with
them, there were no other policemen.
There are 21 eyewitnesses to the entire case who hae been consistent in their
depositions beore other human rights and act-inding teams. Lach o these hae lost
rom 1- amily members in the brutal iolence. The Tribunal beneited rom the
detailed records o this incident, the lIRs etc., published in Covvvvai.v Covbat`s
Genocide - Gujarat 2002` issue. The accused, who hae been identiied by eyewit-
nesses to hae launched the irst attack, are: Girish Prabhudaas Sharma, Bharat Rajput,
Kapilkumar Munna. Bharat Rajput stabbed Ayyub.
Seeral eyewitnesses saw the CP arriing and talking to Jari. He said to Jari, Ve
are making all arrangements or you and sending additional police orce - you don`t
worry.` Jari .aàb told Pandey .aàb, I you cannot make arrangements or us and i you
don`t hae enough men, then arrange or us to go away rom here - just let us know.``
Vithin minutes o the commissioner`s car leaing rom one side, a mob appeared
rom the other and started throwing stones. lrom the Asarwa side, the e-corporator
and BJP worker, Chunilal Prajapati, was leading the mob, swearing at Muslims and
shouting, Kill! Slaughter! See what they did in Godhra. They killed our Hindus so
now kill them all, destroy their society.` lrom the Om Nagar side, e-Congress mu-
nicipal councillor, Meghsingh Dubsingh, was leading the mob, which also started throw-
ing stones. Jari had opposed Dubsingh`s receiing a ticket in the last elections.
Muslims rom the surrounding clar. also came into the society or protection. There
is a railway line behind Gulberg society, and rom that side, where there are serants`
quarters, a mob o about 5-6,000 came. They were led by Jagrup Singh Rajput, who
was deputy mayor o Ahmedabad when the BJP held a majority in the municipality.
Stone throwing started rom the back as well. Thus, rom all our sides o Gulberg
society, stone throwing was going on.
In his desperation, Jari made oer 200 calls that day. He called PC Pandey, Amarsingh
Chaudhry in Gandhinagar, Naresh Rawal, and een the chie minister and the home
minister. According to a witness, At about 2:30 p.m., Jari .aàb, who was standing at
his door with olded hands, was pulled out by our men. The our who pulled him out
were: Narayan Kabra, a cable operator in Chamanpura, Ramesh Choti, a Bhaiyaji`,
Manish Jain, son o the owner o Rajasthan grocery store, and Krishna, son o
Champaben. Lyewitnesses hae also recorded these names in the statements made
during police inestigations., As they were pulling him out, they were slashing him
with a sword and they cut him up into three pieces. Ater burning Jari .aàb, the
people who had come in started burning tyres, etc. They broke all the doors o Jari
.aàb`s house and torched it rom all sides. There were 35 children and eeryone was
begging with olded hands but they could not go out. By about 3.15 p.m., Jari`s house
had illed with smoke and all persons trapped inside or their saety were inding it
diicult to breathe.`
Some women rom inside were lured out on the pretet that they would be kept
sae. Lyewitnesses who testiied beore the Tribunal saw Dinesh Prabhudas Sharma,
who was carrying a sword, killing \usu. It was Lathia who tore the clothes o the
niece o one eyewitness, raped her and then killed her. Lala Mohansingh Darbar, who
was also inoled in the incidents o torching earlier, killed another woman.
At around 4:45 p.m., an eyewitness who had hidden himsel in a cabin at the back
o the small garden, heard shouts o Run, run!` and guessed that the police had
come. This eyewitness asked ACP Tandon to rescue some o the persons suering
rom asphyiation who were trapped inside Jari`s home, but he was reluctant to do
anything. The attack had been planned with such meticulousness that een the water
rom the tanks in Jari`s house and garden as well as those in neighbouring houses had
been emptied so that the ires could not be put out. Despite the act that the ire was
spreading, the ACP did not interene to sae lies. It was hal an hour ater the police
arried, at about 5:15 p.m., when the gas cylinders inside Jari`s house burst. Those
who remained trapped and could not escape, died. There were 30-35 women and
children who were thus burnt to ashes. The blatant complicity o the Gujarat state
and its police in the Gulberg society carnage cannot be understated. The CM, the
home minister, the CP, were all called by Jari himsel. The attack lasted or seen
hours beore Jari gae himsel up to the killers. lor ie hours it was brutal and
intense. Gulberg society, Chamanpura, is in the heart o Ahmedabad city, not in a ar-
lung area o the state. The etent o the macabre delight that perpetrators took in the
crimes committed was eident in what some residents saw on the eening o lebru-
ary 28. Vhen some witnesses returned to the area later that eening, they saw
neighbourhood goons playing cricket` with the skulls o the dead. That such a massa-
cre could take place in broad daylight, and lasting seeral hours, ater innumerable
attempts and pleas, desperate pleas, or help had been made, is a pathetic and chilling
relection on the quality o goernance in Gujarat under CM Modi. A strong case o
personal endetta by Modi, against Jari was made out by these witnesses, while CP
Pandey stands indiidually indicted because he ailed to send in reinorcements, ei-
ther o his own choice or on orders rom aboe, although he knew how bad the
situation was when he isited Gulberg society at 10.30 a.m. that day.
The irst house in Gulberg society compound belongs to Dayaram Mochi . Two o
his sons are in the police orce and one is a teacher. He used to hae a single-storey
house, but oer the past years, ater his sons joined the police, he added two more
loors. lrom his terrace, one has a iew o the entire society. Vhen the stones were
being thrown, he inormed the mob that there were only a ew people in the society,
so they shouldn`t be araid and just rush in. It was rom his house that people were
pelting stones. The ictim-suriors elt that it was because access to this house was
allowed that the attack became easy and possible.
The Tribunal met Dayaram Mochi and his wie, who claimed that their house was
also looted - and that all the looting was done by people whose only work is looting,
and who know no religion. This witness and his wie said that they had good relations
with other residents o Gulberg society oer the last 12 years. The mob came around 9
a.m. and surrounded the whole society. Since they were also scared they went to the
nearby school and sat down quietly. They said that ater that they didn`t know what
happened. These witnesses said that the mob knew that the Mochis were Hindus and
so, although their house was looted, they were not physically assaulted. Mochi said that
once the huge mob had breached the wall, that there was no way that they could hae
stopped the mob rom going up to their terrace. They saw that the building was deserted
so they rushed in. He said that i he had tried to stop them, he too would hae been
beaten up. The Mochis did not recognise anyone. Two o the Mochi sons who are in the
police were both on duty at the time, one in Daryapur and the other in Shahibag. One is
a drier and the other a constable. The third one had gone out to gie tuitions.
Mochi`s wie said that only the couple and their three daughters-in-law were at
home. Their grandchildren were taking tuitions at the home o a Gulberg resident
who also deposed beore the Tribunal,, and they ran to get the children back when
the mob arried since they were among the irst to see them. The police took chairs
rom the Mochis` house. There were only 4-5 policemen although the mob was huge.
The police mobile ans came much later. The whole thing started around 9:30 a.m.,
but it became really bad ater 12 o`clock. The Mochis led to the school across the
road at 9.30 a.m. Thereater, they saw only smoke and nothing else. It seems clear
that they were allowed to escape with their lies because they were not Muslim.
Another eyewitness who is a close associate o Jari denied the story widely-circu-
lated by the CM and the police: that Jari had ired at the crowd. This witness was
clear that in this attack, Gulberg society was the singular target. He said that in earlier
riots 1969,, too, Gulberg society had been attacked but then there was trouble else-
where in Chamanpura, neighbouring Asara and Chakla. This time they came di-
rectly to Gulberg and zeroed in on this society. It appears clear that Gulberg was the
ocus o a pre-meditated plan and attack. Some eyewitnesses also spoke o a clear per-
sonal endetta that CM Modi had against Jari, which is why Jari was speciically targeted
and his death, the manner o killing, etc., was careully planned and carried out. The
witness had accompanied Jari to Rajkot, where the CM was contesting a by-election, only
a ew days beore the Godhra tragedy. This witness clearly elt that the CM`s personal
reenge and endetta against Jari ound epression in the gruesome carnage that deas-
tated all o Gulberg society. Jari campaigned against Modi. In a public meeting in Rajkot,
he had urged people not to ote or him because he was an RSS man, and to ote or the
Congress instead. The election took place on lebruary 23, 2002.
On lebruary 28, just ie days ater the election, when the premeditated attack was
launched, Jari made as many as 200 calls to arious people, desperately seeking help. Among
others, he also called the CM Modi, home minister Gordhan Zadaphiya and union home
minister LK Adani, the witness said. Jari had een sent a a to Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. In
Ahmedabad, he called the mayor Himmatsinh Patel, and Badruddin Shaikh chairman, stand-
ing committee o the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation,. Vhen Jari called CM Modi, he
receied a callous response. It was ater the chilling nonchalance o Modi`s response to his
plea or help that Jari lost all hope and gae himsel up to be killed, the witness added.
The Tribunal also recorded testimonies o ictim-suriors rom Dhoopsinh ni
Chali, Janakbehn ni Chali, Chandulal Chali and Santookbehn ni Chali. These are lower
middle class tenements, rom where 0 residents had led to Gulberg society, to Jari`s
home or support, thinking that they would be sae there as they had been in the past.
During earlier bouts o iolence in Ahmedabad, Jari was able to protect them. But
not this time. Vhen the Tribunal recorded their testimonies, these persons were liing
in arious camps in Ahmedabad. It is shocking that months ater the tragedy there are
still so many persons missing, and that there has been no proper computation o the
dead by the state. It relects the attitude o the Gujarat goernment to the tremen-
dous loss o lie, aith and dignity that was the Gujarat carnage.
On the day o the Tribunal`s site isit to Gulberg society, May 3, the entire society was
still in a terrible condition. Homes had been completely destroyed, the beams and iron
rods and ans in houses were twisted, bent out o shape. Though there are Hindus who
lie in the Bhagwatinagar society opposite, these persons were not inoled in the attack.
In the same attack, shops and showrooms on one side o the society, opening onto
the road, were also looted and destroyed. A printing press and a small actory nearby,
belonging to Muslims, met the same ate.
The irst lIR iled by KG Lrda, senior inspector o the Meghani Nagar police
station, names 10 persons and a mob o 20-25,000 as the accused. On lebruary 28,
the iolence continued rom 10.30 a.m.- 6 p.m. A complaint was iled at 8.45 p.m. on
the same day. The sections applied in the lIR are: sections 143, 141, 148, 149, 302,
332, 323, 336, 33, 435, 436, 42, 186, 188, 120b, o the IPC, section 1 o the
Bombay Police Act and sections 251, a, and b, o the Arms Act. All releant
sections hae been applied, ecept section 36 rape,. Lighteen persons rom the
ilolent mob were injured in police iring. Howeer, this has not been recorded by the
police. On March 2, a new section was added. In the irst lIR number 61,2002, that
was iled, crimes under sections 395, 396, 39 loot, o the IPC were also added.
Then, on March 12, some more sections were added: 398, 295a,, 153a,1,,
153a,2,b,, and 188 o the IPC and section 31, o the Bombay Police Act.
The irst lIR iled by KG Lrda, senior inspector, police station no. 4,5,200 reads,
On the day \HP had organised a Gujarat bavl eyewitnesses saw Girish, Ramesh
Dhulchand ake jewellery,, Mangalal Dhulchand Jain Adinath Kirana Store,, Asish
Chunawala`s son, Ramesh Sadhna Store,, Mukesh Mochi, Gabbar, Alpesh, a man
with glvvgrooraa curly, hair who has a aroo lava, Deepak alias Pradeep BJP
worker,... Accused o unlawul armed assembly, the vaaviat property and earn-
ings, o Muslims was burnt with kerosene, 18 Muslims were cut up in pieces and
burnt, 24 were burnt alie. Both the police and Muslims were attacked with stones,
petrol bombs, acid bombs and ehicles were burnt by the mob. `
In his second lIR the oicer says: Under Meghani Nagar, there is an inspector in
charge, two police inspectors, two sub-inspectors, 42 head constables and 80 police
constables and 3 women police constables. On that day, there were two police inspec-
tors, si sub-inspectors, 55 head constables, 62 police constables, as or women po-
lice, there was one police inspector, one sub-inspector, si head constables, si and
three police constables were on duty. On the patrol there was one police inspector, 5
head constables, 34 police constables and one woman constable.
On lebruary 2, when \HP ar .era. were martyred, the whole state was
tense and since then special bandobast was undertaken at dierent points in the
city. At a.m. on lebruary 28, the Meghani police station got an order rom the
CP or all o us to stand to`. Ve organised bandobast in the Meghani area:
Chamanpura, Chakla, Gulberg society, Dhupsingh Chali, Ratnanagar Char Rasta,
Ramannagar New Crossing, Meghani Nagar bus stand, New Menta Bari, Meena
Bazaar and Rashmi Nagar society.
On duty were mobile police sub-inspector, BC Dabhi, Ramesh Bhai, head con-
stable, Nathabhai, police constable Sureshbhai and Narjibhai, head constables
Bhupendra and Shailesh Singh. The police contingent was as needed and armed with
tear gas shells. There was enough bandobast at Meghani Nagar. At a.m. on lebru-
ary 28, the mob started attacking the mattress shop, the bakery and the cycle shop.
They were breaking all the shops and destroying things and burning them. At this
stage, police dispersed the crowd.
The patrolling was carrying on when at 13.30 p.m. a huge crowd came rom all
directions - Om Nagar, Chakla Road and Meghani Nagar. I called the police on the
mobile. The mob had tarar., ai., pipes and kerosene and they were shouting, ]ai
lri Rav!` The mob was 20-25,000 strong. Ve policemen were shouting, trying to
disperse the mob. Ve were using the public announcement system and saying that
you are an unlawul assembly.` The mob paid no attention to the warnings. They
turned more iolent by this time. The bakeries, the cycle shop, the electric shops, the
mattress shops, the urniture shops and ehicles were completely destroyed. The mobs
had put obstruction on the roads and were looting the shops. Ve let o tear gas and issued
warnings, we een atlicharged but the crowd was possessed` and shouting, ]ai lri
Rav!` At this stage, our tear gas shells were let o. The mob turned een more iolent and
started throwing stones on the police. The police took all lawul steps. I ired one round
with my reoler. I tried to take eectie steps.
But the crowd did not disperse. It became iolent. Around this time, the Gulberg
society, which has mainly Muslims liing there, was attacked by a mob rom behind
where the railway station was. There was stone throwing and burning and the huge
mob een uprooted the railway tracks. I could hear shouts o Clv.iao`. And rom
the direction o Om Nagar and Chakla road, the mob tore down the gates, started
burning property and people and throwing stones.
At this stage there was priate iring by Muslims. The DCP Zone 4 and addi-
tional CP sector two were there. One person, Dinesh, died as a result o police
iring. By this time women and men rom the Gulberg society were lying dead.
Gulberg society contains 19 blocks and 8 buildings. Vomen and children were
hiding themseles on the lotsto sae their lies. lrom all our sides they were
attacked by mobs: linish o all Muslims, our people were not spared by them,
don`t hae mercy`. These were the shouts. Ve kept issuing warnings to disperse
the mob, we een opened ire. Shraanji Lathoji \anjara and one more was in-
jured in priate iring.`
In one o its most controersial decisions, the Modi goernment handed oer in-
estigation to PN Barot, assistant police commissioner, a man with connections to
the \HP. It later transerred the case to someone else. In the chargesheet iled, the
names o the main accused hae not been mentioned.
i.t of accv.e:
1, Girish Prabhudas Sharma 26,: In the truck body business: Patni society,
Chamanpura. vie : itre ero.eve rvv. for ar.ov.
2, Dinesh Prabhudas Sharma 23,: Patni society, Chamanpura. vie : itre ero
.eve rvv. for ar.ov; .vie etro rvv. for bvrvivg eoe.
3, Ramesh Choti 30,: Son o Panditji: Bangle-seller with a shop net to Asha
Trading, Patni Nagar society, Chamanpura.
4, Kapil 22,: Son o Ram Narain Munna,, works in a petrol pump near Swami
Narayan Mandir, Babusingh Madhesinh society, opp. Gulberg society, Chamanpura.
Belongs to the Bajrang Dal.vie tri.lv. av etro.
5, Suresh Alias Kali Dhobi 22,: He is a washerman, Babusingh Madhesinh soci-
ety, Opp. Gulberg society, Chamanpura.
6, Narayan Tonk alias Kabra Channelwala` 40,: Gheewali Chali, Chamanpura.
tove tlrorivg av .tabbivg.
, Bharat Lakshman Rajput: He works behind Dr. Sultan`s Dispensary, Chamanpura
and lies behind Ramji Mandir.
8, Surendra 22,: Son o Champabehn. His ather-in-law owns Asha Trading Com-
pany, his mother works in Shean Clinic as a compounder, Dr. Gandhi Chawl,
Chamanpura.
9, Krishna: son o Champabehn: Dr. Gandhi Chali, Chamanpura.
10, Lala Mohanji Darbar: Inoled in illegal liquor business. Dr. Gandhi Chali,
Chamanpura. e la. beev .eev b, e,eritve..e. actva, covvittivg rae.
11, Sushil Brij Mohan Sharma 26,: Vorks in the Home Guards, Ramchandra colony,
Takri, Chamanpura.
12, Poona Sinh Rajput 40-42,: works in Arind Mills: Opp. Gheewali Chawl, aboe
Ramlal Uttamchand, Chamanpura. A Congress I, actiist. e ra. .eev ritl a vife iv lav.
13, Manish Prabhudas Jain 25,: Owner Raja Kirana Store, Dr. Gandhi Chali, Chamanpura.
14, Dharmesh 20,: Son o Ram Achal Pathak, inoled in illegal liquor business,
Chandulal Chali, Chamanpura.
15, Gabbar: Son o Mandan Jhingar Thin and short, he has an uncle, in the police
whose name is Ashok Jhingar,, Makes chappals, Babusingh Madhesinh Chali, Opp. Gulberg
society, Chamanpura. e ra. iv vvgaor ò. 1 eaivg tle a..avt ov Cvberg .ociet,.
16, Chunnilal Prajapati 55,: L-municipal corporator, rom BJP, Mohanlal Vadi,
Chamanpura. !a. .eev ivcitivg tle vob.
1, Mehsingh Dudhsinh Chaudhary 45,: Adocate and e-municipal corporator,
Congress: ]afri, a .evior vevber of tle art,, la clo.ev vot to gire liv a ticet iv tle recevt
eectiov.,, Chamanpura.
18, Jagrup Sinh Rajput 48,, Adocate and e-deputy mayor o Ahmedabad: Nai
Chali, Om Nagar Road, Chamanpura.
19, Dayaram Mochi and Ashok alias Jhingar: Bungalow No. 1, Gulberg society,
Chamanpura. Mocli aore li. love to be v.e a. a ace of attac.
20, Mangelal Jain 32,: Owner, Adhinath Kirana Store, Opposite Chamanpura
Pumping Station. e e tle attac ov ]afri`. lov.e.
21, Dilip Suraj Bali: Ramchandra colony, Near Vater Tanker, Chamanpura.
22, Naresh Krishnadas Brahmania: In the illegal liquor business, Talati Nagar, Near
Rohidas Bus Station, Block No. 32, Talati Nagar.
23, Lakhia 2,: He is 5 eet 5 inches tall. Has long hair which is red in colour.,,
Block 55, Talati Nagar.
e ra. re.ov.ibe for tle rae..
24, Girish Alias Kalia 25,, Lies near Rohidas bus stop.
25, Dhobi Kailash: Liing at Gopal Nagar They said he is dark compleioned, was
carrying a mobile phone, was wearing an earring,. e ra. .eev b, vav, er.ov. ritl a tarar.
Madan Mochi`s son, Gabbar was also seen.,
Reproduced rom Covvvvai.v Covbat Genocide Gujarat 2002, March-April 2002.
NARODA GAON AND NARODA PA1IYA
About 15 kms rom Ahmedabad city, Naroda Gaon and Naroda Patiya hae been
home to around 1,000 daily wage earning Muslims. Many o the residents here are
migrants rom Karnataka and Maharashtra. The area lies on a stretch o the outer city,
situated along a deserted highway road. The Gopinath and Gangotri housing societies
situated nearby are home, the suriors allege, to many o the attackers. The
goernment`s ST warehouse is located across the wide road.
Naroda Patiya and Naroda Gaon hae a long history o \HP proocation. Police
sources reealed to epert witnesses who deposed beore the Tribunal, that in 1999 a
argal was broken down and an idol installed in its place. At the time, the local police
repaired the argal and arrested 10-15 persons, including Dr. Jaideep Patel, Maya
Kotdani and Amrish Pandey. Pressure was mounted on the police by the then home
minister, Haren Pandya, but the police stood their ground and the law-breakers were
orced to back down.
Howeer, things were dierent this time round in Naroda. In act, the attack by
rioters on Naroda Patiya, and thereater on Naroda gaon nearby--a settlement o about
1,000 Muslims--let the entire area completely destroyed and deastated.
According to seeral dozen surior witnesses, who until August 23, 2002 were
liing in many dierent relie camps across Ahmedabad city, the irst attack on Naroda
Patiya and Naroda Gaon began at 9 a.m. on the morning o lebruary 28, the day the
Gujarat bavl had been declared by the \HP and Bajrang Dal, supported by the
goernment in power. That morning, a large mob o 5,000 to 10,000 people dressed
in hal-pants khaki claie., and saron ests baviav., with black bandannas tied
around their heads, set upon the hapless minority residents o the area. They were
armed with spears, swords, acid bombs and petrol bombs. They used gas cylinders or
their work. The assaulters were miing petrol with some solent. According to the
eidence gathered, diesel and petrol used was rom the ST warehouse, too.
They irst attacked the Noorani Masjid in the area and began to burn it with the help
o LPG cylinders, tyres, petrol and kerosene. In sel-deence, Naroda residents resorted
to stone throwing. The police then ired at the community under attack. lour persons
were killed and two injured in the police iring. It was around 10-10.30 a.m. that the
minaret o the Noorani Masjid was destroyed. During the irst attack, the amily o
Shabir Ahmed Khushid Ahmed and Mehmood Ahmed Khushid Ahmed were burnt
alie. The mobs were attacking Hussain Nagar and Jawaharlal Nagar in Naroda.
One o the elderly witnesses who deposed beore the Tribunal testiied that ater
the irst attack on the Mosque, when the persons attacked were running towards
saety into their homes, the assailants oertook them and burnt 2-3 people. One o
the irst to be so burnt was a physically handicapped youth. He was a Madrasi Muslim
lad rom Hajira, about 20-25 years old. They put him in a small aav-kiosk,shop |aav
a gaa[ put petrol on him and burnt him. The ictim-suriors ran into their homes
and remained there till around 3 p.m. By this time the attack had intensiied and,
instead o using a single bullet at the leaders o the assault at Naroda, the police was
iring at the ictims. It was between 5 and 6 p.m., when the mob was at the height o
its renzy, that many women and girls o Naroda Gaon and Patiya were irst raped and
then doused in kerosene and petrol and burnt.
Suriors o the attack recall that the local police sided totally with the riotous
mob. Residents in the camps deposed that the Special Resere Police SRP, orce
present reused to proide them sanctuary and orced them towards the waiting riot-
ers. Once resistance was broken with the help o the police, the rioters stormed inside
the settlement, burning and looting at will.
Vitness ater witness testiied to the brazen reusal o the police and een the SRP
personnel to do their bounden duty and protect those under attack. àli, aa to var
.e orer aa,a e aa tvvlari aav baclave i vali lai.` No, today we hae orders rom
aboe that you are not to be saed`, one witness testiied that a policeman, KK
Mysorewala, clearly told her.,
Commissioner o police, PC Pandey was aware o the attack on this lone Muslim
settlement on the outskirts o Ahmedabad rom the morning o leb 28 itsel, when
oer two dozen calls made to his mobile phone were desperate cries or help rom
residents in the area. But no help was orthcoming. His team and the local police
station with PI, KK Mysorewala, hae been directly indicted by the eidence re-
corded by the Tribunal.
Vitnesses alleged that the leaders o the riotous mobs were waing copies o the
ave.l newspaper, saying see what you Muslims hae done to us Hindus at Godhra
as they attacked the area. The men in the mob that attacked Naroda Gaon and Patiya
were described by witnesses as wearing khaki shorts, caps and had saron bands |e.ri
atta[ tied around them. Many witnesses testiied that when out o distress they
screamed, Allah! Allah!` they were taunted by the attackers, who said, No, say Jai
Sri Ram!`
Mohammed Hussain was one o the people who were shot dead by the police in
this area. His wie testiied beore the Tribunal. He was on the other side o the road
when the attack began in the morning with a si-month-old daughter in his arms.
Across the road, his wie had their other two children with her. He was trying to cross
oer to where his amily was when he was hit. The bullet hit him in the head, it
blasted in rom one side o his head out through the other. He ell down right there.
Though his wie screamed to the police or help, there was none orthcoming. As she
was trying to reach him, the police beat her up seerely and then they hit the children.
They were hitting them with the butts o their riles, preenting the wie rom reach-
ing her injured husband. Some Muslim youth tried to pull the witness` husband out o
the way. He was bleeding prousely so they tried to moe him to the side. They had
moed him just a little way when a Hindu mob came and poured kerosene on him, put
cycle tyres on him and set ire to him there and then. The wie was witness to this. She
was screaming or help, trying to get them to stop, but the police could do nothing.
Then as the mob came towards them she had to run with her three children towards
Gopinath society where her brother lied. Vhen she met the Tribunal she was
traumatised by the eents o that day. The assailants had burnt her husband so badly,
his ace, eerything was burnt. Their 4-year-old son was an eyewitness to eerything
that happened and the child was still ill in May 02, still distraught at haing lost his
ather. He saw his ather`s body, he saw him bleeding. He was witness to his ather`s
killing. The third child, a girl, is 2 ' years old. The si-month-old, injured by a brutal
rod is recoering. This woman also saw many young girls running naked in ront o
her eyes. According to her testimony, they caught hold o innocent children and sliced
them up. They were pulled out o their mothers` arms. Her aunt her mother`s brother`s
wie,, has returned to her parents` illage in Gulbarga now, ater her two children,
Niloer and Sohail, were burnt alie.
This witness, when trying to escape asked some Hindu women rom the locality or a
drink o water. They reused. She then went to the SRP post. She asked a man in uniorm
there to allow her to go to the big water tank where she could get some water but he reused.
He said the orders were that she was not to be allowed urther. He added laughing, Yel
tvvlara alri iv lai, rai.e bli tvv varve rae lo` This is the last day o your lie, you`re going
to die anyway`,. It was a police oicer in uniorm, who said this to the witness.
This witness and many others testiied to the taunting demeanour o the SRP men
who did not help them at all. In act, many were whistling at the ictims rom their
location up there, jeering and laughing. They were also playing religious songs vavir
e gaave, blaav., on the tape recorder, blasting them at ull olume. They also as-
saulted young Muslim boys, grabbing hold o them, pulling them by their hair, sho-
ing them around saying, ato, lato!` Moe, Clear o!`, The police hae not re-
corded the statements o this witness and she had not receied compensation either.
She epressed the wish to use the compensation money or rehabilitation but not at
Naroda where all was lost or her and many others.
Ater the irst attack on the morning o lebruary 28, the second assault began
around 2.30 p.m. when the mobs gathered on all sides o the ba.ti. There was ample
time between the irst round o attacks and the second or the police to hae galanised
enough orces. This time, according to witnesses, many rom the attackers were carry-
ing jerry-cans erba, illed with kerosene, diesel |aaa te[ and black oil rom the ST
workshop. They irst poured this on some o the ictims nearest at hand. The workers
present at the ST workshop were obsered supplying them with black oil diesel,
which they then used in the arson. The aggressors were lighting balls o cloth and
throwing them on the ictims. They were throwing uel and ire-balls at the residents
rom the rootops o nearby buildings as well. Many o those who were trying to come
out o the area were pushed back, prodded with long sticks. Oer our dozen wit-
nesses rom Naroda, liing at in dierent camps in Ahmedabad city during the isit by
members o the Tribunal, narrated the act that more than 150 calls or help had been
made to the commissioner o police PC Pandey on his mobile phone. Initially, they
receied terse responses, ater which, witnesses aerred, the mobile was simply switched o.
The alsity o the oicial igures, which suggested only around 0 deaths in the
Naroda Patiya incident, was eident rom the testimonies o so many suriors who
hae listed in detail the missing persons rom that area and who named their kith and
kin, whom they had seen dying in ront o their eyes. The actual death toll has to be
much higher. Many also narrated how SRP men misguided a large group o people
who were trying to escape into a trap, where the mob killed them and threw the bodies
into a well. Most o the dead bodies were charred or mutilated beyond recognition
and an oerwhelming majority o the suriors did not manage to hae access to the
bodies o their relaties in order to perorm the last rites in a digniied manner.
Dozens o eyewitnesses who deposed beore the Tribunal described gory incidents
where children were burnt alie and women were raped. One woman, Kauser Bano,
who was nine-months` pregnant, had her belly cut open and her oetus wrenched out,
then swung on the edge o a sword beore being dashed to the ground and lung into
the ire. According to eyewitness accounts, at least two more women were subjected
to a similar ate. The enormity and erocity o the attack orced all the suriing
residents o the settlement to run away. Lery house was looted and some burnt. The
entire settlement was completely deastated.
The Tribunal also recorded the testimony o an eyewitness to the rape o
Khairunissa, daughter o Marukh Bano. An animal-like mob o 11 gang raped her.
Soon ater the brutal act, they burnt the amily alie one by one. The mother`s head
was cut o. Those bodies o this amily that could be ound were in a horriying
brutalised condition.
The iolence at Naroda Gaon and Patiya was marked, as in other areas o Gujarat,
by pre-meditated and sinister leels o iolence and, at the time o the Tribunal`s
isit, arson burn among was a recurrent actor. Seual crimes against women and girls,
including rape, were determinedly used.
An eyewitness to the murder o 6-year-old Imran also deposed beore the Tribunal. The
witness described how petrol instead o water was poured into the mouth o 6-year-old
Imran. A lit matchstick was then thrown into his mouth and the child just blasted apart.
The 6-year-old ather o Kauser Bano, who lost seen amily members including his
pregnant daughter, has suried along with his nephew, Jaed Ismail, a 14-year-old who
was working. This witness testiied beore the Tribunal. His parents were burnt in ront
o his eyes. He heard the mob, who attacked with iron rods and lathis beore using
arson, shouting, \ou hae burnt our train, we will not let you go!` Jaed was badly
hurt himsel. He was hit on the head with a metal rod,pipe and ell unconscious. Beore
he was attacked he saw the assailants hitting a young girl rom the neighbourhood on
the groin i.aab i agal, with metal rods,pipes and then killing her. He was then
assaulted by a man who hit him on the eye and he ell down unconscious.
\oung Jaed`s ather, Ismailbhai, a tailor, and two other amily members, his mother
and sister, were also killed. Only his uncle, Kauser Bano`s ather is alie. None o the
dead in this amily could be identiied.
Kauser Bano`s ather told the Tribunal that he now had little with which to lie.
The gold ring that he wore would be used or the costs o his uneral.
Many ictim-suriors rom Naroda Patiya had to be hospitalised and were admit-
ted to \S hospital or LG hospital or seeral days. Many were re-united with their
amilies ater a week or ten days. The seerity o burn injuries on the ictims could be
obsered by the Tribunal, especially among those liing at the Sundaramnagar relie
camp. There has been no aid or relie or ictims o burn injuries though arson was a
technique o iolence that was used relentlessly in the post-Godhra carnage.
According to the testimonies o witnesses as recorded by the Tribunal, at least 80
people were burnt alie and thrown into the well, Tisra kua, behind Gangotri and
Gopi Park, behind the ST workshop. A 0-year-old woman, Tarkas bibi Abdul Ghani,
was burnt alie. The police was completely inactie and this proided inspiration to
the mob. The message was, Mv.iv o iva aao` Burn the Muslims alie`,. The
shocking thing was that the SRP also supported the mob. Tear gas was being lung at
the Muslim volaa neighbourhood,, which was, in act, being targeted by the mobs.
As one witness maintained: . I saw them do this. Ve ran on ahead and by the
time I reached our volaa it must hae been about 3 p.m. By this time we were really
worried. The mob had started burning houses, looting, throwing petrol and setting ire
to buildings. Since ours were accla houses crude,impermanent structures,, we
climbed on to the roos o vcca RCC buildings nearby. There were many o us, in-
cluding women and children at Gopinath, Gangotrinagar. This was at about 3-4 o`clock
in the aternoon.
Between 5 and 6 p.m., when the mob was at the height o its renzy, many o our
women were irst raped and then doused in kerosene and petrol and burnt. I saw
them doing this`
lathers testiied with pain and humiliation about the rape o their daughters. One
Suiya Bano, aged 22 years, was raped and burnt in ront o her ather. The Ciil
Hospital, where she was admitted and later died, conirmed the attack on her.
Vhen her ather, a witness who deposed beore the Tribunal, tried to sae his
daughter, he was brutally caught hold o and his beard cut o. Seen members rom
this amily were killed - three sons - Mehmood 18 ,, Ayub 14, and Hussain, ,,
three daughters - Suiyabano 22,, Arinbano and Shahinbano 4,, and his wie,
Lalibibi 40,.
Naroda Gaon and Patiya possibly witnessed the worst intensity o iolence as also the
most planning. Close to 150 persons are estimated to hae been burnt alie ater being
hacked, cut, gang raped. It is shocking that months ater such gruesome carnage the state
has made no attempts to compute eact igures o loss o lie. Bodies were thrown into a
well. Vomen hae been killed in ery large numbers. At the mass grae that was dug on
March 6, to proide burial to 96 bodies rom Naroda Patiya, 46 women were buried.
\ictim-suriors o Naroda Patiya do not hae any papers to show proo o eistence
or residence. There are no death certiicates since no remains were ound as bodies were
burnt to ashes. The goernment has done nothing to address this problem. A majority o
amilies rom here hae migrated back to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajasthan.
The scale and brutality o the iolence needs not only to be recorded in detail but
dealt with irmly. Swords, iron rods and tri.lv. were used in the attacks. Limbs o
ictims were seered o, beore many were just quartered, while girls and women
were stripped and paraded naked, beore being raped and burnt. Most bodies were not
recoered. How could they be
Apart rom the police, including PI, KK Mysorewala, who told ictims who begged
or help, that today there are no orders to sae you`, witnesses also testiied that
some SRP police also supported the miscreants. Some o the SRP personnel report-
edly told the ictims that 1vvo aa avar vali evge, tvvo aa varvea lai` Ve
won`t allow you in to shelter in the SRP post, today, today you hae to die`,. Many
workers rom the ST Vorkshop, goernment employees, were also inoled. They
were shouting ]ai lri Rav!` and they threw stones at the ictims and also supplied
the uel,diesel aaa aavi, or burning. Neither the SRP nor workers rom the ST
Vorkshop came to the aid o those being attacked.
The scale and the brutality o the attack suggest obious pre-planning and training
- especially considering that the attack on this neighbourhood went on or no less
than seenteen and a hal hours. linally, it was under police escort proided by addi-
tional CP Tandon at 2.30 a.m. that Shari Khan o Shah-e-Alam Camp rescued ic-
tims o Naroda Gaon and Patiya on the morning o lebruary 29.
One o the signiicant testimonies recorded by the Tribunal was o young men
rom the area o Naroda Gaon and Patiya who had attended Bajrang Dal Camps at
Sardarnagar and Dwarkanagar on a weekly basis. These camps had started since Au-
gust-September 2001. Some o these meetings were secret, only meant or trusted
vavtri.. Swords and tri.lv. were distributed at these camps. \outh were galanised to
be in a constant state o military preparation or a war` about to take place. The
regular indoctrination at these camps, as recorded by those who had attended them,
and who diulged details about the same to the Tribunal, was that the main target o
hatred` was Muslims. Members who attended and were being trained were also as-
sured o protection rom the police and rom the organisation i anything were to
happen to them. Many persons who deposed about the camps epressed the opinion
that the training made ordinary young men become terrorists.
At Naroda, 1,100 homes belonging to Muslims were irst looted and then 25 per cent o
these were burnt. Vitnesses spoke about a particular substance - a packet o whitish
powder, which when thrown on a person`s skin made the skin peel o. Once the lesh was
bared, people were burnt to death. Many witnesses saw the attackers throw this whitish
substance. They used their hands to throw it but witnesses could not say whether the
attackers used something to protect themseles when they threw it. In Naroda, Shahin
Bano 22,, spoke o one Hindu amily liing there who, she thought, must hae heard that
something was going to happen because they ran away the night beore the attacks began.
Seeral witnesses who deposed beore the Tribunal were eyewitnesses to Dr.
Jaideep Patel \HP, and Maya Kotdani BJP MLA, actually leading the mobs. They
were also instrumental in encouraging other accused to commit iolent seual crimes.
Other accused among politicians were Ashok MLC, and \allabhMLC, named di-
rectly by eyewitnesses.
One o the main accused, Bhaani Singh Chhara was identiied by many witnesses
as intimidating and threatening residents beore the attack. He was inoled in the
most loathsome crimes. He has another name but people called him Bhaani. He is a
drier working or AMTS, has a son who is a lawyer practising at Bhadra Court, and
lied in the volaa,area. Vitnesses said that he has a big moustache and is a Chhara
Tribal,, a Rathod. He was responsible or stripping girls and women, parading them
and then raping them. \oung boys o eight hae witnessed crimes o this nature
against women who were their sisters and mothers. Limbs o women were dismem-
bered, a ariety o objects were thrust into women`s bodies. Apart rom Bhaani
Chhara, Suraj Chhara and many Chharas rom Chharanagar were in the mob, espe-
cially initiating the crimes against women. Guddu Chhara son o Mukesh Jiwanlal
Banya local leel BJP,\HP worker,, one o the accused, was absconding rom the
neighbourhood when the Tribunal recorded eidence.
Jaideep Patel second in rank to Praeen Togadia o the \HP, was the leader o
the mob. A doctor by proession, Jaideep Patel was one o those who traelled in the
motor caalcade rom Godhra to Ahmedabad and incited persons along the way. Guddu
Chhara, son o Mukesh Jiwanlal Banya, Ratilal son o Bhaani Singh, AMTS drier,
Mungna Chhara, the Owner o Manoj \ideo Pt. lirm, Murli Naran Sindhi, Satish
Mahadik, Bipin Panchal a dangerous person who is said to hae a lethal gun, he is the
owner o Uday Gas Agency,, are the main accused.
Ratilal, AMTS drier Mungna Chhara and the owner o Manoj \ideo were the
rapists. Bipin Panchal, also known as Bipin Sindhi, a local leel BJP,\HP worker,, is
belieed to hae 400-500 gas cylinders in stock. Many o them were used to eplode
homes and other buildings. It is belieed that trucks rom Shola Satellite area were
commissioned to enable the huge mob to moe reely.
Ivicte:
Naroda iolence
\asant Rathod,
Solanki,
Ashok BJP MLC,,
\allabh BJP MLC,,
Mayabehn Kotdani BJP MLA,,
Dr Jaideep Patel second in rank to Praeen Togadia o the \HP,,
or leading the mob.
Guddu Chhara, son o Mukesh Jiwanlal Banya local leel BJP,\HP worker,
Ratilal, son o Bhaani Singh
AMTS drier, Mungna Chhara
Owner o Manoj \ideo Pt. lirm
Murli Naran Sindhi
Satish Mahadik
Bipin Panchal Sindhi, owner, Uday Gas Agency local leel BJP,\HP worker,
Jai Bhagwan Gangotri apartments,, local leel BJP,\HP worker,
Naresh and Chotta, local leel BJP,\HP worker,
Praeen Modi,
Langda Chhara,
Natarajwala Sindhi,
Sangeet lurniturewala Sindhi.
Accused o Rape: Ratilal, AMTS drier Mungna Chhara and owner o Manoj \ideo
.ccv.e (a..aiavt.,: Bajrang Dal,\HP actiists
.ccv.e (oice,: the IGP, commissioner o police, PC Pandey,
and PI, KK Mysorewala
RLS1 OI AHMLDABAD
On lebruary 28, 2002 arious areas o Ahmedabad city and it`s enirons were sys-
tematically targeted by mobs. Vhile the treacherous attack on Gulberg society began in
the early morning itsel, by about 9 a.m., simultaneous attacks had been launched at
Naroda lruit market, \atwa, Gomtipur and Sundaramnagar among others.
O the 200 wholesale ruit businesses with gaa. in Naroda lruit Market, all 1
owned by the Memon community were selectiely and completely gutted ater money
rom the saes was stolen and all business records destroyed. Agricultural produce
committee chairman, Laman D. told witnesses that despite repeated calls, the police
had not responded. These 1 wholesale businesses were destroyed in broad daylight
on lebruary 28, een as the attack on the lies and dignity o the residents o Naroda
Patiya was in ull swing. Vitness Ramanlal, Naroda lruit Market, Swami Narayan
Road, Naroda, testiied to the targeted attack on his business, which was, in act, a
three-generations-old story o Hindu-Muslim partnership. Ibrahim Ramanlal is a ruit
commission agent located on the Swami Narayan Chawl Road. This traditional intra-
community partnership was not spared by mobs, people who had obiously done
their research well. Losses incurred by Ibrahim Ramanlal amount to Rs. 2.5 lakh.
Behind the ruit market, the Babanshah Mosque at Swami Narayan Chawl was also re-
duced to rubble. Pages o the Koran were torn and strewn all oer the loor, the andals had
een had time to deecate on it. A ramed photograph o a Hindu idol was placed at the ery
spot where the ivav stands to lead vavaa. Telltale signs o a va haing been perormed
here, and the slogan ]ai lri Rav` scrawled in red on the walls, were clear eidence o what
eactly the hate-mongers had in mind when they held a whole population to ransom.
The New Gujarat National, Kabadi Market Corporation, near Bhulabhai Park,
Behrampura, was attacked, andalised or three ull days rom lebruary 28-March 2.
The two watchmen on duty were maimed and butchered beore being torched. The
Kagdapeth police station located nearby just allowed this to happen. The Mohamadiya
Ahle-Hadis Masjid and 225 shops in the Kabadi Market 160 inside and 65 outside,
were completely destroyed on lebruary 28 itsel. The attack lasted or three whole
days, to make sure that the destruction was total.
Two watchmen, Ahmed Mohammed Arab and \usu Abdul Gaur Sheikh, were
ound dead - cut up and charred - just outside the shop o one Harun \usu. Two
other watchmen who suried and are eyewitnesses are Gani Bhai Jamal Bhai and
Abdul Shakur Abdul Jabbar. They hae named Ashok Bhai Sindhi as one o the main
accused in leading the attack. The policemen at the Kagdapeth police station, under
which the Kabadi Market alls, were blind to the systematic damage or three days.
Dozens o calls were made to the police to ask or their assistance. The total loss to
materials is about Rs. 4 crore while the loss to buildings, amounts to Rs 1.5 crore. As
the iolence began in Ahmedabad on lebruary 28, the troublemakers broke down the
gates o Kabadi Market, looted and burnt down all the shops, and destroyed the
Kabadi Market completely.
A witness rom Jamalpur told the Tribunal how the 100-year-old argal opposite
the Jagannath Mandir had been broken down and or days, Rav Dlvv was heard play-
ing there eery night. On the night o lebruary 2-28, the elephants that are kept
inside the temple premises were made to drink liquor. The sounds and trumpeting
that ollowed caused terror in the entire locality. During the last election, ormer
minister Haren Pandya, who won rom the Paldi area, had openly proclaimed during
his campaign, aav,o valiv baclro o,i,e` Not a single baav,o, abusie term or a
Muslim,circumcised person must be spared.`, Near the Kanch ki Masjid, there is the
shop o one Syed Paanwala, Bashir Bhai. He eeds va.aa aav to the police because
he has no choice. On lebruary 28, his aav a gaa was destroyed. PSI \ada who
stood near the destroyed gaa the whole day, asked Bashir Bhai to come to the Haeli
police station to register his case. But once at the police station, he was thrashed by
PSI \ada and PSI Chada. Both used to eat ree aav rom him.
Three eyewitnesses, who deposed beore the Tribunal, saw ormer reenue minis-
ter Haren Pandya opposite the \S Hospital, setting ire to the Apna Bazaar Medical.
.a Mi,aove aag agai,e` Let us burn these Muslims`,, he was shouting, ater he had
burnt it down himsel. The Lllis Bridge police station is close by but they did nothing.
The ire brigade was called and they tried desperately to put out the ire. But Pandya,
leading the mob, preented them. An lIR has been launched against him and BJP
MLA Ashok Bhatt. Just outside the Lllis Bridge police station, Haren Pandya was
oerheard telling the PI, een as Hotel Lllis was alame, .al .ava a,i vatli artoo`
This community does nothing`., The PI concerned had a special room permanently
booked or him at Hotel Lllis.
VA1WA
\atwa, an area located on the southern outskirts o Ahmedabad, saw repeated and
prolonged bouts o iolence, irst on lebruary 28, then on March 20 and again on
April 5, the day ater the PM`s isit. These attacks were led by large mobs comprising
seeral residents o nearby housing colonies like Murlidhar society, Mani society,
Asapala society, Picnic Park and Mana Nagar. The attacks were allegedly led by a
resident o \atwa, who is also a Bajrang Dal leader - Haresh Patel. Patel was ably
supported by the police. The total population o \atwa is 1,21,16. Out o these,
65,928 are male and 55,88 emale. Thirty per cent o the total population o \atwa
is Muslim. During the iolence in \atwa, 5 persons died in the Roshni Park area, 4
persons died in Syedwadi, and 4 persons died in the Nawapura area. In all, 60 people
were seerely injured. Out o them, 8 were injured in police iring while the rest, 52 in
all, were injured in priate iring, burning, stone throwing or bomb blasts.
At Nawapura-Kabrastan, a ba.ti o 300 houses was completely gutted by mobs that
attacked all day and through the night on lebruary 28. The attacks were launched by
the residents o Asapala, Picnic Park, and Mana Nagar housing colonies. There
were many persons rom the Vaghari community inoled in the attacks.
In the ollowing localities, all the Muslim homes were burnt down: Bachubhai Kua
0-80 houses,, Bismillah Nagar 60 houses,, Darbar Khetar 0-80 houses,, Syedwadi
150 houses,, Azim Park 100 houses,, Muchadipir 9 houses,, Roshni Raos 105
houses,, Burhani Society 2 houses,, \anderal Tala 110 houses,, Jahedshah Pirni
Dargah 15 houses,, 8, Janiya Pirno Tekro10 houses,.
Vitnesses like Anwar Jari, Munawwarbhai Pathan and Rizwana Shaikh, an ado-
cate, told the Tribunal that Bachubhai Kua, Bismillah Nagar and Nawapura were
burnt on lebruary 28 while Roshni Raos and others were burnt down the net day.
The crowds that attacked here were huge-witnesses described how they saw heads,
heads and more heads vvvi, vvvi, vvvi`,. Mahesh Patel o the Bajrang Dal, Girish
Pandya and Amita Patel municipal councillors belonging to the BJP, were leading the
crowd. They were een arrested on March 3, but by that eening they had been released
on bail. PI Singh and PI Damod were openly helping them. Lery nook and cranny in
Murlidhar society and Mana Nagar is illed with \HP and Bajrang Dal supporters. The
crowd was carrying swords, ara, clara agricultural implements,, some een had guns.
They were wearing saron headbands and shouting Send Muslims to Pakistan.` Apart
rom torching all the homes, -8 persons were killed in iring and another -8 persons
are missing. The residents o Nawapura were mainly inoled in the blavgar recycling,
business. On lebruary 28, when Syedwadi and Nawapura were being gutted by mobs
rom the border` areas, the SP KC Patel, was himsel standing there. He was also
spotted at Vaghnias Kabrastan, standing and enjoying the destruction. The entire po-
lice department watched as large parts o \atwa were destroyed.
One \ilayat Hussain whose armhouse was burnt down, suered a loss o Rs. 3-4
lakh because een the wheat crop was burnt and the bore-well destroyed. A com-
plaint was iled on March 1. The assailants identiied by eyewitnesses are Mahesh
Patel Bajrang Dal,, Girish Pandya and Amita Patel BJP corporators,. The policemen
indicted or dereliction o duty are superintendent o police, PI Singh, PI Damod.
Vomen ictim-suriors rom \atwa spoke o the particularly objectionable
behaiour o the PI Damod rom \atwa police station. He openly threatened people
saying that i anyone complained, Ve will take away Muslim children and women.`
Many o the residents o Nawapura are in the blavgar a lava, scrap business, and
all the residents o these ba.ti. are daily wage earners. lor weeks ater the irst assault,
the ictim-suriors continued to be terrorised as, eery night, a cassette was played
on the loud speakers with oices shouting, Kato! Maro!` Chop! Kill!`,. They wanted
ictims to come out o their homes in panic so that they could attack them again.
Vhen women went to the other side o the border` to buy egetables, endors were
threatened: Do not sell egetables to Muslim women, nor milk or Muslim children.`
Vitness Abeida cried uncontrollably as she narrated her story. Hers was the irst house
at Nawapura and it suered the worst destruction. I recall the men who entered my
house. One wore jeans and had specs on. They kept on shouting some Bajrang Dal
slogans, they destroyed eerything.` All the belongings painstakingly saed by the
witness or years, including her own wedding jewels, were looted. Dowries collected
or her three daughters were all gone. Vith particular poignancy she said that what
she had collected oer 30 years was destroyed in as many hours.
Ahmedabad city was the scene o brutal iolence, typiied by the Gulberg society
carnage and the Naroda massacre. But stray and sinister instances took place eery-
where else as well. At the CTM Char Rasta, Salim Khan, a Muslim drier, was burnt
alie ater a message was passed on the police wireless that a Muslim drier was coming
that way. On the night o lebruary 28, when people were attacked in \atwa, all they
could see was heads and more heads. Swords were being waed in the air, shots were
ired by priately owned guns. 1ab lave vavv aa i lavara .al e .era oi valiv`
Then we realised that none but Allah is on our side`,, one witness said. The crowd
had only one intention: Mv.avavov o latav aro!` linish o the Muslims!`, And
throughout, innocent people were killed. Out o sheer right, the residents o Roshni
Park, Raunak Park, Tuel Park, Siraj Park, Nawapura, \anderad Talao, Jasodanagar
Pate, Burhani society and Bismillah Nagar moed into the relie camps.
The behaiour o PI Damod was nothing short o criminal. Vhen some persons spoke
to him near Taslim society about the scale o iolence, these were his words: ]o lva av
lva; itva vaar la,a av lai i avr var lava lai?` Vhat happened is not enough. Are
you satisied with the beating that you hae receied, or do you want more`,
In \atwa, otherwise a locality o poor Muslims, there is also the 65-bungalow Burhani
society, consisting o sturdy bungalows that were destroyed by huge mobs on lebru-
ary 28. They used acid and eplosie chemicals while setting ire to homes. A timer
deice, black in colour, was attached to the mains and some solent poured into it,
enabling a quick short-circuit, in seconds. Samples o the chemicals that they used to
ensure that the ire raged on or hours, were produced beore the Tribunal. Chemicals
were also recoered rom our other locations within Ahmedabad. As elsewhere, in
\atwa, too, gas cylinders had been used to eplode homes, a school and a mosque.
Rasool Khan, the principal o the goernment-recognised Asmi High School, where
500 students used to study, deposed beore the Tribunal. This school admitted stu-
dents rom KG to the 10
th
standard. His wie is the principal o another school, the
lriends High School, which had almost 1,000 students. Asmi High School was com-
pletely burnt down and so was their bungalow, situated just behind the school. The
worst part o this oence was the act that the witness said that, leading the attack-
ers, he saw a ellow educationist, Naneet Patel, the principal o two municipal schools
situated in the Hindu-dominated side o the area who is also the owner o Patel Pan
House, apart rom being principal o Tajgi School. Along with Keshubhai Sabziwala
and Babulal Patel, Naneet Patel led the three-sided attack on this school and the whole
o Burhani society. Nothing can be more painul or a teacher and a principal than to see
his school being burnt, all the records torn and destroyed and een the children`s work
and charts deecated upon. But, when the attack is led by an educationist, a human
being who is supposed to impart alues and a sense o purpose to the young, despair
ills the heart. There appears a clear target in the oerall destruction - lies maimed
and brutally snued out, the community crippled economically, religious and cultural
symbols debased, and all signs o modernity and growth erased.
Ater the irst attacks, the second bout was on March 20, when, at about 5.00 p.m., a
crowd came rom the Asapala society and Nilgiri society, both o which are occupied
by Hindus, and set ire to the godown in Nawapura. Since the ire and smoke were
isible rom Syedwadi, a group o people gathered outside Syedwadi, to see what was
happening. In the meantime, senior police oicers such as SP KC Patel and ACP BS
Jebaliya as well as local PIs arried and soon ater that, the policemen in about 3 police
ehicles jumped out o their ehicles and started iring at the crowd in Syedwadi. As a
result, 2 persons died on the spot and seeral were injured in the police iring.
On April 5, the day ater Prime Minister Atal Behari \ajpayee`s isit to Gujarat, at
about 10.00 p.m., the residents o Karmabhumi society, occupied by Hindus, sud-
denly started throwing bombs on the mosque situated close to Makdumnagar society.
There is only a wall between the Karmabhumi and Makdumnagar societies. Immedi-
ately ater the attack, 6- an loads o policemen, belieed to be a combing squad
rom Gaekwad Haeli, came around with atli. and guns and raided the mosque where
mainly small children and women had gathered. Vhen a policeman walked into the
holy place with his shoes on, a young boy requested him to remoe his shoes beore
entering the mosque. The policemen took oence at this request and started beating
the boy and eeryone else who was there, including the women inside and outside the
mosque. Many women who were in their houses came out to see the cause and nature
o the commotion. In the darkness, they could not see the policemen, and beore they
realised what was happening, they were being seerally beaten up by the police who
used atli., kicks and rile butts. Seeral women were injured and many youngsters
including minors were arrested.
The accused here are Naneet Patel school principal,, Keshubhai Sabziwala, Babulal
Patel, Mahesh Patel Bajrang Dal,, Girish Pandya BJP corporator,, Amita Patel BJP
corporator,. The policemen indicted are SP KC Patel, PI CJ Singh, PI DD Damod
\atwa police station,, PSI \ada, PSI Chada, PI Jadeja Lllis Bridge, and BM Chauhan
and BS Ninama GIDC police station, \atwa.,
The main incidents in \atwa took place on lebruary 28-March 1, March 20 and
April 5. The houses and shops in this area were either totally destroyed or substan-
tially damaged and thereore people were unable to return to them.
Apart rom the shops and houses, een the places o worship belonging to the
minority community were not spared. lour mosques and 9 argal. in the \atwa area
were damaged. In the GIDC area o \atwa, about 15 houses were destroyed while 15
shops in the surrounding areas o \atwa were destroyed.
PALDI
Lleen witnesses rom Paldi deposed beore the Tribunal. The attack on this area
took place on lebruary 28, 2002. Paldi is a posh locality in Ahmedabad, where, oer
the past two decades, aluent Muslims hae moed in. There are many Jains liing in
the locality. In the past, there hae been attempts, een iolent ones, to terrorise
Muslims into not entering Paldi. (ee .ectiov ov vi! iv Cvarat, 1ovve II,.
There were attacks on 6 housing societies in Paldi, where about 1,000 Muslims
lie. In all, there are about 5-6,000 Hindus liing in this area. Kazmi Apartments,
Llite, Delite, Corner 2, Tarana Apartments and Bungalows No. 16 and 24 in Paldi,
occupied by the owners o Motimahal, were completely burnt. Lyewitnesses testiied
to seeing the then Gujarat reenue minister, Haren Pandya, leading mobs who then
committed arson.
Vhile there was no iolence here in 1969, in 1990 there was a signiicant inci-
dent, in which one member rom a amily liing in Delite Apartments was burnt
alie. !ali og aa bli av ar rale laiv` The same people are up to similar deeds
now`,, an eyewitness told the Tribunal. Pandya was elected rom this constituency
Lllis Bridge,. During his campaign or the last elections, he openly said, Pai .e
vv.avav a vaav avr vi.lav vita evge` Ve`ll wipe out any trace o Muslim pres-
ence rom the Paldi area`,. Among the witnesses rom Paldi who deposed beore
the Tribunal, were Atab and Ghizala Kadri the latter works at the Oriental Insur-
ance near Lal Darwaza, Ahmedabad, and Ayaz and Vasim Aslam the latter is em-
ployed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Serice,. Both couples were resi-
dents o Kazmi Apartments, Paldi, llat No. 3 and 4 respectiely but hae shited
location subsequently. Justice AN Diecha retired judge o the Gujarat High Court,
lied in llat 1 and 2 o the same building and is a neighbour. Besides being ictims
themseles, they are eyewitnesses to what happened to Justice Diecha. These a-
ected ictim-suriors hae since relocated, because, een si months down, the
situation in their ormer building has not improed.
On the night o lebruary 28, some 25-30 petrol bombs were thrown inside their
lats rom outside. Vhen they looked out to see who the assailants were, witnesses
recognised \HP people rom the area. Lorts to call 100 Police Control, resulted in
their urging DCP Parghi to send protection. Parghi sent a PI and PSI to check on the
damage. The reason why the ictim-suriors asked or protection was that, although
the bombs had damaged only the walls o their homes, the intention o the attackers
was clear.
Howeer, PSI Birja, who came and inspected the damage, said it was not enough to
warrant any police protection. The net morning, at about 11.30 a.m., a mob o 50-60
persons hurled stones and broke the windowpanes o llat no. 3. Vitnesses,ictim-
suriors called Police Control again. In the mob, they could spot some known aces
that they had seen the day beore. Len now, they were reluctant to leae their homes.
In Kazmi Apartments, there are 12 lats, all belonging to Muslims. By the morning
o lebruary 28, only 10-12 residents remained in the building. The witnesses and
others had sent their amilies o elsewhere. One o the witnesses, adocate Atab
Kadri, spent the whole day, lebruary 28, watching a 2,500-3,000 strong mob wreak
haoc in the area.
The mob irst attacked Tarana Apartments. They were armed with baseball bats,
hockey sticks and cricket bats. They used the combined orce o 3,000 persons to
break down a strong gate. They were riding in Sumo ans. They broke the locks o 12
lats at Tarana Apartments, looted and burnt them. The second building to be at-
tacked was Delite Apartments. They used Pepsi bottles to create the impact o home
bombs. They used chemical solents to ensure that once a ire started it did not stop.
The third building to be attacked was Llite Apartments, most o whose occupants
are adocates. The ourth building to be attacked was Kazmi Apartments, the build-
ing where the witnesses lied. Justice AN Diecha let here in the dead o night, at 12
p.m. on lebruary 28. This retired judge, too, has still not returned home. He has been
proided accommodation in the Judges` Bungalows area. lormer CJ Rajasthan, Jus-
tice AP Raani, who deposed beore the Tribunal, (ee .ectiov ov !itve..e., 1ovve I,
said that rom about 3 p.m. on lebruary 28, he started receiing phone calls about the
iolence that had erupted in the city. Some adocates phoned him to say that in ront
o the High Court, trucks were burnt and judges had let the premises. He said that he
was shocked to hear this, particularly because he knew o the presence o a police
company within the High Court premises, which should hae ensured preention o
iolence. The witness then telephoned some o his riends belonging to the minority
community. Justice Raani contacted Justice MH Kadri at about 4 p.m. Justice Kadri
told the witness that the situation around his bungalow was ery tense. Incidents o
looting and arson had started taking place. He told Justice Raani that two ill-equipped
police constables were posted there. Then Justice Raani contacted a retired DSP,
and requested him to speak to someone in Lllis Bridge police station and ask the
police to isit Justice Kadri`s residence. One PI PI \achhani, isited Justice Kadri`s
house. He told Justice Kadri that he had no etra police orce but he himsel would be
making rounds and keeping watch. Ater an hour or so, Justice Raani again con-
tacted Justice Kadri, who inormed the witness that in nearby Dhuliakot area where
the High Court Judges` bungalows are located, urther incidents o looting and arson
had taken place. Len near Gujarat College and near Nagari Hospital, garages be-
longing to the minority community were damaged or burnt. Thereupon, Justice Raani
asked a riend staying in Muslim Society, opposite Narangpura police station, or
adice. At this stage, the grae doubt that occupied the minds o the witness and his
riend was whether the crowd would gie Justice Kadri enough time to phone or
help. The witness remained in constant touch with Justice Kadri until about 10.30 -
11.00 p.m. that night.
The net day, i.e. March 1, at around 8.30 a.m., Justice Raani tried to contact
Justice Kadri, but there was no response on the telephone. This worried him, so he
contacted the protocol oicer o the Gujarat High Court. The protocol oicer told
him that late the preious night, Justice Kadri, along with his amily members, had
shited to the nearby bungalow o Justice \aghela. Justice Raani requested the pro-
tocol oicer to coney to Justice Kadri that he was worried, and to request Justice
Kadri to contact him as soon as possible. At about 11.30 a.m., Justice Kadri tele-
phoned Justice Raani and told him that pursuant to the suggestion o the Chie
Justice and other judges, he, along with his amily members, had shited to the bunga-
low o Justice \aghela. He urther told Justice Raani that he was being asked to
shit to the Judges` Bungalows in \astrapur.
At that point, Justice Raani epressed shock at the prealent state o aairs. Jus-
tice Raani said that or a sitting judge to be asked to shit rom his oicial residence
because he was not gien ull protection amounted to an insult to the independence
o the judiciary and also an insult to the secular philosophy o the Constitution. In
response, Justice Kadri requested the witness to come to his home. Beore going to
Justice Kadri`s place, Justice Raani tried to contact Justice RA Mehta, director, Judi-
cial Academy. Justice Mehta was not aailable at home but, rom his residence, Jus-
tice Raani discoered that Justice Diecha, retired High Court Judge and ormer
chairman MRTP, was orced to shit out o his residence and that his house had been
ransacked. The witness also contacted Justice Diecha at a riend`s house. At about
1.15-1.30 p.m., the witness reached Justice Kadri`s house. He was soon joined by
Justice Mehta, who also arried there. lrom the subsequent talk that they had with
Justice Kadri, Justice Raani gathered that:
K Chie Justice Dharmadhikari was worried about the saety o Justice Kadri
and his amily members and was requesting him to shit to Judges` Bungalows in
\astrapur, or to the CJ`s own residence which is near Judges` Bungalows.
K Military intelligence people had told Justice Kadri that it would be adisable
to shit out o his bungalow because the police orce posted at his residence was not
suicient protection against mob iolence and that he should not rely on the local
police or his saety. The military people had oered him accommodation in the mili-
tary guesthouse in the cantonment area, where they could ensure his saety.
Justice Kadri asked his two brother judges or their opinion and, at that point,
Justice Mehta receied a call on his mobile phone, rom the registrar o the High
Court, who was speaking rom the residence o the Chie Justice. The registrar in-
ormed him that two bungalows, i.e. Bungalow No. 14 and Bungalow No. 26, were
ready and either could be occupied by Justice Kadri.
Justice Mehta handed oer the phone to Justice Kadri. Ater his talk with the regis-
trar, Justice Kadri asked his two colleagues what they elt he should do now.
At this stage, Justice Raani said, Brother, I am withdrawing my philosophical
assertions on telephone. The ground reality is that the Constitutional philosophy re-
mains now in the book only. Ve may be courageous but we are not soldiers ighting
on the border where to moe backward een an inch would be an act o cowardice. In
the situation in which you are now placed, it would be unwise not to shit to a saer
place.` He urther adised him that he should not go anywhere else ecept in areas
close to his kith and kin. Vith an ailing mother, aged about 85 and suering rom
cardiac disease, and two college going girls, his wie and himsel in a amily with no
other male member, the trauma that the amily was eperiencing required the warmth
and support o their kith and kin. Military people may hae protected him physically
but they would not hae been able to oer him warmth and psychological support.
Justice Mehta was o the same opinion.
During their talk with Justice Kadri, the witness and his colleague also realised that he
Justice Kadri, had not eaten since the night beore. It was at around 2.30 p.m. that they
made him consume a meagre meal. Ater he inished his lunch, Justice Kadri receied a
phone call rom military people or someone connected with the military. In the presence o
witnesses, he said that he was ready to shit to his sister-in-law`s lat, situated behind \S
Hospital, near Tagore Hall. At about 5.00 p.m., Justice Raani contacted Justice Kadri and
learnt that at about 4.00 p.m., under military escort, Justice Kadri and his amily members
had shited to his sister-in-law`s house and that his mother`s health was quite stable.
Justice Raani also receied panic-stricken calls rom adocates who hailed rom the
minority community, desperately asking him to use his inluence and get them police
protection. The witness, a judge rom Gujarat and ormer Chie Justice, epressed utter
helplessness at the state o aairs, because he ound that een his inluence was lim-
ited. This witness had also submitted a detailed memorandum to the NHRC.
Businessman, Uez Sareshwala, a resident o Paldi area, also testiied beore the
Tribunal regarding the attack on this area. He said that residents o Paldi began to eel
insecure rom lebruary 2 itsel when marked tension was prealent all oer
Ahmedabad. He said that in Paldi, it was not just Muslims who were a target, but also
Hindus like Dr. \yas, Dr. Pragnesh Shah and Dr. Ramesh Parikh, who are proession-
als and who maintain cordial relations with Muslims. A prestigious polyclinic o doc-
tors, who happen to be Hindus, on the irst and second loors o Shalimar building,
was also burnt down, using gas cylinders, because the building is Muslim pre-domi-
nant. The attacks in Paldi took place rom 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and some stray incidents
took place on the morning o the net day.
In Bungalows No. 16 and 24, elderly amily members, Zaar Sheikh, Abdullah
Motimahalwala, Nizamuddin Memon and Iqbal Hasmani were badly bruised and in-
jured when assailants rom the mob attacked them with laria. sickles,, swords and
gvti. beore some people rescued them.
A amily rom Tarana Apartments paid Rs. 50,000 to the police or protection,
which they did not receie! In one o the incidents in Paldi, when the mob was storm-
ing into the home o Dr. Bhanagari, he and his son ired a shot in sel deence (.ee
.ectiov ov Criviva ]v.tice .,.tev, 1ovve II, only to protect lies. lor this they were
harassed by the police and authorities and een jailed.
In Ahmedabad, the Disturbed Areas Act applies, as a result o which, Muslims and
Hindus cannot buy property rom each other. In Tulsi Apartments, many Muslims
who had bought lats earlier cannot now sell to Hindus, and relocate to saer areas, so
they eel cornered rom all sides. Ve hae paid the price or liing decently,` is the
rerain that could be heard rom many o the Muslim residents o Paldi.
GOM1IPUR/SUNDARAMNAGAR
This area o Ahmedabad city is traditionally a communally sensitie spot. Here,
iolence raged rom lebruary 28, 2002 onwards when persons liing at Barasaanche
Ni Chawl, Nagori Chawl, Pannalal Chawl and Sone Ki Chawl, among others, were
shot dead.(ee .vvevre , Poice tati.tic., 1ovve I,. \ictims rom these areas su-
ered terrible injuries. In Bapunagar, Mariambi Ki Chawl and in Sone Ki Chawl, women
members o the targeted Muslim community deended themseles braely or oer 6
hours, pelting stones. \oung men droe trucks into the murderous mobs to disperse
them. The Tribunal met 53 ictims at relie camps all oer the city and also at the
Karnaati Club where the hearings or these areas were conducted. Two and a hal
months ater the iolence raged, there were still oer 2,000 persons in the
Sundaramnagar Camp, simply because insecurity preailed. The Tribunal isited the
Sundaramnagar Camp on May 4, 2002.On lebruary 28, o the 40 persons shot dead
by the Ahmedabad police, 36 were Muslims,.
Len on August 12, the day when President APJ Abdul Kalam isited ictim-
suriors at the Haj House Camps, ictims rom Gomtipur, Bapunagar and Naroda
were ocal in their rage and alienation against the CM, Narendra Modi. I proper
security, i.e., a military point, had been proided, then the people rom the icinity,
rom Gayatrinagar, Sundaramnagar, Azadnagar, Islamnagar would hae gone back
to their homes, they said.
Seeral mobs o about 10,000 persons each, amounting to a total o 3-4 lakh
persons launched simultaneous attacks on these areas o Ahmedabad. Vhile the at-
tack in Gulberg society went on or 9 hours beore rescue o the traumatised ictim-
suriors was possible, residents o Naroda Gaon and Patiya suered rom 9 a.m. to
2 a.m. - a staggering 1 hours - beore rescue was eected. Howeer, in these parts
o Ahmedabad, known to be minority strongholds or ghettos, sustained attacks con-
tinued unabated or a period o 36 hours.
The attackers unctioned in relay batches o about 5,000 persons each, ater at-
tacks by one group the net batch would take oer. The mobs pelted stones, set ire to
buildings and properties and homes including the vara..a at Sundaramnagar, blasted
gas cylinders, used a chemical as catalyst in ires etc.
In Sundaramnagar, the police openly supported the miscreants and deliberately
opened ire against Muslims, killing and injuring seeral people in the area. More than
the BJP, the Bajrang Dal and the \ishwa Hindu Parishad, it was the police who were
particularly actie that day. They een led the mobs into attacks. Vomen ictim-
suriors named PSI Modi o the Gomtipur police station, who subjected them to
erbal seual abuse.
The well-organised attacking mobs used blasts and eplosions with gas cylinders to
ensure comprehensie damage. The blasts and eplosions in dierent locations in this
area continued or 36 hours. The attackers used to light the ires irst and then the gas
cylinders in so that the subsequent eplosion would rip homes apart. The eplosions
were unpredictable, they could ollow about 15-20 minutes later, there was no saying
when they would blow. There were many such blasts in seeral buildings. About 8-10
such cylinders were used to blast the vara..a in Sundaramnagar. Ltensie damage
was done here, which has been repaired subsequently. The attackers had loaded cars
with these cylinders and were moing around. Vitnesses showed shards o one o
the gas cylinders, o Deep Indian Agency, Distributors, that had been used as such an
eplosie deice. Lyewitnesses saw a car carrying gas cylinders going around rom
this agency, carrying cylinders rom the godown o Deep Indian Agency, Distributors.
lollowing this car was a petrol tanker, and then a white Tata Sumo carrying more gas
cylinders, ollowing behind. They also used a particular chemical, contained in small
ials that were thrown into the ire as a catalyst to the eplosion, to ensure that the
ire spread quickly. The Tribunal also saw a ew hundred o these ials at Gulberg
society, during their ield isit there. At Sundaramnagar, the mobs had surrounded
the entire area, rom the agricultural ield letar, to CTM where a Muslim drier was
burnt alie,, and Sone Ki Chawl. The areas around the vara..a are home to working
class Muslims, the poorest sections, daily wage earners. This vara..a which subse-
quently became the relie camp, became a deence ortress or the people in the
neighbourhood. Repeated messages were sent to the vara..a rom the attackers, to
ind out how many o the poor ictims were still alie.
Vitness ater witness who deposed beore us, testiied as to how the police abetted
in mob iolence in these areas o Ahmedabad city. It was the police in ront, leading
the attackers, while Hindu mobs ollowed. The police opened ire on poor, unsus-
pecting Muslim ictims who were being made the target, to allow the mobs to pro-
ceed urther. A ehicle o the Uttam Doodh` company was used to reerse into and
break down the vara..a compound wall. Leaders o the mob een entered the build-
ing, sat there, drank alcohol in the vara..a, scrawled graiti on the walls and set ire
to it. Long Lie Narendra Modi!` àrevra Moi Zivaba`,, The inside story is,
The police are with us in this` Yel avar i baat lai, Poice lvvare .aatl lai`,, Long
Lie the RSS!` Long Lie Praeen Togadia!` Long Lie Gordhan Zadaphiya!` etc.
were some o the slogans that were written on the walls in the vara..a at
Sundaramnagar. The manager o the relie camp, larukh Azam, testiied to this. This
witness was also an eyewitness to the conduct o none less than the Gujarat home
minister, Gordhan Zadaphiya who passed this way. His car went past this area and
then droe back again, on National Highway No. 8 just outside the vara..a.
This witness testiied that it was when the attacks were at their height, when he saw
Gordhan Zadaphiya driing past, openly encouraging the mobs, with his ingers raised
in a \-sign`, cheering the mobs along the way. At least 10 witnesses testiied to seeing
this with their own eyes. This was Gordhan Zadaphiya, the home minister o Gujarat.
His car was escorted by 2 police cars, one in the ront and one at the rear. The witness
said that he was willing to swear to this testimony as an eyewitness in court. He has
already testiied beore Justice \erma and members o the NHRC at the Circuit House
annee, mentioning names, as he did beore the Tribunal.
Vitnesses rom this area epressed anguish at what they saw as a design o the
political dispensation, headed by the ruling BJP goernment, to wipe out the Muslim
community in Gujarat. Vitnesses said that part o this strategy included the eradica-
tion o all trace o Muslim presence on the Highway - no Muslims, no Muslim shops
or establishments should be isible on the Highway. The va.i opposite the police
station at Bapunagar nearby was destroyed in ull iew o the police, and a vavir was
built in its place. Similarly, a argal opposite the Bapunagar va.i was also broken.
Another va.i near the stadium was also broken. Seeral va.i. were deliberately
broken or trashed and in some cases like the Madina Masjid nearby, Long Lie Lord
Ram!` ]ai i,arav`, etc. was scrawled across their walls.,
Many witnesses stated that oer those three desperate days, they had called the top
echelons o the police with no result. lrom the constable right up to the CP, no help
was orthcoming. Lither they would not answer their telephones or they would hang
up on them.
Much later, camp managers requested the police to allow camp inhabitants the use
o a road, a relatiely sae passage between Satyamnagar and Gayatrinagar which are
predominated by Hindus and Muslims respectiely,, so that people who needed to
isit their homes, which were looted etc. could get their saely. But the police simply
reused to co-operate. Vitnesses who deposed beore the Tribunal stated that the
police used the names o the areas to deliberately mislead people by saying that since
Gayatrinagar and Sundaramnagar are populated by Hindus which is untrue, and
thereore not sae. Vheneer ictim-suriors called or help, the police responded
by saying that no Muslims lied in Gayatrinagar and Sundaramnagar anyway. Two-
and-a-hal months down the line, ictim-suriors had still not been gien a sae
passage to their homes. The Tribunal paid a ield isit to the areas. Their homes had
been burnt or destroyed and the little there was let had been looted.
A ictim-surior rom Barasaanche Ki Chawl, identiied as Gulam Rasool Qureshi,
named Dilip, paan shopowner, who lies in the police lines and has a paan shop net
to MRG Mills and Raju chanawala` as leaders rom the 10-15,000 strong mob. A man
in the mob caught hold o this witness` son, ater which a policeman ired at his chest.
He was 22 years old. The police report mentions that he died in the rioting but it does
not mention how he died - that he was shot at.
Lyewitness larid Khan Abdul Vahid Khan saw a 15-16-year-old boy being shot in
the chest ater his arm had been cut o brutally. This took place on lebruary 28. He
said that when he went to Ciil Hospital, Sola, there were mobs o Bajrang Dal and
RSS people. This was at 3.30 a.m. on March 1. This witness stated that he saw 400-
500 corpses including a 13-month-old baby and they had been ery badly burnt. He
stated that there were about 100 innocent children amongst them.
Pathetic tales o brutal ictimisation were detailed here. A witness, lakir Ahmed,
and his sister Jannatben, the latter unmarried and both handicapped used to run a
business in the area. Both were ictims o indiscriminate iring, ater which the mob
burnt his sister alie in Chartoda Kabrastan. She was about 42 years old. The post-
mortem report o this ictim said, shock due to burns`. The witness was saed
because someone picked him up and ran. Their home was destroyed.
Mohammed Abdul Qureshi, who testiied beore the Tribunal, lost his 23-year-old
brother, Mohammed Ishaq, who was shot at close range. This happened on March 1.
Mohammed Ishaq was standing when the mob came, the police were with them. The
police point that was there or their protection was used, instead, to ire at them.
Mohammed Ishaq`s post-mortem report said, injury in right lung.` The witness man-
aged to run away and thus escaped with his lie intact. They were residents o Pannalal
Chawl, Rm. 42.
Vhen the Tribunal met them in May, ictim-suriors rom the area were araid to
go back to their homes, because when they did, they were still repeatedly pelted with
stones and threatened. Many homes hae been completely destroyed. Vhen one boy
tried to go back, he was hit on the head with a big stone. Residents did try to go back
5-6 times, but later abandoned all thoughts about returning to their homes. Len the
women reused to return. The police ersion was that the people o the clar had
attacked, whereas actually the mob came with swords and bombs to the clar and
attacked the residents.
Vitness Hania Bano rom Nagori Chawl 20 years, was enraged and agitated when
she deposed beore the Tribunal because her amily`s home had been destroyed com-
pletely and a temple had been built in its place. They cannot go back now. Ironically,
their home was opposite the police station. Hania identiied assailants rom the area
such as Manoj, Suresh Pithawala and his two brothers, Manoj and Duriya-their
shop was right opposite the witness`. Hania`s amily has the only Muslim shop in the
area. She stated that when they were caught by the rampaging mobs, they threatened
that they would kill them. \erbal abuse was used to terrorise the ictims.
In her deposition, Alia Bano, wie o Mohammed Sultan, told the Tribunal that
two mobs came and attacked them where they lied, just opposite the Gomtipur
police station. One man had a band tied to his orehead and he stabbed the witness
with a knie rom the back. They raped the witness` daughter and used such oul
language that was diicult or decent people to repeat.` They torched the witness`
house in ront o her eyes. The police an was standing there but when they called or
help, the police just droe away. And they lied just opposite Gomtipur police sta-
tion. The ire brigade was also there, but they, too, did not help the ictim-suriors,
who had been liing there or 8 years. The witness stated that this was the irst time
that their neighbours had behaed badly with them, they had neer behaed like this
beore. Two temples hae since been built where the witness` house-cum-shop stood.
Seeral witnessess rom Rajpur Toll Naka, Gomtipur, including Sabbirbhai Allarakha
and Rashidabehn Gulam Nabi, complained bitterly o the behaiour o the RAl Rapid
Action lorce, and PSI Modi, who used abusie terms towards the Muslim residents
o Gomtipur. Rashidabehn said that een in mid-May when they tried to go back to
their homes, they were threatened by knie-wielding youths. They had written such
oul things about her on the doors o their homes, and on the walls, that the witness
ound it diicult to repeat the abuse. In this area, ile seual abuse was eident all
through. Rashidabehn`s house was looted and burnt on lebruary 28. Mobs hae com-
pletely destroyed all 0 houses in Parmanand Chawl.
Naseembano Munnabhai Sheradi, aged 35, was widowed when she lost her hus-
band in the police iring on lebruary 28. She has 6 children, o whom the eldest, a
daughter, is 14 years old. Her husband heard the mob, so he went to look or the
children. Both the gates o the graeyard Chartoda Kabrastan, were closed at the
time. The police came in and started iring. The witness has lost her means o sup-
port. Her house is still standing. She showed the Tribunal, the notes rom her husband`s
pocket along with his diary, which were torn and blood-soaked. The police pumped
three bullets into him.
Iran Sultanbhai, a ictim-surior liing at Maniarwada Toll Naka, stated that on
April 21, he was attacked by a mob rom three sides. The police helped the mob by
breaking down the gates, by ramming their jeep into them. They came into the house
and broke the T\ and other things and pulled out one o his sons, took him to the
terrace and shot him. This witness could identiy one Nanit, who is a constable, who
was with them but he could not say eactly who had shot at his son. It was the army
who pointed out to the amily, that there was a dead man on the terrace. The police
did not make a avclvava, nor did they write a report, they just took him away. The
ictim`s name was Mehboobbhai Sultanbhai and he was 23 years old. He was shot
right in the centre o the head. The plight o the ictim`s amily and the terror gener-
ated by the mobs and the police can be gauged by the witness` response to police
orders that he should accompany his son`s dead body to the Ciil Hospital at Sola.
The witness, ather o the dead youth, said it was too dangerous or him to go there,
and that \adilal Hospital was better. The callous police insisted that the ather ac-
company them to Sola. The witness said that at the hospital he was surrounded by a
rampaging mob but ortunately he escaped. ee .vb.ectiov iv Cov.eqvevce. -
Covvvvai.atiov of Pvbic ace, 1ovve II.,
Similarly, the Tribunal recorded the testimonies o 25 witnesses whose close amily
members had been shot dead by the police. (ee .vvevre. , Poice tati.tic.-1ovve
I., At least 12 persons who deposed beore the Tribunal were eyewitnesses to the
atrocious and clearly illegal behaiour o the Gomtipur police. There were testimo-
nies that stated again and again that about 12 policemen, all in blue clothes the RAl
uniorm, and our D` sta constables,, with PSI Modi, were the main assailants. In
Gomtipur the irst brutal assaults took place on lebruary 28, ater which there were
resh attacks on April 5 and April 21.
One witness, Sirajkhan Babukhan Pathan rom the Barasaanche Chawl, Gomtipur, was
witness to point blank shooting by the police that killed many innocent Muslims on March 1.
On that day, as he ran to sae his lie when the attacks occurred, he saw the prone
body o a man, Mohammed Alibhai. Thinking he was dead, the witness picked up the
body and brought him to the vara..a, when he noticed that the man was still alie.
He had been shot in the head. A bit urther, he saw Shariebhai, a young boy, who had
a bullet-hole in his stomach. Vhen the police saw him trying to help the injured boy,
they started abusing him saying, Mi,av, where are you going` Then a person rom
the crowd insisted that he say, ]ai i,arav.` The witness said that this person was not
a policeman, he was an RSS man, with a tia and big moustache. He beat the witness
up or three hours, then ater swearing at him told him to go.
Vitnesses stated clearly that while some o the deaths caused by shooting were rom
bullets ired by the police, there were equal or more instances o persons being shot
dead in priate irings. One policeman rom the Ajit Mill clori, Gayatrinagar, under
Bapunagar police station, who was inoled in iring, had remoed his name tag bia,,
and his belt. Otherwise, he was in uniorm. Many were wearing helmets so that their
aces were coered and could not be easily identiied by the ictim-suriors. Howeer,
witnesses were clear that they could identiy some o these people i gien the chance.
A point worthy o mention is that policemen rom the Bapunagar station, which coers
this area, didn`t do anything here. Vitnesses stated that the personnel o dierent po-
lice stations .tee ovt.ie tleir vri.ictiov. av covvitte atrocitie.. The Bapunagar police
went to Amraiwadi and the Amraiwadi police came to Bapunagar. Amraiwadi police
went to commit atrocities in Khanwadi in the \atwa area, which should actually hae
had policemen rom Ramol GIDC,. It was a deliberate attempt to ensure that people
would not be able to recognise them as local policemen. The witnesses here asserted
this trend with conidence, saying that the policemen rom Bapunagar, whom they were
amiliar with - Barot .aàb, Patel .aàb, Ashoki etc.- they could hae named and
identiied. This appears to hae been a strategy o the policemen here.
In Ramol, a railway employee called Raiqbhai Mohammed Hani - a relatie o
one o the witnesses - was stopped by the police on his way back rom duty. He
showed them his identiication and told them that he was returning home rom work
but they shot him. It was the Amraiwadi police who shot him, when, in act, the area
is under \atwa jurisdiction, the PI there is PI Chauhan. It was the Amraiwadi police
who were coering that area at that time.
I t w a s t h e s a m e s t o r y w h e n t h e r e w a s a b o m b - b l a s t i n t h i s l o c a l i t y j u s t o u r d a y s
b e o r e t h e T r i b u n a l i s i t e d t h e a r e a . V i t n e s s e s s a w t h a t , w h i l e s o m e a r m e d p o l i c e m e n
w e r e p a t r o l l i n g t h e a r e a , s o m e m i s c r e a n t s r o d e u p o n a \ a m a h a m o t o r c y c l e , t h r e w t h e
b o m b a n d d r o e o . V h e n r e s i d e n t s t r i e d t o d r a w t h e p o l i c e ` s a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s , t h e
o i c e r a t t h e p o l i c e s t a t i o n t o l d t h e m t h a t h e h a d s e e n t h e s p a r k s c l i v g a r i , c o m i n g r o m
t h e i r s i d e , t h a t t h e y h a d t h e m s e l e s s e t i t o . V i t n e s s e s a l s o t e s t i i e d t h a t o l l o w i n g t h i s ,
p o l i c e m e n r o m t h e O d h a d i i s i o n e n t e r e d t h e v a . i i n B a p u n a g a r w i t h t h e i r s h o e s o n ,
a r r e s t e d s o m e o t h e p e o p l e a n d w e n t o . T h e s e w e r e p o l i c e m e n r o m O d h a d i i s i o n ,
w h e n t h i s a r e a a l l s w i t h i n t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n o B a p u n a g a r p o l i c e s t a t i o n .
T h e n u m b e r o i l l e g a l d e t e n t i o n s r o m t h i s a r e a o A h m e d a b a d a l o n e , w a r r a n t s p e -
c i a l i n e s t i g a t i o n . T h e t h r u s t o t h e e i d e n c e c o l l e c t e d r o m m a n y i c t i m - s u r i o r s
i n d i c a t e d t h a t , b e o r e t h e m a s s a c r e a t G o d h r a t o o k p l a c e , t h e r e w a s n o t h i n g w r o n g
w i t h t h e a t m o s p h e r e i n t h e a r e a . I t w a s a t e r t h e G o d h r a m a s s a c r e a n d t h e s u b s e q u e n t
c a l l o r a a v l t h a t t h e t r o u b l e s t a r t e d . P e o p l e e l t t h a t t h o u g h t h e r e m a y h a e b e e n
p l a n n i n g o r t h e a t t a c k s i n a d a n c e , n o d i s c e r n i b l e s i g n s t o d i s r u p t p e a c e w e r e i s i b l e .
I t w a s a t e r t h e G o d h r a m a s s a c r e t h a t t h e a t t a c k e r s c h a l k e d o u t a p l a n , a n d t h e n
s t a r t e d a t t a c k i n g M u s l i m s . T h e c a l l o r t h e a v l w a s s u p p o r t e d b y t h e g o e r n m e n t ,
w h i c h i t s e l i s a g a i n s t t h e l a w . T h e y e l t t h a t n e w s p a p e r s l i k e C v a r a t a v a c l a r a n d
a v e . l t o o p l a y e d a i t a l r o l e i n t h e i o l e n c e . T h e i r r e p o r t a g e , t h e p h o t o g r a p h s a n d
a r t i c l e s t h e y c a r r i e d , w e r e e t r e m e l y i n l a m m a t o r y a n d i n c i t e d p e o p l e t o i o l e n c e .
A n d t h e n e w s c o e r a g e i n a v e . l c o n t i n u e d t o b e e r y i n l a m m a t o r y r i g h t u p t o t h e
d a y o t h e T r i b u n a l ` s i s i t . \ i c t i m - s u r i o r s e l t t h a t t h i s w a s n o t a c o m m u n a l r i o t , i t
w a s a m a s s a c r e o M u s l i m s . A c o m m u n a l r i o t i m p l i e d t h a t t h e r e w e r e a t t a c k s o n
p e o p l e r o m b o t h c o m m u n i t i e s . I i t h a d b e e n a c o m m u n a l r i o t , t h e y s a i d , t h e p r o p e r -
t i e s o b o t h H i n d u s a n d M u s l i m s w o u l d h a e b e e n a t t a c k e d b u t t h e H i n d u p r o p e r t i e s
w e r e n o t t o u c h e d - M u s l i m s d i d n o t a t t a c k t h e m , y e t t h e y k e p t o n s a y i n g t h a t G o d h r a
w a s p a r t o a p l a n n e d m a s s a c r e b y M u s l i m s .
A s o n e w i t n e s s s a i d , L e n t o d a y , l e a d e r s r o m t h e \ H P g o o n s a y i n g t h a t p e o p l e
r o m t h e M u s l i m c o m m u n i t y i n o u r a r e a a r e t e r r o r i s t s . I t i s t h e y w h o a r e n o t a l l o w i n g
p e a c e t o r e t u r n . T h e y k e e p r e e r r i n g t o M u s l i m s a s t e r r o r i s t s o r P a k i s t a n i s . T h e y a r e
t h e o n e s w h o k i l l M u s l i m s , w h o a t t a c k M u s l i m s a n d t h e n t h e y d e m o n i s e M u s l i m s . `
O n e o t h e m o s t d i s t u r b i n g a s p e c t s o t h e i o l e n c e o n i c t i m s i n S u n d a r a m n a g a r
a n d G o m t i p u r w e r e t h e s e e r i t y o b u r n i n j u r i e s o n t h e i r p e r s o n . O n e i c t i m - s u r i o r
w h o d e p o s e d b e o r e t h e T r i b u n a l , S h a i k h I s m a i l D o s u m i y a , w a s i n a p i t i a b l e s i t u a -
t i o n , w i t h 3 8 p e r c e n t b u r n i n j u r i e s . H e s a i d t h a t o n M a r c h 1 , t h e r e w a s r i o t i n g a n d
s t o n e - t h r o w i n g i n G a y a t r i n a g a r . T h e m o b s w e r e t h r o w i n g s t o n e s a n d i n d e e n c e , r e s i -
d e n t s o G a y a t r i n a g a r w e r e t h r o w i n g s t o n e s b a c k a t t h e m . D u r i n g t h i s , t h e m o b a l s o
t h r e w a c i d b o t t l e s a n d g a s b o t t l e s a t t h e m a n d p e r s o n s , i n c l u d i n g t h e w i t n e s s , w e r e
b u r n t . I n t h a t t e r r i b l y b u r n t c o n d i t i o n , h e t h e n w a l k e d r o m G a y a t r i n a g a r t o t h e M a i d a n
n e a r b y . T h i s w a s a t 1 1 . 3 0 a . m . o n M a r c h 1 . T h e p o l i c e w a s n o w h e r e t o b e s e e n . T h e
a t t a c k e r s c a r r i e d m a n y w e a p o n s , l a r i a . s i c k l e s , , g v t i . a n d p r i a t e p r i a t e l y o w n e d ,
g u n s . T h e r e w a s a l o t o i r i n g i n w h i c h m a n y y o u t h s w e r e h i t b y b u l l e t s .
Ater haing retired rom the Indian army, this witness had a job in the security
serices department o Indian Airlines, but had not been to work since this brutal burn-
ing two months earlier. He was in \S Hospital or 45 days. At the hospital, there were
some initial problems regarding payment o the deposit amount o Rs. 2,000 and pro-
curement o medicines but they were sorted out. Besides that, there was no trouble with
his treatment there. A police case was registered at the \S Hospital itsel. Though the
police had recorded his statement, he had not receied a copy o his lIR. This witness
said he could not identiy anyone in the mob. He said howeer that the mob was huge,
there were a lot o people, about 10,000 stretching rom the Maidan to CTM. He lied
at the Sundaramnagar Maidan, opposite the camp. There are about 3,000-3,500 Muslim
houses with about 10,000 residents in the area. O these, about 400-500 houses hae
been burnt although no surey has been done so ar.
The plight o this ictim, who could barely stand beore the Tribunal because o
his wounds, was tragic. He was clad in thin underpants due to the seere burns on his
skin. He was in seere discomort. He could not walk in the sun or i he did, he elt
dizzy and his body burnt. He had receied no compensation. This witness was one o
those who met President Abdul Kalam when he isited Ahmedabad at the Haj House
Camp. Cringing at his plight, the President had assured him enough unds or his
complete treatment in the presence o CM Modi.
Another tragic case was that o Shaikh Guddu Shamsuddin 23, who had lost his
oice due to a wound rom a bullet ired into his throat,neck in the course o police
iring on March 1. He had had etensie surgery and a plastic tube had been inserted
into his neck. As a result o the injury, he also lost his ability to speak and een ater
medical treatment, his oice was practically a whisper. The witness spoke to the Tri-
bunal with great diiculty, describing the eents o March 1 in detail. He is a machine
painter and between 9.30-10 a.m. that morning, he was walking towards Gayatrinagar
when he saw 4 policemen standing there with their riles cocked. Behind the police-
men, was a car, a Tata car No. 40, and crouched behind the car, was a mob. lright-
ened, he turned away and started shouting or help and that was when the police shot
him. They looked like local police. They shot him with a long rile`, a .303. He didn`t
recognise anyone in the mob because they were behind the car. The witness said that
he had been lucky to escape rom the mob. He said that the police, who were acing
him when they ired, had ired at him so that he would not call to other Muslims or
help. They deliberately targeted his throat so that he could not shout or help. They
shot him through the neck and his windpipe vai, was ruptured, as a result o which
he lost a lot o blood. He managed to take a ew steps and then collapsed. It was then
that some Muslims rom nearby came and picked him up and took him to saety. By
that time, he was unconscious.
He said that since it was not sae to go to \S Hospital at the time, he was irst taken
to Al Amin Hospital and then later moed to \S Hospital. On the way to Al Amin,
too, there were attempts to stop the ehicle, a tent had been put up to barricade the
road and miscreants were throwing stones. Here, too, the police opened ire, and
injured 2 youths. The Al Amin ambulance drier was also hurt. In the hospital, the
surgeons did a grat using lesh rom the chest. A hole was made in the neck so that he
could speak in a whisper and that was how members o the Tribunal could hear him.
The ictim had no complaint about his treatment at the hospital.
The Tribunal met seeral ictims o burns and bullet injuries who had barely es-
caped with their lies and or whom no proisions hae been made or payment o
compensation. One Mohammed Naim sustained a bullet wound through the side in
the waist,, in police iring on March 1. He was ired at by policemen who droe up,
and trained their riles on the Muslims o Gayatrinagar stationing themseles at what
witnesses described as the border` near the Industrial estate,, while the Hindu mob
continued their attack relentlessly. It was as i the policemen were the rear and ront
guards o the mobs, making it possible or the targets to be ound.
That morning March 1,, 6 people were injured in police iring. Vitnesses said that
they did nothing to warrant the police iring. They recognised one o the policemen,
Bhupendran Gadi, D Sta, No. 2022, Rakhial Police Station, and another who was
also a Gadi, but whose ull name they didn`t know.
Mohammed \asin Ansari, a burn ictim with 5 per cent burns, also rom acid thrown,
told the Tribunal that or the irst 3 days at \S Hospital, he was not gien any treatment.
No one rom his amily could come to the hospital because o the preailing situation.
Ater 13 days in \S hospital, o the 20-22 burn ictims admitted to their ward, this wit-
ness said that only 3 remained alie. This was an eample o the callous treatment that the
\S hospital was giing Muslim patients. This witness said that he was araid that he would
meet with the same ate and came home. He insisted that, at the \S Hospital, treatment
was being gien, but those patients who were gien blood, died. He said that een when
he was gien the irst bottle o blood, his condition worsened, he was unable to moe his
arms and legs and stopped speaking, so he decided to leae the hospital. He was in seere
discomort when the Tribunal recorded eidence in the scorching heat o May. Though his
doctor had adised that he should be readmitted to the hospital, this witness was reluctant
to do so, terriied at the treatment he might receie there.
Ghulamhussain Ali Hussain was another burn injuries ictim-surior who had
suered 25 per cent burns, had been in hospital or one and a hal months and who,
together with his entire amily, had been without work or earning or that period.
Many witnesses made strong statements about the lack o payment o compensa-
tion or injured persons, saying that they should get at least 40 per cent o the amount
gien or loss o lie. They said that the goernment had not proided or compensa-
tion, either or the disabled or the injured, and had not responded to injuries and
disability caused in this carnage. They said that ater the earthquake in 2001, the
same Gujarat goernment had announced that persons with up to 40 per cent disabil-
ity would receie Rs. 50,000 but or the carnage no such compensation had been
gien to the ictims.
Vitness lakruddin Imamuddin Ansari 23, was shot point blank in his ribs and was
rendered without lielihood or 2 months thereater. He had receied nothing rom
the goernment. He was a daily wage earner who did machine embroidery, and also
had a amily grocery shop, which was also burnt. Vomen rom Sone Ki Chawl su-
ered seere injuries in the stone throwing.
The Tribunal recorded with interest the eyewitness testimony o Mohan Bundela
o Jan Sangharsh Manch, which has been lodged as an lIR with the Gomtipur Police.
Salatnagar in Gomtipur had approimately 260 hutments, in which about 1,500
inhabitants resided. On March 1, about 2,000 miscreants came and reduced these
hutments, together with the household belongings, to ash. The leaders o this crowd
wore saron headbands and saron belts with tri.lv. tucked in them. Many among
them wielded swords. This mob was assisted by the PSI o D` sta o Gomtipur, Modi,
in setting ire to the hutments. Modi arried in his own jeep registration number GJ-1-
AR-5342, and stopped opposite Ambika Mill No.1 at about 12 o`clock in the ater-
noon....` (ee .vvevre |IR .gaiv.t Poice Detaie .vvevre. 1ovve .,
Vitness Shaikh Mohd Salim said that on April 21, just 10 days beore the Tribunal
isited, in Maniarwada, earing assault and detention when the attack came, the men
ran away and only women remained there. The police pulled out a boy rom one
house and shot him dead. They had a lot o trouble breaking down the witness` main
gate and they broke it by ramming into it with a jeep. This was done by men wearing
blue clothes and D` sta. Acid bombs were thrown at the Muslims.
The same day, opposite Amrapalli, in another part o Gomtipur, a police constable
was killed. In an obious retaliation, the police, taking adantage o the curew in
Maniarwada, shot dead Mehboobbhai Ibrahim who was the ather o our small chil-
dren. An innocent man was killed or nothing. He had stepped out or some relaation
and was taken upstairs and shot. Maniarwada had been unaected beore this.
AHMLDABAD RURAL
Abasna
There was a ghastly incident in Abasna illage, Detaroj tava, o Ahmedabad district
on the night o April 1 and 2, i.e., on the ee o Prime Minister \ajpayee`s isit to Gujarat,
when 5 amily members o the Ghanchi amily liing there were brutally hacked to death
in their sleep. Ibrahim Ismailbhai Ghanchi 38,, who lost his ather, Ismailbhai 56,, his
brother Karim 22,, his uncle, Dawoodbhai 53, and his cousins, Noor Jahan 22, and
Deen Mohammed 1,, deposed beore the Tribunal on May 4. Another uncle who was
injured was admitted to the hospital but he died the day beore the witness` deposition.
Ibrahim Ghanchi lost si amily members in one brutal attack. The witness, who lied at
Kalol, and was an employee o the ONGC, had sered in the Indian army or 1 years.
His amily had lied in the illage o Abasna or generations, and owned 45 acres o land
there. This was the lone etended Muslim amily in the illage three nuclear amilies and
one joint amily, - liing among Patels, Rajputs, Darbars and Brahmins.
Soon ater the Godhra incident, earing trouble, the amily had shited to Kalol or
a whole month. At that time, the same people who later killed members o his amily
had come and persuaded his ather to return to the illage. The amily returned to
Abasna on March 31, and they were attacked at midnight on April 2-3. A group o
illagers led by Metaji Diwanji Darbar, irst slaughtered the unsuspecting ictims and
then burnt them as well as the house. His mother and his aunt sustained injuries but
managed to escape through the back door. The .aravcl called the police at Sarkhej,
Ahmedabad and DSP Rai, DySP Rai Patel, inspector Rajni Patel and PI Chauhan
took the injured to hospital.
The witness` mother had a deep gash on her orehead and had also got a racture. His
uncle, who later succumbed to his injuries, had a cut on his head, a ractured skull and
arm, as well as a sword wound on the neck. The witness was inormed o the ghastly
incident while on duty at Kalol. He went to the police station in Kalol, and took police
protection to go to Abasna. There, he saw his ather`s corpse lying at the entrance to their
home. A post-mortem eamination had already been done right there. Then the police
took him to the house, which was burnt, and he saw the other corpses. The witness took
the corpses to the cemetery on the highway and buried them according to Muslim custom.
The net day he went to the Ciil Hospital in Ahmedabad where he met his aunt.
On the ourth day, he returned to Abasna, collected what was let o their possessions
and returned to Ahmedabad.
The witness said that ave.l carried a story ater the ghastly massacre, saying that
Ismail and Dawood - the witness` ather and uncle - were killed because they had
been harassing girls. The witness was outraged at such irresponsible reporting, which
tried blatantly to suggest that this was a case o personal endetta and had nothing to
do with communalism. The witness was angry that his ather and uncle, who had been
killed, were being maligned thus. He said that they were a well-respected amily. They
had lied in the illage or 250 years. The witness` mother was a member o the local
avcla,at. The witness asked, pertinently, whether the illagers would hae allowed
them, the only Muslim amily, to stay in Abasna or so long, whether his mother
would hae been allowed to continue as a member o the avcla,at, i amily mem-
bers had behaed as suggested in ave.l
The witness stated that his plight was pitiul, that at present he could not een ote
since all his papers had been destroyed in the ire. He had no proo that he had sered
in the army. He said that, in uture, he might een be accused o being a terrorist since
he had irtually no proo o prior eistence. He had retired rom the army and he
eared that i he applied or a new job, he might be told that he could not get one
because he was a Muslim.
The witness told the Tribunal that the journal Covvvvai.v Covbat had arranged to take
him to Delhi, where he had met the President o India on April 2. He had spoken to the
President about his 1-year-serice in the army, o which 13 had been spent in the ield.
He said that he had asked or President`s rule to be imposed in Gujarat. He said that 45
acres o amily property in Abasna was at stake and that his children`s schooling was now
endangered since the same orces o enom were targeting schools as well and that it was
not sae or him to return to his illage, where the amily home had been burnt. The police
arrested about 25 persons - the main culprit being Metaji Diwanji Darbar, who had led
people into seeral criminal actions in the past. Other illagers had also iled lIRs detail-
ing the acts about this incident and naming the accused.
Kuha
The irst instance o communal attack on the 50-odd Muslims in Kuha illage,
Daskroi tava, had occurred in 1992. They were pelted with stones and they had
been orced to leae the illage. The 300 amilies o Patels were in the oreront o
that attack. At the time, most o the Muslims in Kuha worked as labourers while
about 4-5 amilies owned a small patch o land. But oer the years, some o them
hae set up small kiosks and others earn a liing as driers.
Around 1 p.m. on lebruary 28, , a mob led by the husband o the .aravcl, a Patel,
attacked the Muslim houses. There are 2 major castes in the illage, Patels and Thakors,
but Thakors did not participate in the attack. As the attack started, most Muslims led
to the ields, while some others took reuge in the house o a avcla,at member,
Lamiben Dabhi. Ahmed Husain Sayyed was unable to lee in time, and he hid in his
house. He was thus witness to all that happened in Kuha, where 19 Muslim houses
were burnt and belongings looted rom the rest.
The Muslims stayed in the ields or 9 days, and through all these days, Lamiben
Dabhi organised ood or them. Once it was sae to moe, the people organised two
ehicles and reached the relie camp at Bapunagar in Ahmedabad city. A complaint
was gien to the police but a copy, acknowledging receipt, was not proided to the
complainants. Nor was a copy o the avclvava proided. Ahmed Hussain and his
two brothers used the isit o the NHRC team as an opportunity to get their com-
plaint iled.
On 13 April, Lamiben came to the Bapunagar relie camp as an emissary o the
Hindus o the illage, to make a deal with the Muslim amilies: They should withdraw
the complaint in which they had named the assailants and only then were they wel-
come to come back to reside in the illage. The three brothers, who had oicially
complained, were not to be permitted into the illage. Ahmed Hussain stated that
although he wished to bring the guilty to justice, i other Muslim were to tell him to
withdraw the complaint due to pressure rom the illagers, he would do so.
Por
Por illage, Gandhinagar tava, Gandhinagar district, has about 0 Muslim ami-
lies and about 500-600 amilies o Thakors, Patels, Harijans, Bagris, Raals and
Chamars. The deputy .aravcl o the illage was a Muslim. Muslims had supported
Thakors in the last avcla,at election.
On lebruary 28, the .aravcl told the Muslims o the illage that they need not
worry, nothing would happen to Muslims in this illage. On March 1, at about 2.15
p.m., just ater the aternoon prayers, a large mob rom at least 9 neighbouring illages
and led by Patels rom Por, attacked the Muslims. They were armed with kerosene,
diesel and gas cylinders. They destroyed and burnt Muslim houses, a mosque as well
as the argal. A bore-well, which was the only source o water or Muslim houses and
ields, was completely destroyed. The mob also attacked and injured a number o
persons, including Shakinaben, Hanibhai and latimabibi. \illage shopkeepers pro-
ided kersosene to the attackers and the Patels o the illage, including women, pelted
stones on the leeing Muslims. The attackers caught hold o the vavava and beat him
up. The police inspector rom Adalaj police station, PI Jhala reached the illage shortly
ater the mob arried, but instead o helping the local Muslims, he ordered them to
leae immediately.
The collector IS Haider, and the DDO Brahmbhatt, reached the illage while the
attack was still in progress. They oered the Muslims protection, and helped them
escape by getting onto the 3 tempos owned by the Muslim illagers themseles.
Howeer, the third tempo did not start. In panic, people got down rom that tempo
and clambered onto the other 2 tempos. Three women, who had already sustained
injuries during the attack, and 3 children died due to suocation. They were dead by
the time the tempos reached Adalaj police station.
Only one lIR was lodged in the Por illage incident no. 44,2002 in Adalaj PS
u,s 14,148,149,436,395,135 Bombay Police Act,. The same PI Jhala, who had
done nothing to preent the attack, lodged this lIR. Since he was also the inestigat-
ing oicer into the incident, the ictims had little hope o an unbiased inestigation.
The lIR did not contain the names o the attackers.
Later, the witnesses named 95 Patels in the 4 complaints that they gae to the PS
and other authorities. In spite o this, not a single Patel had been arrested until mid-
April. There had been at least 23 arrests in the case but all o people belonging to
lower caste Thakkars, \aghris, and Rawals, who were inoled in the looting ater the
Muslims had led but were not the actual attackers. The illagers had also sent com-
plaints and appealed to numerous higher authorities but had not receied any re-
sponse. The displaced ictims were liing in the Mandali relie camp, or with relaties
at arious other places.
PI Jhala was directly indicted or conniing with the attackers, by not taking any
action at the time o attack, by leaing out the attackers` names in the lIR and later,
or joining the attackers in pressurising the ictims to withdraw their complaint.
In terms o intensity and scale o iolence, this district, along with Dahod and
Mehsana, apart rom Ahmedabad city, eperienced the most systematic and grue-
some attacks. Atleast 400 o the 1200 illages in this district were brutally targeted.
It seemed that the design was to choose those illages where Muslims were in a
relatiely small percentage, isolate them and attack them. The killings were o a
gruesome nature.The Tribunal recorded detailed eidence rom this district.
DAILOL
A total o 368 Muslims were residents o Dailol illage, in Panchmahal district,
which had about 60 Muslim households and about 500- 600 Hindu households. Dailol
illage is located at a distance o about 5 km rom Kalol tava town. On March 1,
Muslims who were escaping rom Dailol and surrounding illages, were attacked by a
5-6,000 strong mob. The assaults had started a day earlier., A total o 38 persons
were burnt alie. The testimony o a vavava who witnessed the slaughter as he hid
in the nearby jungle, has been put on the records o the Tribunal. There is no Mus-
lim liing in the illage now, so it is ery diicult to get ull details on this incident.
Innocent and terrorised members o a amily were trying to escape on oot when
they were attacked at Dailol station. An elderly surior o the amily recounted
the sorry tale in his testimony, which was placed beore the Tribunal. At about 10
a.m. on lebruary 28, 2002, a crowd o about 2,000-3,000, most o them outsiders,
attacked, looted, burnt and destroyed the va.i, shops and establishments belong-
ing to Dailol Muslims, and let at 4 p.m. Later, that night, one Ismailbhai was dragged
out o his house by a crowd that included people rom his own illage, paraded
through the illage twice, wearing a garland o shoes and asked to say ]ai lri
Rav`. Vhen he reused, he was doused with kerosene and burnt to death in the
early hours o the morning. The Gujarat state cabinet minister and BJP MLA,
Prabhatsingh Chauhan was inoled in the attack. At 10 a.m. on March 1, a large
mob o about 3000-4000 again came to the illage shouting, Today is Bharat avl - drie
the Muslims out, hack them, kill them!`
F800M808l
Seenteen Muslim labourers leeing rom Limkheda, took the train to Pandu, a
town near Dailol station, in Kalol tava, on March 1. At Dailol station, a murderous
crowd came towards them and one o the labourers, Anwar Khan Valimohammed
Khan Pathan 50,, was caught, sprayed with kerosene and burnt alie. In the ba.ti just
outside the town proper, near the homes o the Harijans, ictim-suriors saw a
crowd bearing swords, bamboos, daggers, sticks and sharp instruments and carrying
petrol and diesel-kerosene tins, rushing towards them. They started beating and herding
them towards the canal. Brutal acts o seual iolence were committed on the women
in the group, beore they were killed, by cutting them up in pieces. Boys, aged to 12,
escaped rom the mob`s clutches and hid in the maize arms o the Kanatias, near the
canal. Bhalabhai, who heard the cries o the ictim-suriors, sheltered them in his
house or si days. On March , Bhalabhai brought police inspector Kotwal to his
house and handed oer the si children whom he had sheltered. The PI then took the
children saely to their relatie, Ganimiyan Ibrahim Mithi Malek. The boys who were
saed by Bhalabhai narrated these acts to Ganimiyan, who recorded them with the Tribu-
nal. The testimony details that he was at the rail lata rail crossing,, when he heard the
screams. Mai varraa avata lai i lavare arirar e clar clote, clote baccli,ov e .atl ,a
.vv i,a.` God knows the treatment they subjected our small girl children rom my
amily to.`, The testimony records that this ictim-surior stayed in Dahod or a whole
week. O a amily o 20, including himsel, 6 other amily members hae been killed.
Details o this and another massacre, which took place here, were placed beore the Tri-
bunal. Journalist Teesta Setalad, who has etensiely documented the iolence all oer
Gujarat in her report Cevocie Cvarat 2002`, was the irst to reach this district on March .
Many o the testimonials hae been placed on record rom the data collected then.
The names o the children who were abused but who suried:
1. Mohsin Khan Majid Khan Pathan 10,
2. Shahrukh \asin Khan Pathan ,
3. Ayyub Khan \asin Khan Pathan 12,
4. larzana bibi \asin Khan Pathan 11,
5. Mustaa Khan \usu Khan Pathan 12,
6. Siraj Khan Hussein Khan Pathan 8,
In the late aternoon, a group o about 50 - 60 Muslims who had taken shelter with
the Hindus in the illage were chased by a large group o attackers to the main road
and rom there to the ields. That night, a crowd o 500 to 00 people surrounded
those ictim-suriors who had escaped rom Dailol as well as surrounding illages.
lirst, they told the petriied Muslims that they would not kill them and gae them
water to drink. Then they asked them to leae. Just as they started to leae, the crowd
attacked them rom behind and hacked and burnt 10 people. Thirteen-year-old
\asmeen, the daughter o Mohd. Ibrahim, was gang raped beore being killed. The
dead were piled up and set on ire. Ten and twele-year-old Hameed and Aijaz, the
sons o Kulsum Ayyub who was also killed,, were made to go around the pyre and
shout ]ai lri Rav!` They were then shoed into the ire. The ictim-suriors had
iled complaints with the Kalol PS on March 16 and 18. They said they will return to
the illage only i action is taken against the guilty. There is ear in the illage still.
PANDHARWADA
Nearly 0 Muslims were butchered on March 1, ater a mob o 2-2,500 local Patels,
Panchals and Harijans and some 3-4,000 tribal blai bavl` attacked this illage. lour-
teen members o one amily were killed. In a serious act o betrayal, one Jaswant
Patels had actually told the terriied Muslims to go to his arm where, he promised,
they would be sae, and, where they were then attacked. This was ater electricity in
the illage had been cut o and telephone lines snapped. In act, telephone wires
were cut a day earlier, on lebruary 28, indicating leels o careul preparation and
planning. In nearby Mora illage also, the lights were put out at 9 p.m. The preious
day, some persons had warned illagers that electricity will go and phones will be cut,
so beware.` This is certain indication that the attacks must hae been planned.
Once the Muslims took shelter on Jaswant Patel`s arm, he got people to attack
them rom all sides. One ictim-surior lost 8 o his children who were trapped
there. The .aravcl, Anil Modi, was with the mob. They beat the ictims, chased
them, threw acid on them and burnt them.
Another Patel, Mahindra \akil, also betrayed the ictims by taking them to his house where
an attack was then launched. Vhen the attacks on the illagers were imminent, he told them,
Come to my house, I will sae you. My house has a 10 oot high boundary wall and you will be
sae.` So, 60-0 Muslims, especially women and children, went there. The moment they got
inside, he locked them in rom outside and blocked the entrance door with timber logs. Ater
some time the ictims heard shouts and screams and the attacks began. About 30-40 lies were
lost here. A two-year-old girl was burnt alie. I some Muslim youths had not toiled to get the
ictims out o the trap, there would hae been an een bigger tragedy.
Vitnesses trapped inside Mahendra \akil`s house saw him calling a mob o 25-30
persons to attack them with acid. One woman ictim, who was hiding in the bath-
room, managed to surie but her sister Zora was burnt with the acid that was thrown.
lor three days no policemen came. The mobs targeted young girls, young men and
children. Those accused are Mahendra \akil and Jaswant Patel.
Another witness who lost his ather in the incident at Pandharwada where nearly
30-40 persons were killed inside Mahendra \akil`s house and another 20 in the ields,
testiied that swords were used to slash him on the head. Around 12 noon, when 200
persons had taken shelter inside Mahendra \akil`s house, broken glass, acid, kerosene
was lung at the ictims beore setting them on ire. The assault went on or 3-4 hours.
The plight o the ictim-suriors was deastating. One amily had 11 members miss-
ing. The dead bodies o cruelly slain people were let to lie around in a mutilated condi-
tion. The tava avcla,at ravvl o Khanpur, Jaswant Manilal Patel BJP,, took away
some corpses and burnt them. At least 25 corpses were burnt in this way.
The testimony o a twele-year-old witness, Noorunissa, recorded preiously, was
put on the records o the Tribunal She had seen her uncle being killed in ront o her
eyes. She is now unable to speak o the incident., Ve were in the arm when lots o
people came shouting and started attacking us. My clacla uncle, ell down and some men
placed a sword on my ather`s neck. Ve were trying to run up the hill to sae our lies.
Allah saed us. I remember seeing a woman crying because her baby was thirsty. I did not
see them ater that. My mother was with me and so was my laa aunt,. My ather is alie
but my uncle was killed in ront o us. I was begging eerybody, Please don`t kill my
ather, please don`t kill my mother!` One lakirbhai, who is a lourmill worker had his head
chopped o. I almost ainted out o ehaustion when one Bhil told me to run away ast.
Two Adiasis took me into their house. They changed my dress and made me put on a
evgla long skirt,. The crowd came and started shouting, ìao, viao!` But they said
that there is no Muslim in the house. Then the police arried and I got saed.`
In another incident that took place at Pandharwada, at the arm o Jaswant Patel
BJP,, brutal killings o Muslim labourers were carried out ater they were inside,
surrounded rom all sides. \asinbhai, the husband o a witness, Akeela, was killed.
They sliced his head o with a sword. He was a daily wage earner. She has two small
daughters and one son - Anisa ,, Niloer 6, and Varis 5,. Ater killing her hus-
band, they tried to rape her. They threw her on top o her dead husband while her
three children were lung in the gutter. This witness managed to run up the hill with
her three children and then on to the Godhra relie camp. Vitnesses identiied the
main accused in the mass murders at the arm as, Pramilal, Jaswant Manilal Patel,
Arind Patel, Mansukh Bhai Chamunda and Sanjay, the \HP district president. Their
betrayal o the Muslim illagers had put the ictim-suriors in a state o shock.
They called them to the arm, promised to sae them and then organised the attack.
The husband o one o the ictim-suriors had been employed as a domestic help at
Mansukh Chamunda`s house in Rajkot or the last 15 years, but was not paid or his
work at all. Apart rom this witness, the other eyewitnesses to the massacre in the
armland are: \akubbhai Gulambhai Saiyed, \usubhai Abdulbhai Saiyed and Sheikh
laiz Mohammedbhai Ahmedbhai. Sheikh laiz Mohammedbhai Ahmedbhai saw his
uncle and aunt, Sheikh Habibbhai Ashrabhai Bismillah Habibbhai and Dulanbibi
Ashrabhai, chopped to pieces and then burnt. They were surrounded by a gang o 5-
,000 people who killed mercilessly, een their animals were not spared in their homes.
Akeela was in the arm when men carrying laria. sickles, and swords attacked
Jabbirbhai Ghanibhai, ather o 5 children. There is a police outpost at Pandharwada,
with two policemen, who did nothing. Akeela said, Vhen I went to the Khanpur
police station, I was simply told, 1vv tvvlari aav bacllao` \ou sae your own
skin.`, Vitness Sheikh laiz Mohammedbhai Ahmedbhai has testiied that his wie was
burnt with a solent. Jabbir Kalos, a one-and-a-hal-month old baby, was also thrown
into the ire but she was pulled out and handed her back to her mother, Madina. An-
other small girl, Naisa, was also thrown into the ire but saed by the witness in time.
Vitnesses testiied that Sanjay, the \HP district president, who hails rom Bakor, 3
km rom Pandharwada and currently resides in Godhra, was responsible or much o
the haoc caused in the illages.
Other illages that hae eperienced similar massacres are \ispur, Umet, Modasa,
Lunaada, Kapadwanj, Malpur and Khanpur. The Godhra-Modasa highway, which
branches o into two roads that lead to Rajasthan at Balaliya and Ratanpur,, saw
complete destruction, as mobs targeted trucks. Other transport ehicles were also
targeted and burnt, with their Muslim driers inside them. There is heay traic on
this road, and the destruction o lie, goods and ehicles was massie.
LRAL
On March 1, 2002, brutal killings also took place in Lral illage, o Kalol tava.
The Tribunal has on its records the testimony o a witness, Mustaa Ismailbhai. Seen
members o Mustaa Ismailbhai`s amily were killed while two o his amily members,
including his daughter, were raped beore being killed. Mustaa Ismailbhai`s wie and
two o his sons suried. The witness is a drier by proession and was out when the
incident happened. The murdered members o the amily are Shabana, Ismail Master,
Uribibi, Rukaiya Adambhai the witness` sister,, Adambhai Ibrahimbhai his brother-
in-law,, Tajoobibi and Suhanabibi. The inger o Tajoobibi`s 4-year-old son was cut
o. Ismailbhai`s wie is an eyewitness to the rape and killings.
One o the most tragic aspects o this attack was that the attackers took protection
money rom the ictim illagers beore betraying their word and setting upon them.
Vhen the mobs began to attack Muslims in Lral and surrounding illages on lebruary
28 and people started to lee their illages, Ismailbhai`s amily hid in the ields and
temporary huts that armers use to keep watch on their crops. The mob ound them on
March 1 and about 150 people surrounded their group o 12. The attackers who in-
cluded some persons rom their own illage, were carrying swords, gvti. etc. The amily
gae the attackers all the money they had - about Rs. 10,000 and begged them not to
kill them. The mob took the money, then proceeded to launch their attack.
Ismailbhai`s wie, Madina suried because she managed to hide in the ields o
standing maize. She saw them kill people in ront o her and also chop o 4-year-
old Tauiq`s thumb. lrom where she hid, she also saw them rape her own daughter,
18-year-old Shabana, and cut o her breast beore killing her. She heard her amily`s
desperate cries or mercy. The whole attack took hal an hour. Ater raping and kill-
ing, the attackers set ire to the bodies. Madina hid in the ields or one hour ater the
attackers had let. Child witnesses, Tauiq 4,, Khushboo 3, and Heena , hae also
indicated that one other woman, Rukaiya Madina`s sister-in-law, was also raped.
The police arried 1' hours ater the incident. Doctors rom Mala Primary Health
Centre conducted post-mortem eaminations on the spot. Madina has named seeral
accused in the lIR lIR no.41,2002, lodged on the basis o her complaint in Kalol PS.
Charges o rape hae not been included in the complaint. Some arrests hae taken
place. So ar, they hae been gien Rs. 1200 odd as compensation or household goods.
Madina has named the ollowing persons as accused: Rajubhai \ithalbhai Talati,
Purshottambhai Gordhanbhai Parmar, Ganabhai Chandubhai Parmar, Bhailalbhai
Maganbhai and Narendra Singh Chandulal.
MORA
Mora illage, has an oerall population o about 6,000-,000 o which the Muslim
population consist o about 450 persons, owning 115 houses. Mora and Suliath are
two illages in Morad Hadap, tava, a kilometre apart, commonly reerred to as
Mora- Suliath. The rest are owned by Rabaris, Sonis, Panchals, Harijans and Bhois.
Sulaith consists entirely o Bhil Adasis. There are two faia. in Mora where most
Muslims lied: va.i faia and bus stand faia.
The attacks on this illage started rom the morning o March 1 and continued
intermittently until the eening o March 2. People were saed because they gathered
in the va.i and one big concrete house in the illage until they were taken away to
the Godhra camp. These buildings were also set on ire but the army arried in time to
sae them so there was no loss o lie in the illage. Thus, the collector, Jayanthi Rai,
managed to sae the va.i and a ew houses ater the irst attacks took place. But it
was later completely destroyed ater the illagers were taken away to saety.
One witness has testiied how, on lebruary 28, people on motorcycles moed round
the whole district with photocopies o the ave.l`s banner headlines and stories pro-
oking people because o the attack on the train. They were selling these copies or
Rs. 2. In another illage, where 11 houses were looted and then burnt, ictims took
shelter in the local va.i. They were also attacked but were somehow saed. The
SRP and police, who hae posts in eery illage, did nothing to protect them. The
crowd o attackers came rom outside but they were led by the .aravcle. o ie tribal
illages: \eramya illage .aravcl Congress,, Suliyat illage .aravcl Congress,, the
Mora illage .aravcl Independent,, Deloch illage .aravcl BJP,, and Rajaita il-
lage .aravcl BJP,.
Most o the houses, shops, animals and businesses hae been completely looted or
destroyed, as has the va.i. Some houses whose structures were intact were only looted
o their belongings. Since April 14, all the residents hae been shited back to the
illage rom Godhra. They hae iled complaints naming the perpetrators but no action
has been taken against anyone. In act, een now, at interals o a ew days, the Hindus
o the illage distribute lealets inciting iolence against the Muslims. There is a deep
sense o anger as well as insecurity amongst the Muslim illagers, but in the absence o
any other recourse, the people are doing what they can. They willingly shared copies o
their complaints with the Tribunal, as well as the names o the people inoled in the
attacks as also those inoled in the printing and distribution o lealets.
The illagers heard that two Sindhis rom Godhra had come to Mora in jeeps on
the night o lebruary 28 and gae money and liquor to Adiasis to kill Muslims. They
also held meetings in Methral and Suliath, to plan attacks. As a result o this planning,
a mob o about 1,000-1,500 Adiasis rom nearby illages Methral 10 km away rom
Mora,, \adodar 10 km,, Dauli 6 km,, Naagam 5 km,, Sagwada 5 km,, Bhata 4.5
km,, Anjanwa 10 km,, Godhar 15 km, - came to Mora illage at around 2.00 p.m.
on March 1. About a hundred Muslim men and boys conronted them with stones,
there was stone throwing on both sides or a while. Then the Adiasis ran away. At
night, they went around in ans and tempos and collected Adiasis rom surrounding
illages. They surrounded Mora at around 9 p.m. and started burning outlying houses.
This continued till 3-4 a.m., 25-30 houses were burnt that night. The va.i faia people
had gathered in the va.i by then, but the bus stand faia people were in their houses.
At 10 a.m. the net morning, on March 2, a much bigger crowd o 10-15,000
Adiasis and Hindus came and started burning and looting houses. The crowd surrounded
the va.i with burning tyres and wood and set ire to it. There were 150 people trapped
inside the va.i or hours. All the people rom bus stand faia - about 150 - were gathered
in the house o Haji Isak Abdul Majeed. This house was also surrounded and set on ire.
The army, which came rom Godhra, ired on the mob, which eentually dispersed and
then rescued the trapped Muslims. Had the army arried een hal an hour later, the
Muslims would hae all died o asphyiation. Because o the numbers o people inoled,
the army told them that they must choose between lies and aluables so people got into
the trucks without anything at all. Ineitably, all the property was then looted.
The va.i has been badly desecrated and destroyed. The mob wrote lattii Malara
i ]ai!` and ]ai lri Rav!` on the walls, and initially hoisted a saron lag on the
mosque. Some other slogans scribbled on the walls were lines lited rom the ilm
Maa 1vle aaav` and scripted on the va.i walls: Dvl vavgo to leer evge, Mora
(Ka.lvir, vavgo to clir evge` Ask or milk and we`ll gie you leer pudding,, but ask
or Kashmir and we`ll cut you up.`,
One eyewitness, Salauddin Gurji, whose testimony has been placed on the records o
the Tribunal, personally saw Amrishbhai Panchal BJP valavavtri,, Bipinbhai Bhoi BJP,,
Kantilal Rana BJP,, \inod Ambalal Bhoi Bajrang Dal, president, and \ikrambhai Dindod
BJP delegate rom Rajasthan, in the mob. They were the main perpetrators o the io-
lence. The witness later receied inormation that, on the night o lebruary 28, they had
let Godhra with two jeep loads o people, carrying the ave.l Gujarati daily, article and
pamphlets with them. PSI Mora and PSI Damod along with two constables, Nawat Singh
and Maatlal, were among their open supporters.
VLJALPUR
During the iolence that enguled Gujarat rom lebruary 2 onwards, \ejalpur
illage also suered. In \ejalpur illage, Kalol tava, Panchmahal, Muslim amilies
lie and work in the area around the big va.i. On lebruary 28, Hindu organisations
had called a bavl to protest against the Sabarmati Lpress killings in Godhra. As
mentioned in the lIR lodged by a witness, Haji Abdullah Bagli, an elderly trader rom
this illage, on the aternoon o March 1, the below-mentioned accused, leading a
iolent crowd armed with lethal weapons, tins o petrol, diesel and kerosene, at-
tacked his neighbourhood. They were screaming: Kill Muslims, loot their property
and burn it!`
The accused incited the crowd and they attacked the Muslim locality. As a result, a
total o 80 buildings in Bagliwada faia and the faia near the big va.i were burnt
down, causing oer Rs. 1 crore worth o damage. There are seeral people who wit-
nessed the looting and burning including Ishaq Mohammed Badna, Iqbal master,
lirojbhai Gada and M. Majid Ibrahim Padwa. The accused: 1, \inu Budha Patel, net
to Shreeji Tiles lactory, \ejalpur, tava Kalol, ia avcl, 2, Amarsinh Budhabhai
Patel, net to Shreeji Tiles lactory, \ejalpur, tava Kalol, ia avcl, 3, Santosh
Rama \aghri, \aghriwad, Tejalpur, tava Kalol, 4, Anand Rama \aaghri, \aghriwad,
Tejalpur, tava Kalol, 5, Girish \aria Kanti Kantawala, Kheda faia, \ejalpur, tava
Kalol, 6, Dharmendra Jada, Godhra Highway Road, \ejalpur, tava Kalol, , Holo
Barot Garagewala,, Bahar fai,v, \ejalpur, tava Kalol.
KUJAVAR
A witness who had lodged an lIR testiied that at about 9:30-10 p.m. on March 1,
Muslim residents in Kujaar illage, Morad Hadap, tava, heard shouts rom the
road: Maro, ato, aao, ooto!` Vhen they rushed out o the house, they saw a big crowd
charging towards their house. On seeing this, they were taken aback and hid near their
house. lrom there, they saw people rom their own illage, whom they recognise well,
looting their house. Ater that, they sprayed petrol, kerosene and similar substances all
oer the house and torched it.
The accused: 1, Saratsingh Daulat Kuajar,, 2, Rana Balwant Kuajar,, 3,
Arjan Bharat Kuajar,, 4, Jaswant Singh Ramsingh Chaupur,, 5, Shauka Hira
Parmar Chaupur,, 6, Babu Bhasingh \anjara Khudra,, , Amarsingh Patel
Khudra,.
In other incidents o loot and arson here, eyewitnesses Ilyas \usu Mansuri, Sikander
Ismail Mansuri, Mauli Abdul Rehman, A. Majid A. Gani Mansuri, larukh A. Majid
Khadkhad hae iled lIRs with the Kalol tava PSI, police station, recording a loss
o Rs. 35 lakh and naming accused: Mukesh Deidas Jaswani, aka Gungo, Sindhi
Bazar \ejalpur,, 2, Rajeshbhai \ensimal Jaswani, aka Sindhi, Sindhi Bazar \ejalpur,,
3, Rajesh Ballu Jaswani, aka Sindhi, Sindhi Bazar \ejalpur,, 4, Rakesh Nagindas
Soni, aka Sindhi, Sindhi Bazar \ejalpur,, 5, Bharat \ensimal Jaswani, aka Sindhi,
Sindhi Bazar \ejalpur,, 6, Prakash Urshandas Aswani, , Amit Sheth aka Rana,
avcla,at member.
BABALIYA
The witness, whose testimony has been placed beore the Tribunal, is Jabbir
Mohammed Abdul Razzak Shaikh, whose amily has had a grain and grocery shop and
a small transport business in Babaliya illage or many years. His parents were slaugh-
tered by the manic mob. He iled an lIR dated March 23 with the Khanpur police
station. In this he stated that on March 1, his ather Abdul Rajakbhai Shaikh, his
mother Hajrabibi Rajakbhai Shaikh, his sister Jaybunnisa and he were sitting outside
their shop, which was closed because o the Gujarat avl`. Meanwhile, a crowd
led by the below-mentioned accused arried there, shouting and threatening:
Kill the Muslims!` Cut them up!` Rape their women!` Rob their property!`
Burn their property!` Burn them!` The witness and his sister, Jaybunnisa ran
some distance away and hid behind a tree on a nearby hill. Some o those in the
crowd began to beat his ather and mother while others broke the door o the house,
shop and lourmill and looted grain, grocery, T\ set, gold ornaments and cash.
They then blasted the entire structure using some inlammable liquid. The accused
then let, going on the Naroda road, and dragging both the witnesses` parents with
them. The leaders o the crowd killed his ather and mother, Abdul Rajakbhai Shaikh
and Hajrabibi Rajakbhai Shaikh, and destroyed their dead bodies. Another section
o the crowd also took away the Suzuki motorcycle belonging to the amily. In
desperation and out o ear or their lies, the witness and his sister hid themseles
in the arms and the orest or three days to sae their lies. The witness` sister was
pregnant and in precarious health. Somehow, leeing and hiding they managed to
ind shelter or her in Bakor. The witness reached Lunaada, with great diiculty.
Today he is mentally disturbed and broken. He has complained that despite re-
peated pleas to the Khanpur police station, vavatar Bakor, vavatar Lunaada,
collector o Godhra and SP o Godhra, to take legal action against the culprits
whom he has identiied and named, no action has been taken.
The accused named by the witness in the lIR include: 1, Arind Singh Ranjit
Singh Thakore owner, tempo no. KJ1 X 5838,, 2, Mehta Hitesh Kumar Jayantilal
owner, Mehta photo studio at Bakor,, 3, Jayantilal Parma Bhai Patel Gangta,,
4, Panchal Mohan Bhai Soma Bhai Naroda, runs hotel,, 5, Bharat Singh Ranjit
Singh Thakore Tarakdi, his tempo no. GJ1 T 121,, 6, Bhagan Bhai Sabur
Bhai .ar avcl, Koyla illage,, , Babubhai Patel \oka,, 8, Nareshbhai Patel
His commander jeep no: GJ1R92,, 9, Kanku Bahen Dalabhai Gangta, runs
hotel at bus stand,, 10, Maliad Nanabhai Bhurabhai runs hotel near Ganga petrol
pump,, 11, Patel Rameshbhai Bhaga Bhai drier o priate ehicle,, and a crowd
o 250 under the leadership o aboe-mentioned accused.
ANJANWA AND LUNAVADA
lie illages around Lunaada in Panchmahal district witnessed a series o attacks
on the Muslims liing there. The trouble started on March 1 and recurred on March 2, 3
and 5, 2002. In Anjanwa illage, Santrampur tava, two people were burnt to death. A
total o 11 people were killed in Anjanwa illage, including men, women and children.
In all, there were about 39-40 Muslim amilies liing there. Their houses were torched
and the suriors all ran away. Here too, there was eidence o preplanning, the tele-
phone wires had been cut o so that there was no communication or 10 days. There
was no bus serice, no newspapers, and een the police could not come to Anjanwa.
Anjanwa is a illage with about 40 Muslim and 500 other amilies. All ecept three
Muslim amilies hae about 2 to 3 acres o land in the illage. The Hindus all back-
ward caste, mostly Baria, and the Adiasis also hae land. Muslims hae lied in this
illage since Santrampur was a princely state. The settlement is scattered, with each
amily haing a house on their own agricultural land. The Muslim houses are, in act,
2 kilometres away rom the main road. \ehicles can only go up to a point on the
undulating accla road in the illage. The houses are only accessible on oot. The
sprawling illage is surrounded by hills on all sides.
Vith no communication acilities, Anjanwa had no news o the Godhra incident. On
March 2, two Muslim shops belonging to Idris Abdul Sheikh and Burhan Abdul Sheikh
were burnt. The owners used to commute rom Lunaada so were not there at the time.
On the morning o March 3, a mob o 500 men came rom the east, armed with weapons
and beating drums. They burnt the va.i and then the Muslim houses. They went o at 3
p.m., only to return at 6 p.m., accompanied by a renetic beating o drums, and shouting
Maaro! Kaao! aao!` Kill! Hack! Burn!`,. They stayed until the early hours o the net
morning. According to the .aravcl, Jaisinghbhai Danabhai Ghori, one o the attackers
was wearing a helmet, while some others had coered their aces. They were dressed in
shirts, trousers, boots, socks, and one o them was carrying a camera bag.
The Muslims, who had been hiding in the hills during the attack, returned in the
early hours o March 4, ater the mob let. They approached the .aravcl, who called
the Congress MLA an Adiasi, o the area on morning o March 4, who in turn
inormed the police. The police said they would send a orce. Vhen it did not arrie,
he tried the police again and was shuttled between the vavatar and the PSI, each o
whom said it was the other person`s responsibility. The police an inally did arrie at
around .30-8.00 p.m. on March 4. Howeer, some illagers told them that nothing
was wrong, and, unable to see signs o the attack rom the main road, the police
returned to Santrampur. On the morning o March 5, the .aravcl once again made
rantic phone calls to the Santrampur police station, and was told that a an would
come to collect the illagers. He asked the Muslims to assemble in the illage high
school so that they could leae immediately ater the police came.
In the eening, two sets o mobs came rom opposite directions and attacked the
waiting Muslims. As the Muslims ran in dierent directions to sae themseles, sec-
tions o the mob ollowed them. lorty-two-year-old Rukaiya Gaur and her two daugh-
ters were not able to run ast enough. They were surrounded by the mob at one end o
the illage. Rukaiya was brutally hacked to death with swords. Her body was thrown
into a dry well known as Vazir Amdu`s well,. Her two daughters, aged 13 and 1',
were also attacked, but managed to surie. Two men, one oer 5-years-old and
moing slowly with diiculty, as well as another, too ill to run, were also caught by
the mob. They were burnt alie in the ields. The bodies o Rukaiya and the two men
were recoered on March 6, when the collector and SP isited the illage.
Some women and small children who were unable to escape were gleraoe by a
section o the mob near the .aravcl`s well. They were attacked with swords and
laria. and 11 o them were thrown into the well. The women were gang raped beore
they were killed. Three women managed to surie in the creices o the well and
were pulled out later by the army, which arried on the eening o March 5. Light
others, who had been hacked and thrown into the well, died. These included 4 chil-
dren. Their bodies were pulled out on March 6.
The army took the suriors to Godhra and Lunaada camps on March 5. Some
people who had hidden in the ields and hills around Anjanwa were rescued on March
6. The ictim-suriors hae identiied 2 men rom Anjanwa and rom surrounding
illages as persons who led the mob. The Muslim ields are now deserted, their houses
burnt. Those cattle which hae not yet been taken away by other illagers, roam stray.
Vith many o the killers at large, the ictim-suriors, like those in Pandharwada, are
unwilling to return to their homes. Two lIRs were lodged in the case and some arrests
hae been made on the basis o the names o accused gien by the suriors.
Most o the ictim-suriors rom these illages lied in the camps in Lunaada.
The problem aced by around 40 amilies who owned 200 acres o land and some
small shops is acute. Locally, the \HP had openly told them that they should with-
draw \HP names rom lIRs. The \HP reused to attend the reconciliation meetings
held by the collector. Here, the police recorded one lIR to coer 20-25 illages. Vhere
there should be one complaint or eery house burnt, there is not een one complaint
or eery illage, instead, a single complaint or seeral illages.
The organiser o the Lunaada camp, \akub Pashuk, deposed in depth beore the
Tribunal. He spoke about the meticulous pre-planning that went into the attacks. He said
that the method the attackers used was that they cut up people, and threw some chemicals
on them, which burnt the bodies in such a way that een bones were not ound and there
was no eidence. The police simply reused to record detailed complaints o the crime.
Munabhai Akbarbhai Shaikh 43,, rom Anjanwa illage, spoke o the iolence on
March 3, the day that they pulled down the va.i and looted and burnt all the homes.
This witness`s tractor and cow were burnt and he saw an armed mob o 5-600 persons
looting and burning houses. They were shouting, Kill! Chop!` This witness, along
with others who had escaped, led the illage and, earing or his lie, stayed outside
on March 4 and 5. They came back to the illage at 8 o`clock in the night and gathered
in the Gujarat high school. The .aravcl o the illage, asked them to wait, and as-
sured them that he had inormed the police who had promised to come. But the
police betrayed them and did not come. Howeer, the .aravcl, a Hindu, saed them. Vith
no police in sight, the mob returned. The witness said that there were 200 people who appeared
rom the east and they were shouting Rav Clavra i ]ai!` Seeing them, Muslim men and
women ran o into the orest. As they were going westward, the sounds o another mob
shouting Rav Clavra i ]ai!` could be heard rom the west. Since the mob on the west was
closer, the Muslims ran back and the women hid in the wheat ields surrounding the illage.
Some o the men in the mob chased them. The women who were caught were beaten up and
thrown into the well. Some children who were crying were throttled and then thrown into the
well. The witness said that both mobs consisted o 200 persons each and that, in all, 12 persons
lost their lies. Men and women ran helter-skelter to sae their lies. There was a third mob in
the jungle and one old man, aged 60, was killed, then doused with kerosene and torched.
Munabhai`s brother recognised those who assaulted this man as people rom the illage. This
witness suered damage amounting to Rs. lakh but has receied a cheque o Rs. 35,000.
Muslims witnesses rom Anjanwa had not yet returned to the illage when they met
the Tribunal. The police clori is located barely 15 km away rom the illage and i
they had perormed their duty lies would not hae been lost, women would not hae
been raped, homes would not hae been burnt and the va.i would not hae been
destroyed. According to the .aravcl, he had inormed the local MLA, and minister
Prabhatsingh Chauhan, who said that he had inormed the PSI. Howeer, when the
police reached the illage, they said that the MLA had not gien them any inorma-
tion telling them, instead, that the Muslims o Anjanwa were sae and so there was no
need or them to go there. On March 6, the witness submitted a complaint o the
crimes to the DSP, the collector and personally to the Santrampur police station.
In Anjanwa, there were a total o 5-600 homes, o which about 40 belong to Mus-
lims with about 210 Muslim inhabitants. The persons killed, including 4 persons rom
Munabhai Shaikh`s amily are: Saeeda Hanie, his cousin`s wie, Tayyeba Shabbir, her
son Mehooza Shabbir and daughter Razia Shabbir, Zubeida laroukh, her 2-year-old
son Adnan laroukh and Rukaiya Gaur. They were all thrown into the well ater being
killed. All the women who were killed were gang raped irst.
The accused: One o the accused is in the army, Salam Hawa who was arrested
and then released,, Kanu Dalpa, Rai Singh Mula, Balu Kalu they are Barias, i.e.,
OBCs,. Rupa Soma, one o the main accused, is an Adiasi.
It was only ater all these people were murdered that the army arried rom Godhra
on March 6 and it was only ater that that the police came rom Santrampur. They called
out to all the people to come orward because the army had arried. It took them as long
as 1' hours to round up all the people hiding in the jungle. Then the ictim-suriors,
including women and children, were put into cars and taken to the camp.
A major complaint o this witness as well as others rom Panchmahal was that, the
collector only isited when a big delegation came.
Hania, another eyewitness and surior rom Anjanwa, who deposed beore the
Tribunal, lost three brothers, Kalu Gulab, Abbas Gulab and Oomer Gulab, to the
marauding mob which attacked them as they were going to pray at the va.i on lriday
aternoon, March 1. She described how one o her brothers was cut into our pieces, the
other into three, and the third was hit and killed with a sword. This witness, who was at
the Godhra camp, relied the sheer terror o running in the jungle, without ood or
water or 4 whole days, while the mob tried to ind them. She said that had the army and
police not inally arried on March 6, een she would hae not suried.
A1HAWAWALA
Vitnesses beore the Tribunal said that in Athawawala illage, Muslims were being
openly told by prominent persons rom the illage i they wanted to return they must
accept the Hindu religion. In this illage the well-planned attack began rom the leb-
ruary 28, when witnesses who deposed beore the Tribunal saw that the aggressors
leading the mobs were carrying a complete list detailing all the Muslim houses and
where they were located. Vitnesses also said that it was with the help o this list that
the mob attacked Muslims homes and carried out arson with eplosie materials. lor
eample, one o the techniques used by the mob, as one eyewitness attested, was that
some people rom the mob threw a burning tyre illed with ire-crackers so that they
would burst and set the surroundings,persons on ire.
lrom the oluminous eidence collected by the Tribunal rom this district, the Tribu-
nal was learnt that 193 persons rom the Panchmahal district were burnt in this grue-
some ashion. Howeer, out o this staggering number, compensation was receied or
only 5 who were identiied. lor the remaining dead there is no eidence, no bodies and
no remains because o the technique o burning - the chemicals used and the intensity
o the ire that ollowed. The Panchmahal police recorded no indiidual complaints,
despite being duty-bound to do so. There was gross dereliction o duty on part o the
Panchmahal district police. Later, ictim-suriors and camp managers aed, or sent
by registered mail, any number o lIRs rom indiidual ictims regarding indiidual
crimes such as killing, rape and arson. Despite proo o these complaints haing been
sent, and notwithstanding the act that a Supreme Court judgement on the subject re-
quires that such complaints be treated as lIRs o the crime, the law and order machin-
ery simply reused to take cognisance o the magnitude o the crimes.
Many witnesses rom these regions epressed pain and resentment at the low rate
o compensation awarded or burnt and destroyed homes by the goernment. They
asked the Tribunal a pertinent question: I a person who has lost human beings, his
house, his business, his homeland, i, ater losing all this, the compensation gien to
him is Rs. 5,000, can he eer rebuild his lie
Vitnesses also epressed deep aniety about their uture saety and the law and
order situation in Gujarat. Len in the camps, people eperienced deep insecurity and
terror, constantly earing more attacks. Children, women and men suered deep men-
tal trauma. Lconomically, in just 2 or 3 illages in this district alone, Muslims hae
lost 200-300 acres o their land. They epressed ear that this land may neer come
back to them.
A11ACKS ON 1HL HIGHWAY IROM DAILOL 1O KALOL
At about 4 p.m. on March 1, 2002, thirteen people were brutally killed and three
women raped, when a tempo drien by liroz Rasulbhai Shaikh, carrying 20 men, 11
women and 11 children, all Muslims rom Dailol who were leeing towards Kalol, was
attacked by a large Hindu mob near Ambika Society, on the outskirts o Kalol. The
mob had blocked the road using barrels, stones, heaps o sand and a car. In attempt-
ing to escape, the tempo skidded and oerturned. As people ell out o the tempo, 13
o them 5 women and 8 men including the drier, were killed by the mob with
swords and laria. amidst shouts o Maaro! Kaao! aao!` Kill! Hack! Burn!`, The
mob then burnt the dead bodies along with the tempo. The rest o the Muslim men in
the tempo managed to escape. The children begged the mob to spare their lies by
alling at their eet. The children and the suriing si women then ran on the road
towards the Goma rier, a part o the crowd chasing them. The leeing women re-
ceied seere sword injuries as the 15 odd attackers swung their swords at them.
Vhile the other women were able to run some distance urther, the attackers caught
hold o a woman name withheld, who was also carrying her 3-year-old son with her.
Her son ell down and watched, crying loudly, while his mother was stripped and raped.
The woman lost consciousness ater she was raped and, chopped with a sword on her
let leg. The men then let her or dead. The ictim`s aunt, Haleema Reshma Abdul, was
hiding in the bushes nearby and is an eyewitness to these happenings. Vhen the woman
ictim-surior regained consciousness, she was let with only the top o her salwar-kurta.
The two, the woman, her son and her aunt then moed towards Dailol. They went to a
Hindu`s Baria, house where her husband had let their 11-month-old daughter earlier while
leeing. It was only here that she got dressed, and ater which the two women and two
children hid in the ields or two days. Then on Monday, March 4, they managed to reach the
Kalol camp. No medical eamination was possible in the circumstances, and none was con-
ducted. Lyewitnesses state that Mumtaz, another woman rom Dailol, who died in the at-
tack, was killed as she was leeing rom the tempo. But she was not seually abused.
Suriors recognised some o the attackers and hae named them in their com-
plaints, which were submitted to the Kalol PS. The manager o People`s Bank, JP
Shah, the owner o \ijay talkies, Jaggubhai, were amongst the attackers. This inci-
dent, o the burning o a tempo near Ambika society near Kalol, is part o a com-
bined lIR in which three other incidents hae been clubbed together. The lIR men-
tions only 10 killed while according to eyewitnesses at least 13 persons were killed
and two were raped, with one rape ictim suriing. No crime o rape is registered
with the police despite written complaints, and it does not een ind mention in the
combined lIR. Two persons hae been arrested in connection with the tempo attack.
None o the main accused hae been arrested.
BORU
Boru is a illage in Kalol tava, about ie kilometres rom Kalol. It has about 165
Sunni Muslim households and an equal number o Hindu households. It is the only
illage in its immediate neighbourhood with any Muslim presence. Among the Hin-
dus, Barias are the largest in number with about 0 households, ollowed by Christian
\ankars 50 households,. There are also a sizeable number o Harijans, Banjaras,
Bharwads, Naiks, and a ew households o Brahmins, Sutars and Solankis. About
one-ourth o the Muslims hae some land, while another ourth are agricultural
labourers. The rest run small shops or are engaged in trades like autorickshaw driing
and masonry. Some o them hae manual jobs in the Gujarat Industrial Deelopment
Corporation GIDC,. All the Hindus hae agricultural lands.
One o the leaders o the attacking mob, Shankar Sinh Chandrasinh, has 40 acres,
a tractor, tubewell etc. He lost the recent Panchayat elections to the Congress .aravcl.
He announced a boycott o Muslims or supporting his opponent politically, and is
said to hae gone round illages mobilising people to attack in reenge.
On the night o lebruary 2, 2002, a meeting was held at Chatra Singh Khatubhai`s
house to plan attacks on Muslims. The attack was launched at 9 p.m. on lebruary 28,
when people rom neighbouring illages around Boru came and burnt a paan-beedi
cabin. They saw the Muslims patrolling the va.i so they went away. At about 6.30
p.m. on March 1, a mob o about 6,000-,000 men rom the neighbouring illages o
Bhadruli Buzarak, Bakrol, Kalol, and Boru ki Muadi came to Boru and were joined
by residents o Boru illage. The mob irst looted and then burnt Muslim houses as
well as the va.i and vara..a, shouting, Maaro, Kaao, aao!`Kill, Hack, Burn!`,
all along. The Muslims led to the ields, where they stayed all night and all day until the
eening o March 2. Noor Mohammad managed to lee to Kalol with his amily and
inormed the Kalol Muslim Pavcl. They in turn reported the happenings to the Kalol
police station, ater which they receied help rom the Kalol camp. A group o 40-45
people were let behind in the ields. At 10 a.m. on the net day, a ew o them went to
the .aravcl, Raju Baria`s house to ask him to phone Halol. Vhen they went back to the
ields, they were ollowed by a group o 30-40 people. As they were running, Shamsuddin
Majeed Bhai Balim ell down and was killed with swords and laria.. The others man-
aged to run away, and reached Kalol through a circuitous route. The rest, who were
hiding in the ields, were rescued by the army on March 3.
The local police reused to accept the common complaint that the Boru Mus-
lims tried to ile on March 5, 2002. The complaint was then sent by registered
post. They hae not got a copy o the lIR. The police at Kalol police station did
not attempt to meet the ictims, een though the station is just across the road
rom the reugee camp.
Ater the attack, the homes o the Muslim illagers were reduced to shells. The
Kamal Baba Dargah, some distance away, was broken and the illagers say that a
photo o Hanuman was initially installed there. That was later remoed but the
writing ]ai avvvav` and Rav` was still written across its walls. An annual vea is
held at the Dargah, where both Muslims and Hindus rom as ar away as Bombay
congregate. During this vea, traders including Hindus, do business o approi-
mately Rs.1 lakh eery year. All this has also been aected by the iolence.
MALVAN
In the case o this illage, two points o special note are: the role o the police and
the authorities at the time o the attacks and, later, at the time o achieing a
covromise,`. By May, most o the residents had either moed back ater compro-
mising and signing aidaits or were in the process o doing so. Relations between
Muslims and Hindus were cordial. There has been no history o any communal iolence
in Malan in the past. This is the irst time anything like this has eer happened in
Malan. But o late the illage had a strong presence o the \HP, RSS and Bajrang Dal.
On lebruary 28, 2002, a rally was organised by the Bajrang Dal and \HP at 4.30
p.m. The whole illage had gathered there. Ater the rally, at 6:30 p.m., the irst at-
tacks started. The irst structures to be attacked and destroyed were a concrete clabvtra
built to eed birds a Jain traditional structure which had been rebuilt by the Muslim
community, and then a vara..a. Three houses and shops near the bus stand were
attacked ater this, but no lies were lost.
By eening all the Muslims had let the illage and gone into hiding in the nearby hills.
Between Thursday lebruary 28, night and lriday March 1, morning, they called eery
oicial they knew or help, and een met some high authorities o Panchmahal district.
Then they came and lodged a complaint in the Santrampur police station. Police assured
them o help and dropped them back to Malan on lriday morning.
They also went to contacts in all political parties, who said, I you hae a problem,
go to the police.` Vhen they went to the police station, they were told that they hae to
go to back to Santrampur. Vhen the iolence started, on March 1, they were told that
there were not enough policemen to proide protection. The response they receied
rom the police was orer. aga, .e lai`there are orders rom aboe`,. By 3.00 p.m. on
March 1, the crowds started gathering again so the Muslim residents let their homes
and led to the hills where they remained in hiding. 25 vcca houses and all accla houses
belonging to Muslims were burnt down. The urniture and eerything o alue was
looted irst, the remaining consigned to lames. The damage is estimated at at least Rs.
2.5 crore. The major businesses belonging to Muslims hae already been destroyed and
some areas, where the Muslims had their shops,gaa. hae been taken oer by the Hin-
dus in the illage. There is no scope or any sort o recoery o this usurped space. On
March 2, people gradually returned to the illage. The same persons who were roam-
ing the illage with swords the preious night, oered them tea een as they were
sitting in ront o their burning houses. A retired CBI oicer helped them and they
escaped to the Santrampur camp on March 2.
An lIR iled by si persons rom Malan named 16 attackers. During the peace
meetings which were conducted between the Hindu and Muslim communities and
the state representatie, a ormula or compromise was put orth. It was agreed that
the Muslim residents would prepare aidaits withdrawing the names o the culprits
that they had included in the lIR and state that they had been misled and were wrong.
The lIRs would stand against unidentiied mobs rom outside, and, in echange, these
people would be allowed to come back and not be attacked. These aidaits hae
already been iled and people hae started moing back. The ulnerability o these
people is perhaps epitomised by a news report published in ave.l May 9, 2002,,
which stated that the Muslims had wrongly named innocent Hindus and hae now
taken them back. The report goes on to name the Muslims who hae taken back the
names as well as the Hindus whose names hae been taken back.
MO1A SARNAIYA
About 393 people rom this illage escaped with their lies on March 2, while all
their belongings were looted. Ater hiding in the jungle or a whole day, they were
taken by the army to the camp in Santrampur. They hae lost all their belongings.
This illage was in a somewhat unique position. These Muslims were not ready to
return to their illage. They said that they would rather die than go back to the illage.
All the residents were agreed on this and reused to go back at all despite the act that
there was tremendous pressure on them, as is on all other displaced people, to go
back. They requested that they be settled in Santrampur. The community is in dia-
logue with local administration on this issue howeer there is no result in sight.
Lidence collected through testimonies reeals that the women had their clothes
torn apart. Howeer, the residents o this illage categorically reused to talk about
seual assaults on women. It appears clear that their eperience o the mob attacks as
well as the ear o assault on women are some o the reasons why these people did
not want to go back to the illage at all, een though they hae been liing in Mota
Sarnaiya or 5- generations. There is a deep silence about the ears that make these
people so adamant not to return. There is also a eeling o deep isolation rom the
other illagers. Vhen the attack took place, the Muslim illagers ran to their Adiasi
neighbours or shelter. They reported haing had good relations with their neighbours
beore the attacks began, but who now said, Vho would protect people like you`
Now they hae been told by the other residents o their illage that i they want to
come back, they must lie and behae like us,` and not build any va.is or vara..a..
Not eeryone has receied compensation or their destroyed houses so ar and the
amounts that hae been receied are highly inadequate. They hae made a written
complaint naming 10 perpetrators o iolence in their illage. Despite their initial
reluctance to return, the Tribunal has been inormed, that by May 21, the men had
returned to clean up the houses and the amilies were also preparing to go back.
SAN1RAMPUR
This small town and its surrounding illages are at the border o Panchmahal and
Dahod districts. The team rom the lorum against Oppression o Vomen and Awaaz-
e-Niswan who isited Dahod, submitted testimonies about the camps in this town to
the Tribunal.
Santrampur town has a mied population, with 80 o the buildings belonging to
members o the Muslim community. Hindus and Muslims stay in totally mied areas.
Muslims own most o the shops rented to Hindu shopkeepers, so those hae not been
damaged. There is no strong RSS or \HP presence in the illages. Howeer, Muslims
in the illages on all our sides o Santrampur were targeted or attack.
The ast majority o physical attacks and destruction o property occurred within a
10 km radius o the town o Santrampur. \iolence began in earnest on March 1 and
lasted until March 3, 2002. The attacks lasted or roughly 20 days. An estimated 2000
people were aected in the Santrampur area. The relie camps in Santrampur housed
about 2,000 people rom March 1-1, a number that later reduced to 1300. As some
people are in the process o moing to their illages, this number is also decreasing.
Seeral hundred illagers rom \ajiakhut all 16 houses o Muslims were burnt,: 8
people 23 men, 18 women, 3 children,, Sant old city o Santrampur,: 326 99 men,
83 women, 155 children,, Nai \asahat: 181 46 men, 48 women, 8 children,, Mota
Sarnaiya, 18 km rom Santrampur, toward Sukhsar: 393 12 men, 108 women, 158
children, , Malan: 16 49 men, 45 women, 3 children,, Jala Sag: 14 4 men, 8
women, children,, Kadana: 346, had taken reuge in the camps.
By May 1, the central camp had been remoed and some people had returned to
their illages or to their relaties` homes. The remainder were housed in dierent
structures within the illage, i.e., a school, a cattle-auction market yard, and one or
two rooms in buildings in the town. Liing conditions were etremely poor, with no
access to medical attention, no income to purchase basic necessities, and complete
reliance on rations whose distribution was slow and quantity inadequate. There were
three smaller camps in Santrampur, housing people rom Nai \asahat, Mota Sarnaiya,
and Sant.
The camp in which the 400 people o Mota Sarnaiya illage were staying until May
2002, is actually a market place, ull o cow dung and lies. It was in a terrible state.
They did not hae tents, or any cloth,mattresses to spread on ground. There was also
no electrical connection and thus no ans or light. They had been using some water
rom a bore-well since the water tankers came to this camp at an aerage interal o
15 days. They had started cooking their morning meal in the camp itsel. The eening
meal was taken along with eeryone else in all the other camps. Many children and
women looked etremely ill and weak. They also needed medical, especially
gynaecological, serices.
Sant illage is actually the old city o Santrampur. There were around 326 people
rom Sant at the relie camp, who were housed in semi-constructed buildings in the
town. They arried here on March 1, and no one had gone back since. Most o their
houses and shops, which were burnt and looted, were in ront o the police clori.
The police helped the mob break open the locks o the shops and houses and ac-
tiely encouraged the mob to carry out looting. Today, all the shops and houses
belonging to the Muslim residents o Sant hae been looted and burnt. The army
only arried on March 3, when all had been looted and eerything had been reduced
to ashes.
In those cases where they hae receied compensation, these people, too, re-
ceied etremely inadequate amounts o compensation, and reuse to go back
until the guilty are punished and some accommodation and security is proided to
them. Some residents who hae been injured, hae iled complaints and hae
mentioned indiidual attackers by name but no action has been taken against
anyone so ar. The pressure on them, to arrie at a compromise and take back the
names, is etreme.
On lebruary 28, in Diwada Colony, 11 km rom Santrampur, Masood
Mohammad Hani Sheikh, a handicapped boy, was killed by a mob. A number o
the persons responsible were identiied and lIRs lodged, but as o early May, only
one had been arrested. In this incident a mob descended on the house and de-
manded that the women o the house be handed oer to them. Vhen the amily
reused to comply, they set ire to the house. People managed to run away rom
the house, which had been set on ire, but the boy who was trapped inside, was
attacked and killed. Diwada Colony is close to Mandi Mohri, rom where an-
other death was reported.
PIPLOD
Piplod is a town in Baria tava, with a large Muslim community. Among the non-
Bohra Muslims, the number o total aected households here is 190. On being at-
tacked, the people rom here escaped in dierent directions. In early May, some o
them were still at the Dahod camp while others were in Godhra and Baria. On lebru-
ary 28, 2002, seeral meetings o ivvtrai. took place in Piplod. They notiied the
.aravcl o the adjoining illages that all the Muslims o this illage would be burnt
alie and Piplod would be destroyed. Vhen this news reached the Muslim commu-
nity, they asked the ivvtra leaders to tell them the truth about their plans to kill
Muslims. The leaders only told them that they would hae to pay or what they did.
The Muslims then repeatedly asked or police protection, but the police also said that
Muslims would hae to pay or what they did and let the area. On the eening o
lebruary 28, at around 4 p.m., some timber depots were burnt and when Muslims
were trying to put out the lames, the leaders o the mob threatened to set them on
ire. So the Muslim leaders went home. Ten to twele depots were burnt by mobs led
by Ketan Parikh, Prithi Puwar .aravcl o Guna illage,, Bhuderbhai Mulabhai e-
.aravcl ,, Salia Manubhai \alabhai tava ravvl,, Pradipbhai Manabhai, Sunil
Rameshchandra Soni. Under the leadership o these people and other businessmen,
the mob rushed orward to set the whole illage on ire.
The mob burnt si buildings, seeral shops as well as cabins, belonging to Muslims
on Randhikpur Road. Vhen some Muslims tried to talk to the mob, they were also
attacked with a round o rile shooting. Meanwhile they approached the vavatar
and the proince oicer o Degarh Baria, who in turn announced a curew. As the
announcement was being made on a microphone, one o the local Hindu leaders,
Sureshbhai Gangaram Darji broke the microphone and told the oicers that there was
no need to impose curew in this illage and that Muslims must pay or what they
hae done. Thereater, both the vavatar and the proince oicer let or Baria.
At around 10:30 a.m. on March 1, Ketan Parikh assembled the Hindu leaders rom
surrounding illages in ront o his house and stated, in public, that all the Muslims
should be killed. He asked them to come around 10 p.m. that night, with people rom
their illages. He gae them arms, swords, laria., bows and arrows, and some bottles
o chemicals, and the mob let. At around 2 a.m. the mob started setting ire to the
illage chanting, Ketavblai ivaba.` By this time, other ivvtrarai. staying in the
Muslim area, had, en masse, shited elsewhere. The ierce mob started throwing stones
and arrows at the Muslims to orce them to leae the area. The Muslims pleaded with
them to stop the assault and asked or police protection. The police turned them
away, saying that they had receied no order so ar, and they asked the Muslims to
leae the illage lest the mob should kill them all. The Muslims eared that the police
would also be joining hands with the mob.
Then the .aravcl o Panchela illage, Ranchhodbhai Aahir, was inormed about
the attacks and told that Muslims had no protection, whereupon he oered them
protection in his house. By that time, the mob had already started throwing stones
and burning houses and va.is on Baria road which is the ba.ti where a large number
o Muslims stay. Muslims rom other parts o the town had also gathered in the big
va.i and in the houses there. They all decided to leae the illage and go to Panchela,
een though they could not get police protection or their journey. They were stoned
on their way to Panchela, and were again stoned on their way to Dahod, despite
haing police protection or this leg o the journey. They receied a ew minor and a
ew major injuries on their journey. Ater that, no Muslims were allowed to enter the
illage. Ten days later, when Idrismian Kasammian Malek, went to check the condi-
tion o his house, he was burnt alie near the old bus stand, using petrol.
Two months prior to the iolence, when the BJP lost in the local elections, Muslims
were warned by some men, Though you helped the Congress to win this time, our
time will also come. And then we will loot you and play loov i loi spray blood,.`
Their names are \inod Khemchand Agarwal, Rashmikant Rasik Soni, Gopal Amrutlal
Soni, Anilkumar Hashmukhlal Jayswal, Sureshbhai Gangaram Darji, Chandubhai
\ishanudas Nathani, Sunil Rameshchandra Soni, Mukesh Manilal Darji, Ashok kumar
Kantilal Solanki, Sunilkumar Goindlal Shah.
Although complaints hae been registered with the DSP and the collector, Muslims
were being told that i they wanted to lie in their illage they should not list any
names or else the attackers would kill some more o them. They got similar answers
at the police station. They were also told that i they identiied their looted property
as their own, they would not be allowed to stay in the illage, or that they would be
killed. They had registered 28 complaints with the police but no steps had been taken
until May. The 44 amilies rom Piplod who were staying at Dahod relie camp wanted
to go back to their illage. They had started cleaning up the houses and some, whose
houses were lieable, were already staying there. In a number o places, where Mus-
lims had their shops, Hindu shops had taken oer. Getting them to moe and reclaim-
ing their space is another thing or which people rom Piplod were ighting.
LIMKHLDA
Limkheda illage in Limkheda tava, has a majority Hindu population with ap-
proimately 50-55 Bohra and 20 other Muslim amilies. Bohras hae tetile and other
shops and the other Muslims hae small shops selling soaps, toothpaste, etc. Some o
the Muslims are butchers by proession and many young men plied autorickshaws.
About 6-8 weeks beore lebruary 2, 2002, a list o all Muslim households and
properties in the illage was prepared by persons led by a local \HP leader, who is a
deelopment oicer in LIC, Limkheda. He had been instigating people, saying things
like, These Muslims do not allow the vavir in Ayodhya,. They should be killed.`
On lebruary 2, trouble began in Limkheda. At about 3 p.m., a Muslim truck drier
was beaten up and a motorcycle belonging to a person rom Randhikpur, was burnt at the
bus stop. Later that aternoon, Muslims were orced out o buses and beaten up. Dvatta.
o women were pulled as the mob was chanted obscene slogans. At about p.m., protest-
ors came out onto the streets and started urging shopkeepers to close their shops.
One Bohra man was murdered in Limkheda on lebruary 28. Ten persons rom
Limkheda who were escaping to Pandu Gaon in Kalol tava were killed as they
were walking to Pandu illage rom Dailol station. Two children rom this amily
were in the Godhra camp. (.ee .ectiov ov Daio, Lerything in the houses was
looted, including rerigerators, cots, ans, electrical ittings, grills, doors, and win-
dows. Later, ceilings were damaged and houses burnt down. Most o the looted
items are now in neighbouring houses and police stations. Complaints were iled
but no action was taken against the culprits. Thereater, the attackers put saron
lags in ront o the houses, along with a board saying ]ai lri Rav!.` The va.i
has also been destroyed and they hae written lri Rav!` inside. Some people
rom the media had come to ilm all this, but the people in the illage did not let
them shoot. In \akdi illage, a church was also destroyed. The priest had been
attacked about si months preiously. In early March, only been looted. Then,
around the March 8-10, the houses were also burnt and then destroyed. Though
the walls are still standing, they are in a precarious condition and could collapse
any time because building oundations hae been ully destroyed. Some amilies
suered losses o at least Rs. 15-20 lakh. They were now staying with relaties in
Dahod and had receied only Rs. 12,000 as compensation and no cash dole or
immediate relie,. In Limkheda, the HLL agency suered a loss o Rs. 50-60 lakh.
Though eeryone had made compensation claims, ew receied any. The tava
oicials were completely unresponsie. A meeting with the vavatar and others
was held. They told the Muslims, \ou hae to lie here so orget all that hap-
pened and don`t register any complaints with names.`
MO1I BANDIBAR
Incidents o iolence in Moti Bandibar illage in Limkheda tava, were similar to
what happened in the rest o Limkheda tava. The population o the illage is about
4,000, o which 260 are Muslims, including about 45 Bohras.
\iolence started around 6 p.m. on lebruary 28. The .aravcl, along with some
other illagers came and told Muslims to leae their houses. They came to the ba.ti
near the police station. Here, the Muslim illagers were assured police protection.
About 150 people shited to one Hindu house that oered protection. The others ran
away to the jungle.
The irst thing they attacked was the va.i, at 6 p.m. All the ans, utensils etc.
were looted. The minarets and the Koran were burnt. The vavri was burnt alie.
Then the ba.ti near the police station was completely looted and two houses were
burnt. Ater that, een the house o the Hindu who had oered them protection
was burnt.
Police ehicles came to the illage at about 4 a.m., picked up the 150 people who
were hiding, and dropped them in Limkheda. By about a.m. on March 1, they reached
Dahod and stayed there, in the relie camp. The people who had run into the jungle
also came to Dahod by about 3 p.m. that day. O the people who ran to the jungle,
one was killed by a sword. lIRs had been registered in both cases o death. lor both
deaths, a cash compensation o Rs. 40,000 was receied, but, the bonds or Rs. 60,000
had not been receied till May.
The preious collector had the reugees moed back to Bandibar. There were around
25 to 30 Muslims liing there in May. Others had not returned because they were
scared. People who had land and houses in Bandibar wanted to go back, but those
who worked as casual labour did not.
ODL
Twenty-si persons were burnt alie in Ode illage in Anand district, which alls
under the Khambolaj Police Station area on March 1, 2002. \iolent incidents rom this
illage, howeer, were reported rom lebruary 28 itsel and these continued until March
2. Statements rom two ictim suriors placed beore the Tribunal say that the authori-
ties hae admitted only si deaths since the remains o only si persons were ound,
while the rest were disposed o at unknown locations. Two lIRs hae been lodged at
the Khambolaj Police Station. The irst is C.R.No.23,2002. U,s. 302, 148, 149 etc. and
the name o the complainant is Raiq Mohammed Abdulbhai Khalia. The second
complainant`s name is Rehanaben \usubhai \ohra C.R.No.2,2002,. She was an eye-
witness to the gruesome arson and killing. Twenty-two accused were arrested.
Ode illage is called an NRI illage. There are many rich traders here with tobacco
businesses. Around 200 homes in this illage, belonging to Muslims who worked
mainly in the tobacco ields as agricultural labourers, were concentrated in our pock-
ets - Sarewali Bhagol, Malao Bhagol, Pirawali Bhagol and Ode Nawabpura.
Vitnesses eplained that oer the past ie years, requent attempts were made to
pick ights with Muslims on any pretet to escalate tension between the two commu-
nities. Two months beore the carnage, the RSS,\HP had called a meeting at the
house o Haribhai \alabhbhai Patel, ater which posters o the \HP and RSS were
isible eerywhere. Throughout this period the Hindus kept claiming that Muslim
boys had been teasing and troubling Hindu women. Since then, Hindus had been
meeting in the ields. Vhen asked, they would reply the meetings were work related.
On lebruary 28, ollowing the Godhra incident, there was a lot o tension in the
illage. On March 1, people did not een go to the mosque or the morning vavaa. A
little later, some people - Harishbhai \alabhbhai, \asantbhai Poonambhai Patel,
Natubhai Sanabhai Patel among them - went to a Muslim volaa and told people
there not to be oerly worried by a rally that the Hindus were planning. Rally there
was none. Instead, around 2.00 p.m., an oer 3,000 strong mob armed with petrol
bottles, stones and petrol bombs came screaming, Maro! Kao!` They hurled abuses,
80
calling the Muslims bavi,ao` a derogatory term used to address Muslims,, urging
people to kill them and burn their houses.
The rightened Muslims, many o whom had locked themseles inside their homes, were
warned not to come out. Most Muslims led their houses and ran out. But 30 persons who
stayed paralysed in their houses were locked in by the mob rom outside. The houses were
then set on ire with petrol and kerosene. Two men managed to run away albeit with serious
burns, leaing behind 28 people - were young girls, two elderly women and the rest men.
Rehana \usubhai \ohra`s amily had keys to the house o a Hindu riend. They
ran and hid there or three days without ood or water. Lscaping rom there subse-
quently, they walked to Sureli camp, which was quite ar or shelter. lrom her hiding
place, Rehana had witnessed these 28 people being burnt alie.
The our Muslim volaa. were simultaneously torched. The two mosques and ie
argal. in the illage were all burnt and destroyed using LPG cylinders and bombs. By
the night o March 2, ater the our Muslim volaa. with their 200 houses, shops,
argal. and mosques had been burnt to the ground, a bulldozer was used to leel the
land. Vhat were once bustling Muslim volaa. now looked like open grounds.
As the attacks continued, in desperation, some people rom the illage contacted
larid, a Congress worker rom Sureli, to come and rescue them rom the illage. larid
enlisted the help o the police. Along with PI Bowa, he took a tempo and transported
the irst batch o Muslims to the saety o Sureli. On the way, some miscreants riding
on motorbikes tried to chase them and set ire to the tempo. But the tempo managed
to speed away. Ater dropping the irst batch o people at Sureli, larid tried to return
to Ode to get more people out. Howeer, the approach road had been blocked with a
tree, so he had to return to Sureli. lortunately, the remaining people did manage to
escape, ecept or a little boy and his old grandather, Sayed Ghulam Husain, who
could not walk properly. The boy managed to hide, while his grandather was burnt.
Those inoled in the iolence in Ode illage hae been identiied and named.
According to the statements o the witnesses, leading the mob were Dilipbhai
\alabhbhai Patel, Chotubhai Ranabhai Patel, Prakashbhai Jamnadas Patel and Hemand
Kumar Rathod. Harish \allabhbhai carried a petrol can, Nantubhai Sana carried a
long stick blaa, and Basant Poonambhai had a can o kerosene and a ava ire-
ball,, Lalabhai Bakoorbhai carried laria. sickles,. Also in the mob were
Ghanshyambhai Ambala, Deendrabhai Harshadbhai Patel, Prakashbhai Jashbhai Patel,
Dilipbhai Sanabhai Patel and Girishbhai Somabhai Patel.
The ictim-suriors hae also named those inoled in obstructing the sae passage
o aected people to Sureli. They state that the mobs arried in the ehicles o Haribhai
\alabhbhai Patel, Ganesh Panwala Odhi e-.aravcl, and Ashabhai Patel e-.aravcl,.
People who were leading the mob were Godabbhai Patel, Arindbhai Patel, Anil Kumar,
Niranjan Kumar Bobo,, Arind Ramabhai, Raoji Satarbhai, Rajubhai Samabhai and
Chotabhai Ramabhai Patel, the last two rom Dakoraad and Das Bungla. Chotabhai
Ramabhai Patel was the one who set Sayed Ghulam Hussain on ire.
The local police did help some o the people escape to Sureli. Their help was organised
by larid, a Congress worker rom Sureli. Ater the incidents the police arrested 23 Hin-
dus. Siteen o them were eentually released and the remaining seen were sent to jail.
lrom the statements presented beore the Tribunal and local reports, it is clear that local
Hindus were heaily inoled in the rioting, burning, looting and killing.
A BJP e-minister, Dilipbhai Mani, and his personal secretary Maheshbhai Raojbhai
Patel had taken on the responsibility o assisting with the legal deense o the ac-
cused. Two bail applications were iled on behal o the accused beore the sessions
court. The judicial magistrate, irst class, Umreth, rejected the remand application
een though the crime has been classiied as not just grae but heinous. A reision or
remand had been made by the police beore the sessions court, Anand.
During the pendency o the remand reision application, 18 o the accused were
released on interim-bail or eight days, to celebrate the Shiratri estial! Later, 16 o
the accused who were part o the unlawul assembly that committed the heinous
crime o burning alie 28 persons were released on regular bail by the sessions court,
Anand. That this action o the lower judiciary had generated a sense o injustice and
outrage among the ictim-suriors and other Muslims was communicated to the
Tribunal.
The reugees rom Ode illage were staying in the Sureli camp. Some time ater
that, they moed to other areas. There is, howeer, no question o their returning to
the their own illage.
The Tribunal recorded 64 oral and written statements rom Mehsana. This district,
too, saw two brutal massacres in the irst bout o post-Godhra iolence. One o them
was at Sardarpura illage, in tava \ijaypur, where, in a single attack, 33 Muslims
were electrocuted to death, 29 o them rom one amily. In the other case, 11 Muslims
were hacked and burnt to death in \isnagar town, a tava headquarter.
VISNAGAR
On lebruary 28, 2002,11 amily members o two Khan brothers were hacked and
some burnt thereater, in one o the Hindu-predominant localities, Deepda Darwaza,
in \isnagar town, Mehsana district, leaing just three suriors - \usubhai Khan,
his nephew, Pathan Ari Khan \akub Khan 13, and his niece, Noorjahan \akub
Khan 11,. Those killed included ie women, one man, and ie children. One child
was only 6-months-old. The two suriing children saw their amily members being
hacked and burnt with their own eyes.
Vith a deep sense o hurt and pain, \usubhai tells eeryone that een till the last
minute he had belieed that the attackers were all neighbours and would not kill his
amily members. Lngaged in wage labour or petty shop-keeping, the Khans lied in a
small cluster o huts in Hindu-predominant Deepda Darwaza.
Vitness Morad Khan 45,, a trader rom Deepda Darwaza said that in his volaa
there are oer 800 Patel Patidar, houses and some 20-25 Muslim houses. On lebru-
ary 28, at about 5-6 p.m. about 200 Patels o the volaa got together. Their leaders
were Lalitbhai Ladhabhai, Dahyabhai Madhabhai, Babubhai Purshottam Patel. Un-
der their leadership, all the Muslim houses in the volaa were looted and torched.
Vhat was ar worse, 11 members o the witness` amily were cut up and some were
burnt thereater. At the peace meeting held three days later, he pleaded or the re-
mains o his deceased amily members but they reused.
The attackers cut the dead bodies o some ictims to pieces and stued them in
gunny sacks that were dumped in the pond on Kada Road. The police later recoered
the bodies. The attack started at around 2.30 p.m., the police, who were called repeat-
N00888
edly, inally arried only at 5 p.m. The trapped Muslim residents were rescued only
ater that. 1le 1ive. of Ivia reported on March 12 that with the retrieal o two bags
illed with bones, a ew skulls and remains rom Malap Pond, where the sewage rom
\isnagar gets collected, the district police had traced the remains o all 11 persons
reported missing rom this area.
The witness had named 65 persons in his complaint but not one o them had been
arrested till May. Later, eighteen persons were arrested and then released. All o
them are rom my locality, not just rom the illage.` Moreoer, according to \usubhai,
they were arrested in connection with smaller oences committed earlier. SP A Gehlot
now transerred, had sent the ictims` remains or eamination to the Central loren-
sic Science Laboratory. The accused include Daya Purushottam, Babubhai Purshottam
Patel, Ramesh Daya Madhabar, the person accused o supplying arms to the killers is
the BJP MLA, Prahladbhai Mohan Lal Patel Ghosa.
There were about 100 Muslim amilies liing in all o \isnagar constituting a tiny
percentage o the town`s total population. Apart rom the massacre o the11 amily
members, elsewhere in the town, too, Muslims suered substantial deastation and
casualties. A iolent Hindu mob o about 10-12,000 people attacked the arious
Muslim clusters on the aternoon o lebruary 28. The attackers were armed with
swords, laria. sickles,, sticks, acid, petrol, lighters and country-made bombs.
In another part o \isnagar town, Kaziwada, one Ashrabhai was attacked with a sword.
His sister Zainabbibi and neighbours Hanibhai and \unusbhai Mansuri took him in a
handcart to the ciil hospital. Thereater, \unusbhai disappeared and has not been seen
since. Zainabbibi, Hanibhai and Ashrabhai were taken to the third loor o the hospital
and thrown down rom there. Vhile Hanibhai and Ashrabhai died, Zainabbibi, who was
alie, was dragged up the stairs and thrown down again. Acid was then poured on the
bodies, and they were also slashed with swords. Noor Jehan, a witness, was in the hospital
when this happened. According to her, all the attackers were outsiders, there were 50-60
attackers who had entered the hospital and killed the three persons.
In another locality, Khada Darwaza, about 15-20 Muslim men and children were
injured in an attack. As the mob approached this locality, about 100 women hid in a
house, while the men tried to resist the attack by hurling back stones. The conronta-
tion continued or about 2-3 hours.
According to the suriors, the local MLA, Prahladbhai Mohan Lal Patel Ghosa
was the main instigator. He had organised seeral meetings in the town and had been
heard announcing a reward o Rs. 5 lakh or eery Muslim killed and guaranteeing
that there would be no case or imprisonment.
Vitness Imran Haniebhai Behlim, a egetable endor in \isnagar, lost his ather in
the iolence. Some persons rom a mob killed his ather, Haniebhai Dawoodbhai
Behlim, with a sword on lebruary 28. There were 15-20,000 people in the mob but
I do not remember anyone`s names.` His ather, who was taking someone or medical
treatment, was killed just outside the hospital. The police did not gie him any pro-
tection but ired at the amily when they were taking the deceased or burial.
Seeral hundred Muslims rom \isnagar who hae led to Sawala were too scared
to go back. The 84 autorickshaws that they plied or a liing are now idle as it is
dangerous or the driers to ply them. Students who attempted to go to school contin-
ued to be threatened by groups o 10-15 people. As late as early May, sporadic inci-
dents o attacks on Muslims continued to take place. They recognise some o the
attackers, all Patels. According to them, een Patel women participated in the attack,
throwing stones on Muslims rom the roo tops.
SARDARPURA
Muslims constituted about 10 per cent o the total population o Sardarpura, in
Mehsana district, which included about 25 amilies o Pathans, 20 o Sheikhs
Ghanchis, and about 20 amilies o Mansuri Muslims. On lebruary 28, 2002, at
about 9 p.m., seeral kiosks owned by Muslims, Harijans and Rawals were burnt in
Sardarpura by a mob o local Hindus. The police were called but the attack continued
een in their presence and een ater they had let. learing urther attack, the Mus-
lims again called the police the ollowing day. Led by two sub-inspectors the police
arried in two jeeps. The idea o orming a peace committee was mooted and names
o people rom arious communities were short-listed. A meeting was ied or 4 p.m.
Apart rom the .aravcl and an e-.aravcl both Patels,, representaties rom Harijans,
Rawals, Prajapatis and Muslims reached the enue but the Patels stayed away. The
.aravcl, too, let the enue shortly saying he would try to get the Patels. He did not
return.
An electrician promptly repaired the streetlights o the illage, which were not
working or about a month prior to the incident, that eening. A halogen light was
installed near the colony o the Sheikhs and a long wire was attached to the same
point. By 9.30 p.m., a Hindu mob rom 8-10 illages started collecting in Sardarpura.
All the three Muslim localities o Pathans, Sheikhs and Memons, were simultaneously
attacked. Vhile shops were being burnt in the localities o the Memons and the Sheikhs,
houses o the Pathans were stoned.
The two sub-inspectors were still in the illage when the attack started. Making e-
cuses about going to the other end o the illage to stop the attack on the Memon shops,
they disappeared and gae inaccurate eedback to the SP that eerything was all right in
the illage. In the Sheikh locality, a two-year-old girl child was lung and killed by the
mob. Some o the Muslims ran to the Rawals` houses or shelter, together with the
Rawals then ran away through the ields. One person saed himsel by hiding in a grae.
Thirty-one people, mostly women and children, had taken shelter in a house in the
Sheikh locality. The mob surrounded the house, locked them all in a room, and threw acid
at them rom outside. An iron rod, attached to the loose end o the lie wire was then
shoed inside the room packed with Muslims. This instantly electrocuted 29 persons to
death. Two children who ell beneath the pile o bodies somehow suried the attack.
linally, ater receiing desperate pleas rom trapped Muslims on phone, the SP, A
Gehlot, reached the illage with two ehicles at about 2.30 a.m. The Sardarpura sur-
iors were rescued and taken to Sawala illage. The police ound that the roads out
o Sardarpura were blocked at requent interals up to Ladol, 9 km away, to preent
the Muslims rom escaping. An lIR was lodged and 28 persons named by suriors.
One o the chie accused, Chandra Kant is a Bajrang Dal actiist. As o early May, he
had still not been arrested.
KADI
Kadi town is one o the tava headquarters o Mehsana district, situated about 50
km rom Ahmedabad. The town has approimately 35 per cent Muslims. lebruary 28
witnessed mob attacks on dierent Muslim inhabited areas and Muslim commercial
establishments in the town. In all, 56 shops were set aire, our argal. damaged and
one mosque was destroyed. The police registered 18 lIRs coering the dierent inci-
dents in the town. In one o the lIRs, prominent persons o Kadi, including Ramesh
Bachhubhai Patel, a municipal councillor, were named as accused. All the 13 accused
were arrested on March 25. The ery net day, the SP was transerred. It was alleged
that the transer was punitie since he had reused to toe the goernment line. The
chie minister reuted these allegations and justiied the transer as a promotion. How-
eer, on the ery day o the transer, the 13 accused were released rom custody.
Gujarat cabinet minister Niteen Patel hails rom here.
On March 28, there was re-escalation o tension in Kadi when the persons released
led a ictory procession (.lobla ,atra`, through the town, accompanied by a renetic
beating o drums. The net eening, a small mob set ire to a kiosk owned by a
Muslim and pelted stones at Muslim properties. By 10 p.m., a 500 strong mob started
an attack near Kinara Talkies. Another mob attacked the shops owned by Bohra
Muslims in \orad area. The Bohras repulsed the attack and stone pelting between
the two sides continued or some time. A police party used tear gas to disperse the
Bohras. Through the night, 45 Bohras and 25 Muslims rom the Kasba area were
arrested. Muslim women staged a demonstration outside the police station on the
morning o March 30, demanding the release o those arrested. The women contin-
ued their protest despite atli-charge and the use o tear gas by the police. linally, the
0 arrested people were released.
lollowing the iolent incidents o the preious night, a BSl party arried at Kadi
in the morning. Both the SP and the collector were present in the town when the mob
attacks resumed at around 10.30 am. Until 1 p.m. dierent group o attackers tar-
geted Muslims settlements. The major attack occurred at Kalalwas, a locality inhib-
ited by 100 Ghanchi Muslim amilies and 300 Patel Hindu amilies. The mob came
armed with irearms, eplosies, swords, and laria.. A posse o 8 policemen posted
at Kalawas remained mute spectators.
At 11 a.m., Razak \azir Kalal, a ruit seller, receied our gun shot wounds. lortu-
nately, he receied medical help in time and suried. In his statement to the police,
he identiied one Amrit alias Dada as the one who opened ire as well as other leaders
o the mob. All the Muslim residents o Kalawas tried to escape to other localities.
Mohammed Jaed, who worked as a cleaner, was leeing with others when stones
were pelted at them. He was trying to aoid being hit when a bomb was hurled. He
tried to stop it with his hand and it eploded. His hand was blown o at the wrist.
The residents kept making desperate phone calls to the SP and the BSl commandant
but to no aail.
Curew was declared at 1 p.m. but by then 36 houses in Kalawas were destroyed by
ire and the rest had been looted and damaged. Around 3 p.m. one house was set on ire
in the Sahdwas locality. Two hours later, the house owner, Ismail Ghanchi 0,, went to
look at the damage. An eyewitness had accompanied Ismail and identiied the attack-
ers, who included the local president o the Bajrang Dal. The BSl, which was deployed
by the district administration at 5 p.m., staged a lag march and iolent incidents ceased.
In their complaints to the police, the ictims had identiied oer 125 persons rom
the mob. Only one lIR was registered or the entire period, and coered all the dier-
ent incidents listed aboe.
Dahod is close to Panchmahal district where Godhra is located. Biurcated rom
the Panchmahal district, and close to the Rajasthan border, this district eperienced
acute iolence and killings during the post-Godhra carnage. The irst attack began on
lebruary 28, 2002 itsel, the day ater the Godhra tragedy, suggesting leels o pre-
planning beore the attacks took place. The destruction o property was so ocused
that it leaes no ground but to conclude that this was a pre-planned and co-ordinated
operation carried out with military precision.
In Dahod district, the aected illages are Sanjeli, \ansia, Mandli, Kakreli, Picchoda,
Anika Jhalod tava, and Dungarpur Limkheda tava., Lery single household and
business establishment belonging to the Muslim community was looted and burnt in
illages such as Sanjeli, Sukhsar, Piplod and latehpura.
Sanjeli has the largest number o Muslim households, there are 89 Bohra houses in
Sanjeli alone,, with 311 amilies occupying 400 houses. Amongst the Ghanchi com-
munity, there were 1,921 aected persons rom Sanjeli alone.
On the irst day, the attacks were aimed at Muslim properties located either in
Hindu-dominated areas like the market places or on the illage outskirts. This initial
oray was a mere warning o things to come - a build-up to what was to ollow. Not
much damage was done that day, and the mobs were not large. The same day, Hindu
houses in Muslim ba.ti. were marked with saron lags or pictures o Ram and
Hanuman or with crosses. Signiicantly, some places reported that this marking was
done a ew days beore lebruary 2.
In most places, the attacks started in the aternoon o March 1, 2002. lor three
days, Muslims were orced to lee, leaing eerything behind. In eery illage they
irst tried to take reuge in the va.i or the ew concrete houses that belonged to
Muslims, but in many places, these were attacked and set on ire. Most people man-
aged to lee in ehicles or on oot but in eery case they were chased and attacked.
Trees were elled to obstruct those leeing rom the clutches o renzied, armed mobs.
Although some managed to reach saer places`, many were caught by the mobs,
and dismembered, murdered and burnt alie. Vomen were stripped, and physically
08000
and seually assaulted. Some o the dead bodies hae not been ound. Some people
were killed or died while leeing and were inally buried only when a sae` place or
the liing, and the dead, was ound.
RANDHIKPUR
In Randhikpur illage, Singad post, there were 1 houses belonging to the Muslim
community, in addition to which there were 14 grocery shops, aav and arious other
Muslim owned businesses. There is a mosque and a vara..a in the illage. On the
night o lebruary 28, 2002, at around 2 a.m., a mob o around 400-500 people, led by
the below-mentioned accused, targeted this section with cans o petrol and diesel.
They irst looted and then burnt our Muslim houses. The mob returned around 8
a.m. the net morning, with lethal weapons and material to carry on looting and burn-
ing. In addition, they also torched the mosque and the vara..a.
The crowd returned at about 10-11 a.m. on March 1, and looted and torched the
remaining houses. In addition, a lot o liestock, about 200 cows, goats, bullocks etc.
were stolen. These incidents were witnessed by the entire Muslim community rom
aar. The lIR was sent to the SP and collector by a.
The mob was led by the ollowing accused: Rameshkumar R. Chandana .aravcl,,
Shailesh C. Bhatt, Mitish C. Bhatt, Pradip Ramanbhai Modhia, Naresh Ramanbhai
Modhia, Goind Hukam Rawal, Jaswant Rawal, Gopaldas Babulal Shah, Shreepal
Ajablal Jain, \ikas Subhash Jain, Gopal Dama Rawal, Goind \arsing Bilwad,
Radheshyam B. Shah lawyer,, Ashish B. Shah, Bhagubhai Kuar Shah, Kesar Khima
\ahomia, Rajukant Modhia came with jeep no. 3605,, Mukesh Pawar \anjara,
Umeshkumar Shah doctor,, Maukabhai Mansingh Guniji, Raju Chhagan Harijan,
Shankar Chhagan Harijan, Maat Moghilal Prajapat, Harshad Kantilal Patanwadia,
Natu Dala Parmar, Bharat Raal, Dae Raju Magan Maharaj, Khicha \ahomia,
Pankajkumar Naran Luhar, Ashok Naran Luhar, Raju Karan \anjhara, Mangalbhai
Mogilal Prajapati, Pradyumbhai Majisaiik came in car no. GJ-1--528,, Gopal
Prakash Modhia, Jignesh Prakash Modhia, Dilip Manalal Darji, \ijaykumar Ramanlal
Modhia, Harish B. Shah, Manish B. Shah, Kambhai Lalit Bairyawala tailor,, Dilip K.
Chandana, Kanti Kadakia Shilot, Lakshman Bhabor Dasana,, Natu Dhirsingh
Sangada, Bharat Dhirsingh Sangada, Kambhai Master Dasa,, Padamsingh Labana
Bandibarwala, Kamleshkumar Manharlal Dae, Pramukhkumar Bhagabhai Dabgar,
Rajubhai Babulal Soni, Mahesh Sualal Shah, Budhabhai Shamabahi Bilwad,
Umeshkumar Gopikrishan Shah, Nileshkumar Anadilal Shah teacher,, Rajeshkumar
Anandilal Shah.- all named in the lIR, are residents o Randhikpur. lrom outside
Randhikpur there were: Jaswantbhai Patel Chhapan Road, Limkheda tava, came in
his car, Mahendra drier, Chhaparwad, came in car No. GJ-1-C-2853, Narsingh,
.aravcl Dhamanbhai rom outside,.
Vitnesses rom Randhikpur who deposed beore the Tribunal said that until the
eening o lebruary 28, there was no apparent tension in the illage. One surior,
told the Tribunal that it was late in the eening o lebruary 28 when the wie o
Mehmoodbhai Majod started shouting to alert other Muslims because she saw that
ields had been set on ire. Muslims rom the illage ran to the mosque, which was
being attacked. Although there is a police clori in the illage, where the ictims did
appeal or help, the police just did not come. Vith no help orthcoming, the Muslims
rom Randhikpur led the illage and escaped to a hillock close by. Ater hiding there
or a ew hours, they walked to Chunadi illage nearby, where the Congress MLA,
Bijalbhai Damor lies. Ater a drink o water here, they then let or Kujaal illage,
where they took reuge on the terrace o the local mosque.
lor the net three nights and our days, the Muslims lied in abject terror. Lach night
they would hide in the hills, and during the day, they would go on oot to the net
illage, seeking water and shelter. Vomen and children went without water and ood.
Unable to take it any more, they returned to Kujaal illage, where one pregnant woman
whose baby was due, gae birth to her child. Seenteen persons stayed back at the
illage with her. The rest, about 150 persons, including children but no men, let that
night, to go to Chunadi illage where the Congress MLA lied. They appealed to him to
do something or them, saying that their children would die o thirst and hunger. They
had gone without water and ood or our days. He organised a ehicle or them at
around 4 p.m. on March 3. They irst went to Limkheda, and then, our days later, on to
Godhra. The witnesses had been in the Godhra relie camps eer since.
They chose not to go ia Baria because, that ery day, our Muslims had been killed
on the road to Baria. They were hung rom a tree, doused with kerosene and burnt alie,
screaming. The witness` nephew, her brother-in-law`s 18-year-old son,, a ather o ie
and two other young boys were the 4 who were killed on the road to Baria.
Another witness, who was part o another group o persons leeing rom Randhikpur
illage, testiied about their escape. She said that a mob started pelting them with stones,
ater which they torched the houses with tyres. Though two companies o police, with
guns, came rom Limkheda, they did not ire on the attacking mob. The Limkheda
police told the ictims to lee i they wanted to stay alie. Vhen the police said this, and
seeing how the police were allowing their homes to be burnt beore their eyes, this group
o Randhikpur residents rented a tempo, and headed towards Baria. They went hungry
and were without water or two days
On the way, at Hawanti, a crowd o 200 to 300 people stopped them. They were
carrying weapons like sickles, aes, swords and sticks. They stopped the tempo and
went ater them. Hal the persons in the crowd surrounded the witness` 25-year-old
son, Kalu Razzak Ibrahim Shaikh, who had got separated rom the others, and killed
him as the rest o his group watched. Ater killing him they burnt him. The witness, a
mother o two sons, lost one o them this way. She was then beaten up and her arm
was broken. Her younger son was beaten unconscious and his backbone was broken.
I don`t know which weapon I was beaten with but my whole body was bleeding. Ve
were rescued later and gien water to drink.`
Vhen the Tribunal recorded this witness` testimony, two months ater the tragedy,
her misery was palpable. A widow, she had been liing at the Godhra camp with her
younger son, torn apart by the act that her other son`s body had not been ound, or
her to perorm the last rites. She said many persons were killed in this attack but the
eact number was diicult to state because eeryone was running helter-skelter. She
had lost consciousness. None o the witnesses rom Randhikpur had dared return to
the illage until May. She had receied no compensation until then.
The testimony o a 19-year-old woman, a ictim o seual assault and rape, along
with that o her neighbour, was placed recorded by the Tribunal. Both residents o
Randhikpur, they were interiewed at the Godhra relie camp on March 22. They
were set upon by a mob just outside the illage, on the highway going towards Baria,
as they were leeing on lebruary 28. lourteen persons rom the witness` natal and
marital amily were butchered and killed - rom her ather`s amily and rom her
in-laws` side. Vomen and young girls were raped beore being killed. The witness`
3'-year-old daughter was brutally killed ater being swung on a sword. This witness
was also a ictim o gang rape. She suried because she was mistaken as dead, on a
heap o other dead bodies. The ictim was ie months pregnant when she was so
criminally assaulted. The amily had stayed behind in Randhikpur because o the
impending deliery o her cousin.
This ictim has iled an lIR: On lebruary 23, it being Id, I had gone to my mother`s
home with my little girl. On lebruary 2, because o the incident at Godhra railway
station, there was tension and iolence in the surrounding illages. In order to sae
our lies, at about 10 o`clock on the morning o lebruary 28, a total o 16 people
rom our house - I, my two sisters and two brothers, our mother, my little girl, my
maternal uncle, my paternal aunt and her husband and their daughters - let
Randhikpur or Baria on oot. Vhen we ound out that there was iolence eery-
where, we stopped at Bijal Damor in Chuddi illage. Around midnight, we went and
hid in the Kujaal mosque.
The daughter o my paternal aunt who was pregnant, gae birth to a girl there.
Around 10 o`clock the net morning, we went to Khudra and stayed with Adiasis or
two days. Two days later, early in the morning, we came to Chhaparwad. Ve were
walking down a accla road to sae our lies. Vhile passing between two hills, two
ehicles came in the direction o Chhaparwad and Randhikpur with 30 to 40 people in
them. This included Shailesh Bhatt, Raju Soni, Lala doctor, Goind Nana, Jaswant
Nai, Lalo \akil, who is the son o Bhagu Kuerji and Kesar Khima, Baka Khima
\asaa. All o them are rom Randhikpur so we recognised them. The others were rom
Chhaparwad, whose names we did not know, but whom I would recognise i I see them.
All had lethal weapons in their hands - swords, spears, scythes, sticks, daggers, bows
and arrows. They started screaming, Kill them, Cut them up!` They raped my two sisters
and me and behaed in an inhuman way with my uncle and aunt`s daughters. They tore our
clothes and raped 8 o us. Beore my ery eyes they killed my 3'-year-old daughter.
The people who raped me are Shailesh Bhatt, Lala doctor, Lalo \akil and Goind
Nana, all o whom I know ery well. Ater raping me, they beat me up. Haing been
injured in the head, I ainted. They let, assuming I was dead.
Ater two to three hours, when I regained consciousness, on seeing the corpses o
my amily members, I was terriied. I climbed a hill and stayed there all night.
In the morning, when the police came to know about this attack, they came to take
the corpses and ound me alie. My clothes were torn so they brought me some clothes
rom the house o an Adiasi staying at the oot o the hill. Then they brought me to
Limkheda and rom there I was brought to the relie camp at Godhra.
The aboe-mentioned people raped my deceased sisters and me, as well as the
daughters o my maternal uncle and my paternal aunt. They killed all the people
ecept mysel. lor all these reasons I say that legal action should be taken against the
aboe-mentioned people.`
The accused are Shailesh Bhatt, Raju Soni, Lala doctor, Goind Nana, Jaswant
Nai, Lalo \akil, who is the son o Bhagu Kuerji and Kesar Khima, Baka Khima
\asaa all rom Randhikpur,.
SANJLLI
Sanjeli in Jhalod tava, has a population o around 550 Hindus and about the same
number o Muslim amilies. lor two ull days on March 1 and 2, 2002, a 10-12,000
strong mob armed with swords and guns wreaked haoc in the illage. Thirteen to
ourteen people were butchered. The local police did nothing. 550 Muslim amilies
rom Sanjeli shited to Dahod camp or shelter. Sanjeli was cordoned o or two
whole days. It was the Dahod DSP who took the suriors to the camp in his car. In
the illages o Dahod, 2,500-3,000 strong mobs went on the rampage.
On lebruary 28, there was no trouble in the illage. The net day, on March 1, ater
the aternoon vavaa, the mob came and started throwing stones. They also attacked
the houses on the outskirts o the illage and burnt some o them. All through the
night they created trouble outside the illage.
The net day, on March 2, a large crowd, maybe 15-20,000 people, entered the
illage. They set ire to shops, houses and ehicles and attacked the Muslims. They
carried guns, bows and arrows, laria. sickles,, swords, tri.lv., and they were shout-
ing slogans and hurling all kinds o abuses. The sort o slogans they shouted were,
Musalmans go to Pakistan, Hindustan is ours.`
The police did not do anything to stop the mobs. At that time, one person died in
priate iring by the mob. All oer the illage, the mobs had set things on ire. Then
the SDM came and ordered a curew in the illage and talked to the illagers. The
Muslims were told to go inside their houses and, because shoot at sight orders had
been gien, they went inside. The curew, howeer, was not implemented and the
mob kept up the attack in the presence o the local police and Home Guards. The
mobs were not dispersed or asked to leae.
Much later, the SP came and spoke to the Muslims, and said that i they wanted to
be sae, they should moe to Dahod. He personally escorted them out o the illage
to Dahod. Len when the Muslims were leeing the illage in ehicles, there was
stone throwing and priate iring all along the way. Vhile taking them to Dahod, the
SP put his own lie at risk, too. On the way, one o the ehicles had a punctured tyre
near Rayaniya illage. lour people were burnt alie here. Two o these were women,
who were raped and then burnt. Due to the stone throwing and the suocation, many
people lost their lies while leeing.
Len ater all the Muslims had let or Dahod, the destruction continued. They
remoed all the windows and doors rom Muslim houses and destroyed the houses
completely. The Hindu houses were saed because they had been marked with a cross
or saron lags that were put on them preiously. To date, the local police hae not
taken any action against those responsible.
Ater the people let the illage, eery house and shop was burnt and looted. All the
religious books were burnt. The va.i and vara..a were also completely destroyed.
There are obscenities scratched on the walls. Inside the va.i it was written, Hindustan
is or Hindus and Muslim should go to Pakistan.` On the walls, the names o Hindu
Gods were written. The va.i was dug up inside, all the vivara. minarets, o the
va.i were broken and it had saron lags mounted on it. There is one church in
Sanjeli, which was also destroyed in the same manner. It is now completely bare and
a saron lag has been mounted on top. All the surrounding trees were cut and the
garden was completely destroyed.
The \HP, Bajrang Dal and the RSS hae been running membership dries in these
areas. They hae opened and hae been running new .lala. cells, since 1995. Be-
ore this too, in 1998, there was iolence against Muslims in the illages o Sanjeli
and Randhikpur. In 1998, on August 14-15, Muslims rom Randhikpur and Sanjeli
were threatened, traumatised and boycotted. They had to lie outside their illages
or 2-3 months. A lealet distributed at the time propagated the relentlessly diisie
strategy o these groups. (ee .vvevre 11 ate !ritivg, 1ovve I,. lact-inding teams
rom the PUCL and other local groups, who isited the area had also published a
report o the same. There had been an incident where two Adiasi women, one o
whom was married, had eloped with two Muslim men rom Sanjeli and Randhikpur.
The \HP and the Bajrang Dal used this incident to incite the local Adiasi commu-
nity in these illages against the Muslim community. At that time, our years ago, the
illagers had inally returned to their houses, which were not looted or damaged in the
manner that they were this year. The eloped couples were ound, a police case iled
and settled later.
In Sanjeli there are still some Dalit and Adiasi women who hae married Muslim
men and lie with their husbands. This has always angered the RSS and Bajrang Dal.
This time round too, the \HP has been demanding that any Adiasi women married
to Muslims should be handed back to their organisations. They are also demanding
that the children o the Dalit women who are married to Muslims should be handed
oer to them.
Lidence placed beore the Tribunal records statements o Muslim residents o
Sanjeli that this kind o mobilisation had been consistently going on in the illage
beore the attacks. Just three months prior to the recent attacks, or eample, there
were huge meetings in which the \HP and Bajrang Dal had announced that Sanjeli
will Burn.` And burn it did.
Three months later, this town looked like some ghostly archaeological sight. In lane
ater lane, all one could see were rows o houses that had been completely deastated.
There were no roos and no walls, eerything had been burnt, with not a shred o anyone`s
belongings being isible. Lery house had been stripped to the ground.
In one lane in the midst o these ruins, there were two Hindu houses, which had
saron lags luttering and Ram and Hanuman written on them. These houses were
intact, undamaged. Len the paint on the outer walls looked untouched by the de-
struction all around. I one raised one`s head to look beyond these lanes, then one
saw lie going on uninterrupted in other houses.
Many women and men recounted that when they were leeing the mobs in tempos
and trucks, many people were gathered alongside the road with stones and threw
them on the people in the trucks, tempos and jeeps rom the surrounding hillsides.
Almost all had some sort o injury, seeral were seerely injured in these attacks and
many died in this nightmarish escape. They also recounted how not all people could
escape in ehicles so many escaped into the jungle and walked to Dahod or three
days without ood and water, seeral with young children.
There was etensie seual abuse o women. Howeer, there was a great reluc-
tance to talk about these incidents on the part o women ictim-suriors. It was only
alluded to in the case o women who had been killed. Only we know and our Allah
knows what we hae lied through.` Howeer, they did recount, repeatedly, how the
two women who had been pulled out rom the tempo while leeing were raped and
then burnt.
Among the accused identiied by the illagers, there are many who were also re-
sponsible or the brutal attacks against Christians in 1998. The accused named here
are Dalsukhdas Maharaj, Mukesh Nandkishor Purohit, Jagdish Premchand Jain, Dimple
Occhalal Desai, \ijaysinh Dalpatsinh Raolji, Prakash Jagannath Dhobi, Ramchandra
Ghanshyam Agrawal, Digijaysinh M. Chauhan, \aktabhai Salabhai Khant,
Chandubhai Prajapati, Ramesh Maharaj Nenki .aravcl,, Shankar Kotha Prajapati,
Bhopat Luna Prajapati, Chadiya Ghala Harijan, Prakash Shomabhai Raal, Popat
Somabhai Raal drier,, Mansingh Raat Picchhoda,, Shashikant Mahida, Pardhibhai
Kamabhai Marel, Dalsingh Bhagabhai Marel, Tajsingh Bhundabhai Marel, Ashok Bhoi.
The residents o Sanjeli hae made a consolidated written complaint and also attempted
to ile indiidual lIRs with the police. The police made a general lIR or the illage and
did not include any o the names o the accused in it. They did not register any indiidual
lIRs and no action was taken against anybody. The police also added something in the
lIR against the Muslim community, which was not there in the complaint submitted by
the residents. The police record said that some Muslim people attacked a ew Adiasis
whereupon the crowd got out o control and attacked the illage. No such incident had
taken place and this was a complete abrication. The Muslims made an aidait correcting
this in court. All these documents were submitted to the Tribunal.
In Vasia illage, there are only 12 Muslim homes amidst 200-300 homes belonging
to Adiasis. On March 2, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., a crowd o 3,000-5,000 at-
tacked the Muslims and started looting but the 12 Muslim amilies somehow man-
aged to escape. The Dahod police station has not registered an lIR.
IA1LHPURA
latehpura and Karodia in latehpura tava, are not two separate towns - they are
almost like one settlement. Together, these towns hae a total population o about
6,000. The Muslims in these areas did not hae a separate locality as such. Their
houses were scattered all oer the town, on dierent roads like Ballaiya Road also
known as Karodia,, Ukhreli Road, Ghooghas Road, Jhalod Road, Main Bazaar, Palod
lalia, Naik Vad, and Tala lalia. In all, there were about 200-250 aected Muslim
amilies rom latehpura. Vhen the Tribunal isited the place, some o the amilies
were staying with relaties in an adjacent district o Rajasthan.
About 200 Bohra persons were also staying in separate localities in Dahod and
Lunaada. The total aected population rom latehpura and Karodia, was1,920 people,
including around 200 Bohra Muslims.
The iolence here took place rom lebruary 28 to March 4, 2002. lour people were
killed. A 65-year-old man who was mentally ill Mohammad Ishabhai, was burnt alie
and two others \usu Mohammad and Ahmad Karim, were stabbed to death when
they tried to interene and preent aggressie iolence on women. The ourth death
was that o a 3-year-old child who ell and died while people were being taken away
in an oer-crowded ehicle.
At around 8.30 p.m. on lebruary 28, a mob o Hindus rom the illage came to the
main bazaar area near the mosque and shouted slogans and threw stones at the mosque
and at the people. Threatening slogans were also shouted.
On the eening o March 1, one house was looted and burnt and more than two
ehicles were burnt and destroyed on Ukhreli Road which is about 2 km rom the
main illage, on the outskirts o latehpura,. There was erbal abuse and physical
harassment o women. In latehpura proper, a mob rom the illage came and shouted
and made a lot o noise, threatened people and then went away. The identiication o
Hindu homes, by putting some Hanuman,Ram photographs and posters on them,
took place at that time.
At 9 a.m. on March 2, curew was clamped in the town. Vitnesses say that a police
patrol car with two policemen in it droe up and asked people to go into their houses.
At this point the mob was still some distance away. Ater this round by the police
patrol, a large mob approached. Vhen the mob entered the illage, the police was
nowhere to be seen. People`s perceptions o the size o the mob aried rom 8,000 to
20,000, but it was clear that the mob was large and the attackers were both rom the
town and rom outside.
The mob surrounded the whole town and started looting and destruction rom one
end o the illage. Since the houses were scattered, people ran out rom there, to-
wards the bigger, concrete houses. About 500 people took reuge in one such house in
the main bazaar. Similarly, about 100 people hid in a house on another road. Some
people hid in the mosque until the mobs reached there and then led to the police
station. One or two amilies were also sheltered or a day by an Adiasi amily near
the town. In the night they were then sent to the police station, since the amily who
had sheltered them were also in danger.
The 100 people who had taken reuge in one o the houses, hid there rom 9 a.m. to
about 3.30 p.m. This house was set on ire and people managed to escape only ater
they broke through the roo and came out on the roos o neighbouring houses. As
the women came out, many o them were stripped and harassed. It is certain that one
woman was raped. It is probable that there were more instances o rape as well but
the ictims and others are reluctant to be identiied or talk about it. linally, the people
who got out o that house then managed to reach the police station, where they all
took reuge, on the eening o March 2.
On the same day, in another part o latehpura, people rom around 15 households took
reuge in a concrete house. At about 12 noon, a mob attacked them. They were sur-
rounded rom all sides and then the mobs entered the house. They snatched away all the
money and the jewellery, and kept up a constant spate o erbal and physical assaults on
the women, saying, Gie us all your young women and girls. Ve will take them.` There
were about 30 women and 10 children, and seeral men as well - they kept pleading,
Please take away our money, our jewellery, our houses, but leae the women alone.`
About two hours later, the women were dragged out o the house and their clothes
were stripped. The children were snatched rom their hands and lung aside, as a
result o which, some o them were also injured. Then, in ront o the house, and in
ull iew o the others in the area, these women were seually assaulted by the mob.
The three men who came out to protest and interene were killed. The other men
were also warned and told not to interene, and were hit. This went on or 3 hours,
until 6 in the eening.
Meanwhile the concrete house, which was supposed to be sae, was also set on ire
rom the ront and the back. Petrol was poured on the house and on the people inside as
well. People escaped by walking oer burning doors as they collapsed. All o them had
seere burn injuries. The women who had been abused were let to lee, iolated, hurt,
bruised and naked, and doused with petrol. There were seeral thousands o people
around. These women had been repeatedly raped and assaulted in ull iew o their
children, men, the neighbours, and the mob on the road. The police station, where all
the Muslims had led or reuge, is almost a kilometre away rom this location. These
women had to walk all this distance, naked and brutalised, and no one, not een the
women who were ery much a part o the watching crowd, gae them anything with
which to coer themseles. Trying to coer themseles with rags clivi.,, some leaes
on the road, whateer was aailable, they managed to lee to the police station.
The police station was illed to oerlowing, with almost 2,000 people, and there
wasn`t een enough room to sit. So most o them just stood there rom the eening o
March 2, to early morning on March 4. During that time, some water was gien to the
children once, but otherwise eeryone just stood there without anything to eat or drink.
There were 4 or 6 policemen at the station. The police did not allow them to go out and
did not try to help them in any way at all. In act, the police said that i people did go
out, then they would not be able to stop the mob rom killing them. In silence, pain and
terror, these people waited, standing or two days, until help arried. The inhuman
treatment suered by the residents o latehpura, and the sheer inaction and indier-
ence o the local latehpura police station, amounts to nothing short o criminal negli-
gence o duty or which immediate action needs to be taken.
In the time that these ictim-suriors were at the police station, the mob contin-
ued looting and burning and destroying all the property belonging to these people.
This continued or oer two days and it was early on Monday March 4, morning that
the police escorted most o the people out o latehpura, crammed together in police
and other ehicles. The ehicles were oercrowded and there was barely place to
stand. It was during this journey that a mother lost her grip on her 3-year-old, and the
child ell down and died.
The people were then taken to the Rajasthan border, where they were handed oer to
the Rajasthan police. The child who had died was buried in Rajasthan, no post-mortem
eamination was done, so no compensation was paid or the death o this child. Some
o the leeing people also had relaties in Rajasthan. It was only ater they reached
Rajasthan that they were gien some ood and water, and also receied some care and
attention rom other people. Ater being depried o it since Saturday morning, they got
their irst taste o ood and water at around 3 a.m. on Monday morning.
The behaiour o the Rajasthan police contrasted sharply with the treatment meted
out within Gujarat. The ictim-suriors stayed in Rajasthan or ten days, until March
13. The areas in Rajasthan where they were kept were: Galia Court, Gadhi, Pratapgarh,
Shergah, Sajjangarh, Kalinjra, Kasarwadi, mostly in the Banswada district. They were
helped by the Rajasthan goernment as well as its people.
On March 13, the collector rom latehpura came to take the ictim-suriors back.
The women did not want to go back to latehpura at all. The men agreed to go be-
cause they were told that they would lose out on their land and property compensa-
tion claims i they did not return. The collector also assured the people total saety.
He and police oicials said that they took ull responsibility or their saety and that
no harm would come to them. The women were told that they were being taken to
Jhalod, but were then tricked and brought to the camp at latehpura.
Months later, there was still a huge schism between the non-Muslims and Mus-
lims at latehpura. According to eidence beore the Tribunal, the women who were
abused were being speciically targeted and were being mocked by all the others.
They were also being threatened, that the same thing would be done to them all
oer again i they tried to go back to their houses. They did not at all eel conident
about going back to their homes. They had not been able to go back to their volaa
at all as tension still preails.
SUKHSAR
The majority o Muslims in Sukhsar, latehpura tava belong to the Ghanchi com-
munity. Prior to the beginning o this round o anti-Muslim attacks, there were 605
people belonging to the Ghanchi community liing in Sukhsar, with a total o 110
buildings, and 0 people belonging to the Dawoodi Bohra community, with a total o
14 buildings. Sukhsar had sawmills and brick making blatti. owned by Muslim people.
No communal incidents had eer occurred in Sukhsar prior to lebruary 28, 2002.
People also reported liing without discrimination beore. Howeer, statements o
witnesses did mention speciically that rom 1992 onwards, the \HP and Bajrang Dal
had been distributing saron lags at arious meetings and been distributing prooca-
tie anti-Muslim, literature to surrounding areas. This aected business and the gen-
eral attitude o Dalits, tribals and other working class people toward Muslims.
One month beore the Godhra incident, eorts were isibly underway to instigate
tribals against the Muslim eploiters` most traders in the area were Muslims, and also
to create a ear psychosis, warning them about an impending communal attack by Mus-
lims. Under the pretet o the Godhra massacre on lebruary 2, witnesses stated that
the Durgaahini, Bajrang Dal and \HP had gathered Dalits and tribals at around 5 pm
on lebruary 28. They started breaking and looting shops, buildings, ehicles and then
set them on ire in the bus stand area. Muslims in the area eared attack at night.
Between lebruary 28 and March 1, Muslim leaders made at least 300 phone calls to
the district collector, CD Rathod and the SP, Jadeja, to ask or protection. On March
1, people went and personally met the vavatar and the police inspector. The PSI
had recently been transerred to the area. One witness claimed that this was signii-
cant, as the preious PSI would hae been opposed to these attacks, and would hae
done more to protect the Muslim community in the town.
On March 1, at 12.30 in the aternoon, around 5000-6000 Dalits and tribals who
were instigated against Muslims surrounded the Muslim ba.ti, which has mostly prop-
erly built cement houses and saw mills, and three entry points. The residents o the
ba.ti were rightened by this sudden attack and asked or police protection. The police
claimed that iolence was happening all oer Gujarat, so how can we gie you pro-
tection` And Ve hae orders rom the Gujarat goernment not to gie any kind o
protection to Muslims.`
Muslim community members pleaded or the second time or help but local police
reused to gie protection. On urther persuasion, the police came to the ba.ti and
aimed their guns at the people inside. People in the ba.ti were told to keep quiet and
let the mob do what they wanted, as they were gien orders not to take any steps
against the avgl Parirar. They were also ordered by the goernment to shoot those
Muslims who take any action, they added. On continuation o the attack by the mob,
identiied as haing been mobilized by the \HP, residents o the ba.ti became right-
ened and ran or shelter to the concrete buildings in the area.
All three entry points to the ba.ti were blocked o by the mobs. They had come in
trucks and tempos. They were shouting Kill the Muslims` Mv.iv o varo!`, and
other slogans. Around 1.00 p.m., the mob irst burnt Neel Kamal Saw Mill, and then
Haruni Saw Mill. The Masjid was also destroyed. Police were present during these inci-
dents, they watched the iolence but did not interene. The mob seemed to hae a ery
clear diision o labour. There were around 40 people who were continuously iring. Vhen
a gun would run out o ammunition, it would be passed to someone in a waiting truck
whose job was only to reload used weapons and hand newly loaded weapons to people
who were iring. People had both machine manuactured reolers and atta` riles.
Another group in the mob was mainly inoled in looting and setting structures on
ire. They had pouches o chemicals, which they would throw to start the ires. One
jeep contained all the material or setting ires. Lidence o these chemicals could be
seen in burnt buildings more than a month later, as white powdery residue in pools o
black oily liquid on the cement and stone loors. People were seen in the mobs carry-
ing mobile telephones, and were obsered coordinating their actiities. People rom
Muslim households kept running rom the mob and gathering in arious houses or
saety. By 2.30 p.m. it was ery clear that the Muslims being attacked would hae to
leae the illage. By then, police were openly encouraging the crowd to attack by
shouting Mv.iv o varo, ato!`
By 4.00 p.m., eeryone in the Muslim ba.ti gathered in one household. There were
approimately 600 non-Bohra Muslims and 35 Bohras present there. The burning and
looting continued around them, orcing them to leae this house as well. At night, the
mob tried to break open shops and buildings, looted, and set ire to this house in an
attempt to kill people. The .aravcl, who is a tribal, tried helping the Muslims. He
called a member o Parliament, and described the situation. The MP told the .aravcl
to send all the Muslims o Sukhsar to the nearby illage o Kundala.
At midnight, they let or Kundala in two cars proided by the .aravcl, and two cars
belonging to Muslim community which had suried the carnage. These our cars were used
to make many trips to Kundala, where they were hidden or three days. People kept hiding at
arious places, as the journey to Kundala was ull o hazards. On March 2, the entire ba.ti o
Sukhsar reached Kundala by 10 a.m. In order to sae their lies, people let behind all their
property, jewelry and cash. Two women were injured and died in the process.
The looting and burning continued on March 2, 3 and 4. On March 5, the BSl
arried and did a lag march, and shited all the people to the Jhalod relie camp under
police escort. The Jhalod camp was opened on March 6. Many people were reunited
with their amily members in the camp. The two women who died enroute to Kundala
were also carried to Jhalod relie camp and buried there. People rom Sukhsar stayed
in the Jhalod camp or almost one month.
It was reported that 5 to women were seually assaulted, but no one in the com-
munity was willing to talk about it openly. Usually the report was gien in such a way
as to coney that, yes, seual assaults did take place, but the assaults happened in
other places, not in Sukhsar itsel.
On March 10, an oicial rom Sukhsar and circle inspector o latehpura came to
Jhalod to inorm people that their buildings and property had been totally destroyed in this
iolence. Lerything had been looted and burnt. The oicial o Sukhsar and circle inspec-
tor o latehpura noted down inormation rom people liing in the Jhalod camp, acquired
the judgment o arbitrators, gathered separate acts o the damage, and made a list.
The total damage calculated was around Rs.6.5 crore. Oer 80 permanent struc-
tures had been destroyedReligious places like va.i. and vara..a. were also dam-
aged and there were anti-Muslim graiti and orange lags on the buildings. People
report haing spent one month liing in ear in the Jhalod camp. Out o 18 cases,
110 were gien anything between Rs.1,000-1,250 or glar ralri` household belong-
ings,. The rest hae not been paid anything.
People claim that, when they applied or compensation or destroyed, stolen and
damaged property, the goernment did an unjust surey o the buildings. As they
were liing in Jhalod camp, they receied Rs. 10,000 - 15000. In a ew cases, they
were paid between Rs. 25,000-40,000. Only in 2 cases, people were paid Rs. 50,000.
Against 84 buildings destroyed, people were gien compensation or only 50 build-
ings. As with the general pattern o compensation or these attacks, people were
generally compensated ar below what the replacement costs will be or all property
damaged or destroyed in these attacks.
Muslims in the area owned roughly 2 shops, and hae submitted eidences about
them, but were acing discrimination in receiing ull remuneration. Small businesses
hae not been listed, een though there were repeated attempts to hae them listed.
People elt discriminated against by the Hindu sureyors because o instances such
as this. Though the damage suered is in the region o lakhs, in the case o many
amilies, the goernment had paid only up to Rs. 50,000. A goernment oicer told
members o this community that een i a person owned any number o houses or
property on record, the goernment had declared only Rs. 50,000 as compensation.
According to Hindu law, i a ather is alie and he is ery aged and his inheritors are
staying with him and the property is in one name then goernment will gie remunera-
tion as i losses were incurred by only one person, they said.
Muslims said: Ve would like to demand adequate compensation or all those who
lost their property in burning or looting. Len in May, anti-social elements rom the
Durgaahini, \HP and Bajrang Dal were instigating tribals to damage Muslim prop-
erty and to kill them. Police also knows about it but goernment is not taking any
steps,` the complainants said.
The witnessess, all o whom requested anonymity, were bitter at the act that their
stolen goods were still lying in the homes o neighbours and perpetrators.
JHALOD
In Jhalod, Jhalod tava, Muslim amilies are primarily engaged in the agricul-
ture and transport business. There is also a section o poorer daily wage Muslim
labourers. The iolence targeted all sections o the Muslim community in this
town. In Jhalod, all the Hindu houses were marked with saron lags seeral days
beore lebruary 2, 2002.
This was done the day beore Id, i.e. on lebruary 22, and people said that this had
surprised them, since there was no Hindu estial at that time. In addition, there was
a rally o around 100-150 people at 4 p.m. on lebruary 22, ater which they held
meetings all oer the area.
The ollowing BJP leaders rom Jhalod were named by the local people as being
inoled in these meetings: Bhagwan Panchal, Agnesh Panchal, Bhaesh Babubhai
Katar son o the MP,, Subhash Agrawal, Sunil Agrawal, Kaloobhai Sangada, Chhagan
Bhunatar e-corporator,, Narainbhai rom Limli,, Mukesh Karnawat, Dalsukh
Maharaj, Mukeshkumar Nandkishor Purohit, Shankar Labana, Maheshbhai Bhuria,
Suresh Charal, Ramanbhai Admat Khutawala .aravcl, and others.
On lebruary 28, during the Gujarat avl nothing happened in Jhalod itsel. How-
eer, there was a spurt in the sale o petrol rom the petrol pumps and acid rom the
chemical companies. All night, ehicles belonging to Babubhai Katara MP, ran back
and orth rom his house and the houses o others and the surrounding illages. Later,
it was realised that this was done to get all the weapons together and to collect people
in preparation or the iolence that was to ollow.
At about 8-8.30 a.m. on March 1, two motorcycles and one Bohra-owned T\S
showroom were burnt in Mowada. Ater this, at about 9.30 a.m., at the bus stand in
the Nagar Palika Bureau, irst a git shop and then other Muslim-owned shops were
looted. At the same time, a shoot at sight order was in orce in the Muslim area o the
illage. Vhilst people were at home, working, in the morning, a large mob entered the
illage, beat up the men and women and looted their homes. The attacking mob was
equipped with guns, swords, reolers, mobile telephones, petrol, truckloads o pack-
aged chemicals, and drill machines. Starting at the tava avcla,at oice, they started
looting all the Muslim establishments on the Highway - Banswara road. Muslim homes
and establishments aced etensie destruction and burning, particularly along the
Highway. lires gutted shops, godowns and businesses as well as houses owned by
Muslims along the road.
Muslims in Jhalod also suered terrible abuse, including seere physical attacks. Those
who suried the attacks were oten coered in burns and serious wounds, many o
which required but did not receie surgical attention. The people said that een i 4
policemen had patrolled the area, the carnage and destruction could hae been aoided.
One o the irst persons to be stabbed was Bibiben, who was stabbed by the mob
inside her house and who died on the spot. Her daughter, Saiya, who tried to sae
her, was also attacked and was seriously injured. Saiya`s niece, who is 12 years old,
was also stabbed and injured. Saiya was shited to a hospital in Dahod ater a ew
days and remained in a serious condition. At the time, people could not get to
hospital easily because the situation in Dahod was also quite bad. lor a long time,
she could not be shited to \adodara or Ahmedabad due to the continuing iolence
in these cities. It was only ater May 1 that she was shited to Ahmedabad, but by
then it was too late, Saiya inally succumbed to her injuries on May 6, in
Ahmedabad`s Al Amin Hospital.
During this irst bout o attacks, \usubhai Kaira was also hit on both hands, with
a sword, as he was sitting at home. Ater this, people came out o their houses and
started running to sae their lies. \unus \usu Patel was shot by Bhaesh Katara
the MP`s son, and then Nanda Bagabhai Dindor`s son stoned him to death. All the
houses here were looted and burnt. Here the mob was about 500 strong. lrom here
they moed towards Koliwada, destroying eerything on the way, and then, in
Koliwada, Ishaq Abdul Karim Kooka was shot at in priate iring.
Some residents reported that the ollowing people were seen carrying guns: Subhash
Makhanlal Agrawal, Bhaesh Babulal Katara, Gopal Makhanlal Agrawal, Kirit
Makhanlal Agrawal, Mukesh Makhanlal Agrawal, Suresh Charel, Balji Patel and Rajni
Patel. The mobs continued these acts o iolence all through the day and inally, in
the eening, they went to a large timber mill and burnt that to the ground.
Then they proceeded to make a big disturbance all night, iring shots, bursting
crackers, hooting, keeping eeryone in tension and ear. The entire Muslim commu-
nity had gathered together in the Mandli lalia main bazaar. They said that they man-
aged to protect themseles through the night because all o them had gathered in one
sae` area o the town, they were also deending themseles in any way they could.
On March 2, around 15-20,000 people blocked and surrounded the whole town
rom all sides. They were trying to enter it but could not. Although the Muslim com-
munity was trying to deend themseles, they were inding it ery diicult to do so. In
that situation, at about 3 p.m., some o them agreed to attend a peace committee
meeting, which was held with Congress leaders, BJP leaders and Muslim leaders. They
had a lot o discussions but could not arrie at any solution` so they decided to meet
again the net day. Len as the meeting was in progress, houses belonging to a com-
munity o lakirs net to Loharwada, were burnt. The settlement, Bapunagar, where
the lakir community lied, was completely destroyed, the roos and walls o about
10 houses had been brought down. Bapunagar aces a huge open space, and residents
could see large mobs o people approaching, shouting loudly as they adanced to-
wards them. The mob consisted o Adiasis rom the Kaljiki Saraswani, \elpura and
Lakhanpur communities. At that stage, all the people rom the settlement led to-
wards the main illage. The mobs then proceeded to loot and burn the ba.ti as well as
the graeyard nearby, they een dug up the graes. The destruction included breaking
down all the rooms, the water pumps, the tanks and een the pipes. All the trees,
including ruit-bearing trees, were cut down and all the stored grain was burnt. The
lakirs hae since requested that they be gien some land in the middle o the illage
in echange or their land.
On March 3, the peace committee meeting was again held at around 12 noon.
Amongst those who attended this meeting were the deputy collector Pagi, the vavatar
Pateliya .aàb, the BJP MP Babubhai Katara, and \HP leaders Bhagwanbhai Panchal,
Agneshbhai Panchal, Subhash Agrawal, Bharat Patel. At this meeting, the BJP leaders
put some conditions beore the Muslim community in echange or being spared any
urther iolence. The conditions were as ollows:
1. No Muslim boy should come out o the house ater 10 p.m.
2. No aaav on the mike in the va.i.
3. Close Muslim students` hostels.
4. Close slaughter-houses on the Highway.
5. Vheneer our Hindu, band crosses the va.i we will not stop playing.
6. No Muslim children should een stand and watch a Hindu araat.
At the time, the community avcl agreed to these conditions because they were all
under tremendous pressure. As one o the persons who submitted his written testi-
mony to the Tribunal said, Our condition was ery bad. Ve were moing around
with three dead bodies rom March 1. They had not been buried, as we could not go to
the graeyard. All the Muslims rom the town were in this Mandli lalia, main bazaar,
and were surrounded rom all sides by this large, iolent mob. linally we buried the
three bodies in our bazaar, in our avaatlava, the place where we eat. ]o iva tlle
vvi to laat larab tli li, o var ga,e tlle vvi bli aliv agal valiv tli. Those who were
alie were o course in a desperate situation, but een the dead had no place or a
decent burial., At that time we had no choice but to accept the conditions.`
Until about March 13, people stayed inside their houses, in their volaa. in
Mandli lalia, not coming out at all. lrom March 4, people rom the illages around
Jhalod also started coming there and then, on March 14, the camp here started
and all the people rom Jhalod whose houses had also been destroyed, went and
started staying there.
Mov. Oeravi
Lidence recorded by the Tribunal rom Dahod district indicates that the mobs
arried in ehicles such as trucks, tempos, jeeps, Marutis. The attacking mobs were
led and directed by local Hindu community leaders belonging to the avgl Parirar.
These leaders were using mobile phones, while the attacks were being carried on.
These were the people that were identiied by Muslim suriors and who hae been
named in the complaints sent or the lIRs recorded.
The second group had all the weapons, guns, tri.lv. and swords, and the arsenals,
petrol, diesel, kerosene and chemicals to start the ires. They had ehicles loaded with
chemicals and weapons. This was the group that was primarily responsible or the
brutal burning, the deaths, the seual assaults and other abuse. In more than one
illage, Muslim suriors described how these men carried identical backpacks rom
which they took out pouches o chemicals. The planning was so thorough that there
was a select group, which only perormed the task o loading guns.
The third group was mainly inoled in looting property rom the houses and shops.
In many cases, this group consisted o Adiasis. The mobs were ery large in number,
in thousands, and not always recognisable. There were some known aces in the crowd
but many seemed to be outsiders. In some illages people said that not all o those
who were part o the mobs spoke Gujarati. Some o them were also speaking in
Marathi and Hindi.
All the va.is, argal., vara..as and, in some places, churches, were completely
damaged, burnt. Obscenities and statements like, Hindustan is or Hindus, Muslims
should go to Pakistan,` as well as names like Ram` and Hanuman` were written on
whateer walls remained, and saron lags were hoisted on them. All the property
around, including gardens and wells, was damaged.
Once the Muslim residents o the illages led to saer spaces, the mobs looted and then
burnt the houses and shops at leisure. In many illages it has been reported that houses were
being burnt until as late as March 10, and in some instances, een later. There was no damage
whatsoeer to the marked Hindu houses. In Sanjeli the saron lags were still there, as late as
May. Vhat was also quite eident was that the attacks and destruction was eected in such
a manner that the Hindu houses were not damaged. In one illage, the adjoining Hindu
houses were irst sawed away rom the Muslim houses and then the latter were set on ire.
In eery structure in Sanjeli, be it a house or a shop - eery door, window,
window rame, grills, electric wiring, water pipes, taps, switch boards, electric
meters, eery piece o moable property, een the roo, was missing. There were
traces o the chemical powders that were used. Lery area had been burnt com-
pletely. In many places there are burnt, bare walls remaining, while in some places,
een walls hae been broken down. The areas look as though they hae been
bombed. Len bore-wells hae been damaged,blocked. Lery single big tree,
including all ruit bearing trees, were cut down. The mobs made sure that there
were no signs o lie let anywhere.
In most places, the looting and the destruction o property went on or days ater
the Muslim residents ran away rom the illages. People claimed that many o their
goods could still be ound in the Hindu households in their illages, but the goern-
ment has made no attempt to look or them so ar.
1ioevce agaiv.t !ovev
Along with Ahmedabad Naroda and Chamanpura, and Mehsana district, the
districts o Panchmahal and Dahod eperienced some o the most brutal acts
o seual iolence against women during the Gujarat carnage. The attackers
used erbal and physical abuse on them in ull public iew. The clear desire to
attack the ery dignity o the Muslim community through iolent acts against
women and young children was a pattern in the iolence. The tragedy o women
rom the illages haing to go back to the intimacy o a rural atmosphere -
where all amilies are known to each other - and continue to lie with the
perpetrators o such crimes on their person cannot be imagined. That many o
the leaders o these crimes are prominent leaders o the RSS,BJP,\HP,BD,
carrying wealth and inluence, makes the situation een more shocking. The
threat o seual assault was openly oiced all through the attacks. Vhen the
mobs came into the illages, one o the things that they kept saying was, Gie
us your women and girls. Ve shall look ater them.` Similar things were also
written on the walls o the houses that had been damaged.
In most cases where people were able to escape, women did not hae to go through
actual physical seual assault. But in all places where the crowd managed to catch
hold o them, there was all manner o seual iolence and abuse, such as stripping
them, pawing them, making them run naked on the streets o the illage and een
gang rapes. Two women, among a group o three dozen people leeing in tempos rom
Sanjeli, were caught by the mobs and later ound dead. Tied to trees, their torsos were
burnt aboe the waist, suggesting gruesome iolence.
Ater the bitter realities aced on their return to lie in the illage in question,
oer-eposure in group and media testimonies, and pressure rom the commu-
nity, the initial testimonies o women hae now dwindled into stony silences.
Knowing how diicult it is or women to come to terms with such iolence,
and also knowing the pressures that act on the women rom outside and within
the community, these gender crimes require urgent attention rom the jurist and
actiist community.
Many women also hinted at seual abuse, but no one actually acknowledged
the prealence o rape during the attacks, other than the rapes o women who
died. But most women epressed a strong sense o insecurity and sorrow or
those who had to run across the land and make their way, on oot, to Dahod.
Our eet were ull o thorns which we did not pull out till we reached Dahod.`
Only we know and our Allah knows what we hae lied through.`
Da.vl Malara: . tv, of 1avra.i` vobii.atiov
The Tribunal has recorded eidence about Dalsukh Maharaj and his ashram in
Sanjeli. Dalsukh is an ayuredic rai,a doctor,, who runs a hostel or school children
and is a member o the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti as well as the \HP Margdarshak
Mandal. A Bhil tribal himsel, Dalsukh Maharaj is a tribal who is o the iew that
Bhils are Hindus rom the beginning.` He asserted that the attack by the Bhils,\anasis
on Sanjeli was .ra,vblv` spontaneous`, as they had been oppressed or ages and
hae now risen.
This Maharaj mobilised Bhil tribals by spreading his message through the spoken
and written word, through pamphlets, some o which hae been documented in the
PUDR report on the Gujarat iolence.
Muslim behaiour on our` Adiasi, women,` At least 100 Bhil women hae
been iolated in Sanjeli alone,` Muslims consider our` widows to be eeryone`s prop-
erty,` In Godhra Urdu School, they sent the Muslim teachers and students away and
killed two Hindu women teachers and put iron rods in their aginas`
The Maharaj also spouted aioms about the character o Islam and Muslims: In
the Koran, it is written, Vork or our months and cut up afir. or eight months in a
year.` He also stated that Rs. 80,000 had been collected rom Sanjeli alone to plan or
the train attack at Godhra and claimed that there are receipts.
Vhile being the agent o such enom, the Maharaj could not proide the name o
een one o the 100 women supposed to hae been iolated in Sanjeli, nor could he
produce any receipts or the Rs. 80,000 that was supposedly collected or the Godhra
train attack. Len the alleged killing o two Hindu women teachers could not be
detailed with any acts or proo.
1le covtivvivg reigv of terror av tle re.vtivg iv.ecvrit, iv Dalo i.trict, vear, vive vovtl.
after tle org, of rioevce, cav be gavge frov tle fact tlat a. tli. reort ra. abovt to go to re.., a
fer ritve..e. frov Dalo i.trict teelovica, covtacte a vevber of tle 1ribvva teav, e
re.., reqve.tivg tlat tle vave. of tle ritve..e. (1 ora av 2 rrittev te.tivovie., rlo la
eo.e before tle 1ribvva iv Ma, be ritlle. It i. iv eferevce to tlat reqve.t tlat vo ritve..
la. beev vave iv tli. .ectiov.,
$808fk8l08
The entire district o Sabarkantha and its tava. namely Himmatnagar, Khedbrahma,
\ijyanagar, Bhiloda, Modasa town, Modasa illage, Prantij, Talod, \adali are among the
most seerely aected areas o Gujarat state. In Sabarkantha district alone, 55 mosques,
40 tombs and 50 vara..a. were completely demolished. This is one district where there
were clear cases o attacks being launched on the night o lebruary 2 itsel.
The most ghastly incident took place near Kidiad illage on March 2, when 4
persons escaping in two tempos were burnt alie and killed. Llsewhere, two persons
were killed in Idar tava, 9 stabbed to death in Khedbrahma, and 4 died in police
iring in Modasa, 5 driers killed on the Modasa-Godhra highway, 4 persons killed
just outside Prantij, 3 burnt alie in Salal illage. Two more persons were killed in the
second bout o iolence on March 19. Preiously, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha were
targeted with iolence or 8 days in August 2000, ater blatant incitement by \HP
international general secretary, Praeen Togadia. (ee vi! iv Cvarat, 1ovve II.,
KIDIAD
The Tribunal collected written statements about the ghastly incident that beell resi-
dents o Kidiad illage, Modasa tava, on March 2. Muslims rom Kidiad illage were
leeing in two tempos ater their neighbours created a seerely threatening atmosphere in
the night. They were intercepted and a total o 6 persons were killed, most o them
burnt alie. Arzooben, the eyewitness who was liing at the Modasa camp, made a com-
plaint to the police in which she stated all the acts. \ictim-suriors, whose written
statements were placed beore the Tribunal, claim that out o thoise trying to escape
in one o these tempos, in all 6 persons were killed. But ocial record admits o only
8 deaths as only those many bodies were recoered. A complaint or the deaths o 8
persons traelling in only one o the tempos was recorded. The police did not record any
urther eidence. Arzooben could identiy the culprits. One is the tava avcla,at ravvl,
Kalubhai Malwad, who belongs to the BJP. He was arrested.
Kidiad illage has about 45 households o Muslims and 200 o Harijans, Bharwads
and Thakors. On lebruary 28 and March 1, reports about burning o houses in
neighbouring illages like Haloder had started pouring in and tension kept mounting.
Vhen residents asked or police protection, PSI Mukesh Patel o Malpur PS sent only
one policeman to supposedly proide eectie police protection. On March 2, the
mobile police armed with .303 riles came to the illage at about 3 p.m. and told the
Muslims to run to sae their lies, as they would not be able to protect them. The
.aravcl requested the police to escort them up to Malpur but the police latly reused.
The rightened Muslims then started trying to cross the riers Lru and \atrak across
the dryer parts o the rierbed. Ater trying or almost an hour, they returned to the
illage by 3.45 p.m. or so, where they were conronted by a mob o about 400-500
people rom their own illage and outside, shouting, Kill them! Hack them! Don`t let
them go!` The mob was carrying laria. sickles,, swords and tri.lv.. There were 224
Muslims in the illage at the time, as well as 20 guests rom outside. Desperate to lee,
118 o these boarded two tempos and set o. Those who could not do so, hid in the
ields around the illage.
About 34 people boarded the irst tempo GJ 1 T 9283,, which let at about 4 p.m.
to try to make its way towards Modasa. Zakirbhai Shamsuddin Sindhi was driing this
tempo. The .aravcl o Kidiad, Saleembhai Jamubhai Sindhi was also traelling on
this tempo. Vhen they reached the Godhra - Modasa highway they ound their road
blocked at Malpur with stones and about a 1,000 people all around, who stoned the
tempo, breaking windows and injuring the people inside. Howeer, the tempo man-
aged to turn towards Lunawada, and crossed Limbadiya clori in Panchmahal dis-
trict. On the way, rom Naroda illage near Limbadiya, a jeep and a motorcycle with
3 riders, started ollowing them. One o them was carrying a laria. The road was
blocked at arious twists and turns. As they passed through illages, the tempo was
stoned sporadically. linally, between Sanparia and Badesara illages, the motorcycle oer-
took the tempo and orced it to stop. As the people in the tempo tried to jump o and
escape, they were attacked by the men on the motorcycle. Vhen the drier, Zakirbhai
Shamsuddin Sindhi was attacked, his 4-month-old son Mohsin ell rom his hands and
died. He picked up his dead child and ran. The people ran towards Karanta illage across
the Bhadrod rier nearby, hoping to take shelter in the argal there. The Patels o Sanparia,
howeer, came out in support o the attackers and killed 6 people. One woman, Sarabibi,
who is an eyewitness to the murders, was able to hide beneath a tarpaulin sheet in a shed
behind a Patel house. In act, the Patel`s wie took her to the Modasa relie camp 2 days
later. Other suriors somehow managed to reach the security o the Karanta argal. The
drier, Zakir Mian, inally buried his dead child there. The suriors complained to the
police when they reached the relie camp at Modasa 10 days later.
The second tempo no. GJ 9T 6439, let Kidiad or Modasa at about 4.15 p.m. oer
seenty people, including a large number o women and 32 children, were packed
tightly into the cramped tempo. Heay stone pelting started rom illage Punjarani
Muadi. Vhen the tempo reached Choriwad crossing, a crowd o about 1,000 was
standing there. All other roads were blocked. In desperation, Ayub Mian, the drier,
turned the tempo towards Lunawada, Panchmahal district. lrom Babaliya, our motor-
cycles, a jeep, a truck and a tempo No. GJ \ 2131, started chasing the tempo. On one
o the our motorcycles was Naresh Bhai, a resident o Gogawada. As soon the tempo
reached Limbadiya clori, about 15 km rom Lunawada, the motorcyclists oertook the
tempo and ired at the ront tyre, which burst, bringing the tempo to a standstill.
A large armed crowd o 1,000-2,000 people, which had been alerted by the passing
o the irst tempo a little while earlier, surrounded the tempo along with the pursuers.
The attackers were wielding laria., tri.lv., swords and guns. About 16 people, in-
cluding the drier o the tempo, managed to run away. These were mainly men, with
the eception o one woman and two small children. They hid in the ields and saw
what ollowed. Ater hacking those who remained on the tempo with swords, the
attackers threw tyres on them, poured petrol and set the tempo on ire. Light people
who tried to jump o were ired at and then hacked to death. One woman, Arzoo
Bibi Ayub Mian Sindhi, sitting in the drier`s cabin was also attacked when she jumped
o but she suried, albeit with seere injures, by pretending to be dead. They ran
until the mobs caught up with them, beat them mercilessly and killed them. Those
inside the tempo were burnt to ashes, as the ire raged or oer 2 hours.
According to the SP Panchmahal, Raju Bhargaa, only 8 deaths hae been regis-
tered in the case as only the bodies o those killed while trying to jump o hae been
ound in a hal-burnt condition. In act, Arzoo Bibi was told to identiy these bodies
but she could only identiy 1 o the 8 bodies, as that o 80-year-old Pirzada Gulabuddin
Imam Mian, a resident o Karanta, who had come to Kidiad on lebruary 2 to oer
lriday prayers. The other bodies were charred beyond recognition. \et, there are
eyewitnesses who state categorically that S9 other people were charred to death, bring-
ing the total to 6. The dead included 3 women and 30 men, o whom 15 were boys
under 12 years. lour inants who were less than a year old, also perished in the attack.
The eyewitnesses hae also identiied the accused.
Complaints hae been gien to all the authorities by the suriors and also to the
Khanpur PS inestigating the case. The drier o the tempo, Ayubbhai Subha Mian
Sindhi, is the main complainant. In the absence o any concerted eort to collect
eidence and locate bone ragments i any, the huge disparity between eyewitness
accounts and the oicial story remained.
This was one o the most horrendous incidents to hae happened in Gujarat. The
ecea.e: 6 persons rom Kidiad illage were burnt alie. 1le accv.e: Kalubhai Malwad
BJP,, tava avcla,at ravvl, and Naresh Bhai, resident o Gogawada.
\usubhai Bakrawala rom Motiraanth, along with two boys rom Lunaada, was
trying to escape rom the mobs when they were attacked. The army ound 2 o the 3
bodies, when the isherolk handed them oer ten days later. There was no trace o
\usubhai`s body - only bones were ound.
On the highway, there were Tata Sumos moing around tracking persons who were
trying to lee. Reugees rom other illages o Gujarat, bordering Rajasthan, had crossed
oer and were in the Pithgaon camp. On March , in the same area, one Muslim, Arab
Saiyedbhai, was killed in police iring. The police neer killed anyone rom the mobs.
PRAN1IJ
lour persons were killed brutally on the highway near Prantij town, near
Himmatnagar, on lebruary 28. Two were declared dead and 2 were missing`. The
testimony o a witness, the relatie o the deceased ictim, was placed beore the
Tribunal. The witness, Bilal Dawood, brother o Saeed Dawood and cousin o Shakeel
Dawood, UK, had been earlier interiewed by journalist Teesta Setalad. This wit-
ness detailed the circumstances that led to the brutal killings o three persons, includ-
ing his brother, on the highway that leads rom Ahmedabad to Himmatnagar, on leb-
ruary 28. Two o the 3 killed were British nationals.
On lebruary 21, the mother o ictim, Saeed Dawood, his cousin, Shakeel Dawood
and two others arried in Mumbai rom Australia. Bilal Dawood, brother o the ic-
tim Saeed Dawood, who gae this testimony, reached the net day. On lebruary 24,
the witness` brother Saeed Dawood, his cousin Shakeel Dawood, his riend rom the
UK, Mohammed Aswat, his nephew Imran Dawood and \usu, a drier rom their
illage Lajpur, took a jeep tour to Jaipur. Ater isiting Jaipur, they were returning to
Ahmedabad ia Himmatnagar on lebruary 28.
At Prantij, they were stopped by a mob o 15-20 persons. In no time, another mob
o 40-100 arried, circled the jeep and demanded o the occupants, Are you Muslim
or Hindu` The answer, that they were British citizens, was not enough or the mob.
Vhat about the drier` they asked. Vithout waiting or an answer, \usu was
dragged out and the moment they had established his religious identity, he was at-
tacked with sticks and laria. and killed on the spot.
Imran Dawood, Mohammed Aswat, Saeed Dawood and Shakeel Dawood, who ran
towards a armhouse to sae their lies, were chased by the mob. Around 6.30 p.m.
that eening, a police team ound Mohammed Aswat, who was near dead, and Imran
Dawood, who was unconscious, on a dirt track that runs along the canal. At the
Prantij clinic, to which the police took them, Dr. Dongri pronounced Mohammed
Aswat dead while Imran Dawood was in such a state o shock that, een ater regain-
ing consciousness, he could not speak.
Bilal`s brothers, Saeed and Shakeel were last seen by the woman owner o the
armhouse, running to sae their lies. Since then, there has been no trace o them.
The British Consul General, Ian Reeds, and Bilal Dawood isited the site o the
killings, along with the Gujarat DGP and the Ahmedabad CP, on March 8. The lady at
the armhouse, obiously araid or her own lie, was not ery cooperatie but Dr.
Dongri was ery orthcoming.
During their isit, they ound a totally burnt down actory about 100-200 yards
away rom where Mohammed Aswat and Imran Dawood had been picked up by the
police. Behind the actory structure, they came across a spot where it looked as i a
ire had been built, possibly to burn the dead bodies. A little distance away, they
ound some teeth and bones, which were then sent or DNA sampling.
The police gae the complainants a copy o the lIR lodged by them, and said that
they had arrested 1 people. Bilal`s nephew, Imran, the only one to hae miraculously
escaped, had returned to their natie illage. He seemed to recall that, while they
were being set upon, a police jeep was driing past but did not stop to help. The case
was reerred to the MLA Ministry o Lternal Aairs, India, and the lCO was also
ollowing it up with the MLA. Vith regard to the murder inestigations, Salman Kazi
related to Mohammed Aswat, had written a note to the home department in Britain
and the amily was actiely pursuing the case to ind out what eactly happened in
Mohammed Aswat`s and \usus `s case. As or Bilal Dawood`s brother Saeed Dawood
and cousin Shakeel Dawood, they were put in the missing` category. The amily had
obtained the lIRs and the post-mortem reports. The entire sordid saga was reported
on C, tar èr. and een the Gujarati papers. James Vatt, rom the chamber o
lCO, met Salman Kazi, Ahmed Aswat and Salim Dawood in the UK. The amily had
also taken a delegation to the Indian High Commissioner in the UK, PC Haldar.
MADHOPUR KAMPA
lie driers were killed on the Godhra-Modasa Highway on lebruary 28. Three o
them rom Modasa were killed at Madhopur Kampa in Bayad tava. Their names are
Kasimbhai, Anwar and Gaina. O the 2 other driers killed, one belonged to Rajasthan
and the other to Mewat, Haryana.
On 28 lebruary, at about 9.30 a.m., seeral trucks were stopped on the Godhra-
Modasa highway by a mob o 2,000-3,000 people at Madhopur Kampa near Bayad
tava town in Sabarkantha. The Gujarat bavl was obsered on this stretch o the
highway by burning 5 truck-driers alie and setting 20 trucks on ire. Kasimbhai, the
drier o one o the trucks GJ 9 \ 1654, owned by GA Suthar o Modasa, was irst
badly beaten by the mob as he got down rom the truck. He managed to escape and
dragged himsel behind the wall o a nearby petrol pump. He was injured and lay down
in a daze.
The Hindus rom nearby Sadgal illage, who came to loot the trucks, happened to
know him and helped to reie him. He came to the petrol pump and saw the burning
ehicles. Unthinkingly, he shouted out to the mob to let his truck be. The mob then
dragged him out and threw him into the blazing truck. The drier`s helper, Hani, and
another person traelling in the truck when it was attacked, managed to escape. Both
o them were helped by the Sadgal illagers, who also dropped them to the relie
camp at Modasa. The Bayad PS reused to lodge an lIR on the incident, despite
Hani `s statement naming some members o the mob whom he was able to identiy
with the assistance o the Sadgal illagers.
1ALOD
Talod is a tava in Sabarkantha district. On lebruary 28, a crowd o about 150-
200 persons took out a rally in the town, which terminated at the temple. Then, on
March 1, at 12.30 p.m., a mob o 4,000-5,000 people gathered in the town and started
attacking the 80-odd Muslim households, scattered in dierent volaa. all oer Talod
town. The Muslims took shelter in the houses o their Darbar neighbours.
Vhen they, too, were threatened by the mobs, some o the Muslims, whose houses
were still intact, went back to their homes. On March 2, a mob o 500 people came
again to destroy the remaining Muslim houses. The mob looted the houses and the
Muslims managed to escape through the ields. They were trying to reach Harsol, a
neighbouring illage with a large Muslim population. Ater walking or about kms,
they reached a place near Salatpur, where this group o about 50 leeing Muslims
including seeral old people and 20 children, was surrounded and attacked by a mob
o about 150 people carrying arms and kerosene. An old woman, Bashiran Shamsuben
Lohar, was injured on her head and arm with a laria. The attackers then piled up
dried thorn bushes around the group o Muslims, shouting that they would light a
oi` bonire, around the Muslims. They had just sprinkled kerosene on the dried
thorn scrub and lit it, and had started stripping the women, when a group o 20-25
Rabaris rom nearby Khokhra Kesarpur ran to the deence o the Muslims.
It was because o their interention that the Talod Muslims were able to escape.
Ater going back to Talod, staying in hiding that night and acing one more attack,
they inally took reuge in the police station. The police then dropped them to Harsol,
where they stayed or 10 days, ater which they went to the Panpur relie camp just
outside Himmatnagar. Bashiran Shamsuben was reused treatment at Talod ciil hos-
pital, and had to be taken to a hospital in Modasa or treatment. This group o Mus-
lims rom Talod were unable to recognise the attackers. They did not complain to the
police. They had not gone back to Talod since the attack.
HIMMA1NAGAR
The Tribunal recorded 31 testimonies and statements rom witnesess residing in
Himmatnagar, the district headquarters. The Godhra incident occurred on lebruary
2. By 9 a.m. on the morning o lebruary 28, \HP,BJP leaders with lists o Muslim-
owned establishments had arried all the way rom Bhanagar, a 6-hour journey rom
Himmatnagar. A large mob was organised, which systematically went about looting
and burning Muslim shops, actories and showrooms, all o which were closed or the
bavl. In all, 232 establishments were burnt in Himmatnagar town. Lyewitnesses
state that most o the main perpetrators o the arson were outsiders, though local
\HP members did participate in the attacks. The shops burnt included the grand
showroom o Harsoliya Motors owned by Bohras, who hae been in Himmatnagar
or 9 generations. This is the irst time that they hae aced such an attack.
The attackers were intent on ollowing, quite literally, the directions that they had been
gien. lor instance, Raj Auto Traders on Dahod Road, owned by a Hindu rom Godhra,
was set on ire since a Muslim partner was mentioned in the list. They did not listen to
onlookers, who pleaded that it was indeed Hindu-owned. Similarly, a sot drink actory,
earlier owned by a Muslim, Saleembhai, but recently bought by a Kutchi Patel, was burnt
down, despite the owner`s pleas, since the actory was marked as Muslim-owned. Some
o the Muslim shop owners and actory owners who suered losses hae gone to
court to get their own complaints iled as lIRs. The police hae not yet complied with
the court directions to do so.
By mid-March, just as communal tension was beginning to ebb, an incident led to
escalation o tension in the entire region. On March 19, Kamlesh Patel, a local youth,
parked his scooter outside a Bohra shop, went to the market, and then simply disap-
peared. His body was ound on March 21, a short distance away rom Himmatnagar.
The Bohra shop owner was picked up or questioning and wild rumours that Muslims
had killed Kamlesh Patel started circulating. The \HP made this into a big issue, held
many meetings, and anned communal tension. Seeral prominent Muslims in the town
wanted a thorough inestigation to get to the root o the matter. This was, howeer, not
done and rumours and communal tensions continue to ester. There was a sureit o
circulars distributed in Himmatnagar, adocating the boycott o Muslims. On March
20, a argal near the Markaz was set ablaze and a mob gathered there shouting ]ai
Rav!`. At 11.45 p.m. a caller inormed people that the SP had reached the sight and was
able to bring the situation under control. Mavri \usu Islampuri and Mvfti Ghulam
Mohammad Patel o Himmatnagar presented their erent appeal or aid and assis-
tance, describing in detail and quantiying the unprecedented losses suered by the
Muslim population o Sabarkantha district.
SALAL
Vitness Mohammed Hanie 45, rom Salal illage, Prantij tava, is the owner o
a grocery store. This is a small illage o 8,000-10,000, with 20 Muslim amilies. On
lebruary 28, Muslim shops were closed but at about 10 a.m., a mob o about 500-00
came and they irst torched a hotel on the highway, Saroday Hotel.
The witness and his amily were in their houses. There are two parts to the illage,
the market area and the general area. Muslims lie in the market area and when Saroday
Hotel was attacked, they called 5- people rom the illage. The illagers assured
them that they would hae no problems as the illagers would protect them. Hence,
they were not worried.
Then, at 6 p.m., the brother o the witness, \alibhai Ibrahimbhai Memon, was
attacked. His wie was burnt alie. \alibhai`s was the irst house to be attacked. The
attackers wanted him to say ]ai Rav`. Then, they started beating up \alibhai. His
two sons tried to sae him and they beat them up also. They told them that i they
wanted to lie, they should run away rom there. The whole amily ran towards the
witness` house, which is a little urther away, and took reuge in a mosque, which is
net to the witness` house.
lrom there, \alibhai called the witness to say that the situation was serious. He
described how they were beaten up and mentioned that his wie was missing. It was
then that 15 Muslim amilies got together and ran towards the illage. At about .30
p.m., they took shelter in a Rajput house, that o Prahlad Parmar. They stayed there
the whole night. Parmar protected them and gae them ood.
On the morning o March 1, their relaties in Himmatnagar inormed the police
station and the police took them to Himmatnagar. The nephews o the witness hae
identiied the assailants and hae named them in the lIR. Among the assailants, there
were many rom the illage and a ew rom another illage. Many o them were rom
the Patel community.
In Himmatnagar, the people with whom the witness and his amily stayed owned two
trucks. The witness` brother kept calling the driers on March 1 and 2, to ind out about
his wie. The amily thought that she might hae been hiding in the illage. On March 3,
the amily registered a complaint with the police. On March 6, the police inormed the
amily that they had ound a dead body in the house o the witness. The police an came
to pick them up in Himmatnagar, where there had been indeinite curew since March 1,
and hence, it had not been possible or the amily to go to the illage. The witness` cousin
recognised the dead woman rom the a,a` anklets, on her eet. Her name was Jubeidaben.
She had been burnt alie. In addition, two others were burnt alie rom this illage.
The ironical thing about the testimony o this witness is that he said that he was the
leader o the minority cell o the BJP. On the night o lebruary 2, at 11 p.m., the
BJP`s ice-chie o the tava, Rajubhai Patel, who lies in the illage and is a mem-
ber o the district avcla,at, woke the witness up and told him that he had been
inormed by higher ups in the state cabinet, that there was going to be a lot o trouble
the net day, and he, thereore, adised the witness to run away during the night.
The witness asked him how he could just run away like that when he had lied
there or 50 years and had property there Rajubhai told the witness that he would not
be able to do anything or him. The witness` younger brother owns a T\ and elec-
tronic repair shop and Rajubhai had called him oer on lebruary 2, at 5 p.m., or
repair o his T\. Vhile the witness` brother was there, Rajubhai was talking about all
this on the telephone. He said that a call or a Gujarat bavl the net day had been
gien by BJP and they would torch all the Muslim shops in the illage and that i there
were anyone let alie, he too would be torched.
The witness and his amily had been liing in a relie camp in Himmatnagar, and
until May 5, when they deposed beore the Tribunal, although two months had passed
since the incident, they had not been able to go back to the illage because they had
been threatened. Once or twice, they had tried to go and see their homes and proper-
ties but they had receied threats. Some BJP Hindus had een put up cabins in ront
o their property. All the Muslim amilies hae been out o the illage and they elt
strongly that the Hindus were trying to take possession o Muslim property.
BHILODA
Raikbhai Janmohammed Memon is the witness rom Bhiloda tava town, who
deposed beore the Tribunal. On lebruary 28, at 10 a.m., the witness` neighbour,
Arjunbhai Panjabi, came and inormed him that shops were being looted in the mar-
ket. Vhen they called the police, they were told, Vell, this is bound to happen`.
Ater about an hour, all the Muslim shops had been looted. All day there were shouts
o Kill, slaughter.`The BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and police Jhala was the PSI, Chawda
was the CPI - circle police inspector, and vavatar Vaghela, all o them were in it
together.
Many ictim-suriors who deposed beore the Tribunal described how they made
desperate calls to eeryone in the police station. In response, inspector Chawda said
that it was the Muslims` turn net! This was at about p.m. Then, the witness called
the SP o Sabarkantha, Nitiraj Solanki on 433 and on his mobile phone. He said,
\ou must protect yoursel, we cannot do anything, we hae no police.` At 8 p.m.,
they called the SP again saying, The Bajrang Dal and the \HP hae been pelting us
with stones or the past hour.` The witness also stated that a meeting o about 500-
00 persons was held at a school opposite the witness` house. There are Muslim
houses in their area. At about 8.30 p.m., the mob came and threw stones at them.
There was a policeman standing there. The witness and his amily locked themseles
in their house. But the mob broke down their iron grill with steel angles. About 12 to
13 persons entered the house and started andalising eerything.
The witness came out rom a side door and ound CPI Chawda standing near a an.
He started running but Chawda saw the witness and started shouting, Catch him,
don`t let him escape, he is to be burnt alie.` Ater breaking eerything, they sprinkled
petrol in the house. Some people ran ater the witness, but he went to their avaat
lava - community hall - while his children and wie ran towards their locality in
the illage, where there were 20-30 Muslim houses.
The other 6 amilies also went to the avaatlava with the witness and waited there
with him. CPI Chawda was waiting there with his jeep and a constable, Diaji, was
also there. Petrol and kerosene cans had been readied. There were 11 other persons,
including Gunantbhai Bhagwandas Triedi, a BJP member. They were saying, He is
to be burnt alie`. The witness named .aravcl Rupesh Triedi, RSS raclara propa-
gator,worker,, Prabhudas Lalabhai Patel and 8 other people. Prabhudas Patel is the
joint secretary o the RSS or Banaskantha and Sabarkantha.
The witness and others heard CPI Chawda saying some Muslims were hiding upstairs. They
came up to the second loor carrying a gas cylinder, which they had brought along in a an and
which they set on ire. CPI Chawda also said that not a single house should be spared.
Subsequently, the witness` amily ran to their relaties, who lie in the illage, and
immediately thereater, went to the police station to meet the PSI. He bluntly said,
Ve hae receied orders rom aboe and we cannot take your complaint.` The wit-
ness warned that he would go to the SP and the PSI replied, \ou can go whereer you
want to.` The witness took a deputation rom the illage to SP Nitiraj Solanki and told
him eerything. Solanki himsel said, I am \HP and not SP`. The witness warned
o complaining to higher ups and he was once again told, Go whereer you want to.`
The witness repeatedly told him that he was siding with the \HP and the Bajrang Dal -
and pleaded with him to at least record his lIR. He said, \ou can go whereer you want
to but I will not take your lIR.` The lIR had not been registered until as late as May, when
the witness made his deposition. Copies o the witness` complaint had been sent to the
President o India, the National Human Rights Commission, the SP, collector, vavatar
and the tava PSI. Howeer, no arrests had been made until May, nor was there any
response to his complaints.
The witness was staying in a relie camp in Himmatnagar with his amily all in a
state o terror. They did not go anywhere out o ear or their lies. They could not go
back to the illage because their house had been destroyed and they belieed that,
with the trust broken, the police was set to kill them.
Vitness Makrana Asiyaben Shaikh Mohammed, who deposed beore the Tribunal
is rom Kisangadh illage in Bhiloda tava. She said that there are 15 Muslim houses
in Kisangadh and that Muslims had been liing there or the last 60-0 years. On
March 1, at about 8 p.m., 3,000- 4,000 persons came in ehicles, with swords and
other things. Some were rom the illage and the others were outsiders. They were
shouting, Kill, slaughter!` and were set on looting. They had swords, sickles, chemi-
cals and kerosene cans with them. They started throwing chemicals whereupon the
walls o the buildings became black and then started burning.
They pelted Muslims with stones. Two-three Muslims were killed and the witness
was hurt in one or two places. They ran to the house o the Darbar, \ikramsingh
Thakore, who sheltered Muslims. But someone told the crowd that Muslims were
hiding there and then the crowd harassed them the whole night. Thakore tried to sae
Muslims but he had nothing with which to ight back.
He called Bhiloda illage and inormed them that 2 Muslims were trapped in
Kisangadh and that they should come and take them away. As the people rom Bhiloda,
including the witness` brother, tried to make their way to Kisangadh, the road was
blocked so they could not reach the illage. At 5 p.m., the mob went away and the
ictims then walked to Bhiloda. They were bareoot and they had to coer their children`s
mouths so that they would not cry. linally, they reached Bhiloda police station and
there, they were told that unless they let quickly, they would be attacked again.
They pleaded with the police to do their job and protect them and asked the police to
escort them to Idar. They were told, howeer, that they must leae. The police oicers,
Jhala and Chawda said that they had receied orders rom aboe three days ago, so the
Muslims must just go away.
So the ictims carried on walking and reached Bhilodi. Here the Patels spread rumours
that they had come to attack the illage. They were drien out, and walked through the
night without any ood until they inally reached Idar, where they were gien shelter in
the camp. All their belongings and property were destroyed, including the graeyard
where the mob had set ire inside the graes as well. As late as May, when she deposed
beore the Tribunal, the witness had not receied any compensation.
There are 15 Mansoori houses, in another illage o Idar tava. The illage had 10
shops and one mosque. The illage has a population o 2,000 Hindus in the illage.
Mansoori Rasoolbhai Rehmanbhai, a resident o the illage, deposed beore the Tri-
bunal. He stated that on lebruary 28, at 6:30 a.m., he opened his shop. Suddenly, a
mob came to his shop, which is the irst in the row o shops, and one o them caught
the witness by the collar and threw him down. He tried to stand up. They told him to
close his shop and go to the bus stand. He agreed and closed his shop, but went home
oer the hill instead o going to the bus stand. That night passed o peaceully.
On March 1, at 8 p.m. a mob o about 500-00 came to the illage. The witness
and his amily was just sitting down to dinner. They torched his house and shop and
then they torched all the other shops in the illage as well as the 15 other houses. The
witness and his amily escaped narrowly and went up the hill and hid - men, women
and children. The mob came looking or them twice but they could not ind them.
Ater the mob went away, they walked to the nearby Adiasi settlement, which they
reached at 3 a.m.
They spent the night there and at 8 a.m. the net morning, they started walking
towards Sabri relie camp, which they reached at 2 p.m., haing gone without ood or
water or all this time. Vhen they tried to go back, they were told not to return. They
saw that their houses had been completely burnt down - nothing was let. All 15
houses and 10 shops had been burnt to the ground. All the goods in the shops and the
household goods had been looted.
The witness sent a written complaint to the police by registered AD, mentioning
the names o the people inoled in the attack. He was gien a compensation o Rs.
25,000 or his house. Depending on the etent o damage to houses, people receied
arying amounts o compensation, ranging rom Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 50,000, though he
estimated his loss due to the damage to his shop and home at approimately Rs. 12
lakh. The witness had no idea where he would go when the camp closed down. He
had been threatened with his lie i he returned to his illage. The aggressors also said
that he would not be allowed to do any work, business there. His poignant question
to the Tribunal was, then what should I do`
VIJAYNAGAR
The Tribunal recorded the testimony o the ivav o the local mosque in a illage in
\ijaynagar. On lebruary 2, at 10 p.m., the uncle and son o the witness were in their
shop - they hae about 4-5 shops in the illage. They called him to say that they had
been surrounded by an unruly mob, which was shouting, Kill, slaughter!` Vhen the
witness asked who they were, he was told that they were all Bajrang Dal people and
many o them were their regular customers. His uncle and cousin recognised about
15-1 people in the crowd and named them. The ather and son did not know what to
do. At this point, they broke contact with the witness. The net morning the witness
ound out that the shop had been burnt, with both ather and son inside it.
Vhen the witness and others went there the net morning, they saw the two corpses
lying in the burnt shop. At irst, no one came out rom the illage. Then, the witness, along
with others, went to \ijaynagar and brought the police with them. They were recording
the avclvava when a crowd gathered and started throwing stones at them. They were
threatening to kill them too, and said that they would not allow them to take the corpses
away rom there. Howeer, they somehow managed to escape and take the corpses to
\ijaynagar or post-mortem eaminations and or the avclvava to be recorded.
PSI PT Panchal told them that this was the last statement he would record. Vhile the
witness and others were trying to lee with the corpses, they were stopped in seeral places
and had to take diersions. Ater meeting the SP, the witness gae the police his statement,
mentioning seeral names, but no arrests were made. Some 30-35 people were arrested,
but when he called the police to inquire i any o the people named by him were amongst
them, he was told that he had no right to ask such questions.
He said that those arrested were treated like \IPs and elicitated. Air-coolers were
sent to the jail in Himmatnagar. All those he had named in the lIR were still moing
around with naked swords as late as May. Muslims rom \ijaynagar could not een go
and check out their shops, which had all been burnt. The lIR was iled under section
395 or looting, but Panchal cancelled it and made it sections 433 and 436 destruc-
tion o public property, so no arrests were made. The compensation this witness
receied amounted to a ew hundred rupees whereas his losses amounted to a ew
lakh rupees.
ASAD
The owner o Hotel Asopala, on the Sabarmati highway in Asad illage, 1iroa
tava, also deposed beore the Tribunal. At about 11 p.m. on the night o lebruary
2, a local doctor came to the witness` house and asked him i his hotel was sae.
Vhen the witness replied in the airmatie, the doctor wondered aloud how his hotel
remained untouched when so many others had been burnt. Then, he went away only
to return to the witness` hotel with some men in his jeep. He then told the witness`
assistant that he was going to set ire to the hotel.
The assistant and the other people staying there realised that their lies were in
danger so they ran to a actory opposite the hotel. They called their employer, who
then called the SP. The SP adised him to call Shamlaji police station. Vhen he called
there, it was about midnight. There was a constable there, who told the witness that
he was alone, and could not do anything. He adised him to call the collector. The
witness then called the collector who told the witness that he would keep calling the
police station and that he should also keep doing the same till such time as help arried.
They did not get any help at night. The net morning, he got a call to say that both the
STD booth and the hotel had been looted but no major damage had been done.
Then, on March 1, ater the lriday prayers, he got a call rom a amily member
inorming that a mob o 400 to 500 persons had collected at the hotel. He immedi-
ately called the collector but the collector wasn`t there. Then, he called the police
control room. The CRP orce was there but they did not help at all. The mob looted
and then burnt the hotel. The witness had opened the hotel just 8-9 months prei-
ously, it had cost him Rs. 0 lakh to set up and he was astounded. It had yet to start
making proits.
His men were trapped near the hotel, in the nearby jungle, so he called the collector
and asked him to proide protection so as to enable him to rescue his men. His men
remained in hiding or 3 days, and only then, with the help o the highway police they
managed to come out. Two months later, they had still not receied any police protec-
tion. In Sabarkantha, all the Chillia hotels - the Chillia group had a reputation in the
area or running good hotels - were burnt and looted. Many o the business partners
had sold their armland and inested in these hotels.
The collector called the witness and told him that he could get another loan to
rebuild the hotel. The witness replied that he had already taken a loan on which he
was paying an interest o about Rs. 30,000 per month. How could he pay interest on
a new loan His urgent plea to the Tribunal was that all such aected persons be gien
long-term loans with no interest.
Another problem they aced was that they had been unable to return. Vhere could
they rebuild their lies Vhen the ictims had gone to register an lIR on March 8, a
general lIR had already been made out. The ictims told the police that their lIR
listed names - they had recognised people and there were eyewitnesses to the crimes.
They were told that the two lIRs would be combined and the persons named ar-
rested. In May, when the Tribunal sat, these arrests had still not been made. The
witness strongly elt that the only reason groups like the RSS,BJP,\HP and BD
could be so brazen about their crimes was because they were sure o police support in
suberting the process o justice. Vhen the witness said as much to the SP, the SP
told him that he was wrongly accusing him. The witness replied that the situation in
Gujarat was such that people elt that they could kill whomsoeer they wanted be-
cause the police was not going to do anything to them, i you wanted to burn a shop,
burn it, the police was not going to do anything to anyone. It was because there was
no ear o punitie action that they were blatantly doing what they were doing.
MUJL1HI
Deposing beore the Tribunal, witness Nasreenbano Raiskhan Pathan rom Mujethi
illage, said that on March 1, the deputy .aravcl o Mujethi illage, Idar tava, gath-
ered Muslims together and assured them that they were sae and that no harm would
come to them. But at about .20 p.m., they were suddenly told by a mob that they
should run away or they would be killed. The crowd included Adiasis and illagers
as well as the deputy .aravcl, who had come with them. The deputy .aravcl gae the
Adiasis liquor and they attacked Muslims.
They chased Muslims out who went and hid in the school where the illagers cooked
or them, but they were chased away rom there as well. They went to the .aravcl and
asked him to help but he reused and told them to lee. They did that, going to the
house o a Darbar elder ae Darbar,, who helped them. Howeer, he was also threat-
ened or helping them, so he used his inluence to get the ictims a police an and a
tempo, and all 120 Muslims got into the ehicles and escaped. The mob threw some
chemicals on their houses and burnt them. The goernment has gien residents amounts
arying rom Rs. 800-1500 as compensation or what they hae lost. The witness said
that when Muslims went back to their illage, the illagers told them to go away. They
also spread rumours that Muslims were going there to poison the wells. Vhen some
Muslims returned, two Adiasis told them that the whole thing had been done by the
deputy .aravcl and the illagers, not Adiasis.
Vitness Sadikbhai Rahimbhai Mansoori 40, is rom another illage in Idar tava.
He said that he was asleep at home at 11 a.m. on lebruary 28, when the peon rom
the avcla,at came and told him that the .aravcl had sent or him. So he went to the
avcla,at. The .aravcl, Dhanjibhai Patel and a ew others were sitting there. All o
them were armed and as soon as the witness entered, the peon pushed him and the
witness ell down. The .aravcl started abusing him, saying that he had told the wit-
ness not to build his house in the illage and yet he had built one. The witness e-
plained how with great diiculty he had got a loan and then built his house. They
started beating him but the witness managed to break away and ran home. The name
o the .aravcl is Kantibhai Hiralal Patel and the other men present with him were:
Jayantibhai Patel, Nalinbhai Bhogilal Mehta, Dearkumar Chandrakant Tulsi and
Saratkumar Kantilal Doshi.
The witness locked himsel inside his house. In the aternoon a mob o seeral
hundreds came. They broke down the door and he ran to his brother`s house across
the road. lrom there, he watched as that they took out all the things rom his house.
They threw some things in the well and they took away the rest in an HMT tractor
the number plates had been remoed,. The witness said that the things were still
lying in the well, two months later, and that the police reused to take a complaint.
The sureyor said that he had not seen the house, so what would he surey The
police reused to take an lIR and had told him to eect a compromise. They een
threatened the witness with his lie. The police tore up the witness` report. He was
not allowed to enter his house and the attempt seemed to be to alsiy the sureyor`s
report and snatch his legitimate property rom him.
Another witness rom the same illage, Iqbalbhai Rahim Mansoori, described how
on lebruary 28, at 5 p.m., members o the grav avcla,at along with the .aravcl,
Kantibhai Patel, came to their house with a mob. They carried swords, knies and
riles. They told them to leae the illage and chased the witness and others rom the
illage. Then they came rom the other side with a tractor with one Jayantibhai and
another person in it. At irst, when the witness heard the sound o the tractor, he
thought it was someone passing by, but as they got o the tractor, he realised that
they had come to kill the Muslims. The witness put his mother oer his shoulder and
led rom there with the others. They hid in the nearby wheat ield or 5 hours. The
mob came looking or the ictim-suriors, and een made barking sounds, and ired
their guns. Two young daughters o the witness had to hae their mouths held shut so
that they would not gie their hiding place away. They were thus kept quiet until 11
p.m. The witness` children had been without water or ood since 5 p.m. when they had
let their homes to lee. I they asked or water, their ather would slap them. Then, at
1.30 p.m. he put his mother oer his shoulder again and let with his two girls, until he
reached the reugee camp.
This witness said that Suryakant Joshi, the BJP tava leader, reused to listen to the
complaints and said, Don`t go to the police station, because i you do you will be
killed.` The witness was unable to isit his sister, who lied near the police station.
He has not been able to isit her at all. The illagers hae told him that i he wants to
come back to the illage, he must remoe the names o key leaders mentioned in his
complaints. They threatened to sell o his land and destroy his well i he did not
comply. They had already cut the wheat belonging to the witness and sold it o.
The Tribunal recorded the testimony o Kaderbhai Memon, a social worker, who
also ran the reugee camp at Himmatnagar. This witness complained bitterly o the
treatment o camps and camp leaders by the goernment. (ee .vvevre ov tatv. of
Reief Cav., Detaie .vvevre., 1ovve III,.
A hotel in Himmatnagar, called Bombay Hotel, was attacked by a mob o 3,000.
The owner begged them to go away, pleading or his lie. He said, Vhy are you doing
this to me, I hae always helped you in so many ways.` They did not listen to him and
started pelting him with stones and damaged the hotel. So the owner started iring at
them in sel-deence. In the iring some minor injuries occurred and he was arrested
under section 30. Ater his arrest, his hotel was torched. Two months later, he had
not been granted bail een by the High Court. He had a licence or the gun. Light
people rom the mob had tried to torch his hotel and he had ired at them. This is one
more eample o the obious discriminatory treatment meted out to Muslims in
Gujarat.
Some people`s showrooms were being robbed and the witness and the others in the
camp called the SP. He was on the highway near Motipura, where a shop was being
looted. The kingpins behind the attacks in this district could be easily identiied rom
the complaints iled by ictims. Though inspector Chauhan irst arrested 5 persons
who were named, they were released because they were not charged with any serious
oence.
As communities, Adiasis and Harijans are ery poor so some o them are tempted
towards thet. But many members rom the 2 communities as well as the Rajputs,
saed thousands o Muslims - they gae them shelter in their homes or as long as
10 days and ed them.
Jagdish Taral, a \HP leader rom Khhedbrahma personally interened and stopped
reconciliatory measures launched by the collector in Sabarkantha. This happened in
the presence o Ranajit Sinh Naharsingh Chawda, elected MLA rom Himmatnagar
and minister o state or cottage industries in the Gujarat goernment. Vhen attempts
were being made to take ictim-suriors back to the illages, some o the young
men there, said, Ve do not want any Muslims in the illage.` In the presence o
minister Chawda, the collector and the SP, Taral said, In 194, Muslims killed so
many Hindus, now the Muslims hae to pay or it. I they want to return, it is at their
own risk but we will not allow \ohras to come, only the Mansooris can come.` And
so they were trying to create diisions amongst the Muslims.
The witness stated that the ongoing law and order situation in the district was ery
bad. The collector and the SP o the district had not controlled the situation any-
where and should be asked i they had managed to sae een one Muslim establish-
ment in Himmatnagar. There were Muslim shops at the crossroads only 100 meters
away rom where the collector and SP lie, in an area, which they pass requently.
lorty-eight Muslim shops were burnt there, not een a bii shop was spared, but they
did not try to put out the ires anywhere.
There isn`t a single instance where they called the mobile an, so that the ires may
be put out. The only recourse that Muslims hae is the law. But een there one has
seen the ew culprits who were arrested go scot-ree. Members o the \HP and the
Bajrang Dal used to moe around with the police in their ans. Shops would be burn-
ing or as long as 4 days and the SP would be do nothing.
State minister rom Himmatnagar, Ranajitsingh Chawda, aided by Jagdish Taral,
the itriolic \HP leader rom Khhedbrahma, who was named or mass-scale destruc-
tion in August 2000, were directly inoled in the iolence this time round as well.
Vitness Kaderbhai Memon, who deposed beore the Tribunal, stated that both Chawda
and Taral would sit in the premises o the Bombay Hotel, which was ultimately de-
stroyed at their behest, and conduct operations rom there. Chawda would point at a
shop or house on the map and ask why it had been spared and why their people were
not doing anything about it.
Ater the irst bout o iolence that started on lebruary 2, on the night o March
9, Modasa town witnessed the worst eer arson and plunder o the Muslim commu-
nity. On the morning o March 19, three young Muslim girls, who were returning rom
a school eamination, were molested. They were asked why they had not applied teea
ermilion, on their oreheads. As punishment, they were stabbed. Vhen the Tribunal
sat in May, they were still under treatment at the local hospital. Two persons, Abdul
Rahman and Nizam Husain Imam were burnt alie here. Kirat Shah Ballabhbhai and
Jagdeesh Gandhi, chairman, Modasa Nagrik Co-op. Bank, are reported to hae at-
tacked children. Khhedbrahma illage had to be acated by its Muslim inhabitants
under coercion. A board renaming it, ivv àgri` Hindu Town`, was ied on its
bus stand declaring the illage out o bounds or Muslims.
The Tribunal recorded eidence rom 6 witnesses and collected 10 written state-
ments rom Banaskantha. \iolence in this district broke out on March 1, 2002 and
enguled Dhanera, Pantwada, Palanpur, \adga, Sihori and Gazipur.
Muslims liing in Gazipur started receiing threatening calls rom 9.30 a.m. on that
day. One o those who testiied, Memon Janmohammed Ibrahimbhai 53, is a local
trader who had been liing in Gazipur or the past 15 years. He is a trader dealing in
grains, cloth and proisions. lrom 9.30 a.m. on March 1, the witness started receiing
telephone calls repeatedly adising him to leae immediately because the mob was
approaching Gazipur. Brahmin Thakar, Rajendra Prasad and \asude were with the
mob. The person who called to tell him this, is a big trader name withheld, rom
whom the witness bought goods. The people in the illage told him to leae, as he was
a threat to all o them. The witness said that since this was the opinion o the whole
illage, he took his joint amily o 22 members and went to the hilly orest area nearby.
He let his house with nothing and led. His children did not hae water or ood and
his amily aced a lot o hardship that night. They spent the whole night in the jungle.
The net morning, they started walking towards the net illage, Kasampura. On the
way, a mob approached and surrounded them. The mob was set on robbing them but
since they had nothing aluable with them, they were let o. Howeer, due to this
encounter, they decided not to go on to Kasampura and spent the net night in the
jungle as well, without ood and water. Then, some Adiasis gae them resh clothes
to wear and they managed to reach Daroi, rom where they called the witness` brother-
in-law. PSI Bharwad then came and took them to another illage. The witness and his
amily reached the camp at Idar on the third day ater leeing Gazipur. Vhen he went
back on March 4, to check on their house, not a thing was ound in it. The witness
was chased away by the police when he went to ile a complaint. He had receied no
compensation. The witness also said that people had been trying to chase him out o
the illage or the past 2 years.
8888k8l08
Three witnesses who are residents o Ghasiawas in Radhanpur, Patan, deposed
beore the Tribunal. In the lIRs they iled on the iolence in their illage, the irst
accused named is the BJP MLA rom the Santalpur diision o Radhanpur. Accused
no. 2 is the chie o the BJP unit in Radhanpur tava. Accused no. 3 and others are
members o the Bajrang Dal, RSS and \HP.
Nanabhai Pyarmohammed G Sheikh, one o the witnesses, testiied that the ac-
cused arried in tractors to spread terror in Radhanpur on March 1. They started
looting and burning shops using petrol and diesel which they had brought in cans.
lrom Lalbaug to Patni Gate, they targeted only those shops which belonged to the
minority community. Ater this, they set ire to a Muslim religious place known as Gol
Otla.
Ghulam Jelani Ghulam Rasul Shaikh, the nephew o the witness and other boys
rom the locality were standing at Patni Gate watching the renzied mob on a ram-
page. Vithout any proocation, accused no. 1, Shankarbhai Lakhdhirbhai Chaudhri,
shot the witness` nephew and another boy Ghulam Nabi Kalubhai Shaikh point blank.
As the bullets hit both in the chest, they collapsed on the spot. The other people rom
the locality who were also standing there tried taking the injured boys in a jeep to the
Reeral Hospital. The drier o the jeep was \akubbhai Nabibhai Chauhan.
As the jeep let Patni Gate and passed Gol Otla, the mob standing there tried to
stop the ehicle. The drier went aster. Vhen they reached Lohanawadi, they saw an
electric pole blocking the road. The drier was orced to stop the jeep. The mob that
was standing around started throwing stones at the drier who was injured, right-
ened, he ran to the police station to sae his lie. Meanwhile, the wounded Ghulam
Nabi Kalubhai Shaikh, who stumbled out o the stationary ehicle, was attacked on
the head with scythes so the police took him to hospital. Ghulam Jelani Ghulam
Rasul Shaikh, the wounded nephew o the witness was the only one let in the jeep.
The jeep was torched by the mob and he was burnt alie.
Although the amilies o the ictims were desperate to reach the police, they were
unable to do so because o the mob. Subsequently, they called the police station
F8l8
seeral times but no one paid any attention to what they said. As curew was later
clamped on the town, there was urther delay in lodging the complaint. Another com-
plaint was sent by registered post to the local police station. The main accused who
hae been named are: Shankarbhai Lakdhirbhai Chaudhri MLA Santalpur, Radhanpur,,
Prainbhai Thakkar Mahalakshmi, Radhanpur, chie o the Radhanpur tava BJP,,
Prakash Keshalal Thakkar known as Prakash Dakshini,, Doctor Rawal runs a hos-
pital in Lalbaug,, Kanubhai Deri, \inod Kumar Goklani, Satishbhai Thakkar sells
dish antennae,, Thakore Ajmalbhai Abhabhai Chalwada, tava Radhanpur,,
Bharatkumar Kalyanji Thakkar Ambika Llectronics, Lalbaug, Radhanpur,, Ratilal
\yas ice-chie, Santalpur tava avcla,at, \arahi,. Also included in the list o ac-
cused are other residents o Radhanpur town, and tava, a mob o more than 00
\HP, Bajrang Dal and RSS workers. The Ghasiawas police post, Radhanpur tava
has been indicted or non-action.
The second witness, Ibrahim Miyabhai Shaikh, a drier rom Patan, who was on the
spot when the two boys were shot, also iled a separate complaint.
80008f8
The Tribunal isited \adodara and its surroundings between May 8-13, 2002
and recorded detailed eidence o the iolence in these places. During the same
period, the Tribunal also paid a ield isit to Ankleshwar and Bharuch and con-
ducted detailed inestigations there. \adodara is barely two hours rom Godhra,
where 58 persons had been killed in the torching o coach S-6 o the Sabarmati
Lpress on lebruary 2.
The iolence in \adodara city occurred in three distinct phases. The irst phase,
which started on lebruary 2 itsel, lasted until March 2, with the worst incident
haing taken place on March 1, when 14 persons were burnt alie at the Best Bakery
in Hanuman Tekri. Thereater, there was iolence between March 15-20 and, ollow-
ing this, between April 25-May 2, with some incidents taking place in the interening
period, on March 25.
In terms o loss o lie, the incidents in \adodara do not compare with Ahmedabad.
Howeer, assaults on Muslims liing in dierent pockets o the city, especially those
inlicted by the police o \adodara, were widespread. The most shocking aspect was
the iolence and seual misconduct o the \adodara police directed at Muslims in
seeral places, particularly in the two latter phases o the iolence. Seual abuse and
threats were a common eature o police behaiour. Numerous witnesses, who were
ictims o the most unspeakable brutalities by policemen rom dierent police sta-
tions in \adodara, deposed beore the Tribunal. Many had serious injuries on their
person, inlicted by drunken policemen who beat them mercilessly. lrom the accounts
o the numerous witnesses who appeared beore the Tribunal, the police emerge as
the worst perpetrators o atrocities against Muslims, in general, and Muslim women,
in particular, as ar as \adodara city is concerned.
Soon ater lebruary 28, a atria pamphlet, was widely circulated among \adodara`s
Hindus, ehorting them to an economic boycott o Muslims: Don`t gie them work,
don`t sit in their autos and don`t buy anything rom their shops.` The anonymous
pamphlet appeared to hae had its eect on the ground. Vhen the situation improed
and Muslims started returning to work, their employers told them not to come to
work any more. Many o those who deposed beore the Tribunal said Muslim employ-
ees were dismissed rom serice ater being told by their bosses, I we employ you, it
causes problems or us, so you can`t work here.` Those who thus lost their jobs were
schoolteachers, as well as women working in nursing homes, shops, hardware stores,
etc. A lady teacher employed by Naratan School was told she couldn`t keep her job
on any longer, \ou are a Muslim, so don`t come back here.` In another case, the
doctors in charge o a nursing home inormed the parents o an employee that they
should not send her to work any longer.
PHASL I: Ieb 27-March 2
Tension built up rom lebruary 2 itsel, when a Muslim bystander was stabbed in
the presence o the police ater the return o the ar .era. in the Sabarmati Lpress.
By the eening o lebruary 28, ulnerable Muslim pockets in dierent parts o the
city were targeted or attack.
KISANWADI
Around 120 Muslim homes were destroyed at Kisanwadi ater residents` belong-
ings were looted. There was no loss o lie here, thanks largely to the eorts o Ramdas
Pillai, who kept them sae through the night, and at great risk to himsel, reached
them to the Quraish Jamaat Khana the net day. (ee .ectiov ov rievce-!itve..e.,
1ovve I,. About 500 Muslims took shelter with the Pillais that night. A builder by
proession, Pillai and his wie Lakshmiben, his brother and a riend named Kanubhai
opened their doors to the Muslims o Kisanwadi. Together they, along with an
autorickshaw drier and a tractor owner, Mohanbhai Saalia, helped to whisk the
Muslim residents o Kisanwadi away to saety. Vere it not or their timely remoal
rom Kisanwadi, the murderous mob may well hae burnt them alie in the ery
tractors that were used to whisk them away.
The attacks started on the eening o lebruary 28, when a mob shouting, Destroy
their shops! Kill them!` pounced on Muslim homes, shops and ehicles. Seeral wit-
nesses rom the area who deposed beore the Tribunal said that about 100-150 people
who appeared, armed with swords, sickles, etc. could be easily recognised as workers
o the Bajrang Dal, whose oice was located nearby. The mobs made repeated trips
to Muslim houses, looting or destroying whateer they could lay their hands on: es-
sels, clothes, tape recorders, T\s, rerigerators.
A young witness rom Kisanwadi, whose home and amily belongings were
looted, told the Tribunal that her mother had been assaulted and was badly in-
jured. The mother was in no condition to go to work any more, her brother and
ather had both lost their jobs, at Kirit Hotel and Gurukul \idyalaya respectiely,
and the entire burden o the amily had allen on her. She hersel had not returned
to work at the clinic where she was employed out o ear, since residents o
Kisanwadi were still being threatened with dire consequences, young women, in
particular, were threatened with rape.
In his testimony beore the Tribunal, Pillai said that een two months ater
Kisanwadi`s Muslims were orced to lee their homes, the situation continued to be
grim. The local goons were still stealing whateer little was let o Muslim homes -
doors, tin roos, etc. There was no saety or the Muslims who might want to come
back. The terror-stricken Muslims themseles told the Tribunal they needed land in
some other place to rebuild their lies. No political representatie o any party had
isited the ictims, not een the local Muslim councillor.
And the police was o little help. lollowing some token arrests, the accused, along
with the local police, had been pressurising the Muslims to withdraw their complaints.
According to Pillai`s testimony, on April 4, PI Kanani picked up his brother,
Krishnamurthy Swaminathan, on a alse pretet, and subsequently arrested him on
charges o attempt to murder section 30,. Vhile Muslim complainants insisted that
Swaminathan was, in act, one o those who had saed them, police oicer JD Rana
was pressurising them to name Swaminathan as an accused!
The Ajwa area, close to Kisanwadi, was also seerely aected in the post-Godhra
iolence.
SAMA ARLA
The Sama area o \adodara is a relatiely new part o the city with a predomi-
nantly Hindu population. This area had not eperienced disturbances in earlier com-
munal riots in the city. During the Gujarat carnage, howeer, there were a series o
incidents where Muslim homes, businesses were looted and torched.
It is in this area that on the morning o lebruary 28, a mob o around 20 people
attacked the residence o Pro. JS Bandukwala, a well-known and respected igure in
\adodara and an actie member o the PUCL, who has consistently opposed both
Hindu and Muslim religious anaticism oer the years. Pro. Bandukwala and his daugh-
ter managed to take shelter in the house o their Hindu neighbours. But one car in his
compound was completely burnt and the other damaged by the mob. The attackers
led ater about 10 minutes, when people rom the neighbourhood came out onto the
road. Howeer, on the ollowing day, March 1, a bigger mob armed with gas cylinders
among other weaponry, launched a second assault and succeeded in torching
Bandukwala`s house. Vhen the ire brigade arried to put out the ire, they were
preented rom doing so by the mob. The Hindu neighbours o Pro. Bandukwala,
who had sheltered the people trapped in his house, went into hiding or three or our
days, earing an attack or haing sheltered their Muslim neighbour. Ater their return
home, they were interrogated` about why they had been so helpul to Muslims.
On the eening o lebruary 28, a ew persons liing in Sama went to meet the
BJP`s local municipal councillor, Pradip Joshi, to appeal to him or peace in the area.
Joshi raed and ranted about the unpatriotic` and criminal nature` o the Muslim
community, their habit o abducting Hindu girls`, and dwelt on the desirability o
Muslims going and liing in their own areas`. He also produced a list, to show how in
the recent Assembly by-election, Muslim localities had oted against the BJP. Joshi
spent some time describing how he had earlier dealt with Muslim anti-socials` rom
Naayard. Naayard saw serious attacks on Muslims in the days to ollow., On being
repeatedly asked whether he could assure residents that there would be no urther
iolence in the area, he replied that he could not do so. One o his associates e-
plained that what had happened that day lebruary 28, was only a sample`, and that
it was better to be prepared or what would ollow the net day.
Madhavnagar II
March 1 saw more intense rioting actiity, with larger, well-prepared mobs
roaming the streets, looting and burning Muslim shops and houses. In
Madhanagar II, near Abhilasha Chowki, though a Hindu riend o the Saree
amily helped them escape, the mob attacked their house, taking eerything
they could carry, including cash, jewellery, clothes and electrical gadgets, be-
ore setting the house on ire. Later the same day, Amin Transport, the business
owned by Abdulrrehman Saree, at Maruti Comple, was also broken into, looted
and burnt. The house was let to smoulder or three days. Vhen the amily is-
ited their house many days later, they ound their neighbours and riends o
many years distant, unresponsie, and inclined to disassociate rom them and
all that had transpired. The Sarees hae since been seriously thinking o relo-
cating to a Muslim neighbourhood.
Ashabibi Ni Chawl
A large mob shouting Maaro Miav o!` Kill the Muslims!`, attacked the
Ashabibi Ni Chawl, a mied locality o are.i. outsiders, Hindus and Muslims
rom UP,. Despite rantic calls, the police ailed to arrie. But residents o the
clar, both Hindu and Muslim, repulsed the attack. Vitnesses deposing beore
the Tribunal named BJP councillor Joshi as the main instigator o the attack.
Around 25 men rom Ashabibi Ni Chawl suered injuries, two with head injuries
were admitted to Narhari Hospital in latehgunj, where they were treated and
discharged. The 300 or so Muslim residents 40-odd amilies, led the area and
took shelter in the Kamatipura area o latehgunj. At Ashabibi Ni Chawl, the
police, when they did arrie, ired two shots at the residents who were under
attack, rather than at the mobs. Mobs were allowed to disperse without any at-
tempt to arrest any o the attackers.
Sama area remained ree rom major incidents during the latter phase o iolence.
Howeer, a certain leel o tension was maintained or seeral weeks through the
continuous circulation o rumours that armed Muslims were about to attack. In none
o the incidents o iolence did the police interene in time. Calls to the police sta-
tion went unanswered, or callers were told that the police was unable to attend to
them, or, in one case, een that they must reap the rewards o Godhra.` Vhere help
was promised, it arried late. The police were also seen hobnobbing with mob leaders
such as the BJP`s Pradip Joshi.
MAKARPURA ARLA
The Bajrang Dal and the \HP set up an oice in Indira Nagar, a mied settlement
in the Makarpura area, on the eening o lebruary 2. In the attacks launched on
Muslims the ollowing night, Hindu neighbours actiely participated and the large-
scale destruction o homes and properties was systematic and thorough. Attacks in
Makarpura area continued or three days but the police did not respond to repeated
and rantic calls rom the trapped Muslims. On the contrary, si Muslims were killed
in police iring.
Later, when Muslims went to the Makarpura Teenlata police station to complain,
they were told point blank that no complaints rom Muslims would be entertained,
nor any police protection be proided.
The ollowing night, een as a local social worker who deposed beore the
Tribunal requesting anonymity, was escorting Muslims out o Indira Nagar, one
larroukhbhai Samoosawala was killed by the mob. On March 2, the Hindu resi-
dents o \anejagaon where many Muslim residents o Makarpura had been
moed, took the help o Hindus rom the neighbouring localities to loot and
then burn down all 150 Muslim houses there.
Muslims leeing \anejagaon were walking along the Highway when they were
set upon by a mob in a nearby illage. Those caught were killed and then thrown
into raging lames to be burnt. According to the social worker, Bipin Patel, a
resident o the illage and a local Bajrang Dal,\HP leader, was instigating the
500-600 strong mob. I an inestigation is carried out een now, the remains o
Muslim ictims will be ound strewn in the ields een now,` he told the Tribunal
in the second week o May. In addition to the lies lost, about 500 Muslim houses
were looted and subsequently destroyed in the Makarpura area. Among those a-
ected were seeral Muslim amilies, each o whom had lost properties worth
seeral lakh rupees.
The social worker, who deposed beore the Tribunal, said that when he went to
the police station to lodge a complaint on lebruary 28, he ound two local BJP
leaders, Lakhawala and Brahmbhatt, already sitting there. He was told in ront o
the policemen that the BJP did not want any Muslims in \anejagaon and that they
could orget about police protection.
Vheneer the social worker took the Muslims to the police station to lodge
lIRs, the police would say, Vhy are you leading them, you just mind your own
business.` Vhen the Muslims go to lodge lIRs, they would be told that com-
plaints would be lodged only i no names o the accused were mentioned. Mus-
lims were also told that they would get no help in this connection, een i they
went right up to Delhi. linally, they registered some complaints, keeping out all
the names o the accused. An assistant commissioner o police was named by the
social worker or acting as an inormant o Hindu aggressors and also getting
innocent Muslims arrested.
Audhootnagar
The ictims o Audhootnagar, Makarpura who had taken reuge in a relie camp
went to check out the state o their houses under the protection o PSI \arecha, two
junior oicers and our constables on March 1. They were in their homes, trying to
retriee some o their belongings, when a mob o 5-6,000 set upon them. Vitnesses
told the Tribunal, The police just sat there instead o deending us. PSI \arecha
actually said to the mob, Dv. vivvte veiv .ab atao` \ou hae 10 minutes to do your
job`,. He did not use any tear gas or ire to disperse the mob. The mob attacked us
with pipes, swords and laria. sickles, but we receied no protection rom the po-
lice. Munna Bhai 25-year-old, and Mushtaq Ahmed Nisar Ahmed 45-year-old, were
killed.` Niraj Jain \HP valavavtri,, Kaushik Shah, Shailesh Mehta deputy mayor,,
Jatin \yas Bajrang Dal,, Nagarjuna rom Ajwa Road,, Jayesh Bhatt, Ajay Dae,
Raju were identiied as leading the assailants while PSI \arecha, two junior oicers
and our constables were blamed or their culpable negligence.
1ARSALI ARLA
Raghovpura
Raghopura is a illage o about 100 amilies, Hindu and Muslim in almost equal
number, about 12 kms rom Tarsali, o the \adodara-Mumbai Highway NH 8,. Out
o a total o 41 houses belonging to Muslims, 36 houses and the va.i, along with
two buildings belonging to the va.i, were burnt down by a 500 strong, armed mob
late night on March 1. The amilies targeted were well-o agriculturists who collec-
tiely lost property estimated at Rs. 80 lakh.
The Tribunal recorded detailed eidence about this incident. In the aternoon o
March 1, Subhashbhai Maatbhai Chota, a local Bajrang Dal leader held a meeting in
his illage, Patareni, adjacent to Raghopura. A large number o illagers attended
the meeting, including many rom Raghopura, Two o them, Hindu riends o Mus-
lim boys rom their illage, returned to Raghopura and warned Mubarak Bhai that
plans were being made to burn Muslim houses. Vhen inormed, PSI \adalia rom
\arnama who was posted in the illage along with two police constables since that
morning, told the Muslims, Don`t worry, we are here.`
But when a mob numbering 400-500 launched an assault later that night, \adalia
and the two constables acted as their accomplices. Shouting slogans like Mi,a ve
ao!` Kill the Muslims!`, Mi,a ve aao` Torch the Muslims!`,, !vi avratov i
iat vto` Rape their women!`,, the mob ransacked the mosque, made a pile o all
they could ind, copies o the Koran included, poured kerosene and chemicals oer it
and set it on ire. The mosque was destroyed along with two adjacent Muslim houses.
It then looted the remaining Muslim homes ater which they too were torched.
Anticipating trouble, all the women and children were shited rom Raghopura to
Dhaniyari illage on lebruary 2 itsel. About 15-20 men, who had stayed behind,
also led to Dhaniyari when the attack was launched, ecept or Mubarak Bhai, who
stayed behind and witnessed the destruction, loot and burning.
The ire brigade, which arried seeral hours later, reused to help in putting out
the ire, according to Mubarak Bhai. The PSI told him that i his people hadn`t burnt
the train, this would not hae happened.
The ictims named the ollowing: Bajrang Dal leader, Subhashbhai Maatbhai Chota,
Rabhipura illage .aravcl, Deepabhai Patel, Raghopura .aravcl, Shantilal Patel,
Natwarbhai Naranbhai Patel, Mahendrabhai Patel, Bipinbhai Bhailalbhai Patel,
Amitbhai Jashbhai Patel, Motibhai Gordhanbhai Patel, .aravcl o Megakui, Satishbhai
Thakor, his brother Chandresh Thakor, and many others. PSI \adalia, who said he
would register lIRs and complaints only i no names were mentioned and the two
policemen on duty were also indicted or their non-action.
Noor Park
The Tarsali area, in the south-eastern part o \adodara city, has seeral pockets o
Muslim population: Noor Park, \ishal Nagar, Goind Nagar, Sharad Nagar, Moti
Nagar, Raji Nagar, Indira Nagar and Danteswar. Many o the people rom Noor Park
are egetable and ruit sellers at the Tarsali market. The Tribunal has eidence to
show that a meeting was held by the \HP around the end o January 2002, at the ITI
grounds. Praeen Togadia addressed the meeting and the cable operator telecast this
on a local channel. Shamshersinh, one o the residents o Dadu Nagar in Tarsali area,
reported that in this meeting Togadia incited Hindus to an economic boycott o Mus-
lims, telling them not to een oer the latter any water i they came to Hindu homes.
Gotri village
The arious segments o Tarsali aced a similar pattern o attack. On March 1,
Nasir Hussain Liaqat Hussain and his son were stoned, trapped in tyres and then
burnt alie. The accused in the murders are Narendrasinh Solanki BJP, tava panchayat
member,, Sunil Patel BJP,, along with Sunil Bhoieto, Ajit Kalia o \ishal Nagar,,
Sudhir Meldi, Pradip aka Padiyo, Kallo Jaiswal, Bhupendra, Rai, Dharmendra,
Kanchia, Manish Gurkha all o \ishal Nagar,. Jagdishbhai Shah, well-known
Gandhian and resident o the \inoba Ashram, testiied beore the Tribunal, giing
details o the burning o the local mosque and other Muslim property in Gotri illage
and on Gotri Road. The property destroyed included three tempos, a car and a three-
wheeler that its Muslim owners had parked inside the Ashram compound or saety.
The 10 Muslim amilies rom Ramde Nagar, Ghanchi lalia, Gotri Road, were
gien shelter by their Hindu neighbours or a while. But later, earing imminent at-
tack, they led wearing the saris lent to them by their Hindu neighbours to disguise
their identity. Rampaging mobs later looted and burnt all their homes.
On March 28, illagers o Gotri apparently attacked Muslim houses in nearby Umetha
and burnt down 35 houses, 25 cabins and the standing crops on many ields. They also burnt
the va.i. One o the local leaders telephoned the Tandalja relie camp. A truck came to
Umetha with a police escort in the eening and Dilawarbhai and his amily shited to the
camp in Amir Comple, Tandalja. Many others went to Ankla under police protection.
In Gorwa illage, in the north-eastern part o \adodara, where there are many
public sector companies, Muslim slum dwellers were attacked on lebruary 28 and
their houses burnt down.
KARLLIBAGH
Many houses in Karelibagh and surrounding areas were burnt and looted. Immedi-
ately ater the iolence started, or about 10-15 days, many people rom other areas
sought shelter in the Kasamala Kabrastan area o Karelibagh. Ghaghretia, a small
illage near Dabhoi Chowkdi, had many Muslim houses o which seeral were burnt.
The remaining were looted. Some o the aected amilies rom Ghaghretia, who had
acquaintances in Kasamala, were sheltered by local people in their own homes. Some
people led to other parts o the country ater the incidents.
Lidence recorded by the Tribunal showed an inspiring eample o Hindu-Muslim
solidarity in Kasamala. One o the Hindu amilies in Kasamala was dependent on
daily wages. The Muslim households gae them ood, as they could not go out to
work during curew. They would also tell them that they would protect them at night,
because o these assurances, the Hindu amilies in the area said they could sleep
without aniety. Because o the assurance o saety, the Hindu amilies did not mi-
grate rom the area. A house belonging to a Hindu boy named Raju was burnt down in
the disturbances. His Muslim neighbours gae him ood and shelter.
There are more Muslims in Kasamala than Hindus, while Ramde Pir, an area
nearby, has more Hindus than Muslims. This entire part o \adaodara has had a his-
tory o peace and harmony. Ater the attacks, they resoled to be united and deend
themseles together rom an outside attack, whicheer religion or caste the attackers
might belong to. Because o this understanding between the two communities, the
people could moe around reely during the curew with an assurance o saety.
BLS1 BAKLRY, HANUMAN 1LKRI
The most ghastly incident rom \adodara district was the one that took place at Best
Bakery where ourteen persons were attacked with swords, tri.lv., atli. and other weap-
ons beore being burnt alie. The Tribunal recorded the testimony o Shaikh Zahida
Habibullah one o the ictims whose amily members were killed. The witness told the
Tribunal that Jayanti Batija Chaiwala`, Mahesh Munna Painter`, and Sanjay and Santosh
Thakkar, led a mob o about 500-00 people that attacked the bakery at around 8 p.m.
on March 1. They were linging petrol bombs on us and were shouting that they will
loot and burn us. Our three trucks ull o timber were burnt and destroyed.` The amily
made repeated calls to the police control room and also the policemen at Panigate po-
lice station. The police kept saying, vv aa rale laiv` Ve are coming.`, An hour and
a hal later, around 9.30 p.m., a police ehicle droe by the bakery, stopped briely and
then droe away without doing anything to stop the mob.
The most shocking aspect o this incident is that it was ater the police had come
and gone away without any preentie stop that the mob started the loot and arson
and subsequent massacre. There were shouts, ilthy abuse and threats o rape, etc.
rom the crowd. The entire mob had surrounded the bakery, a multiple-loor struc-
ture. They irst looted and torched the ground loor storeroom and workers` room.
Hanuman Tekri is located on Dabhoi Road, on the outskirts o \adodara. It is a
lower middle-class and poor neighbourhood. Most o the residents are Hindus, ery
ew Muslim amilies lie there. The Muslim amily owning the bakery had shited to
this area only si months prior to this incident. All other Muslims staying in the area
had already let their houses on lebruary 2. Only this amily stayed on because
Jayanti Chaiwala`, who is an inluential person in the area, assured them saety,.
Twenty members o the Shaikh amily, including an aging mother, remained trapped
and terriied on the terrace, as the murderous mob burnt eight people to death on the
ground loor. Thereater, the mob went ater the people trapped on the terrace. The
witness` mother kept appealing to the better sense o the killers saying that she had
no support ecept or her sons. Howeer, two o the witness` brothers were burnt
alie. Two other brothers who receied seere injuries were in hospital until early
May. Other amily members who were seriously injured included the mother o the
witness and one sister. The uncle o the witness, her sister, Shabira and her maternal
uncle`s vava`s, children, Zainab and Shabnam twins, were burnt alie along with
the workers in the bakery. The stomachs o the three Hindu employees at the bakery
were slit open beore they were thrown into the ire. In all, 14 persons were killed and
burnt in this incident o carnage.
Len the domestic animals, like goats, were not spared. All the attackers were rom
the volaa. This included our children and three women. The remains o two o the
ictims could not be ound. Jayanti Batija Chaiwala` is the main culprit. He irst
reassured them o their saety and then led the attack at night. The assault went on
or a staggering 14 hours and yet there was no help rom the police. A Hindu, who
owns the Phoolchand bakery, was also among the attackers and he took away the
ample stock o lour, ghee and other things. A copy o the complaint o the accused
has been submitted to the National Human Rights Commission and other human
rights organisations, besides the collector and police commissioner, \adodara. The
accused here are Jayanti Chaiwala` and his sons, Maat, Mahesh Munna Painter`,
Sanjay Thakkar, Santosh Thakkar, Jagdish Rattiwala, and Dinesh Bakerywala. The
policemen indicted are the Panigate police station
HAJIMIYAN KI SARA, BARANPURA
Located in the south-eastern part o \adodara city, the Baranpura locality had
around 15 per cent Muslim households, lanked by Gujarati and Marathi-speaking
Hindus. There were two police points in the area, possibly because the locality has
seen communal riots in 1969 as well as in 1992. But residents say that the iolence
then was not as seere as this time.
Between lebruary 28 and March 1, an entire Muslim volaa iv Baranpura was
looted and burnt. A ew houses escaped damage, probably because o their location
net to Hindu properties. In Baranpura, a total o around 00 persons hae been
rendered homeless. On March 8, when some ictims went back to check their homes,
they ound them still burning. This is a shocking comment on the conduct o the
\adodara police. Vhen ictim-suriors rom 8-10 amilies went back a second time,
on March 22, to record their avclvava., they were attacked by a 500 strong mob and
orced to lee. The mob set ire to the scooters on which they had come. Though the
police were present they could not or did not do anything.
Among the Muslim homes destroyed at Baranpura was that o Gaman, an inter-
nationally renowned epigraphist who was ormerly with the Archaeological Sur-
ey o India. His collections o more than 200 rare manuscripts and hundreds o
ancient coins were lost in the ire. Ganam`s wie aged 5, shited Ganam, who
was 90-years-old and paralysed, to a saer house, which was also later attacked.
Ganam died in late April.
In all, 39 homes were looted and burnt. Three houses in the volaa where there
were to be weddings had gold, epensie clothes and grain, which were all looted.
One such amily alone lost goods worth Rs 12-13 lakh. Besides homes, 19 shops, a
bakery and a coal depot were looted and burnt while the local argal was damaged.
According to statements beore the Tribunal, the persons who came to attack on
March 2, were rom the neighbouring faia, seeral o whom the Muslims recognised.
Those named are: Bhaya Machi,, Bhuriyo Soni,, Mochi, Ramesh, Dr. Thakor`s son,
Hardik and \imal, and Maniyo son o Ranjeet rom Chobdar volaa,.
ROSHAN NAGAR, 1ULSIWADI
Tulsiwadi is the name or the whole comple o slums, including Sanjay Nagar,
Roshan Nagar and others. The Tulsiwadi area is a mied area, with almost equal popu-
lation o Hindus and Muslims. Howeer, Roshan Nagar is mostly a Muslim majority
area. The Tribunal recorded testimonies rom here too. There were intermittent at-
tacks in the area between lebruary 28 and March 31. Some major incidents are gien
below.
On lebruary 28, Tulsiwadi main bazaar was the scene o stone pelting and attacks.
Vitnesses said a mob led by Umakant Joshi BJP`s e-mayor,, Kanubhai Panwala,
Narendra Pandya s,o Parati, Rajubhai Kuberbhai and Suresh Sharma STD raa o
Tulsiwadi, burnt houses in Sanjay Nagar shopping centre. Hillayyabe, an e-corpora-
tor was also actie in these attacks. \ictims told the Tribunal that the police joined in
the attacking mob and broke up houses. In their combing operations they een took
away the rods o a baby`s cradle saying that these were weapons. They made abusie
and seually threatening statements like, 1vvlaare ,aar a,evge, rol tvvle iva vaarevge`
Vhen your loers` arrie, they skin you alie`,, Ve enjoy thrashing you Muslim
women`, Ve can rape you`, Run away to Pakistan`. Cavi gaai bote tle`They
used ilthy language`, was a widespread complaint.
In Sanjay Nagar, on March 1 and 2, what remained o the mutton shops that were
set on ire on the night o lebruary 2, was cleared out and a temple constructed on the
same spot, blocking the lane leading to the Sanjay Nagar slum. On the eening o March
2, ra.a was distributed here and blaav. blared oer a loudspeaker rom the temple.
lrom the testimonies recorded by the Tribunal and other eidence collected, it is
clear that the police did not limit itsel to oensie language. Among those who were
injured by the police were:
- A pregnant woman injured by two bullets, who had to be admitted to
SSG Hospital.
- Rubina, a 6-year-old girl, whose hand was injured and contused.
- Mumtaz Bano, who receied a black eye in the beatings.
- A 9-month-old baby whose eyes were aected by a tear gas shell that burst at the
eet o the woman holding her.
The women ictims, whose testimonies were recorded by the Tribunal, were e-
tremely agitated and upset at this role o the police. They complained bitterly that the
police, who were supposed to protect them, had instead used abusie language and
trampled on their sense o dignity. The women stated how, with their menolk behind
bars, the amily members had been staring or days.
lrom the eidence recorded by the Tribunal, it is clear that many Muslims were
illegally arrested and detained by the \adodara police. Lyewitnesses testiied saying
that the police came at the same time as the mobs. One such witness described how
they pulled her out o the house, dragged her in the mud, beating her all the while.
Vhen asked whether she had lodged a police complaint with the commissioner o
police about the atrocities, her angry response was: Vhat is the point o complaining
to him when his men did all this to us Ve need to complain to the chie minister or
the Prime Minister.` This witness has submitted her testimony to the NHRC.
Mansuri Kabrastan was another area in this locality where women and young men
were brutally assaulted by the Karelibagh police on March 1. Many ictims, agitated
at the illegal arrests o many boys, had registered a complaint that they were being
brutally beaten by the police.
WADI, PANIGA1L
On March 1, 2002 a big mob entered the Madarmohalla ba.ti in Vadi, near Panigate in
the old city area o \adodara and burnt down ie Muslim houses. Residents told the
Tribunal that there were Bajrang Dal people in the mob. But instead o going ater the
culprits, the police, too, turned on the Muslims, most o them daily wage earners. The
Tribunal ound that this was a clear and sinister pattern to the iolence in \adodara, where
poor and ulnerable Muslims were irst attacked by mobs and then set upon by the police.
They systematically dragged out men rom their houses while amilies were sitting
down to dinner or watching teleision. lorcible arrests were then made rom dierent
areas beginning with Vadi, Panigate. Seenteen-year-old Deewan, trying to lee rom
the police, was badly injured on her earlobe by shrapnel rom a shell, causing her to
aint. She was hospitalised or 13 days, had been omiting blood, and was still on
medication three weeks later.
Other people related how the police went on the rampage, breaking down houses
and eerything that came in their way. Children were terriied and hid in all kinds o
places, but the police pulled them out while terrorising all the residents. lorty-two
ba.ti dwellers were arrested that night, taken to the Panigate police station and de-
tained or 13 days. The police continued to isit the area or days ater the incident,
threatening and intimidating the people urther. \ictims o Panigate had seere inju-
ries inlicted on them by the assault. There were burn scars, multiple ractures etc.
Almost all those aected were daily wage earners.
Vhen the Bade Masdada Ki Chaali was attacked on the night o lebruary 28 by a
large mob, there were police jeeps accompanying the mob. The attackers came armed
with swords and other weapons. Vhen approached or protection, the police said,
Sae yourseles, we cannot sae you.` The people led, leaing behind eerything
they owned. Their property was irst looted and then their houses were burnt to the
ground. The police not only reused to protect them but also joined the mob in beat-
ing them up. Some sustained injuries, including two with serious head injuries and had
to be hospitalised. The brutal police did not spare een the elderly. \oung Muslims
were chased and beaten by the police during curew while Hindu boys moed around
reely on scooters.
The hapless Muslims took shelter in a nearby argal, helpless witnesses to the night
long burning o their houses and belongings. The worst part was the sense o betrayal
by neighbours: they were being attacked by Hindus with whom they had shared meals,
they had isited each others` homes or 40 years. Ganibhai Qureshi said, avare
.aatl .aov .e lave raae bli lavev blaga,e v. iv. .a lavara i.i ar blaro.a valiv.
aara blaro.a toot ga,a lai.` People we shared meals with or years chased us o that
day. Today, we trust no one. All trust has been broken or good.`,
Phase II: March JS-20
MACHCHIPI1H
The signiicance o the Machchipith iolence in the second round o iolence lies
in the act that by March 14, \adodara was getting back to normal. There were many
areas where no untoward incident had taken place till then. The eent at Machchipith
was used and reported by the media as an attack by Muslims on peaceully passing
ravblat.`, an echo o the Godhra eent. This was used to trigger the second round
o iolence in \adodara, which then spread to many areas.
Machchipith, in the old city area, is inhabited by middle and lower middle-class
Hindus and Muslims. Many o them run businesses and some are in the serice sec-
tor. About 40 Hindu amilies and 400 Muslim amilies reside in the area. In the ater-
math o Godhra, harmony had preailed in Machchipith, despite instances o io-
lence in the immediate icinity - Tulsibhai Ki Chawl, Salatwada, Haribhakti Ki
Chawl - in which Muslim homes, shops, vara..a. and mosques were looted or burnt.
On March 15, The \HP and Bajrang Dal had gien a call to Hindus to organise
Rav lvv` meetings all oer India. In iew o the preailing tension, Tuteja, \adodara`s
police commissioner imposed section 144 in the city. In contraention o the aboe
order, a 500 strong rally, all outsiders, reached Machchipith vaa at around 3.10 p.m.
About 6- police personnel also accompanied the rally on oot, with a police an
bringing up the rear. The rally was quite unruly, with many Muslim-owned shops
including Indian Boot House and Tower Shoes, ev rovte being looted and burnt.
The moot question is: Vhy was a procession allowed in open deiance o curew
orders Vhat was the police doing when Muslim shops were being looted and burnt
by the processionists Howeer, these questions did not seem to trouble the police
then or later. The processionists reached Machchipith, raised proocatie slogans,
like aviao (abusie word to reer to Muslims,, go away to Pakistan,` abar i
avao, ivv.tav cllo o,` Babur`s sons, Quit India!`, and resorted to lewd
behaiour, prooking the Muslims to respond with stone throwing. It is only then that
the police interened and only Muslims were the ocus o their wrath.
Apart rom the municipal councillors and other local leaders inoled, arious po-
lice personnel were eplicitly named. They are 1, MS Patel o Raopura police station,
2, Bhagirathsinh Jadeja, PI o Goonda squad, 3, PI Rao o Karelibaug police station,
4, Kanu Patel o Karelibaug police station, and 5, latehsinh Patel o Karelibaug
police station. No action has been taken against them.
1AIWADA
Taiwada, a prominent but communally sensitie area o the walled city which has a
majority o Muslim households, but also quite a ew Hindu amilies, was among the
targets in the second round o iolence that began on March 15. There were no seri-
ous problems between the two communities during the worst phase o iolence be-
tween lebruary and March 1. But the area was aected in the second phase and badly
so in the third bouts o iolence. It was the police that was the source o the greatest
harassment or Muslim residents.
On April 20, the police killed two residents when they were on a night igil outside one o
the houses in the area. The police tried to justiy the iring by manuacturing a scene o
rioting. Vomen were subject to physical assault by the police under the pretet o combing`.
On March 15, the date on which the liaaav` va was scheduled at Ayodhya,
there was a lot o tension in the area. The Muslims were repeatedly warned by the
police to stay indoors, but Hindu boys were allowed to roam around reely. The arti in
the temple that day was ery aggressie and proocatie. Slogans were shouted and
threats issued but the police took no action. In the eening, the house o one Kalubhai,
situated right net to the Gajrawadi Police Chowk, was set on ire. The police posted
there said that they could not do anything and the residents themseles doused the
ire. A little later, Saiyyad Photo Studio was completely burnt. The owner, Saiyyad
Masood, who lied in the icinity, had no option but to watch his inestment o
around Rs.1.5 lakh go up in lames. The police point was right net to the studio, and
so was a temple. I they had wanted to, they could hae preented it. I we had
stepped out, we would hae been killed that night,` Masood told the Tribunal.
At night, ostensibly in response to stone throwing by members o the minority
community, the police, led by police inspector PP Kanani o the DCB, entered the
area or a combing operation. They broke open doors o Muslim homes, beat up men
and misbehaed with the women. Deposing beore the Tribunal, one resident o
Taiwada said, Ve were sleeping. They broke open our door, beat us and dragged us
out. They used ilthy language and openly leered at our women bvri vaar`,. I told
them that we were businessmen, not trouble makers but they wouldn`t listen. They
damaged the urniture in our house. They took all three o us brothers and thrashed
us. A police oicer leered at my wie. God orbid, een i he`d done something to her,
I was in no position to do anything to protect her. I urged him to let at least one o us
brothers go. He replied, No, we`ll burn you all alie.` In the lock-up, too, the police
said the same thing: Ve will burn you Muslims alie.` Ve were gien neither ood nor
water in the lock-up. I heard them talking o slapping a murder case on us een when
no murder had taken place and no weapons had been ound on us.`
The conduct o the \adodara police during combing operations needs special in-
estigation. These operations were arbitrary and brutal, with women being subjected
to highly abusie treatment. The Tribunal recorded the testimony o seeral witnesses
who had suered in the police action.
Hamida Banu, 40, was arrested by around 15 policemen led by PI Kanani, on the night
o March 15, when she stepped out to go to the toilet just behind her house. She was so
badly beaten that she had our ractures on her right hand, or which she underwent our
operations at SSG Hospital. She told the Tribunal, The police hae no right to lit a hand
on women. They should not be allowed to get away with this. Vhateer happened to me
happened, but other women should neer hae to suer this.` A police case was registered
in SSG Hospital against the erring policemen, but no action was taken.
Apart rom Hamida Banu, 13 other women were similarly injured in police attacks
that night in the Taiwada area, all requiring medical attention. One young woman had a
baby born hardly a month earlier. The police smashed open the entrance door, which ell
on her back. They smashed her oot with the butt o a gun. This witness has three small
children. She pleaded with the police not to take away her husband. They hit her on the
back. They took away her husband ater beating him up. Another Muslim woman, who
lies opposite the vavir, said, They beat my son-in-law a lot, upturned all the grain
containers atta and rice, in the house, did a lot o vv.aav damage,. One o them
stepped on a 6-month-old baby who was crying a lot and said, Let them all die`.`
Another ictim lies in Raai volaa. She is a social worker who works with wid-
ows and helps poor people get loans. I tried to stop the police. Aterwards, they hit
me, too, and used ilthy language. I told them that I would register a case against
them. Ve iled a report at Jamnabai hospital. But no enquiry has been held. \esterday
the day beore she testiied beore the Tribunal, I was at Baamanpura. A kite landed
at my eet. On it was written, Ve will burn you, we will burn your houses and your
children. Ve will play oiDlveti with your blood.` I showed it to the police commis-
sioner. His response was, This will go on. Do we ocus on you people or ocus on
these people` I told him that we had no choice but to deend ourseles with stones
when they attack us with swords and the police does nothing. To this, the commis-
sioner himsel said, .a aavve .aavve al o` light it out among yourseles`,.`
Incidentally, women rom Taiwada had played an actie role in maintaining calm in the
area by orming peace committees Shanti Abhiyan, and trying to dissipate tension soon
ater Godhra. Len ater the combing operations began, they continued to be igilant.
Sherbano rom the Shanti Abhiyan, an initiatie to promote peace in the area, told the
Tribunal, The whole area was under curew and it was these women who were more alert
in preenting untoward incidents instead o the police.` Vomen kept igil on terraces,
balconies and erandahs to preent trouble by the police. Ve had to keep the men inside
because they get beaten more easily. I we women do not do it, who will` asked one o
the women. But trying to keep the situation rom going out o control was not easy. The
area had continuously been under curew and eeryone was tense with lack o sleep.
BAHAR COLONY
Vitnesses rom Bahar Colony on Ajwa Road testiied at length about police brutality
during the second round o iolence beginning March 15. There were continued attacks
on the Bahar Colony or 2 hours. Large mobs would attack the locality een while police
patrolling was on. On March 1, around 50 women rom the Bahar Colony rushed out
when there was an eplosion rom a hut that had been torched. They tried to stop a police
an that was driing past. The police an droe a little distance, suddenly started reers-
ing, and police started iring. One man was killed on the spot and another was injured. The
lIR registered or this incident distorts the whole picture, the police claiming that they
were conronted by a mob o 1,500-2,000 when, in act, there were only 50 women.
The witness to this incident who deposed beore the Tribunal, told inspector \M
Chauhan that i guns were targeted at the attackers, things would not be so bad: The
inspector replied, No, only you will be shot at. Bullets will be directed only at you.` He
ended with an order to the policemen, Beat them with atli., shoot them.`` The wit-
nesses hae submitted ull details o all the police atrocities - photographs, lIRs, etc -
to the police commissioner and the collector. On March 18, a meeting was held with the
ACP in charge, Piyush Patel, at larookbhai Bowala`s house. They complained bitterly
about the mistreatment o women but despite the promise, no action was taken.
On the night o May 2, or no apparent reason, the police entered people`s homes
and beat up women. So drunk that they could hardly walk straight, they entered homes
orcibly and mercilessly beat up women. Those named in this criminal action by the
\adodara police were PSI Parmar o Panigate in ciilian dress, along with about 40
constables in ciies and another 15-20 in uniorm.
BAWANPURA
Bawanpura in the old city o \adodara, inhabited mostly by daily egetable en-
dors and daily wage earners rom both communities, was targeted on March 25
Muharram day, and again on March 28. The ollowing account is based on testimo-
nies gathered rom women o the area:
Kagda Chaal in the old city o \adodara is a predominantly Muslim area, with a
ew Hindu households and two temples amidst them, lanked by Hindu shops and
households on two sides. Hindu residents said that they had aced no problems here
and that they elt totally sae in the area. People rom both communities said that they
had no problem with each other, the only problem being police atrocities against
Muslims.
Len a 3-year-old boy, Arbaz, was beaten by the police. There were instances o
pregnant women being beaten on their stomachs. Most o the injuries were in the
lower parts o the body, below the waist. A ew women showed bruises in the groin
area. A woman, 9-months pregnant, told the Tribunal, I told them that I was preg-
nant et.e`,. They said that they would beat me nonetheless. My mother-in-law pleaded
that I was pregnant. They said, Ve hae to kill it beore it is born`.` Unwell and
elderly women were not spared either.
Many witnesses said the police had not beaten and misbehaed with women in
earlier riots. Howeer, this time, women were being ery badly treated, badly thrashed
or no reason. A 60-year-old ictim was hit so hard on the stomach that the scars rom
an old caesarian operation almost split open. Others were dragged by their hair and
beaten. Another woman who had recently had a tumour operation was beaten on the
back and legs. The policemen were all drunk. In many o these cases, lIRs hae been
iled but no action had been taken. Many women ictims were reused treatment at
Jamnabai hospital where they were told that they had deliberately injured themseles.
Although the people o the area had not suered major losses and destruction in
mob attacks, when the Tribunal recorded detailed testimonies, they were in a con-
stant state o ear and apprehension and were bitter about the injury, abuse and hu-
miliating treatment that they had to endure at the hands o the police.
But it was the attack on April 19 that proed most brutal. A PUCL-Shanti Abhiyan
team submitted a report on police atrocities committed on March 25 and April 5 to
the National Commission or Vomen. They also appealed to the police commissioner
to take strict action against these policemen or committing such atrocities. At that
time, the commissioner gae an assurance that such incidents would not recur. De-
spite this, the police set upon the Muslims o Kagda Chawl on April 19.
On the night o April 19, sensing resh trouble rom the Panigate police station, the
men olk o Kagda Chawl had let the area, only women and children were there when
approimately 30 policemen, in both ciilian clothes and uniorm, orcibly entered the
Kagda Chawl area rom three sides. They said that they were PI Parmar`s sta, the
women easily recognised police constables Deepak and Mahesh Rabari in the group.
The policemen, who were ery drunk and armed with thick, metal-capped wooden
atli. went on the rampage, attacking property and people or about one hour. They
broke open the doors o the houses, smashed T\ sets and urniture, scattered ood
items and other household eects. They beat up nearly 20 women, their atli. aiming
particularly at their breasts, thighs, hips and arms. They also beat up children and
household animals and caused etensie damage.
Some women attempted to bar their doors rom the inside, but the police broke
down the doors and started a atli-charge. In one house, where there was only one
woman with her 8-month-old baby, the police beat the woman and lung the baby
across the room. lortunately, the baby ell on a mattress. lilthy language accompa-
nied the beating. Itvi gavi gai ete tle oice rae, i lvv aa o bata bli valiv .ate`
They used such ilthy language that we cannot repeat them beore you`, the
traumatised women said. I this is how the police are going to behae, where are we
to go` Medical eaminations were conducted on the women at Jamnabai hospital.
The women lodged an lIR at Panigate police station on the same night.
The residents o Kagda Chawl submitted a written memorandum to the police
commissioner on April 20, a copy o which was submitted to the Tribunal. Subse-
quently, a Muslim police oicer called the women rom Kagda Chawl and pressurised
them to withdraw their complaint. The local media only helped an the lames by
misreporting the incident.
IA1LHGUNJ
Muslims rom this area elt deeply betrayed by the police. Despite all their eorts to
maintain peace notwithstanding repeated proocations, it was Muslim houses that
were combed, and Muslims who were arrested and alsely charged under section 30
attempt to murder,. Speaking beore the Tribunal, Mustua Sheikh said that they
were the ones whose houses were combed, they were the ones whose shops were
looted and then they were the ones who were charged under sections 151 and 30.
Vhat were they to do Vho could they turn to or help with een the police conspir-
ing against them Their people were liing in inhuman conditions with nothing to eat.
They had let their homes with only the clothes on their backs. They were being
intimidated constantly.
The police atrocities ollowed reports in 1le 1ive. of Ivia and ave.l that a handi-
capped Hindu boy had been stabbed in the area. It was later discoered that he had
sustained a sel-inlicted scratch in a minor accident.
Phase III: April 26-May 2
1AIWADA
On the night o April 30, around 1.30 a.m., two men, Abid Ibrahimbhai Delawala 26,
and Noorbhai \aroobhai Karania 40,, were killed in police iring. The police claimed
that they were shot when police ired to disperse a mob which had attacked a temple, tried
to burn a SRP tent, and was indulging in throwing stones, bottles, acid bulbs, etc. Two
Gujarati newspapers, ave.l and Cvarat avaclar carried this story in their morning issue.
Vhile correspondents o national newspapers who rushed to the area ater receiing phone
calls rom the locality were not allowed to enter the area, the local \NM and DLLP
networks worked under police protection to trot out the police ersion.
But according to the widows o the two ictims who, along with other eyewit-
nesses, had made a written complaint to the police commissioner and who also de-
posed beore the Tribunal, the police shot the two ictims in cold-blood, without any
proocation. Both were shot in the head, indicating that the police were shooting to kill.
They hae named PI Parmar and ie other policemen as those responsible or this.
lamily members were not allowed near the ictims, who were dying and crying out or
water. The police burst tear gas shells near the two bodies. The police said ati ga,v` its
all oer`, and began dragging away the bodies as i they were dead dogs. Nobody was
allowed to accompany the bodies. The bodies were returned ater the post-mortem
eamination, but none o the personal eects were handed oer to relaties.
Larlier, around midnight on April 26, the police orcibly entered Muslim homes, where
only women and children were asleep since the men stayed elsewhere or their own saety.
The policemen abused them in ilthy language, Vhere are your blara.` Vhere are
your lia.` and threatened to seually molest them. A woman who deposed beore the
Tribunal said that the police beat her as well as her 30-year-old sister. Her sister, who is
partially disabled and was recoering rom a recent appendi operation, was beaten on her
stomach, thighs and priate parts. In all, the Tribunal has details o 13 women who were
assaulted by the police at Taiwada as well as a 5-year-old child who was hit on her back
with a baton. Vomen rom Taiwada who were brutally assaulted by the \adodara police,
led by PI Kanani, hae had to undergo prolonged sessions o physiotherapy.
RAJA RANI 1ALAV
Raja Rani Tala a Muslim-predominant ba.ti just behind the Panigate police station
was completely peaceul all through the two months since the Godhra incident. But
on April 2, a mob numbering seeral thousand people rom Bhoiwada attacked the
ba.ti. All the homes were looted while 35 houses were subsequently burnt. Two argal.
were also burnt down and the vara..a, too, was destroyed. Around 520 Muslims
rom oer 100 amilies took shelter in Doodhwala Hall in Moghalwada rom April 28
to May 5. A Hindu amily, Dilipbhai Patel, his wie Kokila and their children also
took shelter along with their Muslim neighbours.,
Len as they were under attack rom mobs, the police unleashed terror on the
ictims in the name o combing operations - hitting people, especially women, with
atli. and rile butts and smashing electric meters. Many women rom the area, whose
testimonies hae been collected, were assaulted and abused by the police. The pat-
tern o brute iolence against Muslim women by the police here is chillingly similar to
other areas o \adodara. It is clear that this was a strategy adopted by sections o the
police to assault, abuse and terrorise the Muslim minority in this manner. Seeral
women hae complained about police ictimisation, harassment and iolence. At
least 25 women were assaulted by the police.
SULLIMANI CHAAL
Suleimani Chaal is a slum settlement at Ajwa Road that was apparently targeted by
the hired hoodlums o Shailesh Mehta, the deputy mayor o \adodara who is also a
builder, keen on etending his neighbouring plot o land.
Apart rom the looting and damaging o Muslim property, b, tle oice, on the night
o April 30-May 1, the Tribunal recorded gross cases o iolence against women.
Pregnant women were threatened with rape. Thirteen women were physically beaten
on all parts o their body, including priate parts, and erbally abused in the ilthiest
ashion. All the policemen were drunk. \oung children were also badly assaulted.
1ANDALJA : HOPL SURVIVLS
An area in \adodara that was in the news throughout the post-Godhra iolence
was Tandalja. Len in places as ar as 10 km away, like Gorwa, Manjalpur, Nizampura
and Sama, rumours were kept aloat by the \HP, Bajrang Dal since March 1 about
impending attacks by Tandalja`s Muslims. The local press reinorced the baseless
rumours. The Muslim-predominant illage was painted as a hotbed o weapon-wield-
ing criminals. A term widely used by outsiders to describe this area is Mini Pakistan`,
simply because it is a Muslim majority area. Systematic attempts were made to iliy
this area and thereby also urther stereotype Muslims as bloodthirsty marauders. The
Tribunal is happy to record its deep appreciation o the tireless work o people rom
both communities in Tandalja and its neighbourhood, to maintain peace, rustrating
the designs o the mischie-makers.
Situated on the western border o \adodara city, Tandalja is an area with about
40,000 people, spread oer some 50 housing colonies and slums. The Muslim popula-
tion is about 80 per cent and Hindus constitute about 20 per cent. Besides Gujaratis,
the Hindu population includes people rom the Sikar district o Rajasthan and Agarwals
rom UP. Tandalja also has a small Christian population.
The slums and some o the housing colonies in the area hae a mied population.
Ater the 1969 riots, the area proided shelter to Muslim and Hindu reugees rom
\adodara as also rom illages like Jambusar. In the early 1980s, middle-class and
upper middle-class housing societies came up in the area. Many o these societies
were deeloped through partnerships o Hindu and Muslim builders, partnerships
that continue een today.
There are a number o temples and mosques in the area. Ibrahimbhai, a Muslim, built
one o the temples, Shankar Ka Mandir, which shares a wall with a va.i. Another vavir,
the Raneshwar Mandir, has been there or much longer. New temples hae come up near
Muktinagar, Gautam Sarabhai housing colony and Mahabalipuram, predominantly Hindu
residential colonies. There are ten mosques in the area. Ater the1982 riots in \adodara,
the Darv!oov was shited rom Mandi, in the walled city, to Tandalja.
Vhile Tandalja illage has substantial mied areas o Hindu and Muslim houses, in
some o the newly deeloped parts, Hindu and Muslim areas are clearly demarcated.
Howeer, there is plenty o social interaction between Hindus and Muslims, they
isit each other, are inited to each other`s weddings, and also eat together. Hindus
and Muslims gie gits and sometimes perorm av,aaav at each other`s weddings.
Muslim- and Hindu-owned shops are intermingled, not one o these was touched
throughout the carnage.
Until 1994-5, corporators rom the area were always rom the Congress. The pres-
ence o the BJP in local politics is a post-Adani ratl ,atra 1989-90, phenomenon. It
was only ater the ratl ,atra that the BJP was able to win three out o our seats the
electoral ward includes many surrounding Hindu societies as well,. The BJP has also
won a ew supporters amongst the Muslims.
As soon as iolence erupted in other parts o the city, residents o the area got
together and ormed peace committees. Muslims as well as Hindus reached out to as
many adjacent societies as possible to build an atmosphere o mutual trust. Thanks
to this, there was no incident o communal iolence, burning or looting in the area in
the two months ollowing the Godhra incident, despite the iolence raging in other
parts o \adodara and the inlu o thousands o reugees rom aected areas.
Oten round-the-clock igils were maintained. The strategy o the BJP-\HP was
to create insecurity in the minds o Hindus warning them that the other side would
attack i they were not igilant. Vhile igils help maintain peace, youth organised or
sel-deence` can easily be gien a dierent turn, with rumours lowing thick and
ast. It is especially creditworthy that in this delicate atmosphere the residents o
Tandalja kept in constant touch with each other and thus rustrated the designs o the
motiated rumour-mongers.
During the irst two days o iolence, two aari. handcarts, belonging to Muslims
were burnt in the adjoining Hindu area, allegedly by outsiders`. \et the Muslims
remained calm and did not allow their locality to be held to ransom. On the other
hand, some representaties rom surrounding Hindu societies isiting Tandalja were
so moed by the condition o the reugees that they decided to contribute ood grains
to the relie camp. Vith this gesture, mutual trust became een stronger.
Some ground rules were set. I anybody had any suspicion about moements rom
the other side or any rumours were spread, they must immediately contact respon-
sible persons rom the other side and eriy the acts. In this way, an actie system o
communication was deeloped between the 50 housing settlements so that, within a
matter o minutes, rumours were quashed. On at least two occasions, rumours were
dispelled thanks to the swit system o communication that was eoled.
On one occasion, a Bajrang Dal-\HP mob o about 500-600 people rom outside
got as ar as Ashwamegh society, a Hindu residential area adjacent to Tandalja. The
mob had come to attack Tandalja. Ashwamegh was part o the peace committee.
Local leaders rom Ashwamegh stood between the mob and Tandalja. They did not
allow the mob to cross the road. The masterminds o the mob later sent bangles to
the residents o Ashwamegh, to suggest that they were cowards or not supporting
the attack on Muslims or the cause o ivvtra`. But the people o Ashwamegh said
that their understanding o Hinduism was dierent.
Other eorts were also made to generate ear and tension here. On March 19, at
around 1.30 a.m., Hindus rom a small settlement o about 25 huts led on being ed
the inormation that there was a plan to burn the huts at night. Vitnesses who de-
posed beore the Tribunal said that they had learnt o a sinister plan to burn these
huts at night with the conniance o the police and later blame it on the residents o
Tandalja. A spotlight was quickly organised by the peace committees to generate
security among the slum dwellers. lor three days and nights the entire neighbourhood
protected the empty huts so that no outsider could come and burn them. Ater a ew
days the people o the slum returned to their huts.
Larly in the morning o April 19, one Chandrakant Patel, who managed a milk distri-
bution centre on the main road outside Tandalja, was murdered by two unknown per-
sons. According to police reports, two motorcyclists came rom the direction o Atladra
and shot him at point-blank range, killing him on the spot. Patel was politically con-
nected with the BJP. Tension deeloped in Tandalja ollowing the incident. Both Hindu
and Muslim community leaders epressed their grie oer the death. They condemned
the attack and obsered a spontaneous bavl or the same. According to preliminary
police inestigations, the assault may hae been a case o personal rialry.
Both these incidents had the potential or sparking trouble in the area. But the peace-
makers rom both sides were igilant and could check such elements rom within as well
as outside the area. The role o the police, particularly in the second incident, was positie
and contributed to the peacekeeping eorts. The act that this was a neighbourhood where
communities were mied, could interact and thereby deelop aith in each other and main-
tain peace, only emphasises why the avgl Parirar inds it critical to discourage social
intercourse across religious communities and enorce ghettoisation.
The irst batch o ictims o iolence rom elsewhere in \adodara arried here on
the eening o lebruary 28. Thereater, a continuous stream o reugees poured into
the area. Some came on their own because they had relaties here, others because
they were aware that they could get support rom their community members and still
more were brought by police under police protection. lormal relie camps were unc-
tioning at our places in the area rom March 1 and at one point as many as 5,000
reugees were being proided shelter. To protest against the goernment and the police`s
ailure to protect Muslims elsewhere in \adodara, those in-charge o the relie cen-
tres in Tandalja reused to accept relie material rom the goernment when this was
oered at a later date. That Tandalja both opened its heart to the ictims o iolence
rom other parts o \adodara and simultaneously participated in keeping peace in its
own area makes their eort een more commendable.
0008-808l
Seeral illages around \adodara city were targeted on March 1, 2002. The Tribu-
nal receied statements and testimonies rom 66 ictims liing in relie camps who
are originally rom these illages.
A1LADRA
A mob o between 500 and 1000 people attacked Muslim illagers in Atladra on
March 1, 2002, ater which 60-65 people took shelter at Saudagar Park Tandalja,.
According to testimonies receied by the Tribunal, the mob came at around 11.30
a.m. and, ater looting the shops near the bus stand, set them on ire. The mob then
began looting the utensils, grain and proision stores owned by Muslims. They een
carted away the windows and doors beore setting the structures on ire. Sulemanbhai
o Patel |aia said that the shops were looted but the houses were not, because there
are Hindu-owned houses in the locality as well.
According to Rehmanbhai, the aim o the mob was to cause economic damage eclu-
siely to the Muslim community. So, or eample, Sulemanbhai`s aav shop was moed
a small distance to sae a neighbour`s shop, and then burnt using kerosene torches.
About ie shops and one house were burnt, ater which the mob went towards the post
oice and burnt Moosabhai Mohammad`s lourmill, two-wheeler and cycles.
That night the rampaging mob went to Kalali crossing. Ibrahimmiya o Kalali crossing
said that by this time, it was 1,000-1,500 strong. Ibrahimmiya led the scene, ater which
his house was looted by the mob. \ictim-suriors say that Arunaben Pandya, the ormer
BJP corporator, helped the mob identiy Muslim houses. \ogesh Patel o the illage, Hari
Krishan Patel and Nikeshbhai G Patel were also responsible or inciting the mobs. The
ictim-suriors also stated that when the police came to the area to inestigate, the ery
people who had abetted the iolence plied the policemen with ood and drinks. They also
said that when ictims went to register an lIR, the police reused to cooperate.
BAJWA
Bajwa illage was targeted between March 1-3, 2002. Bajwa or Bajuwa is an old
illage which is gradually being absorbed by \adodara`s petrochemical comple. It
also has a ew small industries. Rajasthan colony on Karachiya road comprises 150 to
200 housing units, o which 12 to 15 belong to Muslims.
According to a witness whose statement was placed beore the Tribunal, the attack
in this illage took place on the aternoon o March 1. The mobs started attacking
Muslim shops and houses, and then setting them on ire. They reached Karachiya
around 2.30 p.m., Dhankua at around 4 p.m., and inally, Rajasthan colony at around
p.m. Sajjak Ali`s house was the irst one to be looted, een the ornaments or his
daughter`s wedding were robbed and then the house was set on ire with petrol. Ater
that Saiyyad Sikandar`s house was burnt. A scrap dealer`s house was razed to the
ground and a Hanuman temple was built in its place.
At around 8 p.m., 35 Muslim men and women rom Karachiya illage inally ap-
proached the army unit near Gujarat Reinery or shelter. By the aternoon o March
2, the numbers had increased to 200, with other reugees haing arried rom Dhankua.
All o them were ed, sheltered, gien blankets, tarpaulin and utensils by the army or
two or three days. On March 2 and 3, Jagdish Patel, Dhirubhai Patel and about 10
others came and told the army men to epel the reugees rom the camp and een
some police oicials, including PSI Saraiya, asked the army to hand them oer. But
the army-including a commander called Jasinder Singh, \.S. Reddy and Cdr. Jaed-
remained supportie.
On March 2, the ictim-suriors were inormed that the mobs had looted their
belongings and set ire to their homes. They repeatedly contacted the police commis-
sioner through some prominent people rom Maheshwari Society, but receied no
help. They requested police protection but the police bluntly told them, I you are
brae, leae, since we do not hae the manpower to proide you protection.` Ater
three days, the reugees were inally sent to Chistiya Masjid in Tandalja under military
escort, and on March 4 they let Bajwa or \adodara.
Vhen the ictims later contacted their neighbours, they were told that those inoled
in the iolence were still going around saying that no Muslims should be allowed back
into the illage. The mobs were led, among others, by Jagdish Armanbhai Patel and
Arun Patel o Karachiya illage, and Sampat \adhri o Rajasthan colony. Mukesh Patel
was also a part o the mob. The ictims stated that Jayaben Thakkar, BJP MP, incited
the mob which included a number o women. A lot o the attackers belonged to the
Bajrang Dal unit o Chhani illage. Others belonged to Karachiya illage. At Bajwa,
PSI Saraiya had apparently told the Bajrang Dal olunteers and Jayaben Thakkar that
they should moe on to other places and could do what they liked oer there.
Bhayli
Bhayli is a illage on the outskirts o \adodara on the \adodara-Padra Road, which
was attacked on lebruary 28 and March 1, 2002. The people here make, among other
things, mattresses or a liing. On lebruary 28, a mob o around 100 people came to
the illage. About eight quintals o cotton belonging to one Muslim amily were burnt,
as was the mattress-making machine. The mob returned on the eening o March 1,
took out all the amily`s belongings rom the house and burnt eerything. According
to the amily, the house itsel was spared because it is adjacent to a Hindu house.
In Bhayli, the Masjidwala |aia was not damaged. There is a police clori there
with our policemen. Vhen the trouble started, there were two policemen present.
The mob attacks took place in the presence o the police, who remained silent spec-
tators. The ictims suspected that the police had been bribed. Some o them com-
plained, I we go to tell the police they abuse us. Ve`ll ire on you,` is what they say.`
The ictims had to make arrangements or ood, tea etc. or these policemen. L-
ery day, IR \ohra had to gie them grain, milk and cash. The police warned that
unless they were taken care o, they would no longer protect the ictims and their
property. So the terrorised Muslims took turns to get ood on credit and gie it
to the policemen.
The ictims said that they were looted by people rom the neighbourhood. They
said they were ready to identiy their belongings and take them back i the police
proided protection. The ictims who came rom Bhayli to the Saudagar Park Camp
in Tandalja said all their businesses had been destroyed. About 25 out o 0 houses
were damaged, our lourmills, two tailoring shops, and a lour-shop were broken. O
about 50 veev trees, hal were cut down. The room attached to the cemetery was
broken as well.
SAMIALA, LAXMIPURA
In Samiala, two houses, one shop and one tempo were burnt on March 1,2002.
Although the drier o the tempo was a Hindu, the ehicle was burnt because it
belonged to a Muslim. The Muslim amilies staying in the illage were not willing to
gie urther details. The .aravcl, Bachhubhai \aidya, said that all details regarding
the incident had been collated and were aailable with the taati. He also said that the
people there lied peaceully and that there was a police point in the illage.
Lamipura is a illage near Samiala. On March 1, 2002, at about 10.30 p.m., a mob
started burning the houses o Muslims in the illage. PI PRGehlot o the \adodara
Rural police was present during the attacks. All 38 Muslim houses in the illage were
destroyed oer seeral days, and the attackers, Hindus, told Muslim illagers not to
return to the illage. On March 1, all the Muslim residents had to lee Lamipura with
nothing but the clothes on their backs. They let or Padra, Samiala and other areas,
but the looting and burning continued well into May.
An lIR was iled by PI Gehlot himsel, ictims said it was highly misleading. Around
mid-March, avclvava. were made, but the attacks continued. The ictims made se-
eral representations to the collector and DSP, but nothing had come o them,een
two months later, and the attacks on the remains o the Muslim dwellings continued.
The ollowing is a list o those named by witnesses as persons responsible or the
attacks. The ictims had been demanding that these names be included in the lIR,
which had not been done. None o these people had been arrested, on the contrary,
some innocent Hindus rom the area were arrested by the police. The names o the
accused rom Samiala are: Narendrabhai Gordhanbhai \aid .aravcl,, Kamlesh
Gordhanbhai Patel dy .aravcl,, Bhogilal Mohanbhai Patel, Mahendrabhai Harmanbhai
Patel, Kishorebhai Laljibhai Baria, Natubhai Dayabhai Patel, Jagdishbhai Dayabhai Patel,
Hiteshbhai Bacchubhai Patel. The names o the accused rom Lamipura are: Bhagatsinh
Gaikwad avcla,at member,, Labhubhai grav.era,, Bharatbhai Doctor,, Rameshbhai
Bakorbhai Solanki, Chiragbhai Maganbhai Panchal, Narendrabhai Raojibhai Patel,
Lakshmansinh Bodana, Poonambhai Solanki, Ranjitsinh Chatrasinh Gohil, Umeshbhai
Natubhai Rawal, Kantilal Bhatt, Shantilal Shanabhai \aghri, Rameshbhai Chimanbhai
Padiyar, Punitbhai Solanki, Sukhabhai \aghri, Dilipsinh Gaikwad, Sureshbhai Rajput,
Chandrasinh Maganbhai Rajput, Dilipbhai Shantilal \aland.
MARL1HA
Maretha illage was attacked between lebruary 28 and March 2, 2002.This illage
is on the outskirts o \adodara city, near Maneja. Out o a total o 400 houses in
Maretha, 3 belong to Muslims and the rest to Hindus.
According to residents, arguments between the two communities started on the
morning o lebruary 28, but were immediately resoled through talks. The shops
were kept closed on lebruary 28 as well as on March 1. Threats to the Muslim com-
munity started on lebruary 28, and on the net day, 3 Muslim amilies let their
homes and hid in dierent places. Only one amily stayed back. Shops, argal. and
mosques were looted, and then the shops were burnt. Twele shops and ie lourmills
were destroyed. On March 2, at noon, some more shops were burnt. That night, all
the remaining Muslim properties in Maretha were burnt. Most o the ields had eg-
etable crops. These were destroyed, the Hindu illagers let loose their animals in the
ields. It was haresting time, which meant a complete loss o income. Vater pumps
and diesel sets were stolen.
\ictims said that the main person behind the iolence was Sanabhai Ishwarbhai
Thakur, who called people rom the neighbouring illages o Maneja, Tarsali and
Chappad to attack Muslim houses in Maretha. The mobs that attacked Maretha were
led by Bipinbhai Patel o Alamgar, Sukhdeo Thakur, the .aravcl o Talsat, Pramodbhai
o Chappad, and some others.
MANLJA
On March 2, 2002, at about 2 p.m., Maneja illage was attacked. Nearly 100 houses were
completely destroyed and 6 people were grieously injured. All the Muslims ran or their
lies. Between March 2 and March 12, the mobs looted all the Muslim homes in the illage.
On March 2, the mob started looting houses and shops. A police an inally arried,
but only ater the houses and shops had been burnt. The police personnel said that their
numbers were too ew and they could do nothing. They reused to proide Muslim
illagers any protection. Ater three hours, at 4.30 p.m., ie police ans arried. The
police then told the ictims that they had no ehicles and that they should arrange or
their own transport out o Maneja. Vith great diiculty, a amily managed to contact
acquaintances in Gorwa. The people in Gorwa were ready to come there with a tempo,
but said they would wait or the Maneja ictims at a certain point since they could not
moe around easily because o the curew. The tempo was made to wait at that point or
two hours, and the police een stalled all eorts to take a dead body to Gorwa.
The mobs in Maneja illage were led by Sanjay Chiman Thakur, Mahendra Magan
Thakur and \ishnu Raisingh Bhuria all residents o Bhathuji faia,, Sana Thakur a
resident o Santoshi Nagar, and Prakash Mulchand Vagh a resident o Magan Park,.
All these are well-known members o the \HP and Bajrang Dal. aravcl Kantaben
Sanabhai \asaa was also one o the leaders o the mob, which comprised o people
rom the backward castes and Thakurs. Nilesh Bhogilal Patel, Mahesh Haribhai Rabari
and Raghubahi Bharwad, all Bajrang Dal leaders, also led the mob. In addition,
\eenabhai Chagganbhai Patel, a ormer BJP leader, Goindbhai Ramsibhai Rabari,
Haribhai Ichhabhai Rabari and Narayanbhai Chottabhai Thakur were also named.
ANKODIA, KOYALI, SLVASI
In Koyali illage net to the \adodara reinery, two aaris handcarts, and one shop
were burnt near the va.i. According to newspapers 1le 1ive. of Ivia,1le Iviav
re..,, on March 3, 2002, two nitroglycerine sticks were ound by the police in the
Koyali mosque. A man had also receied burns in a godown there in the irst ew days
o iolence. In Seasi illage, one Muslim house with a shop attached to it was burnt.
In Ashapuri, a hamlet in Seasi, a shop belonging to a Muslim was burnt.
SOKHADA
Sokhada illage is situated 3 to 4 kms rom the Gujarat State lertilisers Corpora-
tion GSlC, plant near \adodara on the \adodara-Ahmedabad Highway. It is a pros-
perous illage, known as the headquarters o one o the Swaminarayan sects. Attacks
on Muslim homes and properties took place between lebruary 28 and March 5, 2002.
The reugees then shited to Tunda.
According to ictims, they were aware that the Bajrang Dal had been holding meet-
ings in Sokhada, but they had not iewed these as communal at the time. They also
reported that they had heard that .alv. rom the Hari Prasad Swaminarayan Mandir
had been using slogans to awaken Hindus`, saying that the country belonged to Hin-
dus not Muslims, that the Ram Temple had to be built, and so orth.
liteen days beore the incident on lebruary 28, one Hashubhai Patel, alias Tikka,
had said that the Hindus would destroy the mosque.
There was tension on the eening and night o lebruary 2, and there was a meet-
ing o a ew Hindus at the local Gujarati school. The trouble started on lebruary 28
at around 8 p.m. when a mob o between 500 and 00 people, all rom Sokhada itsel,
gathered and started breaking the cabins and shops o Muslims. According to women
ictims in Tunda, at 8 p.m. the .aravcl had come and told all o them to hae their
dinner. But then, a mob rom the illage led by the .aravcl, Mahendrasinh Patel,
attacked the argal, va.i and then the shops through the night. The people watched
rom their terraces and shouted ar lar Malaer`, are Mi,avblai !vgo 1ave` Now
you Muslims will sleep.`, The crowd carried iron rods, laria. sickles, and aes.
About eight or nine shops were burnt that night. Later, another 19 shops were burnt and
the Muslims were threatened and told to leae their houses, or they would be killed. Ater the
shops were burnt that night, the .aravcl told the Muslim illagers that they could return to
their houses as nothing urther would happen. Neertheless, the people could hear things
being broken and see houses being attacked around them. They could not sleep that night.
Those with children led the illage on the night o lebruary 28. On March 1, the
mob attacked again between 8-9 p.m. Most o the 100-odd houses were destroyed
and more people started leeing the illage. They hid in the nearby ields and watched
as the mobs looted and burnt their homes, workplaces and places o worship.
The va.i in the central part o the illage, which shares a wall with a temple, was
completely damaged including the irst loor and roo o the semi-basement,ground
loor, oer the nights o lebruary 28 and March 1, 2002. The argal and shrines were
all destroyed. It appeared that the va.i had been destroyed with the intention o
creating a second entrance,pathway to the adjoining temple.
Almost all the 100-odd houses belonging to Muslims were looted, destroyed and
burnt - in that order. According to eyewitnesses, the mobs broke down doors, took
away all the essels and other belongings in tempos. In most cases, the land was
leelled ater ransacking and burning the houses. There were about 15 Muslim-owned
big and small shops, all o which were looted and burnt.
This continued or ie days. There were, at most, a couple o cases where Hindus
helped the ictims, but these were in the poorest sections. The plight o the Muslim poor
was pathetic, with all their careully accumulated possessions destroyed beyond use.
lor a ew days, the Muslims o Sokhada hid in the ields around the illage and
sought shelter in nearby illages. According to leroz Mohammed Malik, the Hindus
had warned that they would be killed i they returned. Nathhubhai Chhottubhai and
Salim Ashra tried returning to Sokhada but were threatened by Jagdish Tailor Miav
e bo, o aat ao` Cvt tle Miav. v` ,.
In Sokhada, many women were brutally abused - both seually and erbally. One
woman ictim was seually assaulted by 10 Hindu men, another was taken away and
physically abused. The women ound it diicult to describe the brutality and icious-
ness o the attacks. Many witnesses, Mehmooda, Bismalla who had a baby with her,,
Mahmuda Badran, Madina, Mumtaz and Sabeera also with babies,, and Amina
Badshah shared details o this.
One witness, Roshanben, said that what they most needed at that point was some assur-
ance o physical security. They also needed material to set up their homes again. My two
sons are in Shiam High School in Sokhada. Ve rang up the teacher Sir,. He told us to send
the certiicate An application stating that they cannot do the eam, on the basis o which
they would be promoted to the net class,. They cannot do the eams. Ve hae wasted one
year`s ees. He says they will consider promoting them i we send the certiicate.`
The brutal displacement o Muslims rom Sokhada had an eerie postscript - the
reported change o the illage name to Hari Dham Sokhada. Apart rom haing lost
their property and lielihood, those displaced were araid to return to an eniron-
ment o terror and insecurity. As one woman told the team, Ve don`t want to go
back, suppose they do this again. Ve heard the crowd say Mi,ablai vi cllori vi iat
ooto` Rape the daughters o Muslims.`, I there is bavoba.t police protection,, we
will go back. I someone takes the responsibility araabari,, we will go.` Ameena,
an elderly woman, agreed, They will burn us while we`re asleep. It is not worth going
back. the .aravcl came and told us don`t leae your homes, don`t go anywhere. But
that night itsel they burnt our houses.` The Sokhada women said that the .aravcl
and the Patels o the illage had said that i they came back, we will ooto their iat
rape them,, we will orce them to lee without their clothes.`
The Sokahada .aravcl has held oice or nine years and the people cannot get
oer what he did. Veè lied here or generations, neer beore has something like
this happened.`
According to ictims, a mob o 500 rom Patelgaon caused most o the dam-
age. Motiya Pura, Lalji Pura and \ashna hae also been named - they apparently
distributed alcohol to the illagers who went on looting and burning sprees ater
drinking. One Madhusudhanbhai Muljibhai Amerikawala rom the USA, who was
present during the initial days o the looting,burning, reportedly encouraged and
urged the mob to go ahead and make a good job o it. One o the ictims,
Nizambhai Abbasbhai, saw and heard Amerikawala saying that he was prepared
to spend about Rs. 1 crore or this. Other prime instigators were the .aravcl,
Mahendrabhai Ramanbhai Patel and Jagdishbhai Mohanbhai Tailor who, the people
say, was drunk most o the time. According to eyewitnesses, those actiely in-
oled in the destruction o the mosque were Hiteshbhai Purushottam STD
Pavgaaraa,, Manojbhai Thakorebhai Patel newspaper dealer, and Sanjaybhai
Thakorebhai. Hydermiya Chandmian testiied that he had gien 12 names to the
police, but lIRs had been lodged against only 6 o them. The ictims also said that
they had repeatedly tried to contact the police 562600,. Lach time they were told
by one Leelaben that the police an would be sent, but the police neer arried.
One woman ictim told the team, Three policemen came, roamed around and
went away. On the aternoon o lebruary 28, the police was there, they were there at
night. Ve couldn`t see them around - they ran away. Vith a mob o 1000-2000, who
would remain present`
lIRs were iled at Badarpur, but the police did not come to take statements. Copies
o the lIRs were also submitted to the Tribunal.
1UNDAV
Tunda has a population o 800 50 per cent Muslims and 50 per cent Hindus,.
Almost 90 households o reugees came here rom Sokhada illage to stay with rela-
ties and riends. But in May there were only around 50 people rom Sokhada still
liing there - hal the original inmates had moed to Gothada, and some others to
Sali and Bena.
The Tunda population, both Hindus and Muslims, hosted a kitchen run on local
donations or about 300 persons eery day. The women told the team, Ve lie in
harmony, our illage is our amily. No one rom outside can come and take us away
rom here. I anyone dares to come, they won`t be able to go back.` The .aravcl o
Tunda illage is Pratapsingh Bharatsinh Rathore. The e-.aravcl is Chhatrasinh.
ASOJ
The population o Asoj is 5500. There are about 120 Patel and 30 Muslim amilies
in this illage. A lavti abla Peace lorum, was ormed in Asoj and there was no
problem there.
MANJUSAR
The population o Manjusar illage is around 5000, with about 400 Muslims.
Manjusar was aected in the iolence and about 20 cabins belonging to Muslims were
burnt. The 40-50 Muslim households were generally undisturbed, ecept or the house
o Syed Hussain Mian Bapu Mian loss o Rs 1-1.5 lakh,, who did arming.
Asra Malik, Mir Sahab Goram Khan Pathan and their two brothers, all long-
term employees o \adodara Tiles, were dismissed by their boss on March 3, 2002,
because he did not dare ace the wrath o the mob because o their presence.
\adodara Tiles is jointly owned by Maheshbhai Goindbhai Patel rom Morbi,
and Dineshbhai Patel. Sadduben Ashrabhai worked as a plasterer or nine years in
\adodara Tiles, beore being ired on lebruary 28, 2002. Ten other workers o the
company were also dismissed on lebruary 28. Some then went to Khamba, Khanpur
and elsewhere.
Rabiaben Mirsab Pathan, 35, has a 10-year-old daughter, Shabana. She and her
husband both worked or \adodara Tiles and they lied on the actory premises.
Her daughter studied in Class 4 in a school in Manjusar. Her brother Zakir Hussain
worked in the neighbouring company Jagadamba Tiles,. He also led the illage
ater iolence broke out. Rabiaben said, They people rom the illage, came to hit
us on lebruary 28, 2002. The etl boss, told us to leae...Ve didn`t recognise the
people in the mob because we are are.i rom another area,. Vhen the mob came,
the etl threw us out in hal an hour. Ve couldn`t een collect our things. Ve walked
all the way here, eight o us, we let at 2 p.m. on March 1. Ve reached here Tunda,
around 4-5 p.m. Ve stayed in a school in Tunda or 15 days, and hae now shited
to a rented house in the illage Tunda,. Ve hae not ound any work as yet. They
took away our our goats.` The amily hailed rom Kanba in Borsad tava. They
could not go to Kanba because Muslims had led rom there too. They did not know
where to go. They could not een phone and ind out where the Muslim illagers
rom Kanba were.
CHAPPAD
There are 200 Patel amilies in Chappad, which is close to Bhayli illage. \akubbhai
Rehmanbhai Mustaa, grain irava proisions, shopkeeper, was the only resident o
Chappad whose house was burnt, along with his shop on lebruary 28, 2002. His
mother, Doriben Rehmanbhai, 60, was widowed ten years ago. She has two sons,
\akubbhai 30 years,, who is an epileptic, and Maatbhai 40 years,.
At 9 p.m. on lebruary 28, the dairy horn,whistle was blown as a signal or the
Patels to gather. The mob surrounded the Muslims. There were 60 persons, all rom
the illage. They shouted, Kill the men, leae the women.`
Doriben said that they hid or a couple o hours in their Vaghri neighbour`s house
beore going into the ields. They then phoned her son-in-law, who came and took
them away. They walked 15 kms to Sarsani and spent two nights there. The mob
looted Doriben`s house and then burnt it. They took away her goats and chickens.
They suered losses amounting to around Rs. 1-1.5 lakh. Vhile the mob burnt down
Doriben`s house, they managed to sae the Vaghri neighbours` house rom burning
down. The amily had been told not to return to Chappad.
The perpetrators o the looting and arson were: The .aravcl, Pramodbhai
Shankarbhai Patel, Rajubhai Shankarbhai Patel, the .aravcl`. daughter-in-lawwho
was seen sitting behind him on the scooter when the mob came,, Pradipbhai Tarjabhai
Patel, Manojbhai Laljibhai Patel, Somabhai Himmatbhai Patanwala, Pramod Thakkar,
Pradip Patel, Jyotishbhai \asaa and Kanu Ratilal \asaa.
RANOLI
Ranoli is located net to the Gujarat Reinery. Many o the residents are lower-
leel employees o the Reinery and o other petrochemical industries in the area.
There are mied ba.tis o migrant workers around Ranoli. Reugees rom Ranoli were
present at a relie camp in Tandalja, \adodara.
There are 25 Muslim amilies liing in Ranoli, which is around 1-18 kms rom
\adodara. The other residents are all Hindus, numbering 5000 or so. Some o these
Muslims had small shops, while others worked as daily wage earners or in the local
cinema hall, Dawal Cinema. Stoning began on March 1, 2002, and the Muslims were
told by local people to leae the area. The local .aravcl, Chandrakant Patel, was the
main instigator. The Muslims ran and hid in the ields like animals, without anything
to eat or 2-3 days.` One o them had a mobile phone and kept calling the police,
although they were scared to tell the police where they were hiding. But the control
room repeatedly told them that there was no help or them. They made their way to
\adodara, haing lost eerything.
The mob comprised about 100 people and included the .aravcl o Ranoli and his sons
Kirti and another one,. Kaushik Patel, an employee o GACL, also took part in the looting.
Usmanbhai, an employee o Gujarat Dyestu lied in Ishwarbhai Ni Chaali in
Ranoli. On March 1, at around 3.00 p.m., when mobs adanced towards his home, he
led with his amily to Pharma SMX, Gujarat Dyestu. Later, he ound out that his
house had been completely looted. The ictim said the house had not been set on ire
because it belongs to a Hindu. The amily went to the Jawahar Nagar police in Ranoli
at around 10 p.m. on March 3, 2002. The police then escorted them to Musra Park
and sheltered them in a building under construction. By March 14, there were already
about 40 people staying there and the kitchen ed about 180 people.
000818l8l 8ll1
The Tribunal recorded the testimonies o 18 witnesses rom the Chhotaudaipur
tribal belt in \adodara district and receied statements rom another 1. This area
saw unortunate attacks by the instigated Adiasi section o the population, which
has been inluenced by the BJP and \HP systematically oer the past years. Kanwat,
Tejgadh, Panwad and other illages in this region hae been irtually wiped clean o
any Muslim population. Shops and homes hae been looted, destroyed and then burnt,
oten in the presence o the police. The \HP had been haing late-night meetings
with Adiasis or two months beore the Godhra incident. Chhotaudaipur is located
close to the Madhya Pradesh border where on January 1, the RSS had held a massie
two-day meet o tribals.
1LJGADH
The iolence in Tejgadh took place rom March 2 onwards, though tension had
been brewing since the day o the Godhra incident. Vitness Khatri Abdulkader Nishar
Ahmed who has lodged lIRs against both the SP Kesha Kumar and the collector,
.. has detailed the cynical manipulation o the Adiasi population against Mus-
lims. The other complainants are Khatri Usmangani Daudji, Khatri Daudji,
Massombhai \, Khatri Mahmedji Umerji, Khatri M\, Khatri Ahmed Ahmedji,
lakirmohammed, Khatri \usu Umerji, Kureshi Amjadali, Khatri Abdul Majid A
Kadar, Khatri Shabbirbhai M, Khatri Abdul Kader Mahmoodji, Syyed Mahboobali
Husseinmiya, Khatri Suleimanji Usmanji, Khatri Abdul Karim Usmanji and Khatri
Ahmedji Usmanji.
These witnesses hae stated that on lebruary 2, the day o the Godhra train
killings, there was complete peace in their illage. The net day, the traders o the
majority community, including the .aravcl and the deputy .aravcl, had requested
Bohra Muslims to shut their shops in response to the call o Gujarat bavl. To show
their opposition to the inhuman killings on the train, the Muslims had closed their
shops all oer. The net day, on hearing about Bharat bavl, the minorities again kept
their shops closed to show their opposition to the train killings. On the third day, all
the shops in the illage had opened as usual.
There was, howeer, an uneasy eeling prealent in the illage. On March 2, the
illage .aravcl came to the area. Vhile he was there, a person rom the minority
community, Khatri \usuji Daudji, suggested to him that in order to maintain peace
in the illage, they should call a meeting o the Peace Committee so that through an
echange o conidence in each other, peace could be maintained. The .aravcl in-
ormed them that there was no need to call a meeting o the Peace Committee and no
reason to be worried.
But Muslims began to suspect that some scheme was being hatched in the illage,
and 4 amilies o the minority community liing in the mied locality o Limdi market
came to lie in Tejgadh on March 1. On March 3, around 10 o`clock at night, the
.aravcl came to this area and told Muslims that they should not sit around in groups
but stay in their houses, otherwise he would inoke section 144 and arrest them under
it. Muslims, howeer, replied that they needed to be awake and in groups to protect
their properties, as one avaar and three police constables at the illage outpost were
not enough to protect the illage property. In this way, the night o March 3 passed in
uneasy peace.
On March 4, through an inhabitant o the illage, Abdul Lati Rehmanji Khatri,
Muslims inormed the leader o the BJP, Ashwinbhai Rawal illage Chichod,, that as
the atmosphere o the illage was not good, he should use his position to contact the
ia police chie and get more policemen. To this Rawal replied that he was going to
Chhotaudaipur right then to make appropriate arrangements.
But up to the eening o March 4, no additional police orce was seen. At about
11.05 that night, a Muslim armer, \akubji Daudji`s shop was set on ire. liteen
minutes later, the shops and buildings o the minority community situated in Limdi
market were also set on ire, een as 8 persons o the minority community were
present at the spot. They saw with their own eyes that a crowd o 150 to 200 people
was screaming and howling, spreading ear through the illage.
The Muslims who were present told the avaar on duty to stop the crowd rom
indulging in arson. He replied that as the place had already been set on ire, he was
going to the police station to call the ire brigade on the wireless. Saying this, he let
the place with his sta. But on the spot was Home Guard commandant, Arindbhai
Desaibhai Patel, who was perorming his duty.
Meanwhile, on noticing the Muslims standing there, the crowd rushed towards
them. The Muslims ran into their area to sae their lies. Just then, the telephone and
electricity connections in the Muslims area went o. Hal an hour later, the water
tanker o the ire brigade arried but the unruly crowd did not allow the brigade to do
its job because o which the ire continued raging.
In the meantime, more police arried rom Chhotaudaipur and started iring tear
gas shells. As this seemed to hae no eect, they started iring in the air. Vhen een
that was not eectie, they thought it their duty to ire into the crowd. Meanwhile,
the Muslim houses and shops in Limdi market continued to burn. Then, rom a rear
approach road to the market, on Kikawala Road, another mob arried, screaming and
howling, to set ire to the Muslim houses. They were also shooting arrows.
In Limdi market, PSI Pandya, who was perorming his duty, started iring tear gas
shells. This had no eect on the crowd, and a cabin near the bus stand was set on ire.
As the iolence continued, the police had no alternatie but to start iring in which, as
per the witness` knowledge, 4 to 5 persons were injured. The crowd took the injured
people and ran away with them.
At that time, the vavatar o Chhotaudaipur and the SP arried on the spot. The
whole night was spent in great aniety. In the morning, members o the minority
community went to meet the PSI on duty, Pandya. The PSI inormed them that the
preious night, he was gien orders to ire on the crowd but now he had instructions
rom aboe not to ire and so would act accordingly. He added that one person had
been injured in the iring the preious night and his condition was serious. I he died,
the police was apprehensie that the Adiasis o the surrounding illages would at-
tack Muslims during the uneral procession. He, thereore, adised the minority com-
munity to leae the illage in order to sae their lies.
In iew o this, 210 people let Tejgadh illage or Bodeli, where they took shelter
with their relaties and acquaintances. The report o these 210 people was gien to
the Bodeli police station. More than two months later, they were still sheltered in
Bodeli. lrom the time they moed out up to mid-May, when they deposed beore the
tribunal, Muslim shops and houses were continuously being irst looted and then set
on ire. This went on or weeks but the police took no appropriate action. In the
aboe-mentioned incidents, at least 65 properties 40 houses and 25 shops, were
looted and burnt down. The damage is estimated at about Rs. 1.5 crore. Reugees
took shelter in Bodeli and were liing there under terrible conditions with no basic
amenities.
PANWAD
On March 10, in illage Panwad, 12 km rom Kanwat, tempos and trucks, houses,
shops and cabins o Muslims were looted and set on ire by mobs rom the surround-
ing illages. The incident took place on the ery day on which the SRP and the BSl
orces were withdrawn rom Panwad.
Panwad is located within a largely Adiasi area. There are oer 600 houses in
Panwad, o which 200 belonged to Muslims. Muslims hae been liing in Panwad or
seen generations, during which time there hae been no incidents o communal
iolence. They say that Muslims and Adiasis used to attend each other`s unctions
and were on cordial terms. Banias and Dalits also lie in the same illage. Most o the
Muslims who hae had to leae Panwad were petty traders with aavbeei shops and
other small businesses, or worked in other shops, dealt in orest produce, or took on
small contracts or construction material. None o them own much land or hae any
money in the bank. Most trading actiities were carried on with Chhotaudaipur and
Kanwat.
According to ictim-suriors rom Panwad, oer the past two months nightly
meetings were held among the Adiasis. Ve neer bothered about them. People
rom the \HP, Bajrang Dal and RSS would address these meetings. Howeer, they
were being organised and instigated against us without our een being aware o it.
Rumours are rie that the Adiasis were paid a lot o cash and were gien alcohol too.
But we cannot eriy this.` A report in 1le ivv states that reugees rom Panwad
staying in the Chhotaudaipur camp named three non-Adiasi Hindus who, they said,
had directed the iolence.
There was continuous iolence in the surrounding areas right rom March 1. Indi-
idual houses had been burnt in around 60 to 0 illages. Many people rom these
areas came to Panwad. On March 8, the people were threatened that their illage
would be burnt on March 10. According to the ictim-suriors, the police was present
when the threats were made.
The trouble in Panwad began at 2.30 p.m. on March 10. Around 5,000 to ,000
people surrounded the illage. They used eerything to intimidate the people -
arrows, stones, laria., weapons, priate iring, etc. In the melee, two Adiasis
were killed in police iring. Muslims rom Panwad said, Ve were stoning, too, but
were ery soon outnumbered and realised we could no longer resist them. lity to
sity SRP police standing there ordered us to go inside instead o stopping the mob.
This continued till 1 a.m. Ve were terriied. Most o the women were asked to hide
in one vcca house while most o the children were in another 2-3 vcca houses.
There were 400 to 500 men standing out all night with no hope, no weapons and no
police support.`
There was iring in the air, and tear gas was used to disperse the people instead o
the mob. They were also seerely beaten by the police. The mob was not warned
een once. In act at one point the police went up to them and came back, and the
mob got een more iolent and actie. It was clear what was happening. They were
Adiasis rom nearby illages: Panibar, Bhindol, Jhaab, Sadli, Kawra, Chimli etc.`
According to the witnesses, They told us we would be lynched because two
Adiasis had been killed. Ve appealed to the SP. Ve told him that we wanted to
shit to Chhotaudaipur and he should help us shit. They asked us to wait till 8
a.m. and said that nothing could be done beore that. Ve could not hold out any
longer and 1,000 to 1,500 o us let at around 5 a.m. with nothing on us but the
clothes we were wearing.`
At 8 a.m., the Adiasis entered the illage, looted all the houses and burnt
them systematically. Around 1,000 people were still in the camps in Chhotaudaipur
Nazar Bagh, in mid-May. Most o the people let their daughters and other young
women in the camp there or saety. There were around 500 Panwad residents in
\adodara. According to one ictim, People rom our community are helping us
with whateer they can. One o them is Judge Sadiqbhai. But how long can they
help us
It is eident that they do not want us in Panwad or een any trace o us. They
looted all we had and saw to it that we let empty-handed. Some o us barely managed
daily wages. A small contractor dealing with bricks has lost around Rs 1.5 lakh while
another contractor has lost property worth Rs 8 lakh.` Otherwise, most o the Mus-
lim residents in Panwad had a meagre income. Vomen used to carry loads or Rs 40-
50 per day.
The people are urther disappointed in their Congress leaders who they eel were o
no help. The local MLA is Sukhrambhai Rathwa, while the MP o the area is Ramsingh
Rathwa. Most o the people had all their cash in their houses and hae lost all their
belongings. They continue to maintain that they aced no problems rom the local
Hindus in the illage. They say that it was the Adiasis instigated by the \HP, Bajrang
Dal and RSS who were responsible.
KANWA1
Rajesh Mishra o Arch \ahini iled an lIR as an eyewitness to the iolence that
took place in his natie illage, Kanwat, between March 10 and March 18, 2002. On
March 12 and 13, in Kanwat, more than 250 houses and shop,establishments o
Muslims, were looted and then set on ire by tribal mobs rom the surrounding il-
lages. Most o the houses belonging to Muslims were totally destroyed and their busi-
nesses ruined. There were 185 Muslim and 52 Bohra Muslim households liing and
conducting their business in Kanwat. It was so ar back that een elders cannot recall
when and rom where the Muslims came and settled in this interior illage o Kanwat.
(ee |IR b, .ctiri.t, Detaie .vvevre., 1ovve III,.
All 185 Muslim households lost all o their belongings. Their houses and business
premises were looted, burnt and destroyed. Out o 185 households, 38 had vcca RCC
structures and the rest were vccla structures. They lost property worth approimately
Rs 3.50 crore, inested in their shops, garages, cabins, handcarts and ehicles. They
were homeless and had become paupers, taking shelter in \adodara and Chhotaudaipur
with relaties and Muslim avaat lava..
The 52 Bohra Muslim community households were well-to-do traders in Kanwat.
Bohras had lied in Kanwat or oer generations and had deeloped business in ar-
ied spheres and on a large scale. Going by een by a ery conseratie estimate, the
Bohras lost property worth Rs. to 8 crore.
lrom March 1 onwards, Muslims in Kanwat had been receiing threats and threat-
ening calls rom arious sources, which made them tense and anious. They had re-
peatedly asked the local administration, the vavatar and the police or protection.
As the tension mounted, they also demanded deployment o the Border Security lorce
BSl,, Rapid Action lorce RAl, or State Resere Police SRP, in adequate numbers.
But no protection was orthcoming.
The ears were not unounded, especially when it became known that the .aravcl
and other illage leaders had cancelled the traditional weekly market laat, scheduled
or March 4 and March 11. Cancelling the laat was an etraordinary decision because
laat. are almost neer cancelled. This indicated the graity o the situation and the
danger that loomed large oer the law-and-order situation. Later it became clear that
the target was obiously the Muslim community.
As reports o incidents in Panwad reached Kanwat on March 10, panicky Muslims
desperately urged the local administration to proide them security. They knew it was
their turn net, or stories had been pouring in oer the past ten days, that the mobs
would irst target Panwad, and then Kanwat. The local BJP leader, who was trying to
keep peace in Kanwat, had also sensed impending trouble. He repeatedly implored
the district collector and the police authorities to proide adequate police and BSl
protection to Kanwat to aoid the great tragedy that could oertake the illage.
According to ictim-suriors in Qureshi Jamaatkhana Camp, \adodara, a great
deal o tension was created among Muslims rom lebruary 24 by tribals rom the
surrounding area, who were traumatising the Muslims by asserting that they should all
be thrown out o the illage. There was increased tension in the area since March 1.
The local people, including the local MLA, repeatedly appealed to the administration
or deployment o SRP and BSl orces, but this was not done.
On March 10, ater the withdrawal o SRP and BSl orces, iolence broke out in
Panwad illage, 12 km rom Kanwat. The local people in Kanwat had been warned
that their illage would be attacked net. Ater repeated pleas made oer seeral
days, an army unit inally arried on the night o March 11. In the early morning o
March 12, the army shited the 185 Muslim amilies. That aternoon, Bohra Muslim
amilies, took shelter in the Kanwat police station. Later on in the night, these ami-
lies, too, were shited out under police protection rom Kanwat to Dahod town. They
let their houses and property eposed.
Vhen the attacks started on March 12, een simple measures like tear gas or
iring in the air were not resorted to by the police, to preent the mob rom loot-
ing and setting ire to Muslim and Bohra property. On March 13, the looting and
burning spree started rom early morning and went on till late aternoon. Sud-
denly at about 3.15 p.m., the police imposed curew and within minutes it droe
away the looting mobs.
According to Meherunissa lakir Mohammed, a resident o Kanwat staying in a
camp in Tandalja, A mob o around 4,000 Adiasis had come. Initially they pelted
stones but later they started shooting with arrows that burnt because they had tips
wrapped in cloth and soaked in kerosene. Ve then went and asked the police or
protection to take us to a sae place. They gae us a ehicle M -8, that had about 5-
6 policemen. Ve ourseles arranged 5-6 jeeps and ollowed the police an. Vhen we
reached Bodeli, there was curew in the area. Some Hindus reused to shelter us in
Bodeli, citing the curew as an ecuse, but their reluctance was probably more be-
cause they didn`t want to shelter Muslims coming rom outside. The DDO asked us
to make our own arrangements and leae the place in two hours. Ve inally landed up
in the Tandalja Camp. Here they gie us meals in the daytime and in the eening. But,
how long this will continue Now we don`t want to go back to the same place.`
During the burning and looting, the police did not take any action. According to
Mishra o Arch \ahini, the mob consisted largely o women and children who were
not heaily armed, and the incident could hae been quickly brought under control,
had the police taken some action een by iring in the air or tear-gassing the mob. But
this was not done. The police imposed curew only on the aternoon o March 13, and
the mob dispersed.
As one ictim-surior, Jaitunbibi, said, In my whole lie, we hae neer had
trouble or conlict with the Adiasis. This is not their work, some people rom outside
hae prooked them and local Adiasis hae looted and burnt shops using petrol
bombs. Because o this incident, the children are rightened, their education has been
aected and their uture is uncertain.`
According to Mehrunissa Mohammed, some Hindus in the area had paid around
Rs.1,000 to 1,200 to the Adiasis to get their houses burnt. Muslims targeted in the
attacks generally seemed to eel that the Adiasis could not hae participated in the
loot and arson without instigation and direction by non-Adiasis. An Adiasi school-
teacher in Joj, quoted in the ivv report, epressed a similar opinion, stating that
Adiasis had been used. The schoolteacher said that Adiasis who had taken part in
the iolence told him that they were gien liquor and money and orced to participate
in the arson, and that many o the Adiasi women had wept while watching the
destruction. \ictims o the iolence too belieed that Adiasis had been threatened
and coerced into participation by \HP actiists, with actie police support.
An important respect in which the attacks by the Adiasis diered rom much
o the general pattern o iolence was that they were restricted to destruction
and looting o property. Vhile the Muslim ictims were drien rom their homes,
there were no killings, and women were not seually assaulted or abused by the
Adiasi attackers.
At Pipalda illage near Kanwat, some properties o Muslims were destroyed. There
are clear indications that the attacks had been planned well beore the incidents. The
attackers had noted and knew eactly the location o Muslim houses and shops -
how many and in which lanes - and the attacks on these places were well timed. In
all places, petrol bombs and gas cylinders were used. Threats had been issued to non-
Muslim residents not to support the Muslims, and in some places, local people sup-
ported the attackers. There seems to hae been pressure rom aboe on the police and
ire brigade to not help. Some witnesses complained that the police and ire brigade
arried late on the scene. In many cases, the police were in the ront helping the
rioters in the attacks.
The iolence that took place in the Chhotaudaipur belt, where Adiasis looted and
burnt the houses and establishments o Muslims was unprecedented in the history o
the area. Mishra, an actiist or twenty years, born, brought up and working in the
Kanwat region, asserts positiely that Muslims and Adiasis hae co-eisted in har-
mony till recent times. It is widely being claimed that the Adiasis attacked Muslims
as a reaction to eploitation by Muslim moneylenders. Howeer, it should be noted
that the logic o Adiasis being mobilised against the eploitation o Muslim money-
lenders does not hold in this area. In Kanwat, Banias are inoled in money lending,
but Adiasis did not attack them. This indicates that Hindu communal organisations
eplicitly mobilised Adiasis against Muslims.
BHARUCH CI1Y
The Tribunal recorded the eidence o 53 witnesses rom Bharuch district o which
18 pertained to Bharuch city. The written statements o 29 other witnesses were also
placed beore the Tribunal. \iolence erupted in Bharuch city rom the morning o
lebruary 28, 2002. The Tribunal recorded testimonies rom many o the ictim-sur-
iors on May 13 at Ankleshwar. The attacks within Bharuch city were
characterised by massie destruction o Muslim properties and businesses, tar-
geting o Muslim homes, terrorising Muslim populations into leeing and a clear
and close neus between the police and the criminals belonging to the \HP,
RSS,BD,BJP. The neus was apparent in the open sloganeering o the \HP`s
Bharuch president, \iral Desai, which was telecast on the local àrvaa chan-
nel on lebruary 28: Yel avar i baat lai, Poice lavare .aatl lai` The inside
story is, The police are with us in this`,. The local police did not seem to think
a denial or contradiction was in order. Desai was named by many witnesses as
leading the mobs that indulged in loot and arson, in many cases during curew
hours. The blatantly communal behaiour o the Home Guards, who accompa-
nied the local police and shot dead local Muslims, was also part o the pattern
noted in the district.
At 8 a.m. on lebruary 28, Sayeed Ahmed Mohammed Pathan, a businessman rom
Bharuch who deposed beore the Tribunal, was inormed by one o his employees
that his ancy garments` showroom was being set on ire. The latter rushed to ask or
police assistance. Vhen he spoke to PI Buch o the B` Diision, the reply he got
shocked him: Ve cannot help you. I you need help take some Muslim people with
you and sae your shops. Ve don`t hae policemen or your protection.` This despite
the act that, at the time, there were 400-500 policemen present. The witness therea-
ter contacted the DSP, Manoj Antani, who was reasonably prompt. Howeer, Pathan`s
shop was not saed, the estimated damage being Rs. 22 lakh. The shop was burnt and
destroyed by a mob led by Desai o the \HP and another Bajrang Dal leader.
808f000
The mob broke open the showroom, trashed the place, and sprinkled some chemi-
cals beore torching the place. Some o the arson was shown on T\. The mobs who
were attacking shops belonging to prosperous Muslims carried a detailed list with
them. The Keo lashion shop was the net to be targeted by the mob. Thereater,
other Muslim-owned shops were also selectiely burnt: China Saree, Labella Lmpo-
rium, Golden Shoes, Peter Lngland, etc. In all, about 40-45 Muslim-owned shops and
showrooms all oer Bharuch were destroyed in such a manner - een the RCC slabs
had cracked - that it could take up to si months to rebuild. Vith no help rom the
state goernment or rom inancial institutions - banks, insurance companies - the
aected businessmen were completely helpless.
Many witnesses who deposed beore the Tribunal, showed the panel remnants o a
chemical powder that was used to ignite their establishments. Besides being armed
with tri.lv. and swords, some in the mob also carried big cans o petrol, kerosene,
packets o the powder and implements to orce open closed premises.
The witnesses, testiying two months ater the iolence, said that the atmosphere
in Bharuch was still itiated. A prominent businessman, who requested anonymity,
said he was in no position to resume his business. There had been no compensation
rom the goernment, and no insurance claims had been passed, so no repairs had
been carried out. This witness lost Rs. 15 lakh worth o stock and Rs. 6 lakh worth o
urniture, miscellaneous damages added up to another Rs. 1 lakh. His showroom,
opened only two-and-a-hal years ago, was inaugurated with much anare and pub-
licity. Though his total losses amounted to Rs. 22 lakh, because o the high premium,
insurance was only or Rs. 9.5 lakh. Inestigations relating to his insurance claims
were on when the Tribunal recorded this witnesses` eidence. He complained bitterly
o the oensie attitude o the Oriental Insurance Company. Though a police com-
plaint was iled, no action had been taken against the marauders.
Vitnesses rom dierent parts o Bharuch city named the \HP`s \iral Desai as
one o the main instigators o the mobs. Many people had watched him on T\ on the
night o lebruary 28, publicly declaring his intention to dey the law, and openly
challenging the police. He said they \HP, had warned the police that i they tried to
stop them, Ve would reply with bricks and stones.` Peace-loing citizens o Bharuch
were aghast, watching Desai shouting slogans and challenging the police in ront o
T\ cameras, while a whole bunch o policemen standing around him said or did
nothing. Vhat`s more, Desai and his supporters brandished unsheathed swords at the
time. This episode, telecast by local T\ channels, was seen on Citi Clavve, by a
witness who deposed beore the Tribunal. Despite Desai`s incitement o, and direct
inolement in, serious crimes, the police lIR did not list him among the accused.
Pavclvava. were prepared by the police on their own without calling the witnesses.
On March 1, soon ater the aternoon vavaa, stone throwing started in another
part o Bharuch, Barelikho. Vitnesses rom this area who deposed beore the Tribu-
nal said that throughout March, they receied phone calls eery night, telling Muslims
that their locality would be burnt down. Because o the terror so created, 80 per cent
o the 150 Muslim amilies liing there and another 90 amilies liing in an adjacent
area led to saety. Len as late as May, just two days prior to the Tribunal`s isit to
Bharuch, threats had been issued to residents o Barelikho to acate the locality.
Seeral witnesses pointed to the close neus between the police and the local
cable T\ channels. Vheneer the police were called to an area where trouble broke
out, the T\ crew would be there een beore the police arried. This was especially
true o another local channel, the àrvaa channel.,
The area was attacked on our dierent occasions, always at night, while curew
was in orce. How the police allowed huge mobs to assemble, deying curew, is a
moot question. On the last occasion, the locality was targeted in the presence o the
police. The gang leaders o the mob belonged to the \HP,BD, which hae their
.lala. cells, in nearby areas and operate without any hindrance.
Most Muslims rom Barelikho and the neighbourhood had run away earing urther
attacks, harassment and arrests by the police. Despite written complaints, police took
no action. On the other hand, the Tribunal noted the illegal detention o 14 Muslims
by the police and their iolent and oensie behaiour with Muslim women.
One witness, Iran Lakdawala rom the Barelikho area o Bharuch, gae a searing
testimony concerning the iolence on lebruary 28, when shops were looted, broken
and burnt at Panch Batti. He said that he saw Muslim shops being broken into, liter-
ally in ront o the eyes o the collector, Anju Sharma and the DSP Bharuch, Manoj
Antani. They sat there without a care in the world, eating cashews and almonds rom
a dry-ruit store that was being looted and destroyed along with about 25 other shops.
He said that the incident was telecast lie on the local àrvaa channel. Lakdawala
made a erent plea beore the Tribunal regarding the location o the collector`s oice
and the vavatar`s oice, both o which had been deliberately moed to a Hindu-
predominant part o the city a ew months earlier, to deny Muslims easy access to
these goernment unctionaries. He applauded the conduct o PI Ajit Shinde, who
was punitiely moed out o this locality or his impartial behaiour. Another wit-
ness, Munir Ahmed Pathan, complained about PI GM Chawda, who repeatedly told
Muslims that they did not hae the right to lie in Hindustan`.
The testimony o a egetable endor rom Bahar Ki Undai detailed the bla-
tantly partisan role o the Home Guards. At about 1 p.m. on March 19, 2002, a
mob o oer 5,000 descended on the area. They had come with policemen and
Home Guards, and the latter opened ire on the Muslims in the locality. A bullet
ired by Home Guard Bharat Sunderlal Bhatia killed a Muslim youth, Syed
Sirajuddin Jibbo. Another witness present at the hearing o the Tribunal lost his
wie, Najma in the iring. She was killed by a bullet ired by another Home Guard,
Deepak Samardas Rana. Shabbir Khan, who was injured in the same iring, also
appeared beore the Tribunal. The killers were part o a small contingent o Home
Guards, who adanced towards the Muslims liing in Undai rom the direction o
Dandiya Bazaar. The adancing mob was literally proided coer by these guard-
ians o the law.
Rana, who was posted at a police point in Gaulipur, resides in Dandiya Bazaar, a
little distance away rom Undai. He was stationed at a police point about 200 metres
away rom Undai. He let his point to lead the mobs against Muslims in Undai. Vhile
Rana ired at the Muslims, the mob ollowing him pelted stones. No one rom the mob
was injured.
This witness the egetable endor, testiied to the shocking behaiour o the DSP.
He said that Antani ordered the breaking down o doors o Muslim homes and picked
up 16 youth rom the area. The arrested youths, who were still under detention when
the Tribunal isited Bharuch, were regularly beaten, the witnesses complained. Vhile
hiding rom the rampaging police, the witness heard DSP Antani say, Yel .ab .lav
Mv.iv laiv, vvo aa o avr lal ar o!` These Muslims are ilthy people, burn
them to ashes`,.
The second round o iolence took place in Bharuch on March 18-19, 2002. The
city had not returned to normal een when the Tribunal isited it in May,. One wit-
ness who deposed beore the Tribunal gae details o how on the morning o March
18, a crowd o about 50-0 people assembled at Bhupendra Manilal Gandhi`s house
in Chhipad Galli. liteen minutes later, the armed mob emerged rom his house and
attacked the Taiba mosque, about 100 metres away.
Another witness, Muzzamil Khan Pathan, 62,, a businessman rom Haji Khana
Bazaar, also testiied beore the Tribunal. According to him, in the second round o
iolence, on March 19, a mob o 4-5,000 came to the Haji Khana mosque at 1 p.m. in
the aternoon and started heay stone pelting. The mob included \iral Desai, one
Darbar and his wie. Darbar, who carried a reoler and a sword, was shouting,
Mv.avav o varo, ato, .ab e glar aa o!` Kill the Muslims! Cut them up! Burn all
their homes!`,. lrom here the mob proceeded to Undai, accompanied by the police
led by PI Chawda,, whom they had brought with them. They went to the house o
the trustee o the mosque and demanded that the Muslim boys be handed oer. Vhen
he denied that there were any boys in his house, they pulled his beard and Desai
threatened to rip it o. The same mob then went to the Hindu-predominant Bahar ki
Undai locality and attacked Muslims liing there.
Len though our locality Haji Khana Bazaar, was peaceul at the time, the DySP
Harikrishna Patel, who arried later, abused us a lot, ordered the breaking down o
doors to our houses and took away our boys. He locked us inside our houses and went
away.` The seen Muslim youths who were arrested that day were still under deten-
tion two months later, when the Tribunal isited the city. They hae been charged
under section 30 attempt to murder, een though in this Muslim-predominant area,
no Hindu shop was looted or burnt, no one was injured. Vhen witness Imtiaz Pathan
went to get them released, he was told that the youths were being charged under sec.
144. The \HP leader, Desai, who was there with magistrate Triedi, threatened Pathan
or trying to get the boys released. Pathan beliees that Desai inluenced the police
and the magistracy into altering the charge against the detained youths, rom the rela-
tiely harmless sec. 144 unlawul assembly, to sec. 30.
Seeral applications were iled or the release o the boys, including one in the
Gujarat High Court but, because they were booked under sec. 30, een the High
Court had reused to order their release. The charges hae been slapped on 23 Mus-
lims in all - 16 rom Bahar Ki Undai and rom Haji Khana Bazaar. \ouths rom the
two dierent localities were clubbed together and named in the same lIR een though
there is a sizeable distance between the two localities - you hae to pass through
areas,localities to get rom one to the other. DSP Antani, DySP Harikrishna Patel
and PI Chawda were all subsequently transerred.
Other witnesses rom dierent areas in Bharuch, who deposed beore the Tribunal,
spoke o Muslims being terrorised by the avgl Parirar cadre in their respectie locali-
ties. One such witness spoke o Muslims rom Kharawad being targeted or si
weeks by corporators and other members o the BJP,RSS,\HP,BD. Muslim homes
were stoned eery night to simply not let the minority areas be in peace. Ranjan Mistry,
Champak Mistry, and Satish Mistry a corporator and a Bajrang Dal,RSS man, were
identiied as the main culprits.
Many areas o Bharuch were traumatised in this ashion or weeks ater the Godhra
tragedy.A recurring complaint rom many ictims rom Bharuch who deposed beore
the Tribunal was the misconduct o the Home Guards. One witness said that on the
one hand RSS people` had joined the police serice, including at the lowest leel o
Home Guards, with a deinite intent. On the other hand, sure o police complicity,
while attacking Muslims, een those not in serice had simply donned the uniorm o
police constables or Home Guards. The witnesses detailed how at the RSS and Bajrang
Dal .lala. in the neighbourhood, secret meetings were held daily and training gien
in the use o atli.. lollowing this, its members took out processions, brandishing
arms and shouting slogans like, linish o the descendants o Babar, send them to
Pakistan or Kabra.tav graeyard,!`
All this terriies the minority community and heightens their eeling o insecurity.
One witness said, Ve hae been hearing things like this or years now, especially on
\ijayalakshmi Dias, when the RSS takes out processions, openly carries weapons
and raises anti-Muslim slogans. The number o members at their .lala. is increasing.
They hae started inciting Harijans, Adiasis and OBCs also. Should not the police
be doing something about this`
ANKLLSHWAR
Immediately ater the Godhra tragedy, there were seeral peace committee meetings
and ablarva communal harmony, meetings in dierent parts o the town, to pre-empt
any iolence in Ankleshwar town. Some BJP leaders also attended these meetings. How-
eer, eery eening there would be an attack on some Muslim shop or establishment. A
consistent complaint o the witnesses beore the Tribunal was that the police did not
register complaints, and on occasions een alleged that Muslims had done this themseles.
Between March 1 and April 4, 2002, about 45 Muslim-owned shops and homes or
properties, including handcarts and cabins, were targeted in this manner. They were
irst looted, then burnt. Unlike elsewhere in Gujarat, most incidents o iolence in
Ankleshwar town did not inole mobs. At work, instead, was a small group o 5-
men who moed around on two-wheelers carrying petrol, ireballs ava, and wa-
ter-pistols iclari., or spraying kerosene,. Their targets were Muslim-owned shops
in Hindu-predominant areas.
Vitnesses who deposed beore the Tribunal named 5-6 BJP men who seemed to be
well-trained or their task: Pintu, Janak Shah, Jeetu Patel, Ganesh Agrawal, Prain
Master, Harendra Solanki, Dinesh Solanki. The police reused to take down any de-
tails o the complaints or note the names o those accused or the crimes. They sim-
ply wrote that a mob came and set such-and-such place on ire. In iew o this, writ-
ten complaints were also addressed to the DSP, naming the main oenders and asking
or action against them.
On March 2, eight men entered homes in \ohrawad, a locality o Dawoodi Bohras,
and harassed their women. They also threatened to burn them alie i they did not
acate their homes. Responding to complaints, the police arried but reused to arrest
the accused that were named. On the morning o April 1, 2002, some people rom the
adjacent Hindu-predominant locality started pelting stones on \ohrawad. The police
was called and DySP Shastri reached \ohrawad with a posse o policemen, but the
stone throwing continued. Repeated pleas, that instead o standing around in
\ohrawad, which was being targeted, the police should go and restrain those indulg-
ing in iolence met with no response. Vhile the DySP was in the area, nine houses
were burnt in Tekra |aia in the Surti Bhagal area. Vhen the ire brigade arried, the
mob preented it rom reaching the burning houses, and these were totally gutted as a
result.
At 11.30 p.m. the same night April 1,, the house o municipal councillor Najmaben
Ghulam Mulla in Ganga Jamuna Society was attacked by a mob. And in Goya Bazaar,
a number o Muslim shops were looted and burnt. Mulla, who belongs to the Con-
gress party, deposed beore the Tribunal along with others rom her locality. Her house
directly aces an Adiasi settlement. Vhile the mob continued stoning her home, a
small group armed with swords entered the house. She and her amily members es-
caped by hiding in a neighbour`s house, but not beore her son`s head was split and she
hersel was injured on the leg in the olley o stones. The stoning started at around
11.15 p.m., later, her home was broken into, looted and ransacked. But the police
arried only our hours later, around 3.30 a.m. And its action was limited to the arrest
o her two sons and our supporters. DySP Shastri charged that shots were ired rom
her house. Mulla emphatically denied the charge while testiying beore the Tribu-
nal., She inally returned to her house at 5 a.m. to ind that eery bit o property had
either been looted or destroyed.
Vhen some Hindu-owned shops at Mulla Bazaar Mullawad, were burnt down on
April 4, Mulla and another councillor, also a Muslim, were named in the lIR by one
o the aected shop-owners as the instigators o looting and arson. Vitnesses told
the Tribunal that she had been alsely implicated, that it was inconceiable that, with
curew in orce, any group o Muslims would dare break into and loot Hindu shops
oer a period o two hours as claimed in the lIR,, in a Hindu-predominant locality
barely 50 metres away rom a police station and inally burn them, that, ollowing
inestigations, the police itsel had ruled out any looting and concluded that the
ire started rom inside one o the shops. Howeer, in iew o the preailing anti-
Muslim climate and the attitude o the police, Mulla said she had chosen to stay
in hiding while her application or bail was pending in court. According to these
witnesses, the Congress party has a majority in the Corporation and the BJP is
using its power at Gandhinagar to settle political scores against elected represen-
taties o the Congress party.
On May 2, Ganesh Agrawal, a prominent businessman and a BJP representatie,
was shot at, as a result o which the city came to a standstill. In the aternoon, some
sword-wielding persons in Chauta Bazaar attacked Amjad Khan, the nephew o one
o the witnesses, his bike was smashed and burnt down. No one, including the police,
knows who was behind the unsuccessul attempt to kill Agarwal, whose actiities are
such that he is inoled in dealings with hoodlums taori., rom both communities.
Leaders rom the minority community had demanded a CBI inestigation o the case.
GIDC area
Alam Khan, the treasurer o a trust that runs a college with 2,500 students in the
GIDC area o Ankleshwar, where 2,500 youngsters study deposed beore the Tribu-
nal. It appears that rials o Khan in the action-ridden trust saw, in the preailing
atmosphere, a good opportunity to settle scores with Khan and attacked him on March
1, 2002, the lone Muslim with a bungalow on the campus. The witness told the Tribu-
nal that with the gun he owned, he ired our bullets, purely in sel-deence as other-
wise, my entire amily, including children, would hae been burnt alie`.
The witness testiied that when the police arried on the scene, he heard DySP
Shastri addressing the group outside his bungalow, Now Iè come and these people
haen`t been burnt or killed as yet. So I hae no choice but to take them away rom
here, alie. Ater Iè taken them away, you can loot their house, burn it, do whateer
you want. I gie you time until 5 p.m. to do what you like.` 1li. ra. a evt, .verivtev
evt of oice .eaivg!
So the police took the witness and his amily away rom there and dropped them at
the house o relaties who lie in the illage nearby. Some 10-15 minutes later, he got
a call on his mobile phone, inorming him that the bungalow was being looted, about
an hour later, he was inormed his house was up in lames. A bungalow o 4,500
square eet, they sprinkled petrol and set ire to eery room in his house. Khan`s was
the only house on the college campus that was attacked.
The list o the properties, shops, businesses destroyed in the GIDC area reads as
ollows: Master Hardware, Atik lood Products, Jaanu Plastic, Priti Ice, Mayur Marble,
Mahadeia Brooms, Art Gallery and a ootwear shop in Sardar Park. All these eight
establishments were destroyed on lebruary 28 and March 1, 2002. Seeral Muslim-
owned bungalows or lats in the GIDC area were also robbed, looted and destroyed.
These include the bungalows o Shamim Ahmed Siddiqui Atik lood Products,, Bashir
Malik and lakhre Alam, and lats belonging to Salimbhai United Glass, and Adambhai
Mansuri goernment oicial,.
Another witness, KH Siddiqui, who is in the hotel business and is also coordinator
o the Congress party, deposed beore the Tribunal. On the morning o lebruary 28,
one o his tempos was set on ire. By noon, the bakery he owned was also torched.
His repeated calls to DySP Shastri elicited the promise o police help eery time but
none was, in act, orthcoming. lor Siddiqui, the burning down o the bakery alone
meant a loss o oer Rs. 12 lakh. In the complaint lodged with the police, the prime
accused were identiied and named. But the local police would not gie him a duly
signed copy o his complaint with all the details therein. Hence, the witness also
submitted a copy o the original complaint to eery oicial concerned - the chie
secretary, IG police, DSP Bharuch and the DM Bharuch, wherein the accused were
named. The witness has since taken the matter to Court.
RAJPARDI
Abdul Ismail Khatri, 46,, the owner o a hotel and a rice shop at Rajpardi
illage in Bharuch district, deposed beore the Tribunal. The total population o
Rajpardi illage is 12,000, o which around 10 per cent are Muslims. On lebruary
2, 2002, Rajpardi illage obsered a local bavl to protest the slaughter o a
cow in Tankariya illage. Coinciding, as this did, with the reprehensible Godhra
incident the same day, and with the \HP,BD haing declared a state and all-
India bavl or the net two days, the Muslims o Rajpardi were terriied that
something or the other would happen.
Late on the night o lebruary 2, adocate Rohit D Shah, who belongs to the BJP
and the \HP, and others, paid a isit to the witness and other Muslims rom the
illage, all o whom had stayed awake, to assure them that there was nothing to worry
about. In less than hal an hour ater the promise o peace, the gong rang out rom the
local school building, announcing that it was midnight. It turned out to be a signal or
an all-out attack on local Muslims. In the irst act o iolence, a Muslim house on the
eastern edge o the illage, adjoining the hotel owned by the witness, was bolted rom
outside and set on ire. Had the head o the household not run out o the backdoor
and raised an alarm which had other Muslims running out to help, the nine persons
trapped in the house would hae been roasted alie.
Almost simultaneous to the torching o the house, another group o assailants,
comprising o local Hindus and others rom the neighbouring Aidha illage, launched
an assault on the mosque that is to the west o the illage. Meanwhile, in the illage
bazaar in the north o the illage, -8 Muslim-owned shops were set on ire. And to
the south, a poultry arm belonging to a Muslim was set alame. In what could only
hae been the result o pre-planning, groups numbering 300-400 men had launched
simultaneous attacks on the Muslims o Rajpardi rom all our directions.
Two o the miscreants, who had put the shops in the bazaar on ire, were nabbed by
the Muslims and handed oer to the police. Both were Patels rom Aidha illage.
Vhen they made inquiries two hours later, it was ound that PI Ninama o Jhagadiya
Police Station had already released the culprits. Meanwhile, the attacking mobs had
also broken down the house o Dawoodbhai Memon situated near the mosque, but
that was the last act o iolence that night.
Haing unitedly warded o the late night attacks, in the course o the net day
about 20 per cent o the Muslims moed out o the illage. Vith continuing instances
o mounting iolence, the situation in the area became progressiely worse. Aware
that there were at least 40 unlicensed reolers with the Patels o Rajpardi illage,
Muslims elt increasingly insecure. Vomen and children started leeing the illage,
moing to Bhalod Tarsali illage, km away, which has a higher Muslim population.
By the night o March 3, most o the Muslim population had led because o the
repeated threats that all Muslim homes would be burnt down. That ery night, all 18
Muslim homes in Bakkanagar colony and the accla houses in Diwan |aia locality o
Rajpardi illage were all burnt. A ew cabins at Char Rasta and a ew shops near the
railway crossing were also burnt. Through that night, the police arrested 8 men, o
them rom the BJP plus a Congressman - the ormer illage .aravcl and tava
ravvl, Bhupatsinh Kesrola. But the rest was to ollow the net day.
In the morning, \ogesh Kanti Patel contacted the Muslims who had stayed behind
and threatened that i they ailed to procure the release o those arrested the prei-
ous night, by 11 a.m., eery Muslim home in the illage would be burnt down. Panic-
stricken Muslims made desperate appeals to the police, een the state`s home minis-
ter, Gordhan Zadaphiya, was contacted on his mobile phone, rom the residence o
adocate Ranjitsinh Parmar. The chairman o the Police Aaasth Nigam, Bharatsinh
Parmar also spoke to Gordhan Zadaphiya rom the Jhagadiya police station in the
presence o the witness. But een Zadaphiya, a BJP minister and a \HP leader, said
that since the lIR had already been iled, those arrested could only be released ater a
bail application was heard in the sessions court.
As the Muslims came out o the police station and aced the assembled mob, Sunil
Patel, a riend o the witness, took him and three others to his car, telling the crowd
that he was taking them to Rajpardi to bring back the 200-300 Muslims who were still
there or a .at,agrala outside the police station, to press or release o those detained.
Once in the car, he inormed the witness that messages had already been sent out to
illages as ar as 60 km away and the threatened attack was imminent.
And at 11 a.m. sharp, the attack was launched, starting with the hotel owned by the
witness, Abdul Ismail Khatri. They irst looted goods rom a Muslim business estab-
lishments and homes. Tempos, trucks and jeeps were piled up with the loot, the rest was
then consigned to lames. The loot and arson continued until the eening but there was
no sign o the DM, the SP, the DySP or the policemen lower down the hierarchy.
It was all careully planned. They had allotted 10-15 minutes per structure. Lach
group o marauders, about 500 strong, would loot and destroy some 20 homes in one
area and then, ater about 30 minutes, moe to the net block. In this manner, diided
into our squads o around 500 each, the assailants set upon the illage rom dierent
directions simultaneously. In a matter o approimately ie hours, they had wiped
out the entire Muslim locality in the illage. It was all a matter o precise planning -
loot all you can, burn what remains. A small group in each case was assigned the task
o breaking the locks, the looters ollowed, and then came the arsonists or the inal
act. The attackers were armed with 3-litre petrol pouches. Specially crated nozzles
were itted to spray gas rom cooking gas cylinders at high pressure, then petrol pouches
and ireballs ava., were lung rom a distance to ignite the place. Some chemical
powder was also used to intensiy burning.
Though no remnants o chemicals were retrieed, the special ireballs ava.,
that had been used to burn down the mosque were. One man rom the illage led each
mob, acting as a guide to point out which was a Hindu-owned structure and which
one was Muslim-owned. In some places, Muslim structures had been marked with
chalk. By eening, the Muslim localities in the illage were completely looted and
burnt. The cumulatie loss o Muslim property in Rajpardi illage alone was esti-
mated at Rs. 5-6 crore. The destruction was so thorough that they didn`t leae so
much as a glass or drinking water or a pair o slippers intact.
The witness saw the identity markings on the structures when he came to the il-
lage the net day under police protection. All the Hindu buildings were untouched
while the Muslim ones were inished. The attackers, many o them outsiders, may
hae had a list ready earlier, because een during the attacks on preious days they
knew eactly which shops and structures were Muslim-owned.
Gas cylinders had been used to blast 10-15 o the buildings, including the mosque.
They also used the gelatine sticks that are normally used or blasting in stone quarries.
The witness could recognise the gelatine sticks because he has run a quarry or 13
years. \ogesh Patel, the mastermind, is a quarry owner himsel. The 3-litre petrol
pouches were prepared in the home o cobbler Nilesh Chiman Solanki. And the ire-
balls ava., were readied at the Mani Nageshwar temple, by the rier in Lkant
illage, about 3-4 km away.
Vhen Khatri and other residents phoned DySP Shastri on March 4, he said, It is out
o our hands. Vhateer Narendra Modi says will happen, you phone Narendra Modi.`
Vhen the witness phoned PI Ninama, he replied, Let whoeer`s property is burning
burn. Vhat can you or I do` ]i.a ata lai v.o ave o. 1v avr vaiv ,a arevge`,
The police arried only at about 6 p.m. that eening, ater all the damage had been
done. Though rantic calls were made repeatedly to the DySP through the day, he
neither came himsel, nor did he send any police, although there were about 50 po-
licemen at the Jhagadiya Police Station at the time. Vhen they inally arried, curew
was imposed on the illage. lor nearly two hours, the mobs preented ire engines
rom reaching Rajpardi.
The witness and other local Muslims were aware that the \HP,BD had held a ew
meetings, either in one o their homes or in the high school, in the recent past. But
they had not noticed any dierence in people`s attitude towards them, no souring o
relations until D-day. Howeer, they now recall an incident that took place about 8
months prior to the attacks, when there was trouble ater a Muslim boy had a loe
marriage with a Bania`s daughter. At that time, some 4-5 handcarts were burnt and the
\HP-BD people had threatened that, one day, Muslim presence would be wiped out
rom the illage. The couple, who got a court ruling in their aour, lie in Bharuch.
Rohit Shah, an adocate, called another bavl in Rajpardi on April 19, ater rumours
about an impending attack on him were circulated. At a peace committee meeting
thereater, he directed Muslims to stop all prayers vavaa, in the mosque constructed
in Bakkanagar about two years ago, and where regular prayers had been held eer
since. At no point were loudspeakers eer used in the mosque, but that in itsel was
no longer enough. On the ew occasions when the local Muslims assembled there or
prayers, about 100-150 youth would surround the mosque. So, as demanded by Shah,
rom April 22, Muslims stopped holding prayers at the mosque constructed on a plot
o land commercially purchased and about which there was no dispute.
Thereater, Muslims were also pressurised to relocate the handcarts that they used
or petty business, but this was being resisted. Shockingly, the police and administra-
tion did not interene despite 14 appeals and a messages. The ictims rom this
illage had bitter complaints about inadequate compensation or property loss, in-
cluding many complaints about discriminatory compensation. Though it is Muslims
who suered the most damage, they receied much less rom the goernment than
the ew Hindus whose business establishments or homes were aected because o
their proimity to targeted Muslim properties.
ANDADA
The total population o Andada illage, situated just outside Ankleshwar, is about 15,000,
o which about 450 are Muslims. There is no police station in the illage, it is under the
jurisdiction o the police station at GIDC Ankleshwar, around 6 km away. Mehmoodbhai
Mossabhai Multani, a primary school teacher rom the illage, who testiied beore the Tribu-
nal, spoke o the age-old communal amity that had eisted in this region o Gujarat.
The witness aerred that iolence irst erupted in his illage on March 1, 2002. At
about 11 p.m. that night, some 15-20 men attacked his house, smashed some o his
belongings and then ran away. Soon thereater, he and others discoered that his was
not a solitary case, seeral other houses had also been similarly attacked. The terriied
Muslims stayed awake the whole night. lrom the accounts o other residents o the
illage, it is clear that the attacks irst began on the houses near the cemetery abra.tav,,
where ie Muslim amilies lied. Ater some persons were injured in the heay stone
throwing, they had to run away rom there, leaing their homes. Ater that, the house,
ehicles, lourmill and milk shop o Nasrullahbhai Abdullahbhai Multani, situated
near Andada bus stand, were completely burnt. The amily ran out o the backdoor
and took shelter in the house o their neighbour, Bhogilal Shilal Modi. Modi was
threatened by the mob and told that i he did not get rid o his Muslim neighbours, he
too would suer. Vhen he reused to oblige, the 3-wheeler tempos and motorbike
that belonged to Modi were also destroyed.
Larly the net morning, a mob o about 400-500 entered the mosque. The mob
irst started destroying the mosque property - een the Koran was not spared - and
later set the entire place on ire. By 5.30 a.m., the house o the witness was destroyed.
The grain shop owned by his parents was torched but, ortunately, the ire was quickly
contained. Despite phone calls to the police soon ater the irst incidents, the mobs
were on the rampage throughout the night, and the police were nowhere in sight. By
morning, as many as 4 o the 110 Muslim homes in the illage were completely
damaged. The net night, women were sent away while the men stayed with Hindu
neighbours who gae them shelter. Again, all through the night, the same atmosphere
preailed as on the preious night. Mobs numbering 100 and more entered Muslim
houses, destroying whateer they pleased. The attackers belonged to the same il-
lage, but they were residents o a newly deeloped locality.
One o the culprits identiied by the witness was Naresh Nagji Patel, who works in
the postal department. The other accused identiied by witnesses are: Prakashbhai
Rameshbhai Patel, Anilbhai Ramanbhai Patel and Dineshbhai Bhikabhai Patel. De-
spite repeated complaints, not a single person was arrested throughout March. On the
night o April 1-2, 2002, a luury bus belonging to Jamada Transport was burnt in the
illage. It was only when the proprietors o the transport company started putting
pressure that the police made inquiries and arrested 12 persons. Though many o
those arrested or the luury bus arson were also inoled in the attacks in the illage
a month earlier, the charge against them was limited to the latest incident, and those
detained were released a day or two later.
Out o ear, the illagers had not named any one o the accused in their irst lIR,
but they went back to the police station later to name the accused. Though a police-
man registered a resh complaint including names o the accused, the complainants
subsequently ound the names missing. Thereater, the police simply reused to enter-
tain any urther statements rom the ictims. Howeer, many appeals recording this
act were sent by registered A,D, to the DSP. \et, until early May, no inestigations
had been started by the police, nor had any arrests been made.
About 250-300 Muslims rom Andada had initially sought reuge in relie camps
but later they moed to Ankleshwar and illages like Kosamdi, Kosamba, Panoli,
Jitali, Bharuch, Sega. As o early May, only 3-4 amilies had returned to their illage.
Vitnesses rom Andada highlighted the plight o Andada`s Muslims, who had, per
orce, got scattered all oer while their means o lielihood remained rooted in their
natie illage. The suriors who deposed beore the Tribunal said that they were
tired o reugee lie but that conditions were still not conducie or their return.
One o the moties or the attacks was political. Prakashbhai Rameshbhai Patel o
the BJP, who had lost in the local elections, was upset that Muslims had not oted or
him. His wie is currently the illage .aravcl. That is why he and his outit specii-
cally targeted Congress leaders like \unus Ismail and Khalid Mohammed.
One Muslim woman witness spoke o the cordial relations that eisted between
the communities in the illage until ery recently. In January 2002, when both her son
and daughter got married, special arrangements were made or the nearly 3,000 Hindu
guests. She said she was on ecellent terms with the Hindu residents in the society
where she lied. Vhen a temple was to be built a ew years ago, in the interests o
amity, Muslims had contributed more generously than the Hindus. Muslims, she said,
also made contributions towards Ganpati and Naratri celebrations, een though the
Hindus rom the illage did not contribute towards Muslim celebrations and estials.
But ocussing on their present plight, another woman witness rom the illage spoke
o the abusie threats being receied by mothers about the ate o their daughters and
young women i they dared return to the illage. The threat o seual iolence was
being used as a special weapon to dissuade Muslims rom returning to Andada.
MANDWA
In their all-consuming hatred o Muslims, the leaders and cadres o the avgl Parirar
did not make any eception, een in case o landless agricultural labourers, depen-
dent entirely on the landed or their humble eistence. Agricultural labourers rom
Mandwa, deposing beore the Tribunal, said the attack in Mandwa illage near
Ankleshwar, took place on the night o March 2, 2002. One witness, Salimbhai
Kaderbhai Mughal, 30,, said that in the mob o about 200-250 that targeted them,
he recognised Hindus rom his own illage who owed allegiance to the Bajrang Dal.
He said the leaders o the mob were Mahesh Shankar, Bipinbhai Gunwantbhai Pandya,
Mahesh Dalpat Parmar, Khushal Chiman Machhi Patel, Thakore Jina, Chandubhai
Bhikhabhai Machhi Patel, Bhikha Sardar, all belonging to the Bajrang Dal.
This witness was badly injured in the attack and underwent treatment at the Patel
Velare Hospital or our days. His house was also burnt down. In Mandwa illage,
there are 65 Muslim houses in a total population o around 20,000. It was Mahesh
Shankar Patel o the BD who had irst threatened Muslim illagers the preious day,
telling them to run away or else the Bajrang Dal would gun or them.
The witnesses were saddened by the act that the same Jaikantbhai, who had been
helpul to them earlier, was also the one who got the accused, who had been arrested,
released on bail. And now these ery persons were threatening the illagers yet again,
saying things like, Last time, it was houses that we burnt, but now, we will kill you.`
Vitnesses said they were physically attacked and their homes looted and burnt
on March 2, in the presence o police who did nothing to protect them. Vhen a
water tanker was brought to the illage, it was not used by the police to sae Mus-
lim homes rom the raging lames, instead, the water was selectiely used to put out
the ire in the ew neighbouring Hindu homes which had caught ire due to their
proimity to Muslim ones.
Despite their pleas or security to enable their return to the illage, the police re-
used to oblige. Nonetheless, economic compulsions had orced a ew o them to
return to their illages a ew days beore the Tribunal heard them May 9,, only to be
told by their earlier tormentors that i they did return, they would be killed. The
witnesses had not been rehabilitated in the least, when the Tribunal recorded their
eidence. On May 8, Dilawarbhai went back to his illage. But he led again the same
night, with his small children, because his house was stoned. Despite it being a large
illage and despite the recent incidents o iolence, no police point has been situated
at Mandwa.
In the avcla,at elections held on May , all the Muslims oted en masse or an
Adiasi candidate. Len then, the \HP-BD ollowers had threatened them - I you
don`t ote or us, we`ll burn the rest o your houses and won`t let you come back to
the illage.`
The badly-o labourers hae receied a mere pittance in compensation. Salimbhai
Mughal receied Rs. 2,000 while Dilawarbhai Ahmedbhai Mughal got only Rs.1,250,
some others hae only receied Rs. 500.
k0008
MLHMDAVAD
The attacks that took place in this part o Gujarat on March 1, 2002, were wide-
spread and organised. The statements o illagers rom Mehmdaad and Jinger Kheda
district, said the crowds were 5-,000 strong and attacked rom three sides. Three-
our leaders who were using mobile phones, hordes o people wearing saron
headbands and the resounding echo o abusie slogans were the lasting impressions
the attacks made on a shattered rural and small-town community.
Karim Bhai Mallick, a witness rom Mehmdaad whose statement was placed beore
the Tribunal, stated that on March 1, Mehmdaad, which is a small town with a history
o communal harmony, saw iolence and hatred or the irst time. A Muslim majority
township, Mehmdaad held out braely under prolonged attacks that carried on through
the day. Howeer, Sarar Khan, a arigar cratsman, who cared vavir. temples,
rom wood, was brutally slaughtered by a mob, which also tried to attack the witness.
Nearby illages like Ghodasar and Jinger, which hae 50-100 Muslim houses, saw
brutal murders and arson. In Ghodasar, 14 persons were hacked to death and there
was nobody let to pick up the corpses. Vitness S. Mansoori rom Mehmdaad stated
that the Darbar .aravcl o Ghodasar, Gansham Singh, saed the lies o 13-14 Mus-
lims who were in danger. The maimed and gorged bodies, o persons ound in the
ields outside Jinger, were made public only on March 5. These 14 persons were bur-
ied in nearby Jinger. In Jinger, which has a population o around 1,500 Muslims, 80
per cent o whom led the illage or months. Large mobs o about 5,000 surrounded
the illage and attacked the Muslims relentlessly. In Ghotas illage, Hindus and Mus-
lims are together een today. Haldasar illage, which had around 100 Muslim homes,
aced a iolent attack rom the Bajrang Dal and the \HP. The Muslims managed to
sae Mehmdaad a.ba small town, but the arms on the outskirts were ulnerable
and three persons were killed in their homes. Two were Sayeds rom the Bori Roji
\ista and one other. The deceased are Sarar Khan, killed in Mehmdaad, 14 hacked
to death in Ghodasar and 3 killed in Mehmdaad a.ba.
Statements rom residents o Mehmdaad were also placed beore the Tribunal.
Shai Bhai Mansuri, e-president o the local municipal corporation, described how
Mehmdaad aced an attack rom three sides. The illagers were completely taken
aback. The mobs carried weapons like swords, tri.lv. and gvti.. Twenty shops were
looted and destroyed, including that o the witness. There are 9 illages in the
Mehmdaad area, where unortunately, all the Muslim homes and shops were attacked.
The shops and businesses belonging to Muslims in Ghotas illage and Khatrad clori
were destroyed completely, reducing people to abject poerty.
The terrorist iolence that the Bajrang Dal and the \HP unleashed let the ordinary
person terriied. Their attack was both physical and mental. It was meant to crush the
ictims. The statement o another witness, S. Mansoori, describes how there was
complete peace in Mehmdaad ater the Godhra incident. Residents een had a meet-
ing o the lavti aviti peace committee, on March 1. And then, as i rom nowhere,
they were suddenly attacked by a mob o -8,000. There are a total o 40 policemen
aailable or Mehmdaad range and they were not enough to control the mobs, whose
leaders were consulting people on mobile phones. The idea behind the attack was
clear: destroy businesses, burn the shops and whereer there were Muslim peasants,
kill them. This witness stated that, while 14 bodies had been ound and buried in
Jinger, there were 15 to 20 persons still missing. He stated that, tremendous pressure
was put on the police and the reenue department to let the mobs do their work
unhampered. But he and others were ull o praise or DIG Kuldip Sharma, who
resisted the pressure.
Statements o witnesses hae raised serious questions on the issue o reha-
bilitation. Vhen illages were being wiped out and entire businesses targeted,
how are Muslims supposed to handle the issue In Kani illage, een the ields
and crops belonging to Muslims had been burnt. Mansoori also gae the Tribu-
nal details o his son`s plight in \asad illage in Anand district. The illage is
dominated by Patels and the 50 businesses belonging to Muslims there were
targeted. Dinshabhai Patel, the .ar avcl, was leading the attack. The witness`
son Mehmood, his wie and our children, were attacked by a mob carrying re-
olers. They managed to escape because the mob was more interested in loot-
ing. The mob took away 15-20 toa. o gold. The va.i and argal in \asad
were destroyed using a bulldozer.
The statement o this witness records his anger at the calculated misreporting by
newspapers like ave.l. On March 9, ave.l published a story saying that arms were
ound inside the Mehmdaad va.i. It also reported that in Daudpura area, eternee
criminals were to be ound. This, the witness stated, was a blatant lie. Residents o
Mehmdaad themseles got the police to check the va.i, who ound the story to be
alse. The police said that they knew such news was being used to generate more
hatred and iolence. There are Hindus liing all round them in Mehmdaad - Lohars,
Thakurs and Parmars. The Muslim residents o Mehmdaad, a Muslim-majority il-
lage, were proud that they did not allow anything to happen to them.
The statement o Amar Singh Parmar o Mehmdaad was also placed beore the
Tribunal. A Hindu, he said that he was awake along with eeryone else, battling the
mobs that were trying to attack the illagers. He also asserted that there was
neer any disharmony in the city. The statement o \usu Sheikh, ilm distribu-
tor, liing in Mumbai, was also placed beore the Tribunal. Asha Cinema in
Mehmdaad, which he owns, was completely destroyed, causing him a loss o
around Rs. 20 lakh. It was thoroughly burnt rom inside and the equipment and
machinery totally destroyed.
In Kheda town, \usu Sheikh was witness to the destruction o shops and businesses.
Vhat was most disappointing was the utter lack o response rom the police to their pleas.
KHLDA 1OWN
The Tribunal recorded statements o \asin Bhai Mohammed Bhai \ora, e-
president, Kheda municipal corporation, who said that prior to this, Kheda
town in Kheda district, had not seen iolence in the past 60 years. At 12.30
p.m. on March 1, 2002, shops in the bazaar near the Jama Masjid were de-
stroyed and a rickshaw was burnt. A rice mill, two irava proision, shops
Lucky Trading and Ismail and Co., belonging to Mehta Bhai Gaur Bhai were
burnt. One bakery Gujarat Bakery,, two shops belonging to Noor Mohammed
and ie cars belonging to Zubeidaben were also destroyed. About 150 local
Hindus, rom the Hanuman Mandir, Balapir and Baghod areas, were the ones
who led the attack.
In Kheda town, the argal. o Baban Shah Pir, Dawood Shah, Shikaru Pir and
Utala Pir were destroyed. The witnesses blamed the .aravcl and inspector o po-
lice or inaction. The Kheda Relie Camp had about 2,000 people who had taken
shelter rom the illages and towns around.
O a total population o 32,000, the Muslims in Kheda number 10,000. How-
eer, it is the Muslims who dominated business actiity in the town and the
total damage they suered as a result o the attacks amounted to Rs. 0-80
lakh. lor the past two years, the RSS, \HP and the Bajrang Dal had repeatedly
sought to prooke the population. Sentiments were kept on the boil. At least 3-
4 times a year, proocatie pamphlets were circulated. In act, the last such
pamphlet had been circulated a month beore the Godhra incident. The purpose
was to create hatred against Muslims. Published anonymously, the pamphlets
asked eery Hindu who receied it to make at least 10 copies so as to keep the
circulation chain epanding.
NADIAD
In Nadiad city, in Kheda district, where two people died in police iring, there was
not a single Muslim shop let. liteen or twenty shops selling T\s and other elec-
tronic goods, watch shops, a bakery, a kerosene dealer and timber mart right net to
the police station and the bus stand, were destroyed on lebruary 28, 2002. At the
same time, the 25 shops selling egetables in Santram market, belonging to Hindus,
were let untouched.
The two persons who died were a vavri, Haiz Zuber Memon, 25, and \akub
Bhai Indori 22,. Pankaj Bhai \inod Bhai Patel known as Gotya and belonging to the
BJP, accompanied the police as they ired.
Those accused o mob iolence in Nadiad are: The RSS, the \HP, Bajrang Dal,
Pankaj Bhai \inod Bhai Patel BJP,, .aravcl o Kheda town. The policeman in-
dicted in Nadiad: IP o Kheda town, or acting at the behest o the BJP`s Pankaj Bhai
\inod Bhai Patel.
KANIJ
Kanij is a 500-year-old illage in Kheda district, with a population o about 10,000
including 125 Muslim amilies. The Muslims belong mainly to the Malik and Pathan
castes. Amongst the Hindus, the main castes are the Patels, Rabaris, Darbars, Harijans
and Thakurs.
On March 1, 2002, at around .00 p.m., as the Muslims were getting ready or
dinner, they were attacked by a 2,000-3,000 strong mob. All the Muslims led to
the ields o Nainpur illage situated 3-4 km away. They hid in the ields until the
morning o March 3, and got ood rom neighbouring illagers and passers-by.
Vhen they returned, on March 3, they ound 106 houses completely burnt and
completely looted. The remaining 19 houses, built adjacent to Hindu houses, had
been looted but spared rom arson. These were mainly some accla lvggi. crude
huts, o the poor, and one three-storey house. The losses included household
goods, agricultural implements and cattle.
An hour ater they had returned, a mob collected and launched another attack on
the Muslims. Zakir Mian Rasul Mian Khokar 22, ell into the hands o the mob and
was killed, while others ran to sae their lies. Once again they ran towards Nainpur
and decided to proceed rom there to Mehlaj. Ater a 6- km walk, they were again
attacked by a mob near Shahdara illage. Sakir Mian Rasool Mian Sheikh 18, and
Shai Mian Mirsab Mian Shiekh 20, were surrounded by the mob and killed and their
bodies burnt. The rest ound shelter in relie camps at Mehmdaad and Mehlaj.
On March 19, \ikram Singh Darbar, a rich landowner o Kanij, sent tractors to
bring the Muslims back to the illage. Most amilies came back, and \ikram Singh
proided them with ood or oer two weeks.
Vho were the attackers The ictims denied recognising any o them, main-
taining they had come rom other illages though independent sources hae indi-
cated to the Tribunal that the mob was mainly composed o people rom Kanij
itsel. The reason or the Muslims` silence is that most Muslims are landowners
and their lielihood is tied to the illage. They also hae little aith that the state
will apprehend and punish those responsible or the killings and destruction. There-
ore, the lIRs iled did not include the names o the attackers. Up to mid-April,
no arrests had been made.
The same Darbar community, which was being praised later or their help had led the
earlier attacks. The deal that ictims made with the attackers included non-identiica-
tion o the accused. Ater speaking to the ictims, the Tribunal ormed the deinite
impression that the new equilibrium was ar rom stable. How could they eer eel sae
or think o liing with the people who had destroyed them completely The Tribunal
also gathered that the larger communally surcharged atmosphere was actually used to
settle illage leel scores. It seems that the Darbars Rajputs, had dominated the illage
avcla,at or the last 4-5 decades but in the recent avcla,at elections, a Patel become a
.aravcl due to support rom the Muslims, while a Muslim became the deputy .aravcl.
The attack was aimed at teaching the Muslims a lesson.
Bhanagar in Saurashtra, central Gujarat had neer eperienced a communal riot
in the past. This time, large properties belonging to Muslims were targeted and de-
stroyed.
The attack in Bhanagar was launched on March 1, 2002. \ile and unsubstanti-
ated reports published in local newspapers about the local vara..a, Darul Uloom
Kakor Nagar led a manic mob to blockade it They were threatening to burn alie 455
innocent Muslim children boarding there who were trapped inside.
The role o the SP Bhanagar, Rahul Sharma, is indeed worthy o note. Sharma ired
on a mob that was trying to set the vara..a on ire, and put all its leaders behind bars.
By his prompt arrial, leading his men and irm action, 400-odd young lies were saed.
The surrounding area was enguled by ire rom all our sides. The road outside was
piled with burning tyres, 2 t. high, making escape impossible. The entrapped chil-
dren described their brush with death thus: Ve had lost all hope and thought our last
moment had arried. In anticipation o death we started reciting the Kaival Vord
o God,. In the meanwhile we saw SP Rahul Sharma drie through the ire, and
approach our building, calling us out to get into the truck. Ve promptly obeyed and
he droe us through 2 t. high lames o burning tyres, saing all 455 o us. He did not
appear to care or his own lie then. Ve were later transerred to Ibrahim Masjid.`
On the eening o March 1, when mobs were prowling the streets, the Bhanagar
police, who had neer aced a riot beore, seemed, momentarily, to lose conidence.
Sensing that my men were hesitating, I got out and ired the irst round and they
immediately joined me. Ve managed to disperse the mob and did not allow them to
regroup,` Sharma told the media at the time. lor this, Sharma had to ace the heat rom
political bosses.`
On March 1, SP Rahul Sharma broke up a rally led by a Shi Sena leader and \HP
actiists. Vhen leaders in the rally including SS leader, Kishore Bhatt and 21 \HP
actiists raised inlammatory slogans, the SP issued instructions or their immediate
arrest. This brought the situation under immediate control. The BJP MLA, Sunil Oza,
called up Sharma, accusing him o stirring up trouble by arresting Sena and \HP
808988f
leaders. The MLA, in act, threatened the police saying that i they were not released,
it would cause a serious law and order problem. But the policeman reused to gie in.
lor seeral days, he resisted pressure rom BJP MLAs, minister o state or home,
Gordhan Zadaphiya and others. Oza then reportedly eerted pressure on the DGP`s
oice, but ater considering the case, the DGP`s oice chose not to pressurise Sharma.
Then they tried to instigate riots to get Sharma into trouble. Suddenly 22 incidents
were reported rom his district. That is when the police decided to use orce. The
Bhanagar police were on their toes, opening ire whereer and wheneer necessary.
By March 2, the number o incidents had trickled down and by March 3, there was
nothing to report. Vhen the Army eentually reached Bhanagar, it had little to do.
But the intererence did not stop here. Zadaphiya called up the Bhanagar city police
and told them not to register cases against those injured in police iring. The police
reused to oblige. Sharma paid the price or his uprightness. The oicer was trans-
erred as DCP Control Room,.
In Bhanagar town, an ice cream actory belonging to Ibrahim Bhai was reduced to
ashes, causing losses o about Rs. 1.25 crore. The bone actory belonging to Abbu
Bhai was also burnt. Hotel Polo and Vhite Rose where 18 oreigners were lodged, and
were eacuated by the police well in time, were completely destroyed. The loss o
business and properties in Bhanagar was estimated at Rs. 3 crore. Many wealthy
Muslims o Bhanagar hae been reduced to a state o penury.
88(k0l
Three men were brutally killed in Rajkot, another prominent town in western Gujarat
that has been historically ree o communal iolence. Howeer, oer the past our
years a series o incidents hae taken place.
At Rajkot, the Sunni Masjid \ateem Khana was completely gutted. Vakaner Morji
Madrassa was demolished and a statue was built in its place, atop which a lag contin-
ued to ly or seeral months. The Tribunal receied unconirmed reports o the gang
rape o three Muslim girls.
Chie Minister Narendra Modi was elected rom Rajkot, through a by-election held in
lebruary 2002, barely a week beore the Godhra incident. Statements o witnesses placed
beore the Tribunal stated that during his election campaign the community o Dawoodi
\ohras had contributed generously, in lakh o rupees, to his election und. The Bohra
community had elicitated him and wished his political career well. \oung Muslim girls
had ed him ice cream. These gestures were only repaid by the targeting and burning down
o all the major Bohra owned actories in Rajkot, amounting to a staggering Rs. 300 crore.
During the Gujarat carnage it was not only Muslims who were attacked but also
Christians. Christians were the target o BJP, \HP, BD, RSS goon squads right rom
`98 until `99. (ee .ectiov ov vi! iv Cvarat, 1ovve II, On March 2, 2002, a mission
being run at Sanjeli by the Diine Vord society was ransacked and burnt by RSS and
\HP actiists. lather Chachkochan and his companion brother Gnanarul were at-
tacked with stones by a mob at around 2 p.m. The attackers returned at 6 p.m, broke
open the house, looted and set ire to the building. The two ictims managed to reach
the Jhalod Mission by walking a ew kilometres and then getting a lit. Then, the
Indian missionary society compound at Dhudia which is close to the Limkheda tava
headquarters near Godhra, was ransacked. Sity children were chased out and prop-
erty looted, also on March 2. On the day o the Bharat bavl on March 2, the Ma-
hatma Gandhi school run by the Catholic Mission at Rajkot began its day not know-
ing about the bavl. RSS and \HP actiists reached there and terrorised the school
into closing down.
ll80k 0 00fl8ll88
ll8l 0l 8l8l0M0l8 l8000 00l0f0 l00 1fl008l
Totally 2094 statements, written and oral were processed by the Tribunal.
Naroda: 49 testimonies and 3 written statements
Gulberg Society, Chamanpura: 23 testimonies and written statements
Rest o Ahmedabad: 51 oral testimonies and 603 written statements
Kheda and Nadiad: 43 testimonies and written statements
Banaskantha: 6 testimonies and 20 written statements
Sabarkantha: 29 testimonies and 52 written statements
Mehsana: 9 testimonies and 10 written statements
Godhra: 20 testimonies
Panchmahal District: 63 testimonies and 34 written statements
Bharuch: 53 statements
Bharuch city: 18 testimonies and 8 written statements
Ankleshwar: 19 testimonies and 20 written statements
Rajpardi: testimonies and 11 written statements
\adodara written: \adodara 68 testimonies and 9 written statements
\adodara tribal: 5 testimonies and 19 written statements
\adodara rural: 13 written statements
Dahod: 13 testimonies and 29 written statements
This totals 154. Another 18 copies o lIRs, avclvava., post-morten
reports were put on record and 313 detailed collectie statements o
damages. This totals 2094.
00ll0l l0l000
Len as the Tribunal was inalising its report, iolence broke out in Mehsana dis-
trict and ear and insecurity was again eperienced by small clusters o the Muslim
minority. Protection rom the police had to be sought and the assailants were again
mobs actiely led by men who hold positions o power. During the gavrar ,atra that
CM Modi insisted on holding on July 12, 2002 despite adise to the contrary, terriied
Muslims led back to the then-unctioning relie camps, scared o a repeat o the
carnage. \iolence and threats o iolence hae been a constant eature o Gujarat
een ater the carnage. Vhat is truly shocking is the iolence caused by calculated
hate speech that leaders o these groups hae been indulging in.
The period between mid-March and mid-May saw continued iolence in Ahmedabad
and other parts o Gujarat. More and more instances o indiscriminate police iring
were reported, where ictims were mainly the Muslim minority. It is imperatie that
the Gujarat police regularly make statistics aailable to members o the public. This
is one way there will be accountability.
Phases of Violence
In the irst phase o iolence, rom lebruary 28 to around March 5, systematic,
intensie and organised iolence was directed against Muslims and their property.
This phase was marked by the presence o large roing mobs, armed with swords,
raising slogans like ]ai ri Rav and ]ai avvvav, and attacking Muslim houses and
shops. Killing and maiming was brutal, burning o the dead let ew remains. Seual
iolence was calculatedly used.
The second phase o iolence began on March 15, the day that the liaaav was held
in Ayodhya. In Ahmedabad and \adodara, Bharuch, Bhanagar and Rajkot, processions
and ravlvv. were organised on that day, iolating prohibitory orders and leading to resh
escalation o iolence. lrom our eidence recorded, in \adodara, the iolence irst erupted
in Machchipith, when the .lobla ,atra turned aggressie and iolent, leading to stone throw-
ing on both sides. It is signiicant that areas where residents had actiely preented io-
lence in the irst phase such as latehgunj, were targeted in this phase.
Towards the end o April April 26-around May 5,, Ahmedabad and \adodara,
including rural \adodara, were aected by a third round o iolence. lrom around
the third week o April, there were rumours in the city that there would be iolence
ater the Gujarat State Board Laminations. These rumours led to the build-up o
considerable tension. Vhile the big attack` that was being anticipated did not hap-
pen, the tension that had built up maniested itsel in a urther round o iolence,
which began on April 2, in \adodara. The later phases o iolence, though less
intensie than the irst phase, were akin to a steady war o attrition.
During this period, in contrast to the irst week o iolence, Hindus in sensitie
areas were prepared` or retaliation` by Muslims aided, according to reports, by local
ivvtra organisations, which distributed swords, gvti., etc.,. This time, Muslims in
some localities attempted to deend themseles, leading, with the preailing build-up
o tension, to street-leel conrontations stone throwing, etc., in some areas.
Lidence recorded by the Tribunal shows, that when Muslims, who had been denied
police protection during the most icious attacks on their lies and property, came out
to deend themseles, they were picked up by the police and charged with a range o
oences, including section 30 attempt to murder,. Oer 500 innocent Muslim youth,
our eidence shows, still languish in Gujarat`s lock-ups and jails and there hae been no
attempts by the state, through its public prosecutors, to get them released.
Gujarat Police has inally admitted that it killed more Muslims than Hindus in its
ostensible attempts to stop what was clearly targeted Hindu iolence against Mus-
lims. O the 184 people who died in police iring during the post-Godhra iolence,
104 were Muslims, says a report drated by Gujarat Police. This statistic substantiates
the allegation o riot ictims rom irtually eery part o the state that not only did
the local police not do anything to stop the Hindu mobs, they actually turned their
guns on the helpless Muslim ictims.
At some places in the state though, this trend - o more Muslims alling to police bullets
than Hindus - was reersed. In both Bhanagar and Banaskantha districts, ie Hindus
died in police iring on rioters. No Muslim was killed in Banaskantha, only one died in
Bhanagar. Superintendents o police o both districts were remoed rom their posts.
The numbers o Muslim and Hindu deaths in police iring, despite haing been
computed by the Gujarat goernment, hae so ar not been released. Coming out with
the truth would only inlame the situation, it was eared.
As many as 218 persons died, more than 1,000 were injured and property alued at
about Rs. 41 crore destroyed between April-June this year, in the sporadic incidents o
communal iolence in Gujarat which ollowed the Godhra train carnage, according to a
reported statement made by union minister o state or home, ID Swami, in Parliament.
November JJ/J2, Mehsana, Kheda, Ahmedabad: At least si people were killed
and seeral injured when iolence broke out in Dasaj, Mehsana. A man was killed
when a mob attacked the bus in which he was traelling on Mahudha-Dakod Road.
Larlier in the day, two persons were stabbed to death at Mahudha illage in Kheda
district o central Gujarat.
Late into the night o Noember 12, Dasaj and surrounding illages o Mehrwada,
Jaska and Kohda, which hae barely 20-22 Muslim amilies each liing within them
ater the carnage, were held to ransom by rampaging mobs egged on by minister or
transport, Narayan Laloo Patel. Later, two people were killed ater wild rumours were
spread about a Muslim` attack on reellers at Gogh Maharaj temple in Dasaj. Col-
lector Amrut S Patel o Mehsana is a close relatie o the aorementioned minister.
Maharaj Amardas Bapu o \irpur Matl, Palanpur, was heard making proocatie
speeches to incite the mobs to iolence.
A crude bomb eplosion claimed the lie o a shopkeeper in Danilimda area o
Ahmedabad.
November 8, Ahmedabad: Tension reigned in the Gomtipur, Shahpur and
Damilimda areas o Ahmedabad ater 16 persons were injured in Jamalpur. The po-
lice arrested a signiicant number o persons rom both the Hindu and Muslim com-
munities. The ragile state o aairs was eident in the atmosphere prealent in the
town when an altercation began oer a ood bill at a roadside, eating joint in the
Raikhad area and blew out o proportion to reach Jamalpur. In the ensuing iolence,
si people were seriously injured and ie shops ransacked and set ablaze near Jamalpur
Darwaza beore additional police and paramilitary orces brought the situation under
control. Just the day beore Noember ,, a priate bus ran oer 14-year-old Pankaj
Ambalal Dabhi in Shahpur. Public outrage against the bus drier transormed into
communal iolence in dierent parts o the city, police said.
November S, Ahmedabad: Police had to lob tear gas shells to quell stone pelting
mobs as members o both communities ought a pitched battle ater a quarrel. At
least three persons were injured and hal-a-dozen two-wheelers and three-wheelers
were set on ire by the mob at Gomtipur near Sarangpur bridge in the western part o
the city. Trouble erupted when a local Hindu youth, who was apparently drunk, went
to the Muslim owner o a cycle-repair shop to rent a cycle. Since the youth owed the
cycle-shop owner some money, the owner reused and asked him to irst repay the
debt. A heated argument ensued and both came to blows. The Hindu youth suered
a minor injury on his elbow, police said.
The youth`s amily, who lied nearby, raised an alarm. Vithin minutes, people rom
both communities began pelting stones at each other. Three persons were injured in
the 25-minute echange. Once they reached the spot, police ailed to control the mob
renzy. The rioting continued and people set ire to ie two-wheelers and three-wheel-
ers and a bakery in the presence o the police, a local youth, Anwarbhai Ansari, said.
linally, police brought the situation under control ater lobbing 24 tear gas shells.
More than 10 persons rom both communities were rounded up.
October 2J, Dangs, South Gujarat: lie tribal children, boarders at a school run
by the Najyot Social Serice Society, were threatened and told to decide whether
they want to lie as Hindus or die as Christians.` A senior BJP minister in the Narendra
Modi goernment, Karsan Patel, warned Christians in the sensitie Dangs area to
behae with restraint.` The minister was camping in Dangs to ensure that the Rav
Katla in his constituency was a success and wants Christians to cooperate or ace the
consequences.` Patel is, ironically, the state minister handling the welare o the so-
cially and economically backward classes. Christian priests and nuns claimed that
tension was in the air` and that the minister had behaed etremely rudely at the end
o the meeting. He told us, \ou tried to rake up Dangs and got international atten-
tion. Did Godhra eer happen in Dangs Has a single Christian died Vhy do you
people make a mountain o a molehill And don`t dare talk to the Lnglish media,``
the priests and nuns said. The minister, howeer, denied this.
October 9, Chuda, Surendranagar: Around 30 people were injured in a group
clash between Harijan and Satwara communities at Chuda in Surendranagar district.
The groups attacked each other with sharp weapons and resorted to stone throwing
and ransacking o shops. According to DSP, R Jotangiya, the trouble started oer a
petty ight between children o the two communities, which later intensiied with the
elders joining in. According to sources, about 14 people were detained or interroga-
tion and most o them belonged to the Harijan community.
September 20, Vadodara, Ahmedabad: The death toll in two days` iolence in
\adodara rose to our with one more person succumbing to stab injuries in hospital.
O the our killed, two persons died in police iring. One person was stabbed to death
and another stoned. Trouble started during the Ganesh 1i.arav ceremony and clashes
were reported rom latehpura, \uktepura, Machchipith and Raopura. \iolence con-
tinued throughout the night.
Meanwhile, in Ahmedabad, 13 persons, including 11 policemen, were injured ater
clashes between Shi Sena and Congress workers on September 19, oer the desecra-
tion o a Ganesh idol. Shi Sena and Congress workers hurled stones and soda bottles
at each other and Ganesh processions were held up or more than three hours, DSP
Natha Ghule said. Balu Borate, a Congress leader, has lodged a complaint lodged at
Topkhana police station against Shi Sena MLA Anil Rathod and seen others. Bo-
rate alleged that the clashes started ater Sena cadres threw stones and damaged the
Ganesh statue at Neelkamal Mandal. Police registered a case o rioting against Rathod.
Shi Sena MLAs alleged that police had a neus with the Congress and said his party
workers were incapable o desecrating the statue, as they were real Hindus`.
July J9, Viramgam, Ahmedabad: At least one person was killed and 12 injured
when police opened ire to control communal iolence at \iramgam town, in Ahmedabad
rural district. At least eight o the injured sustained bullet wounds. Curew was imposed
in \iramgam, near Ahmedabad, when police ired bullets to disperse clashing groups
ater lobbing o tear gas shells ailed to bring the situation under control.
July J8, Panchmahal: Two eplosions, belieed to hae been caused by crude
deices, rocked the rural areas o Panchmahal district, leaing two persons dead and
at least a dozen injured, some o whom lost their eyes. According to superintendent
o police Narsinh Komar, the irst eplosion occurred in Mehlol illage, 15 km rom
Godhra town, at around 12.15 p.m., when a scooter parked in the illage eploded
and went up in lames. There were, howeer, no casualties.
The second eplosion took place in the Suthar |aia o Dailol town, in which two
people were killed. The dead were identiied as Hiren Suthar and Jagdish Rathod.
July J6, Ahmedabad: The arrest o the valavt` o the Saryudasji temple,
Shiramdasji Ramanandi, here on the ee o the Jagannath ratl ,atra, or allegedly
possessing nine country-made pistols was described by a section o the .alv. and
.avt. as a conspiracy`. They threatened to take to the streets` i suitable action was
not taken against the police oicials responsible.
Taking up cudgels on behal o the valavt` was his gvrv` and president o the
Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas, Ramchandra Paramhans, who rushed here rom Ayodhya.
He presided oer a meeting attended by 500 .alv. and .avt. rom all oer the state.
The meeting adopted a resolution to launch an agitation i the goernment ailed to
do justice` to the valavt`. The agitation would be etended all oer the country in
support o the demand or suspension o the two police oicials, who they said, were
responsible or hatching a conspiracy` against the valavt`.
June J0, Ahmedabad: \iolence that began in Juhapura area on the aternoon
o June 9 ater the arrest o two alleged bootleggers inoled in the recent riots,,
continued, leaing two dead and ie injured. A 5-year-old autorickshaw drier
was attacked by unidentiied men with sharp-edged weapons, near Guptanagar.
He died in hospital later. A 15-year-old boy, who lied in the Sama Park society
in Juhapura, also died in police iring. A 26-year-old youth was also injured in
police iring.
At about 11 a.m., mobs set on ire 12 houses and two shops in the Araali society
and Al Hamza society near Guptanagar slum colony that borders Juhapura. There
was heay brick-batting in the area and the mobs targeted police. Three persons,
including one inspector, were injured. \ejalpur police arrested 1 persons in connec-
tion with the iolence.
June 7, Valol: Residents o this illage were shocked when they woke up to the
sight o a burning Tata Indica car with two persons inside. \illagers irst spotted the
burning white car at around 3.15 a.m. and one o them immediately called the police
and ire brigade. Police reached the spot 15 minutes later and ound two charred
bodies inside the car. Police had still to identiy the two persons and ind out i the
ictims were burnt along with the car or their bodies were burnt ater they were killed.
Nothing was let o the car ecept or its soot-coered seat rames. The bodies were
ound on the rear seats, their trunk and lower limbs reduced to ashes and the upper
part charred beyond recognition.
June 3, Bhavnagar: Police ired at least ten rounds and burst tear gas shells to disperse
mobs indulging in arson and stone pelting in the Prabhutala area o Bhanagar city.
Howeer, no one was injured in the police action. Mobs belonging to two communities
began pelting stones ollowing a power ailure in the area and also set a house on ire.
June J, Vadodara: A Mavri was stabbed in the city o \adodara.
May 30, Kadi, Mehsana: At least two persons were killed and another injured as
resh iolence erupted in Kadi tava town o Mehsana district, prompting the au-
thorities to impose indeinite curew in the area. A person who was eating by a way-
side kiosk on the outskirts o Kadi town was killed and the owner o the kiosk in-
jured in a bomb eplosion. In a related incident, a bus conductor was burnt alie. Two
unidentiied persons, who had coered their aces with turbans, came to the kiosk to
buy ood, when they hurled the bomb beore escaping with the ood. The customer,
belonging to the majority community, died on the spot, while the kiosk owner, rom a
minority community, was injured.
As tension mounted in the town, a mob gathered at Kundal illage between Kadi
and Chhatral Road and intercepted a state transport bus. The irate mob then pulled
out the conductor, a Muslim, rom the bus, and burnt him alie.
May 29, Ahmedabad: Panic gripped Ahmedabad ollowing a series o bomb blasts
aboard three buses. Two lie bombs were also ound in two other buses and were
deused. Lleen persons, seen o them women, were injured in the three eplosions
that went o almost simultaneously on three routes between 10 and 10.15 a.m., the
peak traic hour. Three o the injured, including the drier o one o the buses,
receied critical injuries. Two bomb disposal squad men were injured when one o the
bombs went o while being deused. The eplosions ripped open the sides o two
buses and the roo o another was blown o and ound 500 metres away. Two bombs
eploded in the posh Gurukul and \asna localities while one went o near the bus
depot on the Geeta Mandir Road in the old city.
May JS, Rajkot: The city police arrested two persons, including a Junagadh-
based Bajrang Dal actiist, carrying 99 swords and 200 other sharp weapons, in-
cluding knies and daggers, in a jeep. The jeep was detained or checking at Green
Land Chowkdi - the junction o roads connecting Rajkot with Ahmedabad, Morbi
and Junagadh. Those arrested were identiied as Mansukh Kanji Patel, a Junagadh-
based Bajrang Dal actiist, and jeep drier Dinesh Hasmukh \ekaria, a resident o
Rajkot. Police said that a case o iolating the notiication prohibiting carrying o
weapons was registered against them.
Police commissioner Upendra Singh said that Patel was a Bajrang Dal avgatlav
Mavtri` o the Joshipura area in Junagadh with 2,000 Bajrang Dal workers under him.
Patel worked in the diamond polishing business in Junagadh.
CP Singh said that Patel told police he was taking the weapons to Junagadh or
distribution because they eared retaliation` and that the Junagadh police had been
alerted. President o the Junagadh unit o Bajrang Dal, Lalit Suagiya, who is also
joint secretary o the Gujarat Pradesh Bajrang Dal, disowned Patel, saying that he
was not a member o the Bajrang Dal. But the Bajrang Dal`s Rajkot city unit chie,
Chamanbhai Sindha, admitted that Mansukh was a Bajrang Dal actiist. Sindha
said that Mansukh had bought the weapons or sel-protection.
Rajkot police also raided a yard near the Chotila bus stand and seized another
cache o swords, knies, and gvti. packed in gunny-sacks. Police said 10 swords,
40 knies, and 45 gvti. - worth some Rs 1.8 lakh - were ound in the yard o
the Chauhan brothers. Mansukh Patel, who was arrested in connection with the sei-
zure rom the jeep, said he had procured the swords rom the Chauhans. Two persons
were arrested in connection with the Chotila seizure. Police said that Prabhubhai and
Channabhai Chauhan had been dealing in swords or the last ie years, and would
sell them to any buyer. Meanwhile, irst class judicial magistrate SM Soni rejected the
ie-day police remand plea or Mansukh Patel, Bajrang Dal member, arrested by
Rajkot police or iolating the public notiication banning carrying o arms.
May J2, Ahmedabad, Vadodara: In the 5 days post-Godhra, Gomtipur, in
Ahmedabad, was under day curew or almost 43 days while night curew was in orce or
almost 60 days. In \adodara, the situation was only slightly better, with areas like Vadi
being under night curew or 24 days and day curew or 44 days. The curew threw up
other challenges or people - how to reach oice or an eamination centre and how to
get the daily supplies o milk and egetables. Vhile the aluent ones hae stored goods
in bulk, the poorer sections are in big trouble,` said Ashraa Khan Pathan o Juni Bapunagar.
May 7, Ahmedabad: The army was called out in Ahmedabad ater a resh out-
break o communal iolence let twele persons dead. A youth was stabbed right
inside the \S Hospital, run by the Congress-controlled Ahmedabad Municipal Cor-
poration, in the presence o police. The youth was stabbed when he alighted rom an
ambulance carrying a patient who had been stabbed in Juhapura locality, when some
avgl Parirar olunteers were demonstrating against the alleged partisan attitude` o
the hospital authorities against Hindu patients.
Vhile three persons each were killed in Kalupur and \ejalpur localities, two were
killed in Juhapura and one each in Jamalpur and Danilimda areas. Perhaps or the irst
time since the iolence began, the night remained largely peaceul and most o the
iolent incidents took place in broad daylight.
The day began with a stabbing incident in Majoorgam under Kalupur police station
and soon the iolence spread to the outskirts o the city. A college instructor was
stabbed to death and then his body set aire in Sarkhej locality.
This incident had its repercussions in the neighbouring Juhapura and \ejalpur lo-
calities, where iolent 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 ater their driers led.
K A camel cart owner was stabbed to death in \ejalpur, where two others were
killed when police opened ire to disperse the iolent mobs. The Juhapura and \ejalpur
incidents spread tension in the city with one person was stoned to death near Redi
Bazar in Kalupur. At least seen persons, including three policemen, were injured in a
bomb blast near the Kalupur police station. One o the injured later died in hospital.
The charred body o a middle-aged person, belieed to hae been stabbed to death
and later set aire, was recoered rom Jamalpur.
K A lecturer o IIT, Sarkhej, was intercepted by our people while on his way to
work and burnt alie. MA Kothawala, 35, was going to work on his two-wheeler. It
was his beard that gae him away. As he slowed down his scooter, he was stopped by
our people who stabbed him and them burnt him alie.
K A truck drier, unaware o the trouble in Sarkhej, droe straight into a mob
lying in wait near Juhapura. He was also burnt alie.
K Two daily-wagers cycling to work rom Dhor Bazaar were pelted with stones
and then bludgeoned to death.
K Two residents o Parikshitalal Nagar, Behrampura, on their way home were
burnt alie by a mob on May 5.
Vhile mobs attacking entire neighbourhoods was part o the pattern during the
irst phase o iolence in Ahmedabad, a new pattern emerged in the incidents that
took place round early May: that o mobs targeting unsuspecting indiiduals. Police
said this could be because o the long spell o iolence that had deepened the diide.
In the incidents o early May, innocent citizens, educated people, were waylaid by
mobs and done to death. Ironically, most o these people were either on their way to
work or were hurriedly returning home on hearing reports o iolence in the city.
May 7, Bhavnagar: Tension gripped Bhanagar city when groups o people rom
both the Hindu and Muslim communities were inoled in stone throwing. Howeer,
timely action by the police preented the situation rom escalating urther. According
to police control room, it all started when a youth, who was drunk, came out on the
streets in the Karchaliya Para area in Bhanagar with a sword. Police said that this
created tension as people rom both the communities came out on the streets with
swords in their hands. On May 6, a group o people had set a medical shop located in
the Khumbhariya Vada area on ire.
May 7, Vadodara: The JP Road police recoered a crude bomb` rom a ootpath
on the Old Padra Road. The bomb made rom urea, a gelatine stick and detonator
seemed to hae been let at the spot to create panic in the area. According to the city
police, the bomb was recoered ollowing a tip-o. A parcel with a wick was lying
deserted on the ootpath. As a precautionary measure, the bomb squad was called to
tackle it,` an oicer said. Oicials at the J P Road police station said the bomb must
hae been placed by some mischie-monger to create panic in the area. The so-called
bomb was otherwise harmless. It did not contain nails or similar articles to injure a
person,` said JP Road police inspector Kiritsinh Jhala.
May 7, Panchmahal: Shops were set on ire and members o two communities
clashed at Lunaada town in Panchmahal district, prompting the imposition o in-
deinite curew in the area. lollowing the bomb eplosion in a bus which injured 10
people on May 6, incidents o stone throwing and arson were reported during the day.
Indeinite curew was clamped on the town.
May 6, Panchmahal: As many as ten people were injured, including three women
and an inant, were injured, ie o them seriously, when a country-made bomb e-
ploded in a Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation bus at Lunaada bus stand,
nearly 40 km rom Godhra. The incident took place at 1200 hrs when the bus, sched-
uled or Malan, was parked at the stand or the 30-odd passengers to board. lie o
the injured, including the conductor Hirabhai \anand, were in serious condition and
were shited to the ciil hospital. The incident has spread panic and tension in Lunaada
and surrounding areas. Vitnesses stated that the eplosion could hae occurred in the
abandoned baggage o a passenger.
May 6, Ahmedabad: Two youths were stoned to death in the Kagdapith area o
Ahmedabad. The youths were stopped by an armed mob and lynched,` a senior police
oicer said. They were two actory workers, who were proceeding to their workplace on
cycles, and then lynched as sporadic incidents o iolence continued unabated in the
state. Vith this the death toll in two days o iolence has gone up to ten. The incident
took place around 10 a.m. in the Kagdapith police station area. As the ictims were
leaing their houses on cycle, they were surrounded by an irate mob, which resorted to
heay stone pelting. They bled to death on the spot,` the police said.
Police burst seeral tear gas shells to disperse a crowd near a mosque in Mirzapur
area where two crude bombs eploded while a prayer session was on, setting o
tension in the locality. The bombs eploded on the road outside the mosque. No one
was injured in the blast. Indeinite curew, meanwhile, remained in orce at Danilimda
and Shahpur, two o the worst aected localities o Ahmedabad.
May S, Ahmedabad: Ater three days o calm, tension gripped the city o
Ahmedabad when rioters went on the rampage in Shahpur, Madhapura and Danilimda
areas, orcing the police to open ire. Seen people were killed.
According to police, the body o a person with stab wounds was dumped outside
the RSS headquarters by miscreants who came in a Maruti car around midnight.
May 3, Jamnagar: Tension mounted in \arala illage o Dwarka tava, Jamnagar
district, ater miscreants desecrated temples in the illage. Heay police deployment
was made in the area soon ater that, to preent any untoward incident as illagers
obsered a bavl to oice their protest.
May 2, Bharuch: Tension mounted in Bharuch district ater some assailants riding
a motorcycle shot at a BJP worker in Ankleshwar town. Sources in the Ankleshwar
city police said that the ictim, Ganesh Agrawal, who was an actie worker o the
BJP and owns a proision store, was shot at by unidentiied assailants. Sources said
that Agrawal had earlier been named as an accused in two cases o rioting in the
atermath o the Godhra carnage.
April J6, Ahmedabad: Len 48 hours ater communal incidents began, large parts
o Ahmedabad still remained under curew.
April JS, Ahmedabad: Two persons were shot dead by the police at Dariapur. The police
o the Dariapur police station assisted a mob pelting stones at minority pockets in the area.
A local resident, Ayub Khan Pathan, had his head blown o when he simply stepped out to
take a snapshot and get photographic eidence o police misdemeanours. The iolence
continued between Delhi Darwaza and Shahibag where incidentally the commissioner o
police`s headquarters are located, and the targets were - Kanikhad Muslim Mohalla where
80 households lie, and Sajjan Jamadar Mohalla where 200-250 amilies lie,.
There were two terror attacks, by mobs o 15-20 and 100-200 respectiely, Std.
\III and IX students belonging to the minority community, who were giing eamina-
tions in two separate eamination centres at Delhi Darwaza.
April S, Vadodara: In a shocking eample o iolence by armed mobs roaming the
streets o Gujarat, a conoy o ie ehicles carrying amilies rom Chhotaudaipur to
\adodara under police escort was attacked by a mob en route, which set all the e-
hicles on ire. At least three persons suered serious burn injuries and a policeman,
who was attacked with sharp weapons, was also grieously hurt. The amilies, who
had been stuck in an unsae area or si days, were being shited to \adodara by the
police in three trucks, a tempo and a rickshaw.
April 4, Umreth, Anand district, Kutch: Two persons were killed and two injured
in police iring in Umreth town o Anand district, where rioting mobs burnt down about
10 shops. Police ired 20 rounds and imposed indeinite curew in the aternoon.
K Kutch, which had been peaceul so ar, also witnessed iolence. Indeinite
curew was clamped in Anjar ater mobs damaged three places o worship.
April 3, Ahmedabad: Police, under PI SD Sharma, in the presence o Mr. Parmar
o the Ahmedabad collectorate, led a iolent attack on the 50 reugees o the Suleiman
Roza Relie Camp behind Nutan Mills,, Saraspur and actually shot two persons,
Pirujbhai Mohammad Sheikh 30, and Khatoonbi Sharuddin Saiyed 45,. The camp,
which had been home to 50 displaced persons oer the past 40 days, was thus orc-
ibly wound up.
29 innocents were shot at by the RAl and SRP orces. Adocate Nizam was shot
dead by the police inside his home and Dr. Ishaq Sheikh, ice-president o the Al
Ameen Garib Niwas Hospital, was pulled out o his ambulance by the Ahmedabad
police, SRP and RAl personnel and brutally beaten up. Police inspectors Modi and
Parmar were present while this happened and did nothing to stop the assault. Another
person shot dead in police iring, Mohammad \unus Akbarbhai, hailed rom Sakhar
Ghanchi Ki Chawl. The policemen named by eyewitnesses are NA Modi PSI D Sta,,
NR Jadha, senior police inspector and DCP Sawani.
April 3, Abasna, Ahmedabad rural: lie members o a Muslim amily were
burnt to death late at night in Abasna illage. Three houses were burnt down and ie
members o the same amily, including a baby girl, were hacked to death and then set
ablaze by an unruly mob o around 15-20 persons at about 12.30 am. The Kadi
police reached the spot at 2.30 a.m.
In another incident o iolence in Ahmedabad, in broad daylight and in the heart o
this city, 34-year-old Muhammad Riyaz Qureshi was hacked to death near the Shahpur
police post, apparently because he was married to a Hindu. There was heay police
deployment in the area but the policemen saw nothing, heard nothing and did nothing.
April 2, Ahmedabad: In the course o the past week, mobs set ire to oer 50
Ahmedabad houses whose residents wait in relie camps. The police in the city o
Ahmedabad just did not stop them. They said that ire spreads too ast and that they
were short o sta. lity houses were set on ire at Behrampura in the Danilimda area,
they had been acated by leeing residents on lebruary 28. About 500 yards away are
the Behrampura police outpost and an additional police picket but that didn`t help
much when the mob got to work. Homes in Rajpur, Gomtipur, Ramol, Syedwadi,
\atwa and Madhapura were gutted. A mob o not less than 10-15,000 attacked
homes at \ejalpur and Juhapura.
April 2, Cambay, Petlad, Kadi, Mehsana: Three persons were killed in police
iring all oer Gujarat. At least one person was killed in Cambay and Petlad towns in
Kaira area in police iring and one was stabbed to death in Kadi town in Mehsana
district, as iolence re-erupted in the curew-bound towns late at night. At least three
persons were killed in Cambay and Petlad in police iring earlier in the day to control
mob iolence. A mob set on ire at least eight houses at Adundara illage near Kadi in
Mehsana district een as curew continued in Kadi town.
K Disturbances spread to newer areas such as Narsanda, Boriyai, Chaklasi and
other small towns and illages in central and north Gujarat where mobs set ire to
houses and shops belonging to a minority community and tried to damage some places
o worship.
March 3J, Ahmedabad: About 60 houses in two chawls on Danilimda Road in
Behrampura were gutted ollowing arson resorted to by residents o Pathani Ni Chali
and Ghasiram Chali ater a minor incident o stone throwing between two groups. Po-
lice ired about 31 rounds and 156 tear gas shells in the area to control the situation.
March 30, Ahmedabad: A 25,000 strong mob gathered at CTM Amraiwadi, at
the junction o \atwa and Jantanagar Ramol and Ansaribagh and tried to attack
Gomtipur, Jhumli Chawl, Najor Road, \ora Chal and Sukhram Road. lor residents,
the terror continued late into the night.
March 29, Ahmedabad: Two Kashmiris were allegedly burnt alie by rioters dur-
ing communal clashes in Ahmedabad. They were identiied as Sareer Ahmad o Gohan-
Kokernag and Isaq Ahmad o \esu-Qazigund. Reports said the ormer was a truck
drier while the latter a cleaner. They were on their way rom Kashmir to Ahmedabad
in their ehicle, loaded with Kashmiri apples. As the truck entered Ahmedabad, a
mob stopped it. Vhen the miscreants discoered that the drier and the cleaner were
Kashmiris, they seerely thrashed the duo. Their truck was set ablaze and subse-
quently the two were burnt alie.
March 29, Kadi, Mehsana: The 200 residents at the Kadi Relie camp near Kalol
were attacked by a large mob at midnight.
March 26, Godhra: A month ater the Godhra tragedy, things had still not re-
turned to normal in Godhra city. Lery day, iolence breaks out in new areas. There
was trouble in Khadia and Ramol areas and two incidents o stabbing were reported
rom Ranip and Shaherkotda areas.
March 24, Rajkot: An 18-year-old student, who was on his way to write his
HSC eamination, was stabbed by two unidentiied assailants, leading to ten-
sion in the communally sensitie Dhoraji area. The student, Ashok Lakhabhai
Ahir, was irst taken to Junagadh and later shited to Rajkot. Doctors said his
condition was serious.
March 24, Ahmedabad: A 30-year-old woman was stripped in public and
stabbed to death in the \ejalpur area o Ahmedabad as iolence continued un-
abated in Gujarat. Mumtazbano, whose maiden name was Geeta, beore she mar-
ried a Muslim, was stopped by miscreants at \ejalpur when she was going out
with her husband on a scooter. She was stripped and stabbed to death. Her husband
was admitted to the \S Hospital with serious knie injuries.
March 24, Ahmedabad: The Redi Bazaar in Panchkua area o Ahmedabad
was transormed into a raging inerno when manic rioters set shops aire. The mar-
ketplace, which houses wholesale cloth shops, erupted into lames which took the
Ahmedabad lire Brigade more than ie hours to control. Though no casualties
were reported, local shopkeepers said the damage could well cross Rs. 15 crore.
K lresh iolence erupted in Bhanagar, Jambusar Bharuch district, and Prantij
Sabarkantha district, towns and indeinite curew was imposed there.
March 22, Vadodara, Ahmedabad: Curew was again imposed in si police sta-
tion areas o \adodara as three people were killed when iolence lared up in the city.
A 35-year-old man, reportedly a tailor, was ound with his throat slit near the Lal
Akhada in the latehpura area o \adodara. The second case o stabbing was re-
ported in the Dandia Bazar area o the city. The person, who ran an Lnglish class at
Apsara Apartments, was attacked at his oice in the aternoon.
K In Ahmedabad, one person was killed and three others injured in stabbing
incidents in the Kagdapith and Gomtipur areas. In Ahmedabad, Ghanibhai, who cooked
ood or the ,000 residents o the Shah-e-Alam Relie Camp, was brutally killed by
youths rom just outside the ghetto area, where he had gone to buy a basket used to
clean rice.
Incidents o iolence and arson were reported rom some areas o north Gujarat.
March 2J, Ahmedabad, Himmatnagar: Si persons were killed in renewed
iolence in Ahmedabad. lie persons were killed in police iring at Kalupur,
Usman Ghani Memon, Ari Mansoori, lakir Aakha Ali Shaikh, Mohammad Aslam,
Mani,, while one person was stabbed to death in sporadic incidents o iolence in
the Dariapur, Karanj and Shahpur areas. \atwa continued to remain under the
grip o tension ater the arson at Naa Chunaraas on March 20, when two per-
sons were killed in police iring.
K In Himmatnagar town, one shop was set ablaze in the Motipura area when
curew was relaed or women and children between noon and 6 p.m.
March 20, Ahmedabad, Himmatnagar: At least two people were killed in po-
lice iring in the \atwa area o Ahmedabad and indeinite curew was clamped in
Himmatnagar town in Sabarkantha district.
Mobs went on the rampage in \atwa, torching seeral hutments and cabins by
iring petrol bombs beore the police moed in and restored order.
K \iolence spread in Himmatnagar town in Sabarkantha district, ater the disap-
pearance o a boy, sparked iolence.
March J8, Bharuch: lour persons, including two belonging to the minority
community, were killed when police opened ire to disperse mobs in Bharuch and
Sabarkantha districts as resh bouts o communal iolence hit parts o Gujarat.
Two persons were killed and as many seriously injured when police ired on a
stone pelting mob in the sensitie Undai-Haji Khana locality o Bharuch, which
was rocked by a resh spell o iolence since March 1, when two persons were
stabbed to death. Vith this, the death toll in the latest spell o iolence in the
town went up to our.
March J7, Ahmedabad: Len 1 days ater the Godhra carnage, Ahmedabad had
not calmed down. Incidents o arson, rioting and loot were reported rom the Danilimda
and Dudheshwar areas. One person died in police iring while three others, including
a Home Guard o state ciil deence, sustained serious stab wounds in Danilimda.
Around 2 p.m., a 1,000 strong mob went on the rampage and set ire to two tetile-
dye manuacturing units in Danilimda. Prior to this, the mob also damaged three
shops and set ire to our ehicles.
lK0fl Nll08808
Justice AP Ravani (|orver Clief ]v.tice Raa.tlav,
This witness deposed beore the Tribunal on May 2. He is a retired judge and a
senior citizen o eminence in the city o Ahmedabad. He spoke o the acute insecu-
rity eperienced by judges belonging to the minority community, who were not sae
ater lebruary 2. Justice MH Kadri had to take shelter on the preious night i.e., on
leb. 2, at the home o Justice Vaghle. Justice AN Diecha`s home was ransacked
ater being attacked on lebruary 28. Justice Raani was in close communication with
his brother judges during those days regarding their saety. On March 1, while he and
Justice RA Mehta were at the place o Justice Kadri at around 1.30 p.m., the latter
receied a call rom the registrar o the High Court, inorming him that Chie Justice
Dharamdhikari had made aailable two bungalows in \astrapur, or the use o the
two judges rom the minority community. In case they did not want to shit there, they
could moe to the Chie Justice`s home itsel. The military intelligence had also ad-
ised Justice Kadri that he should shit, because the police posted at his residence
were not suicient to protect him, and also that he should not rely or his saety on
the local police. The military intelligence had oered him their guesthouse in the
cantonment area. Despite these oers, Justice Raani regretully adised Justice Kadri
against accepting them, due to the acute and unusual circumstances o iolence this
time when, despite the presence o a police clori just in ront o the judges` bun-
galow area, Tasty Restaurant and another restaurant, both belonging to Muslims,
were burnt. Justice Raani elt that these unprecedented circumstances strongly
suggested that the alternatie accommodation arranged by the Chie Justice might
not be sae or the judges rom the minority community. Moreoer, he elt that
though the military cantonment may proide physical protection, it would lack psy-
chological warmth and support. Thereore, much as the adice went against the
spirit o the Indian Constitution, the ground reality was that, to ensure his saety, he
should moe to one o his relatie`s place in an area dominated by the minority
community. It was ater these consultations that Justice Kadri shited to Riiera
Apartments, behind \S Hospital.
lK0fl Nll08808
Justice Diecha, a retired high court judge liing in a building in the Paldi area o
Ahmedabad, had been receiing threats oer the phone rom lebruary 2 onwards.
Although some o his neighbours asked him to continue staying there and also o-
ered to protect him, he was orced to leae the house the net day, i.e., on lebruary
28. One Sanjay Shah, a chartered account and son-in-law o Justice Desai, urged him
to leae and helped him do it. Vithin an hour o his leaing his house, it was com-
pletely ransacked and then burnt. Justice Diecha currently holds the post o chair-
person o a state goernment-appointed commission and has the use o a goern-
ment car. This car, which had an oicial red light on it, was also damaged by the
mobs. lormerly, he was the chairperson o MRTP Commission.
This witness also spoke o the ictimisation and the insecurity eperienced, during the
post- Godhra iolence, by adocates belonging to the Muslim community. An adocate, IM
Shaikh junior o the late Ahsan Jari,, whose oice was situated outside the Delhi Darwaza
area on the irst loor o a building is one eample. He had just set up his practice but
eerything in his oice was destroyed and burnt on lebruary 28. He lost all his papers and
books. Vhen he went to lodge a complaint, the police asked him to state that a mob o
unidentiied persons had come and they burnt this`. lor another three weeks ater this inci-
dent, no avclvava. were recorded by the police. Justice Raani, had isited the place ater
the incident. The ground loor, occupied by a Hindu-owned shop, was totally sae. The irst
loor premises o Shaikh, which measured about 2,200 sq. t., were totally destroyed. The
damage included the aircoditioner, his computer and his books. Three persons were later
identiied by the police as responsible or the incident, one o them was arrested and reused
bail. PI PN lalia, with the satellite police station, completed the inestigations. He was
transerred soon ater and another police oicer Barot, whose proimity to Dr. Praeen
Togadia o the \HP is well-known, was put in charge o the inestigation.
This witness spoke at length about the stiling o criminal law the moment Godhra
occurred on lebruary 2 and the \HP and the BJP announced a bavl on the net day.
The witness obsered that it was a deliberate conspiracy to stile criminal law. lrom the
irst day onwards, the instructions to the police, coming rom dierent rungs o the
goernment, were that no orce was to be used and no arrests were to be made.
This conspiracy to stile criminal law was hatched at least one month beore the
incident. The witness quoted rom the commissioner o police, PC Pandey`s inter-
iew, gien to 1le 1ive. of Ivia on March 15, to substantiate this claim. In his inter-
iew, the commissioner had stated that in his iew,
i, Dead bodies should not hae been brought rom Godhra to Ahmedabad. The
CP had epressed his disagreement oer the goernment`s decision, yet he was oer-
ruled. Vho oerruled him: the CM or the home minister
ii, avl calls and bavl politics were not new or the state o Gujarat, but this
time the call or a bavl was gien by the party in power`. This meant that een a CP
elt that a ruling party supporting a bavl was out o the ordinary,.
iii, One month beore the Godhra incident, all sub-inspectors in Ahmedabad were
transerred and the CP had no say in these mass transers.
This witness had some conclusions to draw about the systematic and deliberate
targeting o Muslims establishments. He said that though some arson was ecepted
post-Godhra, no one in their wildest dreams epected this systematic and wide-scale
targeting o Muslim lies and property. I the bavl had not been declared or sup-
ported by the goernment, the situation would not hae been so grae.
Gujarat \HP President, KK Shastri gae a widely publicised interiew to redi.com
in which he stated that on the morning o lebruary 28 itsel, his organisation had
prepared a list o the names o establishments and residences o Muslims o Gujarat,
ready to be used in the iolence.
Justice Raani drew the attention o the Tribunal to the state o the country, in
terms o the law and order situation, in the month o lebruary 2002. In preparation
or the ,agva planned by the .avgl arirar organisations, including the BJP, on March
15 at Ayodhya on the site o the demolished Babri Masjid, the country was in a state
o high alert. 50 per cent o the ar .era. who hae assembled at Ayodhya, be it in
1992 or in 2002, were rom Gujarat. 50 per cent o the membership o the \HP hails
rom Gujarat. So, whateer the acts and the moties behind the Godhra tragedy
might be, there was heightened preparation or aggression and intimidation by the
orces supporting the Ram temple at Ayodhya and the police and other law and order
machinery all oer the country was tense and on alert. Thereore, something around
March 15, the date or the ,agva, was planned by these orces in Gujarat. The witness
also quoted Pandey`s public response to whether or not the Godhra mass arson was
pre-planned. I don`t think the Godhra incident was planned. It appears to be quite
spontaneous. Those traelling on the train hae stated that the ar .era. were quite
boisterous. The situation must hae gone out o control`. This witness drew the at-
tention o the Tribunal to the act that the Sabarmati Lpress was oer-crowded with
ar .era. and that, in the past, the administration had handled law and order situa-
tions at Godhra with more promptness and responsibility. He also raised serious ques-
tions about the union railway minister, Nitish Kumar`s apathy towards the Godhra
incident. He drew the attention o the Tribunal to an interiew o retired major gen-
eral, Lustace D`souza, published in the Cevocie Cvarat 2002` report of Covvvva
i.v Covbat, where he had reealed how he had led our columns o army into Godhra
three times, in 1948, 1955 and 1983. Shri D`souza was surprised at the absence o
army columns as in the past, either in Ahmedabad or in \adodara, gien the tension
the country was going through. It was a Member o Parliament belonging to the ruling
BJP who had requested or two coaches on the Sabarmati Lpress to be resered or
the ar .era..
The conduct o the police, in persistently reusing to record the lIRs, was a urther
relection o the collapse o the criminal justice system in Gujarat. The act that cases
concerning serious points o law, dating rom 1985 or 1990, are still pending, is a
telling commentary on the non-unctional state o the courts. The ormer judge com-
mented on how lawyers belonging to the Muslim community, who were the only ones
ighting or ictims o illegal arrest, had to stay away rom the High Court because o
curew. Due to this, people accused o the petty oence o breach o curew were
sent to jail. The bar room o the old High Court, which currently houses the
Ahmedabad rural courts, has 10-15 tables allotted to lawyers belonging to the minor-
ity community. These were remoed and destroyed and obscene slogans written there.
This is a shocking state o aairs in Gujarat, where the rule o law is absent.
Articles 14, 15 and 21 o the Constitution hae been paralysed, according to the
witness. Vhen cabinet ministers sit in control rooms and command operations, we
must conclude that there is an actie desire on the part o the political establishment
to deny protection to those being targeted by well-guided mobs. Once the tragic io-
lence had taken place, the State compounded its non-Constitutional unctioning by
actiely preenting the conidence building measures required or proper rehabilita-
tion. Besides, when people hae tried to return to their original houses, ilthy slogans
hae been used to terrorize them and preent them rom doing so.
The ictims were not being treated like human beings, but like animals. The senior
jurist epressed deep concern that such injustice could breed terrorism or could con-
tribute to the growth o the Maia. He also drew the attention o the Tribunal to the
use o threats and terror tactics by the goons o the \HP and the Bajrang Dal against
ordinary, right thinking Hindus who were helping the reugees. One doctor rom the
Shahi Baug area, who had tired to help the reugees and had conducted ree delieries
o 1-20 women liing in the camps, was threatened in person by the \HP interna-
tional general secretary, Dr. Praeen Togadia himsel. He was told that either he should
stop the medical aid or consequences would ollow. The witness epressed deep con-
cern about the actie attempts by members o the RSS, \HP and Bajrang Dal, sup-
ported actiely by the BJP, to communalise and diide both the legal and the medical
community in Gujarat, especially in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. This had largely
preented more arrangement o medical and legal aid across communities ater the
iolence had taken place.
Iqbal Hawa (evior .oicitor iv Cvarat,
A senior adocate o the Gujarat High court, originally rom Mumbai, he appeared
beore the Tribunal on May 2. He reerred to 1le 1ive. of Ivia press clippings sug-
gesting that a Hindu doctor trying to proide medical aid in a minority dominated area
was threatened. He said that the man who attacked the doctor belonged to the major-
ity Hindu community, but the report had been coloured to indicate that he was a
Muslim. Many prominent and responsible Muslim citizens tried to gie a clariication
to the newspaper but this was not published. Doctors o the majority community still
treat patients in minority-dominated ghettos. This witness spoke, with acute distress,
o communalisation o the Gujarat bar at all leels. The bar association rural district
court, had passed an oral resolution that no adocate should take a brie rom a
Muslim client. The witness also reerred to the two-year-old controersy oer the
appointment o PN Oza, the Gujarat state prosecutor. The appointment was made
out o order o seniority simply because he was, and continues to be, a member o the
RSS. Vithout getting into speciics, as it would inole the question o contempt o
court, this witness reerred to the act that in Gujarat state, since 1998, een judges
were appointed because o their political ailiations to the ideology o the ruling party.
The witness spoke with distress about the misuse o the unds collected in the
name o religion and charity rom abroad, which hae been used to generate and
sustain militant cadres and their actiities. This witness and many others reerred to
the discredited actiities o ocla.avra.i Pravvl ravi, resident o Bochasan illage
in Kheda district. Other .alv., like Shri Murari Babu and others, also get a lot o
money rom the Patels and Shahs liing abroad.
This witness spoke poignantly o the abject terror eperienced by Muslims in the
city o Ahmedabad because the attacking mobs, led by prominent leaders, came along
with the police, used police points or their assault and threw stones, rags and bombs
at minority residences. Many people watched without interening and the terror con-
tinued to spread. The witness had seen this in areas like \ejalpur and Kalupur.
This witness made a representation beore the Tribunal in the matter o 295 mosques
and 205 argal. that were damaged and destroyed in the post-Godhra carnage. This
has also been represented to the National Minorities Commission to urge urgent re-
pairs. He epressed anguish at the absence o concern and compassion rom the Gujarat
goernment, the Indian goernment and other authorities, at the blatant stiling o
religious and cultural reedom. He gae the eample o one mosque in the Paldi area
o Ahmedabad, which was razed and destroyed despite a High Court injunction against
any attempts to touch it. He said that unless re-construction work was taken up in all
these shrines on a priority basis, restoration o peace and harmony was impossible.
He also said that as a lawyer, he elt helpless about the judicial process. I we go to
the Supreme Court`, he said, the petition would be admitted but would lie unheard
or years.`
Achyut Yagnik (evior acaevic,
A senior academic and associated with work among the marginalised communities
in north and south Gujarat, the witness had started the Ahmedabad Lkta Manch in
1985 and was also the general secretary o PUCL.
An epert on tribal aairs, he pointed out that the li belt etends rom Sabarkantha
upto Narmada and it was this li belt to which the iolence was restricted to li.
are tribals who ind a mention in the Rava,av,. The witness drew attention to the act
that about 3-months-ago on January 1, 2002,, there was a congregation o tribals in
Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh, an areas bordering Gujarat and Rajasthan. Oer 1.5 lakh
tribals participated in this meet which was speciically organized by the RSS and the
\HP. Tribals who participated were drawn rom all the 3 states o Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh and Rajasthan. The meeting was about the issue o conersion and the RSS
chie, K Sudershan addressed the tribals. In the history o communal iolence in
Gujarat, the irst time eer that tribals attacked Muslims was in 198. In 1990 again,
tribals attacked Muslim shopkeepers. The witness made a perceptie analysis o the
mobilisation o Dalits by outits like the RSS, \HP, Bajrang Dal and the BJP. Urban
Dalits hae connied with the politics o these outits, and this time they actiely
participated in the iolence. In the case o the massacre at Gulberg Society, where
Ahsan Jari was killed, it was the case o a Muslim-predominant residential colony
surrounded by three communities -Vaghris, who are a denotiied tribe, Marwadi mi-
grants and Dalits, liing behind the society and across the railway line.
In Gomtipur, an industrial area, which showcases the history o the tetile industry
o Ahmedabad where the workers were equally diided among the Dalit, Muslim
and OBC communities,, housing colonies around the mills belong to Dalits and Mus-
lims. The clash in Gomtipur in April 2002 was between Dalits and Muslims. Saraspur,
Gomtipur and Babu Nagar also hae the two communities liing together. Many il-
lages around Ahmedabad, which later deeloped into industrial suburbs, also had
Dalit and Muslim neighbourhoods. These actors, along with a shared tradition o
non-egetarian ood habits, hae led to these communities liing together.
Among the rural Dalits o Gujarat, the situation is dierent. lor eample, in
Sardarpura in Mehsana district in north Gujarat, where 31 Muslims were burnt alie
it is one o the our incidents o mass burning,, Someshwar Pandya, a Dalit belong-
ing to the Congress and a lower unctionary o the avcla,at, not only protected Mus-
lims but also identiied the accused responsible or the crime and iled an lIR which
was registered. He was beaten up or this and was hospitalised. In north Gujarat,
especially in the Patan area, Rajputs protected Muslims and in many other parts o
rural Gujarat, the Rabaris and Bhuas protected Muslims in large numbers.
This epert witness gae a detailed analysis o the history o communal iolence in
Gujarat. In 1981, the anti-reseration agitation started rom Ahmedabad and spread
all oer Gujarat. These were the irst caste-based riots and Dalit homes were attacked
and burnt. The agitation was against reseration o post-graduate seats in medical
colleges. In 1982-83, during the \adodara riots at the time o the Cave.l Clatvrtli
procession, and during the RSS,\HP larat ta Yatra in 1983, there was iolence.
The anti-reseration riots in 1985 began oer the issue o a quota o reserations
or OBCs being enorced by the Congress goernment. The Congress goernment
o the time eperimented with the KHAM ormula K~kshatriyas, H~harijans,
A~adiasis, M~muslims,. The second anti-reseration agitation turned into com-
munal riots and this altered the nature o communal riots in Gujarat. In 1981, BJP
workers including Ashok Bhatt now a minister, were openly anti-reseration. In
1981, een AB\P, the students` wing o the BJP, was against reserations. It was in
1985 that their stance changed and they started speaking in aour o reserations.
This relects the countrywide shit in ocus o the RSS, which resulted in their
actiely wooing Dalits and tribals through the \HP. The two RSS persons respon-
sible or co-opting Dalits and OBCs especially the Patels, into the RSS,BJP camp
between 1985-1990 are Narendra Modi presently chie minister o Gujarat, and
Shankarsingh Vaghela now leader o the Gujarat Congress, who was then the presi-
dent o the Gujarat BJP, with Modi under him,.
Communal iolence in Gujarat in 1986, 198 and 1989 was due to the many sym-
bolic ,atra. taken out by the RSS and \HP at that time. Dierent sections o the
society were mobilized or the dierent ,atra. and the ruling Congress at the time was
responsible or allowing this aggressie communalisation to take place. The neus
between anti-social elements o both communities, and politcians increased ater
1980. It started in 1969, when Hitendra Desai was the chie minister and increased
under Chimanbhai Patel`s rule later. It continued up to the `80s Madhasinh Solanki
was the chie minister. lrom 1989 onwards, there hae been been major bouts o
communal iolence in Gujarat. These began and spread along with the route o LK
Adani`s ratl ,atra that started rom Somnath and went through the heart o South
Gujarat in 1990. The chie architect o this ,atra was Narendra Modi, then the gen-
eral secretary o the BJP and also an RSS raclara, who had been asked to work or
the epansion o BJP. The witness aerred that at the time o the àr ìrvav moe-
ment in 194, Modi was nowhere in the picture.
Surat was drawn into the abyss o communal iolence or the irst time in 1992,
and there were cases o mass burning o people and gang rapes o Muslim women.
Ater 1992, there was a lull, ecept or stray incidents against Muslims. lrom 199-
99, the RSS and \HP began mobilizing the tribals against Christians working in the
areas o education and health in Dang, Surat and \alsa districts. Their aim was to
epand the political base o the RSS and the \HP in these areas. The two parliamen-
tary constituencies o Mandi and \alsad-Dang hae always been a Congress strong-
hold and the motie was to dislodge the Congress here. Congress remains powerul in
many places in Gujarat. Madhusudan Mistry, an independent supported by the Con-
gress, won rom Sabarkantha in a by-election. In the year 2000, when the avcla,at,
tava and district elections took place, two-thirds o the area came under Congress
control. Modi was brought in in September 2001 to aggressiely win back Gujarat,
een i it meant engineering iolence.
DN Pathak (Pre.evt P!C, Cvarat,
This senior citizen, academic and human rights actiist epressed anguish at the
act that Gandhism is not being practiced in Gujarat today. He said that while there
are many Gandhians, who hae raised their oice against what is happening, these
people hae lost touch with politics and with ordinary people, the silent majority,
people moing on the street, the poor. How else can we eplain how and why all
Gandhians in Gujarat are old and hae white hair The Gandhians hae lost touch
with the youth o Gujarat, they hae stayed away rom the political process and thereby
allowed it to go astray.
He gae a lucid presentation on Gujarat and its people. Gujarat is a state that has
one-third o India`s coastline, about 1,600 kilometres o it, which is the longest that
any state has in this country. As a consequence, Gujaratis are a trading community.
Vith commerce as their main proession, they hae spread to eery illage and dis-
trict and, in act, all oer the world. Gujaratis make good traders but they do not like
to sere, nor do they like to be employed in serice. The business o Gujarat is busi-
ness, they are good in business. I not business, they would rather be proessionals -
doctors, engineers chartered accounts or lawyers but not in serice.
An interesting anecdote about Gujarat, and the attitude o the Gujaratis towards
state reorganization, was recounted by the witness. In 1956, when a countrywide
debate on the issue was taking place and many states were agitating or separate
statehood, prominent Gujaratis did not want Gujarat. One reason was that they did
not want to lose Bombay. The second was that or them Gujarat is spread all oer
India, Gujarat is India.
In addition to the largely apolitical leanings o a business and trading community
and high leels o urbanization, a powerul and assertie middle class has emerged
oer the last 35-40 years. These vovreav ricle Gujaratis do not hae the cultural back-
ground that earlier commerce-minded Gujaratis had. Their commitment to politics is
such as to aggressiely demand non-intererence rom the goernment. These new
middle class Gujaratis do not loe religion but they loe religiosity - or demonstra-
tion. Inspite o being brought up in Ahmedabad all his lie, this witness epressed
amazement at the dozens o ,atra. that take place eery year in that city. He recalled
that in his youth, the traditional ]agavvatl Pvri Ratl Yatra was an important eent but
today there is continuous religious celebration. As a result, one, people are getting
mobilized and, two, the new middle class is justiying its wealth - though we are rich,
we are religious`. This new religious showmanship includes building o temples, con-
stant ceremonies etc. This scenario is being eploited by the \HP and the RSS and
enjoyed by the BJP. The witness epressed anguish at the arming o ciil society
through tri.lv distribution and the brutal scale o iolence during the carnage - the
rape o Muslim girls and women, destruction o Muslim homes and establishments,
argal. and shrines. He epressed concern at the lack o remorse in the Gujarati soci-
ety about the iolence that had taken place.
There has been no widespread letist moement in Gujarat. The Swatantra party, more
conseratie than the Congress, used to be the main opposition. The only letist, who won
an election in Gujarat, is Batukbhai \okra, who won an election many years ago.
The Rajkot municipality has been under the control o the BJP or the last 30 years.
In the last elections, the Congress won. The spread o the BJP in Gujarat began ater
they captured the municipal bodies and the local bodies. Howeer, all political indica-
tors show that their perormance in power has been poor, they hae not deliered and
hence, they are determined to use a last-ditch communal card, and iolence, to polar-
ise people and remain in power. Vhat is worrying about today`s Gujarat is the deep
polarization, een i electoral ortunes o the BJP all.
Hanif Lakdawala (Doctor, .ocia actiri.t,
A doctor and a senior social actiist working as director, avcletva in Ahmedabad
since 19, this witness is also ice-president, PUHR People`s Union or Human
Rights,. His isible trauma and anguish was apparent to all the Tribunal members as
he painully recounted the impact o the carnage in his testimony o May 4. His
testimony brought home to the Tribunal the tragic impact that the Gujarat carnage
has had on ine actiists who happened to be Muslim. They are, at once, both
ictimised, because o the community they had been born into, and paralyzed, in the
work they are unable to do.
He said that the kind o politics that the BJP,RSS,\HP indulge in renders mean-
ingless the constructie work that NGOs try to do. Ten years ago, in 1992, when his
organization tried to epand its work in community health to some Dalit slums, it was
told that Muslims could not come there. Interestingly, avcletva has neer been pro-
jected as a Muslim organization, it is only that its ounder happens to be a Muslim.
Similarly, during the latest carnage, when his organization was trying to do some relie
work by distributing grains among the \aghri and the Kahar ishing communities, the
olunteers were orced to hear ery hurtul comments. Persons rom these communi-
ties made comments like, Ve should continue to stab Muslims so that they can gie
us grains.`
This witness recounted a rightening eperience that he underwent on April 20.
That eening, he, lr. Cedric Prakash and Swarupben Dhuru had gone to the Taj
Mahal Hotel to meet some isitors. Vhile haing dinner, lr. Cedric got a call saying
that in Gomtipur, a 5,000 strong mob had attacked reugees seeking shelter in Mother`s
Home. He, thereore, had to leae and Dr. Lakdawala, Darshini Mahadei and
Swarupben Dhuru took a cab back. Dr. Lakdawala was sitting in ront, net to the
drier, and all three o them were discussing the Gujarat carnage. Suddenly, the drier,
a si-oot-tall, well-built man with a moustache said, Clar o vaive var i,a` I
killed our o them`,. They could not understand what he was talking about so they
asked him, Vhere did you kill our people` I killed them in Naroda Patiya. Bajrang
Dal had come and gien us swords. I cut our o them up. I did not allow them to be
buried. I threw them in a ire and burnt them`. They, then, asked him how many
persons were killed in Naroda. The man replied that many hundreds o people had
been killed. Much more than the 150 that had been mentioned.`
The terror and ear eperienced by Dr. Lakdawala was tangible to the Tribunal.
Through the 18 km drie, with this drier, who had murdered our people simply
because they were Muslims, by his side, Dr. Lakdawala`s terror cannot be imagined. It
was 11.30 p.m. and the roads were deserted, as though under curew. All the three
passengers were terror-stricken and did not use Dr. Lakdawala`s name, Hani, know-
ing that it would be dangerous. They kept reerring to him as Dr. Saab.
Dr. Lakdawala and his wie Sheba lie in \astrapur area and had to leae their
house twice during earlier incidents o communal iolence. Len during the recent
carnage, they let their lat or our days. In 1992, they had let their house along with
their daugther, who was then 3-years-old. In 1990, ater Adani was arrested during
his ratl ,atra and iolence broke out in Ahmedabad, a group o 30 persons had come
to attack Dr. Lakdawala and his amily. Somehow, they were saed by their neighbours,
but the net day they let as a precaution and returned only ater the neighbourhood
was sae. lor a ortnight, they had to moe rom one home to another, rom one riend
or relatie to another.
The witness spoke with distress about the impact o the hate speech and commu-
nal polarisation among the young. His 14-year-old daughter, who is being brought up
as a secularist, with no particular religion, has also elt the impact o the Gujarat
carnage. \oung children in relie camps hae been brutally impacted by the iolence
and een the game o marbles has been changed to a game o green marbles and
saron marbles, the irst representing Muslims and the latter, Hindus.
The witness also spoke about the deep polarisation on school campuses in
Ahmedabad. In an elite school like Mount Carmine, Hindu girls hae been heard
making disparaging remarks against Muslim girls who are identiied by their dress,
comments like, These girls` community has been attacking Hindus in Kashmir and
attacking our temples`. This is a ery elite school and yet the principal cannot do
anything about it. In a mied school, where there are Hindu and Muslim boys, Muslim
boys hae been heard making comments like, Ve will burn eerything just as the
Hindus hae burnt`. There is seething anger and a deep resentment. Some schools
hae een told their Muslim students ound talking in such manner, not to attend
school rom the net day.
Ghettoisation and polarisation were an unortunate part o Ahmedabad`s lie since
1999 but hae become more acute now. Dr. Lakdawala, whose roots are in Gujarat,
haing been brought up in Surat beore moing to Ahmedabad, spoke o an eperi-
ence he had regarding the admission o his elder daughter een earlier, in 198-88, in
CN School, a Gujarati medium school. His daughter had got 93 per cent marks in I\
Std. But when Dr. Lakdawala went to the principal or her admission, the principal
just threw her certiicate ater seeing her name and said, Just orget about it, orget
admission in this school.` Dr. Lakdawala said he was in a mood to ight it out. He met
the collector and the district education oicer and saw to it that she got admission.
But i the same thing was to happen now, he elt that he would not be in a position to
ight it out. This is a loss o ground that has taken place in Gujarat. Prominent social
actiists and human rights actiists who hae worked on the ground are inding them-
seles squeezed out o the public space and becoming ictims because they are Mus-
lims or Christians.
Dr. Lakdawala grew up in a illage in Surat district. He stayed in the hostel o a
medical college in a mied community. He has lied in \adaj and \asara. Vhereer
he has lied, there has been a majority o Hindus around him. He has neer lied in a
Muslim community. Today, people hae started saying that he and his amily should
moe to a Muslim dominated area. He and his amily lie in a cosmopolitan atmo-
sphere - his daughter had grown up and started wearing jeans and sleeeless dresses.
The enorced ghettoisation, that such iolence may result in, has got unspeakable
consequences or a person like Dr. Lakdawala and his amily.
The loss o identity and deliberate obuscation o it is apparent in small but impor-
tant gestures like greetings. Larlier, it was natural or persons who rang up to greet
him with a àva.te` or a aaav .aiqvv`. Today, Dr. Lakdawala says that in the
area where he lies, he cannot use the latter orm o greeting, since people stare
and look at him.
Dr. Lakdawala passed his MBBS in 196 and soon ater, his brother`s daughter,
who is settled in the US, started urging him to come and settle there, saying that there
are poor people in US, too. Dr Lakdawala would say, The poor in my country are
dierent, I want to stay here`. Ater the Gujarat carnage 25 years later, she asks him,
Vas your decision right` Dr. Lakdawala does not hae an answer.
Sheba George (|evivi.t actiri.t,
This actiist, who is one o the authors o the vrriror. ea report on seual io-
lence against Muslim women during the carnage, spoke at length about the gender crimes
that were committed against women. Right rom the irst day, the most rightening and
the most horriic aspect o the iolence was the brutal gender crimes that were commit-
ted. The manner in which this iolence against women ormed a part o the oerall
killings o Muslims was recounted in detail. Vomen hae testiied that they were tied
and raped, young girls were stripped, chased and paraded around and burnt. Naked girls
and women were carried by men and danced around with in the whole locality. It was a
bizarre and macabre kind o gender crime, one that was made a spectacle o. There was
a lot o sleaze and it demonstrated what ivvtra was all about.
The seual abuse was almost pornographic in detail. \oung girls and women were
raped by 6-10 men. All kind o objects were inserted in women`s aginas. Others
were ound dead, with een cricket balls stuck in their aginas. An eample is
Najmunissa Zarina, who had an iron rod stuck in her arm. The other kind o seual
iolence inoled police oicers abusing Muslim women. One PSI Modi rom Gomtipur
area has been abusing women seually or the past three months. Hundreds o women
could testiy to this. Len in 1992, one PI Jhala attacked and molested women rom
Muslim communities in the Shah Alam quarters like Millat Nagar.
The witness submitted 4,500 signatures rom dierent camps - Shah Alam,
Bapunagar, Gomtipur, \ata, Naroda and other parts o Ahmedabad - rom ictims
and suriors testiying to the act that seual iolence took place, rape took place.
She spoke with anguish about the pyromaniac tendencies o the attackers, who burnt
eerything - the ictims, their homes and their possessions. She also spoke about
the women rom the majority community, who helped in the preparations or the
attacks, supplying kerosene and other materials. She also gae details o how, about
8-10 months ago, in the oice o the Hindu Mahasabha, a Hindu girl was burnt dead
in the presence o her parents and the secretary o Hindu Mahasabha. She was burnt
because she married a Muslim. One ACP Dae was handling the case.
This witness spoke about the urgent need or catharsis and relection among the
majority Hindu community, which was a silent accomplice in this acute leel o soci-
etal sickness and mental crime, and which could condone such heinous crimes in its
midst. In the absence o such an urgent catharsis, the uture o Gujarat looked bleak.
Piyush Occhavlal Desai Clairvav, Cvarat 1ea Proce..or. av Pacer. ivite,
This witness, a prominent igure rom the business world in Gujarat, deposed be-
ore the Tribunal on May 5. His company produces the !agl ari` brand o tea. His
amily`s association with tea goes back 110 years. The witness` grandather started
this business in South Arica, where they hae had tea plantations since 1885. The
witness is also chairman, lederation o All India Tea Traders` Association lAIITA,.
He is also associated with some charitable trusts, which did charity work ater the
tragic earthquake in Gujarat, and also ollowing the recent carnage.
The day he deposed beore the Tribunal, the witness had arranged or a get-together
at Manek Chowk in Ahmedabad, near the egetable market, which 500 Hindu and
Muslim traders attended. The idea was to alleiate the mistrust, ear and suspicion,
rebuild relations and start anew. The eort was successul and an attempt was made but
some persons belonging to the \HP and BD threatened the witness because o the
eorts at interaction and normalisation that he was actiely promoting.
The witness spoke with concern and distress o the actie spread o messages like
economic non- cooperation with Muslims etc., which are being propagated by rabid
outits through their pamphlets etc. As a result, some Hindu traders were not pre-
pared to supply materials to Muslim traders, nor were they willing to etend the nor-
mal, 1-2 months` credit, insisting on immediate payment o cash instead. This was
resulting in enorced cash stringency, which was not healthy or business, he said. The
witness said he and another group o committed businessmen, wedded to the prin-
ciple o air play in business, would soon orm a body and put into place a marketing
system, so that Muslim traders could get a ree low o materials without any hinder-
ance. He testiied beore the Tribunal that he was inoled, through the citizens`
body that he helped set up and other eorts, in working towards the actie rehabilita-
tion o Muslim businessmen who had lost their properties, hotels, restaurants and
shops. Through this businessmen, they would be proiding much needed loans to
Muslim businessmen who`s enterprises hae been destroyed by the riots.
Through his chairmanship o the All India Tea lederation, and also his association
with the commerce ministry through the Tea Board o India, the witness has pro-
posed that one-third o the Board`s promotion budget o Rs. 15 crore be used or
giing a brand identity to the restaurants o the rehabilitated Muslims. He has sug-
gested that, through an emblem recognised by the Tea Board or the lederation, they
could help in the economic rehabilitation o the aected Muslims. He spoke o the
urgent need to put into place a co-operatie banking and inancing system, run by
independent businessmen, which could, then, come to the aid o Muslim business-
men who hae been adersely aected in substantial measure.
The witness spoke at length, and with pain, o the deep and enduring inter-linkages
between dierent communities in Gujarat and the deep schisms caused by the dii-
sie politics o hate practiced by politically powerul groups in Gujarat. At a personal
leel, he spoke about how his company always employed members o all communi-
ties in responsible positions and how the !agl ari brand was started 110 years ago
with the help o a Muslim, who lent his grandather Rs. 10,000. How can we eer
repay this debt, he asked
He spoke with distress o the deep-rooted communal polarisation, through hate
propaganda, in the minds o the young, especially in Gujarat. As a step towards a
solution, he recommended strongly that no political parties and no leaders, who inject
hatred and communalism manipulation o religion or political ends, should cross
the electoral threshold. Through the Asha Kiran Trust, this witness had rebuilt about
100 homes in the Juhapura area o Ahmedabad, and is continuing with many eorts
on dierent ronts.
This witness was a resh and welcome ray o hope or the Tribunal. lrom the
mainstream world o business, he contributed generously rom his coers, both at the
time o the earthquake and now. A circular was sent to all his agents in Gujarat there
are about 210 agents, that ree tea should be sent to all the reugee relie camps and
the agents should send him the debit note immediately. His company had thus sup-
plied Rs 4 lakh` worth o tea to the camps, along with paper cups that are hygenic.
This witness represents the true spirit o Gujarati philanthropy.
Ashok Relia (v.ive..vav,
This witness is the secretary and ice-president o Vestern Tea Dealers` Association,
and is located at Madhapura in Ahmedabad. He spoke about the joint dealings o
Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat or centuries. He said that personally, he had been doing
business jointly with Hindus and Muslims right rom \alsad to Himmatnagar and
Saurashtra. Until now, this witness said, no discrepancy or discrimination was eer al-
lowed between communities. He strongly aerred, howeer, that due to the hate speech
and hate writing unleashed during the Gujarat carnage, he eared discrimination in the
world o inance and business. Though attempts were being made to set up independent
co-operatie inance, the problem was just too huge, and he eared that such eorts may
not sere the purpose and delier to all those who hae been aected.
Uves Sareshwala (toc broer,
A stock broker who is a member o the National Stock Lchange, in act a rare
Muslim inoled in this business, the witness resides at Paldi, with his oice on the
4
th
loor o the Shahpur Comple that has, on the irst loor, shops belonging to both
Muslims and non-Muslims. On lebruary 28, Sareshwala was an eye witness to the
selectie destruction o Muslim shops there. He obsered a common pattern o burning
down these establishments so thoroughly that the plaster was also burnt and eery-
thing reduced to ashes. Sareshwala`s outit was also targeted but, luckily, it escaped
without any damage. A car A,C repairing shop on the ground loor, which contained
a gas cylinder, eploded once the ire spread. The impact o this eplosion was so
great that the mob ran away earing or its own lies. Vhen the mob returned with its
murderous moties, it was warned o by a gynaecologist doctor on the 2
nd
loor.
There are doctors on the irst and second loors o the building, belonging to both the
communities. The gynaecologist, a Muslim, warned the mob that there were 4 or 5 gas
cylinders on his premises and that he would not be responsible or the consequences,
i they continued with their deliberate arson.
The witness spoke o the kind o loss suered by him, since he loses clients when
he is not working. The other kind o loss was that eperienced on lebruary 28, when
he had to escape to saety and whateer stocks were sold on the echange that day
had to be honoured, or else it was auctioned. Clients are not ready to accept losses,
whateer the circumstances. The witness stated that hence he and his establishment
had been unable to estimate the etent o his losses completely.
The witness deposed beore the Tribunal that since the carnage he had not been
able to open his oice, since a large number among his sta are Muslims liing in
Juhapura and Kalupur. This made the witness think o een shiting location to
Mumbai.
The witness eplained that, in economic terms, there are two kinds o losses that
Muslims hae suered due to the Gujarat carnage. One is the physical loss by proper-
ties or establishments,assets destroyed in the riots, and the other is the impact loss.
There can be no comprehension or calculation o the entire etent o this loss be-
cause there can be no calculation o how many months will go by beore some sem-
blance o normalcy, in a business or economic sense, returns.
The witness also owns and runs a trael agency - the irst in Ahmedabad to get
IATA approal. His agency is run by non-Muslims. He said that he was thankul to
his sta who had been running it eiciently. Howeer, this successul businessman
was running into seere problems because o IATA rules, which say that i a pay-
ment is not made when it is due, IATA status can be taken away. Ahmedabad was not
normal` or weeks. Banks were closed or long periods during the irst three months.
There was curew and ear. Despite this, it was unortunate, the witness said, that
there was no relaation o the normal rules o trade or business.
One o the biggest problems aced by Muslim businessmen and traders was ree
moement and mobility in a city like Ahmedabad, where the law and order machinery
had broken down and where goons controlled the roads. There were three points, at
\asna, Paldi and Guptanagar, which were decidedly unsae` or Muslims to pass
through. There was no way, then, or Muslims to reach the city, the place or business.
This was a crippling problem. Many areas were made out o bounds or Muslims by
the goon squads o the \HP,BD, which were allowed to moe with complete impu-
nity on the streets o Ahmedabad and, to some etent, \adodara.
Vorse than the plight o Muslim businessmen is the plight o the daily wage earner,
pushed to penury ater the impact o three months loss o lielihood ollowing the
carnage and constant curews. Also, mid-leel traders in Dhalgarwad, owning shops
that cost Rs. 16-1 lakh, are acing a situation o no income or the last three months.
Vhere do they go
Sareshwala recounted horrid leels o discrimination that hae crept into the world
o business and industry ater Sept 11, 2001, and especially since the carnage. One
eample was, when a trading order had come to the Sareshwala`s rom Iraq. Howeer,
a UN resolution was passed and as a allout, the party in Iraq wanted a bank guaran-
tee, that the material would leae the shores o India, and a perormance guarantee,
that it would be o original teakwood and worth the amount, ie, Rs. 18 crore. Despite
the act that such an order was prestigious or the country, Sareshwala had to ace the
humiliation o being told, o the record, by the bank manager, Mr. Sareshwala, you
are a Muslim, Iraq is a Muslim country and your inancier is a Muslim, so you better
understand.` linally, he receied the bank guarantee rom Canara bank, on the day
that the deal was going to epire, so it was o no use. As a result, they hae been black
listed internationally.
This witness spoke tellingly o the discrimination eperienced een by aluent
Muslims in Gujarat, where this dangerous communal poison has been spread or oer
a decade at least. He says that he is the only stockbroker with no banking acility.
Other brokers receie credit worth crores o rupees and the lack o access to such
collateral cripples the business.
This witness owns a house in the posh Paldi area, and despite his aluence, inds it
diicult to raise collateral on his property. He also testiied how wealthy Muslims
were speciically targeted this time. The society that he lies in, Delight Apartments,
was attacked but saed because one o the residents, Dr. Bhanagari who possessed
small ire-arms he is a riling champion, and could ward o the attackers. In the
concerted attack, which lasted or oer ie hours, Dr. Bhanagari shot in sel-de-
ence at the last minute, to sae himsel and his amily members and relaties, but he
was jailed. The ather and son, who ired in sel-deence, were accused o unlawul
assembly but the 2,000-strong mob, which attacked the apartments, did not suer.
Len their bail was rejected. One o the two notorious gangsters killed in this iring
was responsible or the burning alie o a Muslim, Mohammed Oomer in 1991.
Prakash Shah (Morevevt for ecvar Devocrac,,
The Moement or Secular Democracy MSD, was ormed in 1992, soon ater the
demolition o Babri Masjid, and since then, it has been regularly inoled in work or
secularism and against communalism. The witness reiterated what was stated by Teesta
Setalad and others, namely, that all the actiists working in this area at the grassroot
leel in Gujarat had eared long beore the Godhra arson, that something like this
carnage would happen. The witness pointed out that the most immediate motie o
the BJP and its ailiates, known as the .avgl arirar, was their rejection in eery
election or the past 15 months. The BJP has been losing all the ia avcla,at elec-
tions. Narendra Modi was brought in as a change o guard in Sept 01, to end the lack
o goernance by the ormer Gujarat CM, Keshubhai Patel. This was despite the act
that he had no speciic organisational talent and was only well-known or organising
the ratl ,atra o Adani in 1990. Though the ushering in o Modi deinitely made the
scene look more ominous, the witness said that the eents o March 2002 had indi-
cated the worst ears o eerybody.
The witness said that the pattern o iolence, the systematic and large-scale use o
the method o burning or destruction, was itsel a testimony to the act that there
was preious homework and planning. The identiication o Muslim shops and estab-
lishments, the preparation o target lists and inally the conersion o gas cylinders
into some sort o bombs or ignition - all pointed to this. Ample amounts o mate-
rials had also been collected in adance. 1ri.lv and sword distribution by Bajrang Dal
squads also meant adance preparation. The witness elt that the impunity and bra-
zenness with which the Gujarat \HP, through its 9-year old president, Shri KK
Shastri, told Sheila Bhatt o reiff.cov on March 12, that on the morning o lebruary
28, we sat together and went through the whole list o Muslim establishments that
was prepared, or the places to be attacked` was shocking. Vithout any shame, he
went on record to tell the journalist that he was all praise or the boys. Thereater, the
\HP said that it had already appointed a panel o 50 lawyers to ight the cases related
to the carnage, iled against its unctionaries. These are lawyers committed to the RSS
worldiew. Thereater, the witness pointed out, the same Shastri said on March 29,
Ve hae asked our cadres to slacken`. This statement was made to 1le Iviav
re... Despite all this being on record, they are allowed to go scot-ree. The witness
was amazed at their impunity and ound it utterly shocking.
The witness stated that quite apart rom the threats and the audacity, these orces
had brazenly threatened and terrorised any attempt at peace, at reason or at protest.
Any group o citizens, which had challenged this straitjacketing o citizens as Hin-
dus` and Muslims`, and tried to speak out as human beings, had been attacked and
attempts were made to terrorise and silence them it. The April meeting at Sabarmati
Ashram was attacked on grounds that Medha Patkar was attending and that hers is a
sensitie name in Gujarat. The witness asserted that, Medhabehn or no Medhabehn,
the meeting would hae been attacked. It was the irst attempt to draw people rom
all communities together and, thereore, a threat to the diisie politics that the BJP,
RSS and \HP represent.
The witness spoke o the irony o the act that, thereater, the CM, Modi tried to
appropriate the peace bandwagon` and organised peace committee meetings and
marches through the business community etc. The witness was o the opinion that at
the net hustings, the BJP would ace a resounding deeat. Howeer, the communal
poison that was spread, and is being spread, in Gujarat, which has seeped into the
body politic, would not disappear. The question o rehabilitation and the lack o
response rom the public sector was also commented upon by the witness. Gujarat
was built up by Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, the late Lok Sabha speaker Mawlankar
and Abbas Tyabji, the \adodara magistrate. The witness elt that that spirit o Gujarat
was missing today, nor was it not orthcoming in rehabilitation and succour.
He was also strongly critical o the Congress and its lack o genuine secular creden-
tials. The character o the political workers had deteriorated, leading to a situation
where two cabinet ministers were actiely leading the mobs. The witness held the BJP
and Congress workers responsible or this state o aairs. BJP`s elected representa-
ties hae led attacks, as hae the earlier Congress representaties like Mohammad
Hussein Barejya.
In August 2000, a BD worker Harshad Gilletwala had lIRs iled against him or
burning a Muslim restaurant called lag,oa,a, in Ahmedabad. At the time, the media
had widely reported the act that Gilletwala, while undergoing treatment or burns
sustained during the arson, had threatened the owner o lag,oa,a. He had said that
today the Muslim Chillia community has hotels all oer Gujarat but within a year or
two they will see to it that all the hotels were grounded. During the carnage, this is
what happened. Oer 300 major hotels and 1,100 big and small ones were gutted and
destroyed, rom Banaskantha to Mount Abu. All in the 2 hours within which Modi
claimed to hae controlled the iolence.
The witness also reerred to the Lditors` Guild report that mentioned the sacking o
a sub-editor at the head o the news desk o ave.l newspaper. He was instructed to
publish a blatantly alse lead as headline in the newspaper in April, indicating that the
]agavvatl Mavir, a reered place, was under attack. A man o conscience, he decided to
make inquiries beore carrying out his assigned task, ound out rom the temple trustee
and the police that the story was unounded and reused to publish it. lor this, he was
sacked the net day. A reporter o 1le Iviav re.. and his amily were threatened
because o their air reporting. Ashok Bhatt, Haren Pathak, Gordhan Zadaphiya and
Haren Pandya hae been indicted by eyewitnesses or leading mobs. Shah also spoke o
the discrimination practised actiely by the Ahmedabad police when, repeatedly, Hindu
mobs, which assemble or attack and aggression are irst asked to disperse, but Muslim
groups or mobs are simply ired upon at point blank range.
Dilip Chandulal, Dwarkanath Rath, J Minakshi and Damin Shah (Morevevt
for ocia Devocrac,,
Chandulal is a ormer deputy secretary o the goernment o Gujarat and he joined
MSD ater retirement. He spoke o how, eer since the BJP came to power they hae
transerred all sensitie persons and appointed ideologically aourable people to sen-
sitie posts. Vithin our days o Modi coming to power, police oicials rom all oer
the state were transerred. One year ago, the tri.lv distribution programmes were
started in Gujarat. Details o Muslim establishments were careully collected.
Rath, rom Orissa, spoke about the vov. oeravi o the iolence, the terror gener-
ated and the ghettoisation o Muslims in Ahmedabad. He spoke with pain and an-
guish about the hate Muslims` message that had reached MP and Maharashtra. Much
o this hatred had been generated rom Gujarat, he said, and stressed upon the urgent
need to politically remoe the ruling dispensation. The leel o mistrust in localities,
een two months ater the iolence, had reached such acute leels that people were
shining loodlights at night to keep a watch on the comings and goings. The mobilisation
o Dalits and tribals in some parts o the state, or the aggression against Muslims,
was aourably commented upon by \HP leader KK Shatsri, this witness said. He
said that the comment made was that the \aghri community had kept the prestige o
the Hindu community alie. The \aghris and the Charas are the most militant. Riot-
ers were paid by the day. He also spoke about the actie distribution o swords and
tri.lv., saying that swords were distributed to ordinary people or Rs 30 each. The
witness also spoke o how the builder maia was taking adantage o the iolence
and was trying to clear` areas like the slums around Cama Hotel in Ahmedabad.
The witness said that the trade union moement had concentrated almost eclu-
siely on economic issues. Vith the collapse o the tetile industry, the situation o
the working classes has worsened. Among the unorganised workers, like diamond
workers, there is minimal political organisation.
Rath spoke poignantly o the sot Gujarati mind, typiied by Umashankar Joshi and
Shukla who represented the real Gujarati culture, which was opposed to lumpenism
and saagery. The uture lay in appealing to the real Gujarati mind that he belieed
incapable o stomaching such brutalised iolence. He also made an earnest plea to
the leadership o the central trade unions, AIBA, LIC etc., to take up the issue o
iolence in Gujarat and agitate against it. A massie demonstration rom the public
sector working class was necessary, he added.
J. Meenakshi spoke o the deep polarisation among middle and upper class Hindu women.
This has led them to proide help in the attacks on Muslim communities and to encourage their
men to attack and burn. Vhat was really worrisome was the talk o killing by Hindu women as
i it was all a game, that ostensibly, Because Muslims were doing it elsewhere, we are doing it
here`. She ound it all chilling and rightening. The impact o the hate campaign by the Hindu
anatic groups has been so widespread that een an aerage Hindu woman in Ahmedabad,
who has not attended a Dvrga 1alivi training camp, was talking and thinking like this.
Damini Shah, another woman actiist o the MSD, spoke with anguish about the
utter lack o remorse among ordinary, middle class Hindus in Gujarat. She spoke o
the eeling o utter helplessness, as an actiist, when the iolence raged and she was
conronted with the changed mind-set among ordinary people and in neighbourhoods.
The diisieness among groups, too - the ailure to come together on a single plat-
orm - was another reason or the lack o a united response to the iolence.
Sharief Khan Pathan òbe .vbvavce ociet,,
This witness who runs the Nobel Ambulance Society and the Citizens Relie Com-
mittee stated how their ambulance was obstructed at seeral points on lebruary 28
and March 1 and 2, at dierent points in Ahmedabad city by the police to preent
succour reaching ictims. At Lllis Bride, near Paldi and other areas, police actually
blocked the passage o ambulances. Dr Ishaq Shaikh o Al Ameen Garib Niwas Hos-
pital too, eperienced this. A doctor who runs a hospital he was also brutally bashed
up by the police. (ee .ectiov ov Covvvvai.atiov of Pvbic ace - o.ita., rovve II,.
Digant Oza, Batuk Vora and Indukumar Jani (evior ovrvai.t.,
All three witnesses are senior journalists rom Gujarat and they deposed beore the
Tribunal on May 2. Batuk \ora is the only CPI member to hae won an election rom
Gujarat in the past. He spoke o the motiated role played by mainstream Gujarati
papers like ave.l and Cvarat avaclar. They actually incited persons to iolence.
The consequences o large groups o Gujaratis being brought up and ed with a ision
that is motiated or a long period o time has resulted in the state o aairs that we
see now in Gujarat.
Digant Oza, the editor o ]av.atta in December 1992 said that it was the lack o
courage and morals that was leading these two largest papers to perorm as agents o
the party in power. He questioned seriously their claim that their circulation had spi-
ralled as a result o this pro-\HP,BJP policy. He said that circulation igures could be
doctored as much as other acts` could. He spoke o the need to counter such carnage
beore it happens and bemoaned the act that the signals emanating rom Gujarat had
not been picked up beore. It took the loss o innocent lies in the most brutal ashion
or the rest o India to become alie to the reality o Gujarat.
Indukumar Jani, editor o à,avarg, and a senior ciil and political actiist, spoke
o the dire plight o the reugees liing in reugee camps. He was inoled heaily in
relie and rehabilitation work especially in rural areas. His journal published regularly
rom Ahmedabad has been a consistent critique o acist politics,
1eesta Setalvad (evior ovrvai.t av riglt.` actiri.t,
This witness is a senior journalist and rights` actiist. She is author o Cevocie
Cvarat 2002` published as a special report o the monthly magazine o which she is
co-editor, Covvvvai.v Covbat. March-April 2002,. lrom this etensie report that
has been submitted as eidence beore the Tribunal, detailed, actual data o the ast
etent o damage to lies and property rom Ahmedabad itsel, \adodara, districts
like Kheda, Nadiad, Panchmahal, Sabarkantha has been placed beore the Tribunal.
Len beore she reached the state on March 4, while in Mumbai she was in tele-
phonic contact with people in dierent parts o Gujarat or hours on the night o
lebruary 28, March 1 and 2. This is due to the network that the journal has in the
state. She was phoning and receiing calls in her home in Mumbai rom Ahmedabad,
\adodara, Chhotaudaipur, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha and Godhra, too. The mai-
mum panic calls were rom Ahmedabad and on our occasions she was able, through
continuous calls made to the additional CP Tandon and others, including CP Pandeyt,
to get some police help reach areas in Shah-e-Alam and \atwa. One speciic instance
was when a senior journalist o Cvarat 1oa, was trapped inside his press and a mob
was approaching and had surrounded it. The other time was during a anatic attack at
\atwa which was inally aerted because o the arrial o the army.
During this eperience, she had to contact army personnel repeatedly since the
police behaiour was criminal. The inormation that the witness was able to gie the
army contradicted the messages that the police was eeding them. Vhen this hap-
pened with the same army oicer twice and on two separate occasions, he ques-
tioned, How come this discrepancy between your inormation and the police`s`
Vithin moments it transpired that the inormation receied rom the witness which
merely relected the anguished cries or help rom the Muslim community in dierent
parts, was accurate. \ou may draw your own conclusions, sir,` she told the army
oicer concerned.roituation quickly because it desired to do so.
The act that no back up o army platoons had been stationed here and near
Ahmedabad, regular peace stations gien the clearly proocatie behaiour o the ar
.era., also suggests a leel o sinister planning. The witness reerred to the testimony
o retired major general Lustace De`souza recorded by her or her report. This oicer
o the Indian army had been deputed to Godhra three times during his military career
to quell bouts o communal iolence.
The witness gae detailed translated lIRs and charge-sheets o the major crimes
during the carnage. She is also part o the eort o many groups to collect data
rom the ictims. This was also presented to the Tribunal - data collected through
3, 200 orms.
It was clear that the goernment was inoled in not simply allowing the carnage
but in state cabinet ministers actually planning or it to take place simultaneously in
oer two dozen locations all oer the state. The manner o killing was brutal and
chilling, the intention to destroy the bodies,remains and burning them, denying een
burial rights to the Muslim minority. Girls and women had been the ictims o the
grossest seual crimes and this was clearly a part o the planned strategy. As many as
150-200 girls and women had suered this ate, most were dead but some were still
alie. This witness belieed a trained and armed militia - nurtured on hatred against
Muslims, trained to kill and between 20,000-25,000 strong - had been assiduously
built-up in Gujarat and which was put to work during the recent carnage. A careul
part o the strategy was to economically cripple the Muslim community. There had
also been widespread desecration o religious and cultural monuments in the irst 2
hours o the carnage. Reparation, not compensation, rom the State was the need o
the hour, she said.
The bringing in o Narendra Modi, in September 2001, signalled a return to hardline
politics by the state BJP said the witness. BJP had been losing local elections all oer
the state and thereore, bringing in Modi, the architect o deputy prime minister-led
ratl ,atra in 1990 to the helm o political aairs was signiicant. His callous handling
o the carnage, especially Ahsan Jari`s slaughter, and his subsequent abusie treat-
ment o reugees in relie camps was not behaiour beitting a chie minister in any
democracy.
The complete abdication o responsibility o the goernment in looking ater reu-
gees in camps relected a complete disregard or the basic rights o Muslims, by the
BJP in Gujarat. In April 2002, there were 1,500 women awaiting deliery in Ahmedabad
camps, there were 3,000 young children who are ictim-suriors o the iolence.
All these point to a humanitarian crisis on a huge scale which was not being recognised
or addressed.
The pre-planning o the iolence in terms o the hate speech, hate propaganda and
actual training by the Bajrang Dal and \HP has been tracked by this witness or the
journal since 1998. These hae been placed on the records o the Tribunal.The wit-
ness placed on record, the originals and translations o ilthy hate propaganda in-
dulged in especially by outits like the \HP and Bajrang Dal through the publication
o pamphlets that were then circulated in hundreds o thousands.
In January 2001, the BJP goernment`s circular directing schools to subscribe to
alava, a weekly published by the RSS, a selectie census o Muslims and Christians
April 1999, were placed on the records o the Tribunal by this witness. Details o
criminal records o inluential members o the politically inluential outits hae also
been placed on record.
Deep schisms hae been caused in some areas o Gujarat by this systematic poli-
tics o diision perpetrated by the RSS,\HP,Bajrang Dal combine and this has been
legitimised by BJP rule in the state, stated this witness. The act that many state
cabinet ministers and MLAs o the BJP goernment are rontranking leaders o the
\HP, and the act that the \HP is a sel-proessed etension o the RSS was also
detailed beore the Tribunal by this witness.
The mindset o prejudice is een relected in the Gujarat state`s social studies
tetbooks that contain phrases like Muslims, Christians and Parsis are oreigners`,
Caste system is the best git to mankind` and gloriication o Mussolini and Hitler
hae been generated to create a whole generation o Indians who are ed on distorted
isions o the past. These hae been studied by the witness. In 1999, this led to a
Partliamentary Committee directing the Gujarat state board to delete these portions.
This has not yet been done.
The seriousness o the Gujarat carnage, said this witness, was eident rom the
shocking eorts to communalise public space especially hospitals, schools and courts.
Among the leaders in iolence are \HP members who are doctors like Togadia and
Jaideep Patel. Muslim students ound it diicult to get admission in some schools and
een courts in Gujarat were not ree o hate politics.
This had grown especially in the past our years with the impunity shown to perpetra-
tors o communal crimes, said the witness. Ler since the BJP came to power, state
cabinet ministers used pressure on the police to preent the obserance o the rule o law.
lormer reenue minister Haren Pandya, home minister Gordhan Zadaphiya, ministers
Naran Laloo Patel, Niteen Patel, had been indicted or crimes. \HP leaders like Jagdish
Taral rom Khhedbrahma, Sabarkantha, and H.Gilletwala Ahmedabad, had seeral lIRs
against them and yet they were scot ree.
In August 2000, ater Hindu pilgrims were killed allegedly by Lashkar-e-Toyba mili-
tants in Kashmir and 100 died in cross ire, the international general secretary o the
\HP who hails rom Gujarat - Dr Praeen Togadia - held a press conerence and
declared, !alav a araab ,alav evge` we will reply to this here,
Innocent Muslims o Rajkot, Khhedbrahma, Surat, Lambadiya, Modasa, Ahmedabad
were made to pay or this engeul medieal politics. At the time this witness` group
had, along with other groups brought out a report affrov ov tle Ravage. No compen-
sation was paid or the damage. Statewide Muslims suered a damage o Rs 15 crore.
Pradeep Jain and Bhupendra Joshi (1i.lra avra Kevra,
Pradeep Jain belongs to the \ishwa Samad Kendra ailiated to the RSS,\HP. He
spoke o how the teleision media, which does not een hae a representatie in each
district, misrepresented the iolence in Gujarat, suggesting that the whole state had
been aected when only a ew areas were aected. He also pointed out misreporting by
the Lnglish media, when they reported on a police iring about a ortnight beore the
sittings o the Tribunal began, in which 6 people Muslims, were killed. In act, the
iring had taken place ater a police constable had been stabbed in a nearby locality. The
Tribunal questioned the witness closely on whether he was making these statements
based on his personal knowledge or on what he read in the ernacular papers. He
replied that it was on the basis o his personal knowledge.
He also stated that on 5-6 occasions, persons liing in reugee camps had started
riots. Vhen questioned about the details, he said that it was in the Dudheshwar and
Millat Nagar camps that this had happened. He also stated that about a week prior to
the day he deposed beore the Tribual, such persons had burnt shops just outside the
commisisoner o police`s oice at Shahi Baugh. He said that in another instance, in
Gomtipur area, a policeman was killed. An employee rom the sale ta oicer, De
Anand Solanki was also cut up and killed. Vhen asked whether this inormation was
based on his personal knowledge or otherwise, he stated that it was partly personal
knowledge and partly based on police statements. This witness and his colleague, Bupendra
Modi, gae two booklets published by their group to the Tribunal. These books are
entitled, Colra av It. .ftervatl` and 1errori.v !vva.e`. In these booklets, the theory
that Godhra was a pre-planned, premeditated act in which local Muslims o Godhra
were inoled has been reiterated. Photographs o the burning train and the copses are
widely used. There is no mention o the behaiour o the ar .era., who are called
Ram .era.` here. Vhen the Tribunal questioned them about their knowledge o the
behaiour o the ar .era., they were easie. Vhen asked about the participation o
groups like RSS, they said that RSS had participated in two peace marches. Both these
witnesses kept emphasising the irrational and reactie behaiour` o Muslims rom
Daryapur, Kalupur and Jamalpur. They kept asking that when Pakistan wins a cricket
match, why should riots start in Daryapur, Kalupur and Jamalpur
Howeer, these witnesses, who claim to hae personal knowledge o incidents at
Gomtipur and other places, where completely blank and easie about the iolent
incidents at Naroda, Chamanpura, Kadih, \ishnagar, Panchmahal etc.
KB Pandey (.rocate,
This witness, an adocate in the Gujarat High Court, deposed beore the Tribunal
at the \adodara Open lorum` on May 10. He said that he had not been adersely
aected by the riots, but he was a keen obserer. He said that the only reason or
iolence continuing or so long was that people wanted to claim alse compensation.
He said that the Congress party was responsible or the iolence. He quoted eten-
siely rom the Mavv vriti, which, according to him, says that the eistence o a
traitor or een a second is not desirable. He should be killed and killed immediately.
Thereater, this witness spoke about the latest eample` o treacherous behaiour -
the attack on the Vorld Trade Centre in New \ork. He said that the American reac-
tion - when troops moed thousands o kilometres to inade Aghanistan, and killed
mercilessly with no regard or human rights - was the necessary and right reaction.
They who hae attacked our Parliament, all traitors, must be identiied and killed`.
Vhen the Tribunal questioned this witness in detail about whether all Muslims were
traitors, he said he did not beliee that: Vhosoeer shouts, Pai.tav ivaba` is a trai-
tor. Apart rom this, the witness laced his testimony with a lot o eamples o areas
where weapons had been seized, like \akubpura, in \adodara. Howeer, wheneer the
source o this inormation was sought, he quoted rom Cvarat avaclar or ave.l.
Bhanu Parmar
This witness, rom latepura in \adodara, spoke with anguish and pain o the trauma
and alienation caused by the brutality o police behaiour in \adodara. He said that
his area was one where riots oten started. Howeer, this time, the etent and the
depth o the terror was unimaginable. Ordinary people like him, he said, were araid
to speak. The police had spread so much terror that when children saw a police car,
they would start crying. He said, Although Gujarat is a prohibition state, the police
come here completely drunk`. He elt that Hindus had nothing to ear rom Muslims,
it is the police that they were really araid o. They had no complaints against the
Muslims in their area. Although the Hindus and the Muslims o the area hae worked
side by side in the past, he elt that things hae reached such a state that they no
longer speak to each other. There was a time when they ate and chatted together, but
now, they do not talk to each other. He elt that he could not een cross the border`
and go and ask them how they were, how many o them were hurt and how they were
managing to surie. The ear was ery widespread. He stated that it was the police,
which objected and beat them up i they eer tried to interact with their Muslim
neighbours. The area alls under the Garnala police clor,. Although 4 policemen are
stationed there, they would do nothing i a mob o 500 came there. The witness
testiied that a day beore the deposition, i.e., on May 9, 12 policemen came and took
away 20 people rom the area, beating them relentlessly.
Jagdishbhai Shah (1ivoba ..lrav, Cotri,
This witness is a renowned Gandhian rom Gujarat, who runs this a.lrav on a 3-acre
arm belonging to the \adodara Zilla Sarodya Mandal. He said that on the day o the
Godhra incident, Dr. Jussar Bandukwala, Manubhai and himsel - all members o
Shanti Abhiyan - were together and they immediately issued statements condemning
the incident. This witness commented that it was unortunate that newspapers like
ave.l and Cvarat avaclar did not choose to print items dealing with harmony and
peace. They preerred to publish unsubstantiated stories, like rumours, as news items.
This witness said that he had eperienced a horrible eample o this with Dr. Jussar
Bandukwala, an eminent citizen. On lebruary 28 itsel, Dr. Bandukwala inormed
him that his daughter`s car, parked just outside his house, had been burnt. By the
eening o lebruary 28, there was widespread terror and people were asking him i.e.,
Dr. Bandukwalla, to leae the area since his house could be attack that night.
Jadgishbhai went there and stayed with Dr. Bandukwala. Dr. Bandukwala`s daughter,
another couple and his daughter`s iance, Maulin, all o them stayed there that night.
Until 6 a.m. net morning, nothing happened. Police and home guards were contacted
continuously and a request or armed police protection was made. Around 2 p.m. on
March 1, a mob came looking or Dr. Bandukwala, shouting, Vhere is Bandukwala
Ve hae to kill him`. They looted his house and then set it on ire.
Muslims liing in the neighbourhood had let their ehicles one 4- wheeler and a 2-
wheeler, inside Jadgishbhai`s a.lrav premises, earing that they would be burnt. A
mob o 150 youth came rom a neighbouring illage and set ire to two o the ehicles
in the premises. Jadgishbhai tried to reason with them, but to no aail. One o the
boys who used to transport goods or the a.lrav, Karim, a Bohra, had his 3-wheeler
and Jadgishbhai tried to sae it. Howeer, the attackers got wind o this, dragged it
out o the house and destroyed it.
There were rumours that the mob was trying to burn alie a vavri, who lied near
a dargal net to a pond nearby. It was Jadgishbhai, who inormed the police, and 15
minutes later, the police arried. The police ideotaped the conrontation with the
attackers and this tape could be easily used to identiy the accused. Karim and 25
other Muslims, who lied close to the a.lrav, hae had their homes destroyed.
Jagdishbhai stated that, eer since the incident, these Muslims had been receiing
constant threats about their saety. The ears arising rom these threats had preented
these ictims rom taking shelter in the a.lrav.
All oer \adodara, and in other parts o Gujarat, the Tribunal recorded testimony
ater testimony that reealed the utter brazenness with which the accused criminals
- oten inluential politicians and leaders - were roaming ree.
This witness and many others in \adodara spoke o the highly questionable role o
the \adodara police. The section on incidents o iolence gies details o the terrible
conduct o the \adodara police. Oten, the policemen were aggressie, drunk, abusie
towards Muslim women. The attacking mobs roamed the streets with impunity, earing
no detention by the police whereas, whether here or in Ahmedabad, peace makers, i.e.,
brae women and men who stood up to the iolence, were reused curew passes. This
witness and others obsered that the combing operations were more relentless and sus-
tained in Muslim areas than in Hindu localities. Despite the act that Hindu leaders and
mobs stood in their neighbourhoods, carrying weapons, spears, big iron pipes and swords,
police cars on patrol passed them by, without een looking their way.
Johannes Manjrekar (Covcerve citiev,
The Manjrekars lie ery close to Dr. Bandukwala`s house. Shri Johannes Manjrekar
and his wie stayed back with Dr. Bandukwala during the attack. They kept calling up
the police - they called the the latehgunj police station under which their area alls
and also the central police control room. They spoke to the collector personally, who
said that he would send somebody but did not do so on time. The police commissioner`s
mobile was o throughout. The collector sent some policemen 45 minutes ater he
had been contacted but by then, Dr. Bandukwala`s house had already been attacked.
A mob o about 250-300 people attacked the house that was being protected by
two armed police guards. They held o the mob or at least hal-an-hour. linally, the
mob came rom the other side. The attackers were armed with sticks and gvti., swords
and stones. They had also brought along in a rickshaw two gas cylinders, which were
kept in readiness. These were not used inally, but they had been brought along. Once
the mob came rom the other side, Pro. Bandukwala and all the persons with him led
rom the house and went to a neighbour`s house. The neighbour`s house continued to
be stoned or about hal-an-hour, when a police an and a police jeep arried. That
was when the mob started dispersing, but the police made no attempt whatsoeer to
arrest anyone or to chase anybody. Pro. Bandukwala and his daughter were taken
away under police escort. Despite repeated requests made by the witness and others
or calling a ire engine, since a portion o Dr. Bandukwala`s house had caught ire,
they were told that the ire brigade was busy elsewhere and would come later. They
learnt later that the mob had recollected ater the police let, and had physically pre-
ented the ire engine rom putting out the ire, resulting in the total destruction o
Pro. Bandukwala`s house, his books and belongings.
The witness testiied to the act that on the preious eening, ater the irst attack
on lebruary 28, on Pro. Bandukwala`s ehicle, he and others had gone to the resi-
dence o Pradeep Joshi, the area councillor o the BJP, who is also a \HP leader.
They went as citizens o the area to tell him that they were concerned oer the io-
lence on lebruary 28, and that as their representatie, they would like him to try and
ensure peace in their area. Vhat this elected representatie told the delegation was
shocking. He was ery clear that he would not be able to ensure peace because, he
said, these were all uneducated mobs and he and his party had no control oer them.
One o the members o the delegation said that he would not like his children to
eperience this kind o iolence. Joshi was completely dismissie, saying that they
the children, also hae to see the acts o lie. He also asked why they` reerring to
Pro. Bandukwala, were liing in mied` areas, that they` should moe to their own`
areas. Vhile talking to the delegation, he also produced a list, which, according to
him, showed the booth-wise break-up o a recent election where automatic oting
machines had been used. He said that it is clear rom that list who oted or whom,
and besides, it clearly showed that Muslims had been oting or the Congress. So, in
the end, the only assurance the delegation got rom their elected representatie was
that there would be more iolence. A local grocer sitting there said this in so many
words. The day ater Pro. Bandukwala`s house was burnt, that is on March 2, all
mutton shops owned by Muslims in an area called Sanjaynagar were completely de-
molished, ecept or one shop, which was conerted to a Hanuman temple.
Dr. Deepa Achar (Profe..or,
This witness, a proessor o Lnglish at the MS Uniersity o \adodara, was part o
the actie citizenry that monitored iolence, interened and put constant pressure on
the \adodara police. She spoke in detail about the act-inding team`s isit to Roshannagar,
Naa \ard, an area basically comprising the poorer UP migrant labour. Many o their
houses and business establishments were burnt during the iolence o March 1. Subse-
quently, around the middle o March, almost all the 5 amilies sent all their girls back
to their illages in UP. Many o these girls were studying in \adodara but now that they
were back in a illage situation, haing eperienced brutal iolence, their parents elt
that the opportunity to get an education was lost to them oreer.
This witness spoke at length about the impact o the iolence on children`s educa-
tion. \oung children and older students rom the ictim Muslim community could not
attend school in the non- curew areas. lor many months, a large number o children
where in relie camps, which has also negatiely impacted on their education. This
witness pointed out the discriminate treatment o the state in shiting the eamina-
tion centres o Hindu students to Hindu-predominant areas. This acility was not
etended to the Muslims students, who were orced to go into majority-predominant
areas or taking their eams, where goon squads o the RSS,\HP,BD,BJP moed
around creating terror. Len the graduation and post-graduation eaminations were
not postponed.
A pertinent obseration made by this witness, who has been teaching on the MS
Uniersity campus or many years, related to the state o mind o Muslim women
students on the campus. Their community had just emerged rom a brutal round o
iolence. Children and women were especially targeted by the mobs. In the many
years that she has been teaching at the uniersity, she had neer come across a bvrqa
on the campus. Howeer, since mid-March, she had seen 3 women wearing ull bvrqa..
This was a particularly sad deelopment, gien the act that \adodara is generally a
ery sae place or women. Complete ghettoisation o \adodara city in the uture,
especially within academic institutions, may actually deny Muslim children admission
into some schools.
Ramdas Pillai (vier,
This witness is a resident o Kisanwadi in \adodara. He hails rom Kerala and
handles construction jobs. He spoke o the atmosphere o ear that preailed in this
locality o \adodara since lebruary 2. He said that the Muslims o Kisanwadi are
poor and simple people, generally engaged in selling egetables, handling small ma-
sonry jobs or selling cut pieces and dresses etc. They are god-earing people, who
neer eer talk loudly or ight.
On lebruary 28, one Nizambhai rom the area came and met this witness and his
wie and told them that the atmosphere was ery tense. There are strong rumours that
they Muslims, would be attacked. Immediately, this witness went, along with Muslims
rom the area, to ind out what was happening. He spoke to the CP o \adodara and told
him that the situation was deteriorating. At about .20 p.m., the witness, along with the
others, heard shouts o Kill, slaughter!` and immediately went in the direction o the
vara..a. A mob o about 500 people was coming to attack the vara.a and had already
started breaking down some Muslim huts on the way. Pillai spoke to the leaders o the
mob and managed to deuse the situation temporarily. He recognised some o them. How-
eer, ater moing away rom the mosque, the mob started attacking Muslim homes. Pillai
and his brothers did a heroic and humane thing. On the night o lebruary 28, they shel-
tered as many as 500 Muslims in their house.
That same night, since Muslim residents had run away rom their homes to sae
their lies, the attackers returned and looted all the belongings, destroyed homes,
broke T\ sets, burnt clothes and stole whateer cash was there in the cupboards.
These attackers stole and destroyed the careully collected belongings and jewellery
o poor daily wage earners. Much o this had been collected or their children`s wed-
dings.
The net day, on March 1, Pillai and his amily gae the reugees tea and arranged
or lunch. He tried to contact the police control room once more, and a woman oicer
answered the call. He told her that the situation in Kisanwadi was bad, that, as a
woman, she should sympathise, that there were Muslim women there who were ul-
nerable. This woman police oicer responded and inormed the police station. PSI
Baria, PSI Solanki, Shri Damor and D` Sta PSI Parmar came to Pillai`s house. But
they reused to proide any ehicles and Pillai had to request the local councillor,
Mohanbhai Saalia or two tractors to transport the reugees to relie camps. The
councillor warned him that i the tractors were damaged, it would be Pillai`s respon-
sibility. linally, Pillai took the Muslims to Qureshi Jamaàtkhana. lor some o the
remaining people, he arranged a bus. Despite the presence o some policemen on the
bus, it was stoned and attacked and one Rasoolbhai was hit on his head by a stone. A
mob o 2,000 surrounded the bus and began pelting it with stones. The bus drier was
smart, he kept on driing and managed to sae the lies o the passengers. Otherwise,
they would hae been burnt along with the bus.
Pillai painted an accurate picture o the situation when he deposed beore the
Tribunal on May 11. Len then, the steady loot o doorrames and windows o Mus-
lim homes had continued. The looters sold the material as scrap, while the police
reused to interene. The Muslims o Kisanwadi had no protector, they were like
orphans. Pillai epressed great dissatisaction at the conduct o the \adodara police
under CP Tuteja, who reused to interene promptly. He said that religion has its
place but humility should come irst. There had been a lot o pressure on the police
rom BJP and \HP members. They had put pressure or the remoal o names rom
lIRs and had targeted Pillai because o his humane behaiour. DCP Pritam Singh
Thakore, PI Kanani and sub-inspector Rana had launched a harassment campaign
against the Pillai amily. They arrested one o the Pillai brothers under section 30
attempt to murder,. He was thereater released on bail. It is clear that the police that
wants to implicate them because o their empathetic behaiour.
Chinu Srinivasan (P!C,
This witness is a representatie o PUCL \adodara. He eplained that the iolence
in \adodara began on lebruary 2itsel, when the Sabarmati Lpress came rom
Godhra. There was a huge reception` or the ar .era. at the station. One Muslim
was stabbed in the presence o many policemen. The iolence spread in the net ew
days when a lot o looting and arson took place. Kisanwadi is a residential pocket o
Muslims and all such eisting pockets in \adodara had been torched. Pushcarts o
Muslim endors had been burnt all oer the city, especially in Kisanwadi. lrom March
3 there was some sort o respite but the iolence resumed on March 15 - the day o
the Ayodhya .lia aav`. On March 20, another round o iolence started, and the
latest round o iolence in \adodara took place on April 26-2. This witness spoke
about the thoroughness and depth o the destruction, which had completely destroyed
the lies o the suriors. Muslim women were subjected to ilthy erbal abuse in
public and openly threatened with seual iolence.
Rajesh Mishra (ocia actiri.t,
This witness is associated with a group called Arch \ahini, which has been working
with the aected people o Narmada dam. His amily migrated here rom Uttar Pradesh
in 1935, and he has been brought up in Kawat illage in Chhotaudaipur \adodara
rural,. He eplained how the incidents in this south-eastern tribal area o \adodara
district, which started rom March 4 onwards had been careully engineered, as there
had been no history o communal tension between Muslims and Hindus or Muslims
and the tribals prior to this.
Rohit Prajapati and 1rupti Shah (P!C,
Both witnesses are actiists with the PUCL, \adodara and Shanti Abhiyan. They
deposed beore the Tribunal and submitted a huge olume o data or it`s scrutiny.
They stated that during the iolence in Gujarat, Narendra Modi and his goernment
in collaboration with the state machinery surpassed Hitler`s methods adopting a strat-
egy which was directly and indirectly supported by the BJP-led central goernment.
Based on personal eperience during their peace missions and act-indings they had
concluded that the communalisation o the state machinery had reached an unprec-
edented scale and depth. The state machinery not only supported the iolence but it
was proactie in organising the iolence during the carnage. The goernment sup-
ported the bavl called by the \HP.
lrom day one, the goernment and the state machinery came out with a number o
justiications or the carnage. In the name o spontaneous reaction`, the goernment
justiied the iolence and the state machinery in many places gae assurances to the
mob that no action will be taken against them. The open ocal support o the goern-
ment and state machinery brought huge mobs on the streets that was obsered or the
irst time in Gujarat`s history o iolence. Not only were houses and shops o Mus-
lims burnt, een industries were put to ire to economically paralyse the community.
In many instances across the state, policemen were openly instigating the mobs,
giing them a time deadline within which they were ree to attack the Muslims. In the
second phase o iolence ater March 15, whereer the mobs lead by the Hindutaa
orces were not able to attack the Muslims, because o their location, the police took on
this role, particularly in \adodara, in the name o combing operations`. Due to this
complicity o the goernment, policemen were bold enough to ignore most o the com-
plains made by the ictims and een human right`s actiists and their organisations. This
witness and their groups had documented seeral complaints about police brutality
during arbitrary combing operations in minority areas. Vomen were abused, pulled,
dragged, and beaten mercilessly. Pregnant women were particularly attacked in seeral
areas. In spite o their oral and written complains, supported by human rights organisation`s
inestigatie report, een lIRs were not registered against the accused.
The role o some o the language press was not only communal but also prooca-
tie and instigated the iolence. Some o the minority-predominant areas were spe-
ciically targeted by spreading rumours about them, precipitating some incidents in
the area to justiy the iolence on Muslims in other areas.
The present status o almost all lIRs and charge sheets relect the state machinery`s
bias against the minority community. People rom minority community were charged
with tough and non-bailable sections o IPC while where there were actual instances
o looting, burning and deaths, people rom the majority community were charged
with milder sections o the IPC.
The goernment did not open relie camps or the ictims o the iolence. Instead,
it played a proactie role to orceully close the relie camps organised by the commu-
nity. In the name o negotiation or rehabilitation, arranged by the state machinery,
ictims were orced to withdraw their complaints and accept a lie at the mercy o the
perpetrators o iolence.
(1le 1ribvva la .evt ovt etter. of ivtivatiov foore b, a rrittev reqve.t to tle clief
vivi.ter, cabivet vivi.ter., I. officia., IP officia. for a veetivg ritl tle ave vevber. of tle
1ribvva iv covvectiov ritl it. roo.e ivqvir,. (ee .vvevre 1, rovve I,. Iv re.ov.e to tli.,
tle coector. of Colra, 1aoara av larvcl i veet tle 1ribvva, a. i tle D,P of
Pavclvala i.trict (Colra cove. vver tli. i.trict,. . vivi.ter of tle .tate cabivet a.o vet tle
1ribvva av .o i .evior oice officia. ivcvivg tle covvi..iover of oice, 1aoara. 1le.e
te.tivovie. covtribvte .vb.tavtia, to tle 1ribvva`. vver.tavivg av la a bearivg ov tle
fivivg.. 1le vave. of .ove of tle.e ritve..e., lorerer, are beivg ritle ov reqve.t,.
0K0f08
Anneure 1 Concerned Citizens 1ribunal - Gujarat 2002 238
1erms of Reference
Anneure 2 Schedule of Sittings of the 1ribunal 240
Anneure 3 Procedure 242
Anneure 4 Methodology 243
Anneure 5 Sample and Spread/Nos. of Statements 245
Anneure 6 Interim Iindings and Recommendations of the 1ribunal 248
Anneure Janmorcha Report 253
Anneure 8 Statistics on Police Behaviour 254
Anneure 9 Police: Dereliction of Duty 255
Anneure 10 Hate Speech 258
Anneure 11 Hate Writing 21
Anneure 12 Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani on Gujarat 285
Anneure 13 VHP Proud of 1argeted Violence 288
Anneure 14 Report of Iorensic Science Laboratory, State of Gujarat 289
Anneure 15 UN Convention on Genocide 292
Anneure 16 UN Declaration on Religious Minorities 294
Anneure 1 List of Politicians/Officials/Policemen approached by the 298
1ribunal for Deposition
Anneure-18 Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee on Gujarat 299
ll8l 0l 0K0f08
1erms of Reference
J. Inestigation into the allout o the Ramjanmabhoomi Moement that includes the
demolition o the Babri Masjid and atmosphere and incidents in Gujarat thereater.
2. Inestigation into the political policies ollowed by the BJP goernment since it assumed
power in Gujarat in lebruary 1998, a period that in which it instituted political, social and
economic measures,steps,policies in respect o religious minorities.
3. Inestigation into the acts o the incidents and circumstances behind the Godhra massa-
cre on lebruary 2, 2002 and whether or not the Godhra incident was pre-planned and guided
by a oreign hand
4. Inestigation into the cause o iolence rom lebruary 2, 2002 in Gujarat including
a, a detailed inestigation through eamination o eidence o some o the worst massa-
cres that took place in Gujarat in 2002,
b, the role played by media in either stoking or controlling iolence and eeling o ill-will
amongst communities, iolating both the Indian Constitution and penal law,
c, the pattern o mobilisation and arms training by groups,
d, the role o the state eecutie, goernment, administration in ollowing the law o
the land including Indian Constitution and Indian Penal Code,
e, the role o the Law and Order Machinery - the state police - in pre-empting,
containing and controlling damage to lie and property and ensuring the
maintenance o law and order,
, the etent o damage to lies and dignity o persons, along with a detailed
eamination o property loss and damage linked critically to the issue o reparation,
g, the etent o destruction o cultural symbols and places o worship.
4.1 The inestigation must eamine the use o seual iolencegang rape and torture, against
minors, young and older women across Gujarat ater lebruary 2, 2002
4.2 An eamination and analysis o the pattern, epanse, intent and planning behind the
carnage that was perpetrated and whether it its into the normal deintions o communal
iolence as per Indian criminal law, the pattern o pogroms that many preious bouts o
communal iolence hae deteriorated into, and whether or not the killings all under the
category o Genocide or Crimes Against Humanity as per the UN Dec, 1948 and Interna-
tional Coenants and Treaties and Conentions.
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S. The inestigation must probe the adequacy o the relie and rehabilitation measures
taken by the state goernment consequent upon the loss o lie and property rom lebruary
2, 2002 onwards.
6. The inestigation into the probity with which the state goernment controlled the io-
lence and protected the lie o citizens, took measures -preentie and otherwise, once the
iolence was unleashed- and inestigated the cases o crime and launched steps or the pun-
ishment o the guilty.
6.1 The inestigation must probe whether the eents ater lebruary 2, 2002 to date are
eidence o a grae and complete breakdown in Constitutional machinery
7. The inestigation into the eistence o groups and organisations, their mission statements,
constitutions and modus operandi detailed actiities, that may be, in eect un-Constitutional,
who openly espouse the cult o iolence and who are alleged to be in the oreront o erbal
proocation and eoneration o acts o iolence.
8. Suggestion o concrete and comprehensie measures related to institutions state go-
ernment, judiciary and law and order machinery,, media and others that should be taken to
preent outbreaks o such iolence in uture.
1ribunal Dates: May 2May J3, 2002
May 2
Morning session 10am - 1 pm
10 - 10:45am Justice Raani and Other Lpert Vitnesses
10:45 - 11am Lpert Lidence,Historical
11 - 11:45 Lpert Lidence,Background o Present Carnage
11:45 - 12:30 Oeriew o Gujarat and Its Politics
Aternoon session
4 - 5 pm Oeriew o Media and its Role
5:30 - pm Brie analysis o Legal Situation and Consequences
Status o Criminal Inestigations
May 3
8am Depositions
Gulberg \ictims,Chamanpura at Karnaati Club
9:30 lield isit to Chamanpura
11 - 1pm lield \isit to Gomtipur
Aternoon session 2:30 - 6pm
\isits to Camps
4:30 p.m. Disruption o Health Serices
6 - pm Lidence on Police irings
Death and Combing Operation,
May 4
Morning Session 8am - 12pm
8am - 12 noon \isit to Camps:Shah-e-Alam, Dariakhan Ghumbat
1:30 - 3:30 Sundaram Nagar, Gomtipur
4pm Anand lats, \ejalpur,Johapura
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$00000l0 0l $llll8 0l l00 1fl008l
5pm Testimonies
Testimonies o Lyewitness who hae named
Ministers,MLAs,Corporators and Policemen
Late Lening Marginalisation o the Muslim Community in Gujarat
Brie oeriew o seual iolence
Meeting with police oicials
May S
Morning Session 8am - 11:30am
Vitnesses rom \atwa,Paldi at Karnaati
Statistics o \iolence
Corporate and Business Community Suers
Aternoon session 2pm - 8pm
Testimonies o Suriors rom Himmatnagar
Sabarkantha,, Mehsana, Kheda, Patan
Vitnesses at Karnaati Club, Ahmedabad
Late Lening Lconomic Decimation o Commercial Lstablishments
May 6
11-1 p.m. Media Cell: \ishwa Samad Kendra,
Police Oicials Depose
May 7
Godhra
lield isit to Godhra Station, Inspection o Coach S-8
\isit to the Collector`s Oice
\isit to the Godhra Relie Camp
May 8 Depositions o ie major cases in Baroda,testimonies
May 9 Site \isit to Ankleshwar-Bharuch
Testimonies o Panchmahal, Bharuch, Ankleshwar eidence
May J0 Meeting with \adodara oicials,Tstimonies Tandalja
May JJ More Testimonies in \adodara-- Dahod,Panchmahal
May J3 Meeting with oicial witnesses,
Press Conerence
The Tribunal adopted a simple, people-riendly procedure. The press release o the consti-
tution o the Tribunal and its schedule o hearings was publicised well in adance. A schedule
was worked out and aected areas, relie camps and localities inormed o the sittings. Vher-
eer we had our hearings, at pre-determined destinations or in relie camps where the aected
persons had sought reuge, ictims came in oerwhelmingly large numbers and olunteered to
gie their statements. It was not possible to eamine each and eery witness and place them on
record. Thereore we heard whom we could and took the rest o the accounts as written
statements on record that were recorded by a posse o actiists who helped the Tribunal.
Members o the Tribunal put seeral questions to elicit correct answers . Though witnesses
were not cross-eamined, the Tribunal`s sittings were open to the public and all those interested
in presenting their point o iew, were welcome. Simply because the eidence has not been
challenged does not mean that it is not reliable. Some police oicers hae deposed but local
police oicers within aected areas did not. Ve would hae been happy or the police to
attend our sittings.
Most ictim suriors hae lost near and dear ones in the most brutal ashion, suered
serious injuries, and lost eerything, their homes, and their lielihood and hae been eicted
rom their roots. No justice has yet been done. In many cases their earlier statements, records
o lIRs and post mortem reports hae been tendered as eidence. This is part o the olumi-
nous eidence that the Tribunal had on record.
Len as the Tribunal sat, threats and ears intimidated ordinary people and the panel too had
to unction amidst tight security. But the atmosphere within the Tribunal was open and people-
riendly. Ours is a people`s inquiry and the ictims could, without ear o reprisal, gie ent to
their eelings, o the injustices they had suered. In this sense, such a Tribunal has, compared
to an oicial commission, greater chances o arriing at the truth. Beore us, ictim suriors
named the perpetrators o heinous crimes and ecept in eceptional cases, did not ear rom
disclosing their identities. Other reports were also placed beore us and hae assisted the Tribu-
nal in arriing at it`s conclusions.
The groups who inited the Tribunal to undertake this task were PUCL \adodara, Covvv
vai.v Covbat, Shanti Abhiyan, PUHR, Jan Sangharsh Manch, Council or Social Justice, Prashant,
India Centre or Human Rights and Law,St Xaiers Social Serice Society, Behaioural Science
Centre, Sanchetana, Sahrwaru.
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Ff00000f0
The Tribunal recorded 2,094 oral and written statements in the ortnight-long sittings.
Vhile major issues that arose out o the data contained in the data hae relected in the
analysis, it is possible that some disparities show up since the teams that gathered and pro-
cessed the data were not proessionals.
Data Collection
Areas most acutely aected by the iolence were identiied and sittings then scheduled.
Public announcements o the sittings were made in adance. At least two Judges were present
rom the eight member Tribunal when the most critical areas and sites were isited.
Statements were taken oluntarily. In many cases, Hindu representation rom aected areas
was sought by members o the Tribunal. The witnesses deposed as direct depositions beore
members o the Tribunal and the conenors and olunteers recorded written statements. The
testimonies were not time bound, as a result o which the spontaneity has been presered.
Vhile 94.5 per cent o the testimonies were rom Muslim surior ictims, 5.5 per cent were
rom Hindus rom the same aected areas or rom neighbouring localities.
A broadly similar ormat was used though this was not rigid to aect uniormity. (.ee |orv,
Detaie .vvevre., 1ovve III,
Cause of Riots
This was ascertained rom the data collected in the orms through multiple codes. The idea
was to ascertain what dierent kinds o causes, or what sort o similarity eisted. Hence etai.
of .ogav. rai.e b, tle vob vrivg a..avt av any other details about the persons shouting slogans
were a category. To emerge at an understanding o whether or not there was a conspiracy or
not, details were sought about whether to not av, grov veetivg la taev ace before tle attac.
Thereater to ascertain more details a question was also raised abovt rl, are..e tle grov, tle
revve for tle veetivg, tle .rea of a rvvovr before tle attac, tle geogralica area frov rlere tle rvvovr
.rea, tle recavtiov. la taev after rvvovr. .rea etc.
Lffect of the Violence
Loss to person
To arrie at some understanding o the etent o losses suered, etensie details on this were
sought rom the data ields on the orm. Here etai. of attac ov tle ace of reivg Residence, in terms
o the date, time and place were sought apart rom the details o the attack itsel. Details were sought
also on damages to other residences and properties in the locality that the deponent had knowledge o.
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Details regarding dead persons: apart rom the name and age and details o the accused tle
Cav.e of eatl was sought to be ascertained (1, Dve to .lar cvttivg reaov, (2, , bvrvivg,
(, Prirate |irivg, (1, .v, otler rea.ov.. The details rom the eidence regarding the o.tvortev
reort, lIR-whether it had been iled or not, the, the names o witnesses were also sought.
Details o gender crimes were sought as also the police response to each one o these in
respect o response at the time o the crime itsel, registration o oences, naming complain-
ants and arresting the guilty.
Loss o Lie, Threat to Lie, Damage to property.
Details o the kind o destruction were also solicited.
Loss to amily,known
Kvorv applies to known accused rom the area. ireiloo o.t, evcatiov i.rvte, Pl,.ica av
vevta travva, earvivg vevber i.ocate, vigratiov were some o the ield in which inormation
was sought.
The kind and etent o damage to the community details were sought as also details o the
attack i there was more than one.
Patterns of Violence
This was a alid determinant and isible patterns emerged. The data collection reoled
around lor vav, eoe were inoled, whether they carried weapons, were they local people or
outsiders. The materials that they carried or attack were also detailed in ields or the respon-
dent like kerosene, petrol, and gas cylinders, any other.
1he Guilty
Speciic data was sought on whether or not any political person is inoled in the attack and
other details o other attackers were sought too.
Law and Order
Police -a, rletler oice ra. re.evt at tle tive of offevce, b, ivactiov; Details o inormation i
gien to the police regarding the attack, c, oice re.ov.ibiit,: Ater how much time o giing
inormation police reached the place and Vhat steps were taken by the police
lire Brigade: a, rletler fire brigae ra. ivforve; b, .fter lor vvcl tive of ivforvivg fire brigae
arrire.
.vivi.tratiov: a, Detai. of le if .ovglt frov av, Cort. officer
Medical Aid: did this arrie in time and was it adequate
Relief/ Rehabilitation
Details o compensation receied were also sought rom the deponents compared to their
loss o damage.
The Tribunal collected it`s own data on these lines. In addition, other detailed statistical
analyses o oer 4,000 orms published was carried out. This analysis has been carried out by
Citizens or Justice and Peace, Citizens Initiatie and lederation or Ciil Liberties
Totally 2094 statements, written and oral were processed by the Tribunal.
Naroda: 49 testimonies and 3 written statements
Gulberg Society, Chamanpura: 23 testimonies and written statements
Rest o Ahmedabad: 51 oral testimonies and 603 written statements
Kheda and Nadiad: 43 testimonies and written statements
Banaskantha: 6 testimonies and 20 written statements
Sabarkantha: 29 testimonies and 52 written statements
Mehsana: 9 testimonies and 10 written statements
Godhra: 20 testimonies
Panchmahal District: 63 testimonies and 34 written statements
Bharuch: 53 statements
Bharuch city: 18 testimonies and 8 written statements
Ankleshwar: 19 testimonies and 20 written statements
Rajpardi: testimonies and 11 written statements
\adodara 68 testimonies and 9 written statements
\adodara tribal: 5 testimonies and 19 written statements
\adodara rural: 13 written statements
Dahod: 13 testimonies and 29 written statements
This totals 154. Another 18 copies o lIRs, panchnamas, post mortem reports were put
on record and 313 detailed collectie statements o damages. This totals 2094.
This sample gae us a good spread o the carnage across the state o Gujarat. Age o the
witnesses also aried between 25-60 years o age. This shows a representatie sample that is
reasonably representatie o the ground leel. Oer 50 per cent o the witnesses were sel-
employed, either skilled workers or small traders, small businessmen while at least 40 per cent
were agriculturists, small and large amilies and landless labourers.
Migrations
The data analysed deals with the issue o migrations caused by the riots. Moements o
ictims and suriors were analysed and an aerage o oer 8 per cent o people aected by
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the iolence had shited residence as a result o the ear and terror generated by the iolence at
least or the irst ew months at least three months,. This indicates the scale o iolence that
was unleashed.
The scenes o the worst massacres hae seen migrations that hae been detailed in the
Ivcievt. of 1ioevce-1ovve I hae also resulted in near-permanent migrations and shits o
population. In these locations only a bare 20 per cent o the original population has returned to
their original homes. This is true o Mehsana district, Panchmahal, Anand, Dahod, Gulberg
society and Naroda gaon and Patiya. The ear and terror eperienced until we go to press by
ictim suriors o Dahod, Mehsana and Panchmahal is signiicant. The act that the goern-
ment has determinedly turned it`s back on rehabilitation and the act that the perpetrators o
the crimes hae been named as powerul politicians still in power has contributed to the inse-
curity and ear eperienced.
Spread of Violence
The eidence beore the Tribunal speaks eloquently o the ast spread o the iolence in the
irst 2 hours just ater Godhra, that is between lebruary 28-March 3, 02. Trends are discern-
ible too in arious districts o the pre-planning and preparations made een beore the Godhra
incident. The worst incidents o gruesome massacre were eected with precision in those
dates though the iolence simmered on or months and is continuing still.
Signiicant data also points to the second bout o iolence between March 12-15,02 |the
date o the lia ooav planned by the \HP at Ayodhya, then again at the end o March-
April 3, 02 on the ee o the PM`s isit to the relie camps. May 02 also saw many bouts o
iolence in at least eight locations in Gujarat. On May , 2002 there were brutal killings o stray
Muslims in Ahmedabad city. This was while the Tribunal hearings were on.
Causes
An analysis o the data beore us clearly shows that the construct around the Godhra io-
lence was consciously and deliberately used at the town, city and district leels to oment anger,
hatred and a sense o reenge among the mobs that struck. Zero copies o the photos o the
burning coach were distributed widely. The slogans shouted by the iolent mobs clearly showed
that they had been deliberately instigated using Godhra as the reason and ecuse.
Loss to Life
Our data shows details o the sheer brutality in the manner o killing. The computation o
this data also shows that it is the manner o the killing that has made the loss to lie shattering.
Detailed eidence o the manner o killing and destruction o the bodies o loed ones makes
the crimes een more diicult to bear. In many cases there are no traces o the dead. The
Tribunal has collected data about the lists o missing persons and anneed these in 1ovve III.
The state goernment has not computed any oicial data on the iolence.
Damage to property
A detailed analysis o 2094 strong eidence points to economic destruction as emerging as
a major motie in the iolence. Vhere the mobs did not kill or maim, they had a clear-cut
motie, o destruction o homes and properties. Independent computation o losses puts this
at a primary loss o Rs 3,800 crores to the Muslim community o Gujarat.
Law and Order
Throughout the data analysis what emerged was either a, absence o the police rom
the scene o mass crime when they ought to hae been present, b, actual conniance and
participation in the destruction o properties and the arson. It would be sae to conclude
rom this data analysis that a committed and hard core o about 30 per cent police per-
sonnel in Gujarat are committed soldiers to the agents o the crime. Many o the balance
are terriied and just a handul rises aboe these considerations and unction as is required
o them under the Constitution.
Oer 50 per cent o the ictims who`s data was processed spoke o repeated pleas or help
to the police being turned down. Another 30 per cent spoke o irst hand knowledge o the
police telling the ictim community to protect itsel and not epect anything rom the police.
The ew instances o shining alour rom the police stand out but oer little hope in terms o
scope and percentage.
Relief Operations
Relie operations were almost entirely manned by community leaders who organised relie
camps. It was weeks beore the state goernment began their supply. A air amount o aid
rom other groups and indiiduals and the rest o the country came in but the state goern-
ment unabashedly not only assumed no responsibility or the relie and rehabilitation, but also
gae it grudgingly while heaping abuse on camps and the reugees staying there. The data
analysed shows that in 60 per cent o the cases ictims hae stayed in camps or oer two
months, that mental and physical state o the suriors is ragile. Vith no genuine eorts are
rehabilitation, despair and hopelessness was relected in the responses o oer 85 per cent o
the deponents.
NGOs
Social groups, and other non goernmental organisations hae been inoled in some relie
measures. Howeer oer 0 per cent o the deponents spoke o the need or more sustained
need-based support
that centres around building up o lielihoods, rehabilitating communities and amilies in a
ashion that caters to their trauma, loss and yet enables them to draw out o it. Vomen and
children ictim suriors especially epressed the need or more sustained and creatie sup-
port in oer 0 per cent o the statements recorded by us.
1li. ra. .evt to tle Cvarat Corervvevt av tle Iviav gorervvevt for tleir reactiov.
Concerned Citizens 1ribunal Gujarat 2002:
1entative Conclusions and Observations
Haing considered all the material that are placed beore us, and haing isited and seen
seeral places that were the scene o iolent incidents, and the relie camps where the aected
lied, and haing heard a large number o ictims, oicials and other concerned people, we
hae arried at the ollowing tentatie conclusions.
I. Godhra
J. Ve isited Godhra and inspected the S-6 coach o the Sabarmati Lpress, met the
collector and the deputy superintendent o police. Ve hae also taken into account the report
o the lorensic Science Laboratory o Ahmedabad. In the incident o burning o the coach
S-6, 58 persons lost their lies, o which 26 were women, 12 were children and 20 men. The
eidence placed beore us shows that the bodies were charred beyond recognition. Only ie
bodies were identiied, not on the basis o their physical eatures, but on the basis o the things
on their person. There was no conclusie eidence o who the passengers were. Ve also ound
that about 43 persons were injured, but most o them had minor injuries. About 5 or 6
persons were hospitalised or a short period. One o them died and the rest were discharged.
2. Haing eamined the eidence, the Godhra incident o lebruary 2, 2002 does not
appear to be a pre-planned or a premeditated one. Our eamination o coach S-6, which was
burnt, showed that the ire had occurred rom within and not rom outside. There is no
reliable material to say as to who had set ire to the coach.
3. \et, it appears that the state goernment rushed to the conclusion that it was a deliberate
and a pre-planned attack on the ar .era. by a particular group o Muslims. This is one o the
reasons or the spread o iolence in the state.
4. There appears to be a ailure o intelligence on the part o the state law and order
machinery, as is eident rom an absence o anticipation o trouble, despite the communal
history o Godhra town, and despite what had happened earlier on the Railway Station, where
the Sabarmati Lpress had halted on its onward journey to laizabad,Ayodhya.
II. Post-Godhra
S. The eidence discloses that the decision to take the bodies rom Godhra to Ahmedabad
was taken by the chie minister, Mr. Narendra Modi. At the outset, the bodies were taken in a
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parade rom Godhra to Ahmedabad in a motor caalcade, inciting people along the way. Dr. Jaideep
Patel, one o the main accused in the Naroda incidents, was also traeling along with the bodies.
6. The chie minister ater isiting Godhra, by the eening o lebruary 2, 2002 declared
that a oreign hand was behind Godhra and the state party chie o the BLP supported the
\HP called bavl the net day. This announcement o the chie minister also appears to hae
contributed to the spread o iolence to all o Gujarat.
7. Vitnesses deposing beore us testiied to the act that the chie minister called a meeting o
senior police and other oicers on that ery night o lebruary 2, 2002. At this meeting speciic
instructions were gien by him in the presence o state home minister on how the police should
deal with the situation on the bavl day. Ve were inormed that instructions were gien in this
meeting by the chie minister speciically not to take action against any Hindu reaction to Godhra.
Larlier in the eening, his two cabinet colleagues, Ashok Bhatt and Pratap Singh Chauhan, had
met at Lunaada in Panchmahal District and in this meeting, the manner and methods o unleash-
ing iolence on the Muslims were planned in detail.
It appears rom what happened in Ahmedabad and its enirons on lebruary 28 and all oer
the state on March 1, 2 and 3 and thereater, was with the deliberate conniance and support o
the Goernment.
III. Official Response
8. A large number o witnesses testiied that the net day, i.e. on the day o the bavl, there
was absolutely no police bavoba.t. The Gandhinagar state and Ahmedabad control rooms
were taken oer by two ministers i.e. Mr. Ashok Bhatt and Mr. Jadeja. Repeated pleas or help
rom people were blatantly turned down. The police commissioner o Ahmedabad, Mr. P.C.
Pandey was speciically mentioned in this connection.
9. The organised, iolent incidents by large mobs, whether they took place at Naroda,
Gulberg Society, Chamanpura, Gomtipur, Sundaramnagar, \atwa in Ahmedabad on lebru-
ary 28 or in \adodara and other places thereater, reeal a similar eature iz., the abdication o
responsibility by the police and the administration. The goernment ailed to control the io-
lence and saeguard the lies and liberties o a large number o people, particularly those
belonging to the minority Muslim community. In seeral districts, similarly, huge toa.` mobs,
attacked the Muslim community. Most o the ictims were butchered and then burnt. The
women were disrobed and raped in public, and then slaughtered and burnt.
J0. The typical incident in this connection, which is now well known, is that o Mr. Ahsan
Jari, who was trying to protect the lies o about 150 Muslims gathered in the compound o
the Gulberg society. The late Mr. Jari, a ormer member o parliament, tried seeral times to
contact the chie minister Mr. Modi and the commissioner o police, Mr. Pandey to deploy
orce immediately, to counter the 1,000-strong mob that had gathered outside the compound
o the Gulberg society. But his pleas were not responded to. All the houses in the society were
attacked ecepting a bungalow belonging to a Hindu. A ew weeks prior to the incident, Mr.
Jari had actiely campaigned against Mr. Modi in the bye-election rom the Rajkot constitu-
ency. This was held against Mr. Jari and he was brutally done to death and all those who had
come to him to seek his protection were also slaughtered and burnt.
IV. Pre-Planned Organised Violence
JJ. The scrutiny o the eidence, which came beore us, also reeals that there was system-
atic preparation or unleashing the iolence all oer the State. The attackers had with them the
lists o persons and properties o the ictims. The lists could not hae been prepared without
an access to goernment records and agencies like the state intelligence, the sales ta department,
the reenue department and the state electoral rolls. The Muslim localities were identiied beore
hand, as also the property and business houses belonging to the Muslim community.
J2. Apart rom carrying petrol and kerosene and using gas cylinders, the members o the mob
used chemicals. The chemicals had the capacity o destroying the identity o the persons burnt by
burning at high temperature and or a long period o time. There was also eidence o the use
o gelatin sticks. The inlammable materials were used on a large-scale. All these things were not
possible unless there was a good deal o preparation much in adance, and to the knowledge o
the Goernment machinery.
V. 1he Iailure of Government to Control Violence
J3. Vhile the Tribunal was eamining witnesses during the irst ortnight o May 02, almost
two months ater the irst incidents in the State, the iolence was still continuing in Ahmedabad
and at other places. Ve could eel the impact o iolence in as much as we also had to seek
protection. This shows that the iolence was not only on a large scale, but also lasted or a long
time. This was another indication o the Goernment`s ailure to control iolence and its
incapacity to restore peace and normalcy or a long time.
VI. Lack of Prompt Relief and Rehabilitation Programmes by Government
J4. Ve isited seeral relie camps in Ahmedabad, Godhra, \adodara, Bharuch, and
Ankleshwar and recorded the testimony o oer 1,500 ictims. Oer 1,50,000 persons were
gien shelter and protection by relie camps, organised not by the State, but by priate groups
all oer the state. Len ater the iolence, the chie minister and the Goernment o Gujarat
showed a callous disregard towards relie and rehabilitation o the ictims. It was through
court orders on petitions iled by the citizens that adequate water, grain and medicines were
made aailable by the authorities. Despite assurances to the contrary in Court, the Goernment
o Gujarat continued, and continues, to coerce the relie camps to close down without ad-
equate rehabilitation.
JS. Len medical acilities were denied to the ictims and to persons who had taken shelter
in the relie camps. The armed workers o the Hindu communal organisations were preent-
ing the Muslim ictims rom getting access to many goernment, semi-goernment hospitals
and priate clinics. This also indicates the ailure o the goernment machinery.
J6. The State goernment`s initial announcement with regard to compensation to the ictims
o the iolence showed palpable discrimination between Hindu and Muslim ictims. This was
withdrawn only ater a hue and cry o the people all oer the country. This indicates the
communal bias o the state goernment.
J7. The state o Gujarat has done nothing till date een to compute the damage to lie and
property. On the other hand, the chie minister made public statements that the goernment
will not buy land and rebuild houses or the ictims, nor will it rebuild religious shrines. It is
shocking that een si months ater the iolence, no oicial lists o dead or missing persons
hae been compiled, no detailed rehabilitation package like at the time o the earthquake,
made public, and pathetic amounts o compensation hae been doled out. There are also no
principles and guidelines laid down to compute compensation, nor has a comprehensie reha-
bilitation package been declared.
VII. Iailure of the Criminal Justice System
J8. The eidence shows that the inestigation process was totally inactie, in that,
i, There was no recording o complaints made by aected persons, een while the inci-
dents were taking place,
ii, lIRs were recorded ater seeral days,
iii, Len the recorded lIRs contained incorrect ersions and not the ersions as reported by
the complainants,
i, The names o the culprits, een when disclosed, were not recorded,
, In act, the complainants were told not to name the accused, otherwise the complaints
would not be recorded,
i, The lIRs o indiidual ictims were not recorded and omnibus complaints containing
seeral incidents were recorded, which would deny proper inestigation and stall the deliery
o criminal justice,
ii, In many cases, the avclvava. o the scenes o oence hae not been made. The
orensic eidence has not been collected,
iii, The leaders o the mob iolence hae not yet been arrested,
i, The police participated in the iolence and, in spite o clear and well-documented
eidence against the police, no policeman has been prosecuted or proceeded against otherwise,
, Search and seizure o weapons and looted material hae not been eected at all, despite
direct eidence o armed mobs committing the crimes,
i, Most o the prosecutors who are in charge o these cases owe allegiance to the
organisations perpetrating the crimes, with the result the ictims hae no conidence in the due
process o law,
lrom the eidence recorded, many persons, politicians and oicials among others, hae been
repeatedly mentioned by witnesses, as directly taking part and inlicting iolence on innocent
ictims and also leading the mobs. A list o the names o some o these persons is anneed.
VIII. 1he Role of the Ruling Party and Its Affiliates
J9. People in a signiicant number o testimonies hae stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party,
the Rashtriya Swayamseak Sangh, the \ishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal and its
ailiates, which are linked with each other, hae been responsible or the iolence. A systematic
eort at communalising sections o the Hindu community was on since 1986. In this process,
organisations like the RSS, \HP, Bajrang Dal with an anti-Constitutional public posturing, loaded
with threats, intimidation and iolence, had been polarizing the society, communally. This has
resulted in creating a communal diide and hatred. By the time the tragic Godhra incident took
place, these organisations had assumed a militant character, especially in Gujarat. These
organisations had been doing and continue to do, till date, with impunity, the recruiting o
members and conducting o training camps. 1ri.lv. and swords were and are being distrib-
uted among the persons who are enlisted as members in these organisations. These organiza-
tions, or recruiting their members, een issued adertisements in local newspapers, distributed
lealets and other literature mainly with a iew to prooke hatred against Muslims.
IX. Role of the Central Government
20. The Central goernment has ailed in discharging its Constitutional responsibility. In the
ace o the incident that had taken place in Godhra on the morning o lebruary 2, 2002, and
in iew o the act that both Godhra and parts o Gujarat were communally sensitie places,
the state goernment was epected to be more alert, more deterous and more duty conscious
in maintaining law and order. Instead, the state goernment had decided to abdicate its Consti-
tutional duties and unctions by declaring a bavl. No authority with een a modicum o a
sense o responsibility to the lies, liberty and property o the people would hae, in such a
situation, abdicated its unction. On the other hand, the state goernment directly prooked
communal iolence by making such an irresponsible declaration. That was a prima acie decla-
ration o the intention o the state goernment not to goern and abide by the proisions o
the Constitution. This itsel was suicient or the central goernment to immediately take steps
to interene, and sae the people o the state rom the iolence, which was bound to ollow.
There is no eidence, that the central goernment, ater learning o what the state goernment
had decided to do, had taken any steps to restrain the state goernment rom adopting the
suicidal step, nor o any positie steps taken by it, to sae the people rom the atermath o the
Godhra incident. The people who testiied beore us, while indicting the state goernment also
questioned, with anguish, the dubious role that the central goernment had played during the
crucial period.
On the other hand, when the nation and the world was condemning the iolence in Gujarat,
senior members o the central cabinet made public statements deending and justiying the role
o the state goernment. They also gae a certiicate o good conduct to the chie minister o
the state.
A inal report will be prepared in due course ater getting the response rom the goern-
ments, i any.
(Signed by Members of the Concerned Citizens 1ribunal)
Dated this day, 25
th
o August 2002
Concerned Citizens Tribunal -Gujarat 2002, c,o Sabrang, Nirant` Juhu Tara Rd, Mumbai
400049 Phones: Conenor, Teesta Setalad 022-6602288,660392
Lmail: sabrangbom2.snl.com
( Jan Morcha, eite b, leeta Pra.a, i. a ivi ai, vbi.le frov .,ol,a. 1le aer carrie tle
foorivg .tor, ov 2: |eb. 2002,.
Bhelsar laizabad,, 24 lebruary: 1ri.lvlari Bajrang Dal workers, traelling to Ayodhya on
board the Sabarmati Lpress this morning, let loose a reign o terror upon dozens o helpless
Muslim passengers, bvrqa clad women and innocent children. They also targeted the people
waiting at the platorm, orcing them to shout the slogan, ]ai lree Rav!` A ew een declared
themseles to be Hindus in order to escape their wrath.
According to eyewitnesses, close to 2,000 tri.lv carrying Bajrang Dal workers on board the
Sabarmati Lpress coming rom the direction o Lucknow began indulging in these actiities
rom the Daryabad Station. Anyone identiied as a Muslim on the train was mercilessly at-
tacked with tri.lv. and beaten with iron rods. Len women and innocent children were not
spared. vrqa. were pulled o, women were beaten with iron rods and dragged, people
waiting at the platorm were also similarly targeted.
This continued between the Daryabad and Rudauli stations. According to an eyewitness, a
youth who protested against this barbarism was thrown o the train between the Patranga
and Rojagaon stations. Seeral women, badly wounded and coered in blood, jumped o the
train as it pulled into Rudauli around 8 a.m. The Bajrang Dal actiists also got o the train and
started attacking those whom they identiied as Muslims rom among those present on the
platorm.
Ata Mohammad, rom Takia Khairanpur, waiting to catch a train to Allahabad, was badly
beaten, some others were orced to shout, ]ai lree Rav!` Some escaped by declaring that they
were Hindus. 50-year-old Mohd. Absar who lies near the station was grabbed as he stepped
out o his house. His long beard was rudely pulled beore he was repeatedly stabbed with
tri.lv.. Another man rom the Rudauli police station area who happened to be at the station
was badly beaten with iron rods. Local residents rang up the police.
By the time the police clori-in-charge, Bhelsar, arried at the station, the train had let and
the injured were being rushed to the hospital. No report was registered at the police station
since the oicer-in-charge was unaailable. The injured hae no idea why they were attacked.
Rumours are rie. The people are petriied, respected Hindus and Muslims o the area hae
condemned the shameul attack, Muslim religious leaders hae appealed or peace and re-
quested that there be no retaliation.
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1le.e .tati.tic. rere ace ov tle recor of tle 1ribvva.
11o: oI j.roono L1II.d 1n joI1.. I1r1ng on 1.orunr, 28 nnd mnr.h 1, 2002.
1, Akbarkhan Makrani, 2, Zahiruddin Nasiruddin Ansari 3, Mohammed Idrio Mohd. Ismail
4, Tohkir Ahmed Munir Ahmed 5, Jamilmiya Kiayatumiya Mistri 6, Kadri Karnaluddin Ahmed
Ali , Noorbanu Mohd Hakim Ansari 8, Abdul Rehman Abdul Razak Sheikh 9, Hamidbhai
s,o Gulam Rasul Abdulbhai 10, Ansari Mohiuddin Jamadar 11, Sultanbhai Azizbhai Malek
12, Ansari Iliyasbhai Jumerati 13, Sabirhussain latehsad 14, Hanibhai Ali Baks Railwaywala
15, Mohd Hussain Allahrakha Sheikh 16, Abdul Karim Mehboobmiya Pathan 1, Zakirhussain
Mehmoodhussain Arian 18, Ilias Ahmed Jumroti 19, Mohd. Ishak Abdul Aziz 20, Mohd.
Mubin Ali 21, Samir Ahmed Iqbal Ahmed Arian 22, Jummadin M. Zakira 23, Mahmud Hani
Mahmud Sheikh 24, Gulam Rasool Gulamnabi Age 22, 408 Noor Nagar, Rakhial, shot in the
head., 25, Trohadali Haiderali 26,Gabbarbhai Vahid, Age 25, priate security guard, liing
in Mandu, Masterni Chali in Bapunagar, shot between the eyes on lebruary 28., 2, I s t i y a k
Khan Nizamuddin Khan Age 24, Morarji Chowk, Bapunagar, shot in the head., 28, Parwezbhai
Gulamdastagir Age 26, Residence on General Hospital Road, Bapunagar, shot on the nose.,
29, Samir Iqbalbhai Mansuri 30, Kausharbhai Sobrati Ali 31, Nasirkhan Kayamkhan 32, Zakirbhai
Mahagujarat Bakery, 33,Samirbhai Mahagujarat Bakery, 34, Azharuddin Sirajuddin 35,
Ismailbhai lrywale 36, Anwar Hussain 3, Nasirbhai Rajput 38, Akhtarbhai 39, Mohammed
Naim Nasrullah 40, Mohammed Azim 41, Nisarahmed A. Hamid 42, Aslambhai 43, Imtiazkhan
Nizamuddin Pathan, Age 21, a resident o Morarji chowk, shot in the head. I could not
recognise my own son, part o his head was blown o,`` his mother, Ammiben, said.,
(ovrce: . .veev Carib ìra. o.ita,
7h1o 1o nn ndd1:1onnI I1o: oI j.roono oho: d.nd o, :h. joI1.. :h.r.nI:.r.
5.3.02 Gullubhai Karimbhai Sheikh 42,, Jamalpur
26.3.02 Sarroz Takubbhai Baggiwala 23,, Jamalpur
15.3.02 Mohd. Iran Abdul Jabbar Ansari, Dodheshwar Masjid 2 bullets in the chest,
15.3.02 Sikandar Khan Pathan 22,, \atwa Siddique bhai Shaikh-Peace Corps,
15.3.02 Syed larzana Bukhari 30,, \atwa
3.4.02 Adocate Nizaam shot dead,
Preventive Arrests on Iebruary 27 after the Godhra incident in Ahmedabad
Police Station Arrests Police Station Arrests
Naroda 0 \ejalpur 0
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$l8ll8ll08 0 F0ll00 80089l00f
Gomtipur 0 Kalupur 0
Shaherkotda 0 Gaekwad Haeli 0
Lllis Bridge 0 Narangpura 0
Naranpura 0 Ghatlodia 0
Astodia 2
AL-AMIN GARIBNAWAZ HOSPI1AL (INJURLD, POLICL IIRING)
Vho ired at these minors
1, Mohammed Hussain 2, Irshad Mirza 3, Aiyub Khan \akub Khan 4, Iqbal Mirza Mohd.
Khan 5, Hani Mirza Rashid Mirza 6, Akbar Khan Asar Khan , Saiyed Jaed 8, Mushir
Ahmed 9, Nizamuddin 10, liroz laqir.
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1e.tivovie. frov tle vvverov. .vrriror. of tle gevocie iv Cvarat, rorie abvvavt erievce of ereictiov
of vt, av iv vav, ca.e. erev covicit, of .ectiov. of tle oice force iv tle etlvic ceav.ivg of Mv.iv..
`vverov. reort. vbi.le iv tle vatiova aiie. .ivce Marcl 1, too, recor .erera iv.tavce. of braev
avtiMv.iv bia., erievt iv tle act. of covvi..iov av ovi..iov b, oicevev frov cov.tabe. to to officia.
RP arav. av erev |ire rigae er.ovve. !e rerovce beor ecert. frov .ove of tlev:
Minors shot by police
Vadodara: An 11-year-old girl in Dudhia illage was hit on the head by a bullet in police iring
and is now recuperating at the SSG hospital, \adodara. A 14-year-old was killed in police iring
at Kisanwadi. The bullet went through his chest. In Halol, a bullet ricocheted rom a wall on a
eranda o a one-storied-house, injuring a two-and-a-hal-year old. At a time when the state
police are accused o inaction` as mobs went around looting and killing during the recent riots,
records at the SSG Hospital here, which is treating numerous riot ictims, are pointing at another
olly` - police orgot the rule book during the riots and shot many aboe the waist while
controlling the mobs.
-1le 1ive. of Ivia, Marcl 1, 2002
Police chief vanishes as Rajkot burns
Rajkot: Vhile Rajkot burnt on Thursday, its police commissioner did a anishing act. As
mobs rampaged through the city and curew had to be clamped ater a gap o 1 years, Upendra
Singh switched his mobile phone o and was nowhere to be ound. And, with their chie not in
sight, the ineiciency o the local police came to the ore as mobs attacked marked targets at will.
1he Police watched as we were attacked
Vadodara: Ve were surrounded on all sides by police ans but had to contend with stones
rom the mob. The police did nothing to stop the attack. On the contrary, an e-corporator
instructed them on how they should ensure that we hae no way to escape,` said a resident o
Memon colony. The police looked on as mob attacked and destroyed homes o an e-judge
and retired army colonel,` said Iqbal Memon, who also added to the complaints o police
inaction.
RAI accused of atrocities in Surat
Surat: Rapid Action lorce RAl, arav. are alleged to hae beaten up and misbehaed with
Muslim women and an elderly vavri in Surat. The arav. reportedly went on the rampage on
March 3, a day ater residents o the predominantly Muslim suburb o Rander aed a mes-
sage to President KR Narayanan and Congress chie Sonia Gandhi, seeking protection rom
Hindu mobs. They now plan to moe court and complain to the human rights commission
against the RAl and police.
-1le ivv.tav 1ive., Marcl :, 2002
6 deaths after mob attack, police call it asphyxiation'
Por (Gandhinagar dist.): . Police say all volaa residents were eacuated, the illagers say
some had already been killed beore the eacuation began. Iran Ali Shaikh, a surior who
lost his wie, says women and children were sot targets or the mob. They killed them
pressing their ingers on their throats and police also orced us to bury the bodies in a hurry to
kill any proo o murder.`
-1le Iviav re.., Marcl :, 2002
Police fails to provide security to activist
Ahmedabad: Vell-known social actiist and state ice-president o the People`s Union or
Ciil Liberties, JS Bandukwala, a personal riend o deence minister George lernandes, has
been orced to go into hiding ollowing an attack on his residence at Sama, Baroda. The police
has ailed to proide adequate security to him despite seeral requests. This is not the irst time
that the Bandukwalas hae been targeted during communal riots.
-1le ..iav .ge, Marcl , 2002
Iailing the people
Sabarkantha: 13 petitioners rom the district hae moed the Gujarat High Court to hae
their oices heard. They claimed that the police had not recorded their indiidual lIRs. The role
o the police in Sabarkantha district, as a case in point, has only recently become the subject o
debate, rom the Lok Sabha to the Police Bhaan in Gandhinagar. The main allegation against
the Sabarkantha police is that they did not do enough to protect the innocent and were now
preenting the registration o lIRs against the indiiduals who led the mobs.
-1le Iviav re.., Marcl 1, 2002
We were just watching, why did they fire at us?
Ahmedabad: All the women had gathered or vai. - a ceremony beore Muharram
which is attended by women only. Ve were returning home when we saw smoke around
Naapura area... the women came outside to check what was happening when suddenly, po-
lice personnel barged inside our homes and started iring directly at the women,` alleges Mumtaz.
The 18-year-old Mumtaz Bano Darbar, a physically challenged girl, escaped death, though she
was hurt by a police bullet,...
They didn`t een throw tear-gas shells or atli charge irst,` claims Sherbano Abbas Bukhari,
an 18-year-old girl who was shot in the chest. The policewala was only ie metres away when
he ired directly at me,` sobs Sherbano, who is in a ery critical condition.
-1le Iviav re.., Marcl 22, 2002
IIR says Muslim MLA led riot mob
Ahmedabad: In a glaring eample o what appears to be police conniance with the ruling
BJP goernment in Gujarat, the Ahmedabad police put the name o a Muslim MLA in a lIR
or instigating mobs to burn Hindu establishments when he was actually in the Gujarat Assem-
bly attending the session discussing the law and order situation in the state.
-1le ..iav .ge, Marcl 2, 2002
0K0f0 10
88l0 $0000
1le carvage iv Cvarat ra. vare b, vvreceevte ere. of late .eecl av late roagava. ove
eave.:
Chief Minister Narendra Modi
Terming the Godhra, attack as pre-planned, iolent act o terrorism`, Mr Modi said that
state goernment was iewing this attack seriously.
- 1le 1ive. of Ivia, |eb 2, 2002.
Vith the entire population o Gujarat ery angry at what happened in Godhra much
worse was epected`.
- àrevra Moi, at a Pre.. Covferevce iv Cvarat, |eb 2, 2002.
Modi said he was absolutely satisied` with the way in which the police and State Goern-
ment handled the backlash rom Godhra incident and happy` that iolence was largely con-
tained. Ve should be happy that curew has been imposed only at 26 places while there is
anger and people are burning with reenge. Thanks to security arrangements we brought
things under control`.Vhen asked that not a policeman was isible in most areas where shops
were looted and set on ire, he said he hadn`t receied any complaint.
- 1le Iviav re.., Marcl 1, 2002.
Inestigations hae reealed that the iring by the Congressman played a piotal role in
inciting the mob.` - CM Narendra Modi on Chamanpura incident where ormer MP Ahsan
Jari was burned alie with 19 o his relaties. On being asked what could hae lead to the L-
MP opening ire it was probably in his nature` to do so.
- 1le ivv.tav 1ive., Marcl 2, 2002.
Gujarat Chie Minister Narendra Modi on lriday termed barbaric` the murder o ormer
Congress MP Lhsan Jari along with 19 o his amily members, but said there was iring rom
inside the house.
- 1le Iviav re.., Marcl 2, 2002
Asked about the iolence, Modi quoted Newton`s third law - eery action has an equal and
opposite reaction` - to irtually justiy what is happening.
- 1le 1ive. of Ivia, Marcl , 2002.
Chie Minister Narendra Modi said on March 4: The situation is totally under control.
There is no threat to any lie. Lerything is unctioning normally. That is all I can say. I will meet
people and gie them conidence`.
- 1le Iviav re.., Marcl :, 2002.
It is unortunate that along with the communal iolence that is dangerous or any country,
a non-iolent secular iolence also gets unleashed in the country at the same time by the media.`
- CM lri àrevra Moi, at a re.. covferevce iv Cavlivagar ov Marcl :, 2002.
Mr Modi said the Godhra incident was not a communal riot. Godhra was a mass murder,
a terrorist act aimed at long-term damage`.
- 1le 1ive. of Ivia, Marcl , 2002, qvotivg frov lri Moi`. are.. to tle Clavber of Covverce
av Ivv.tr,, Cvarat.
I am determined to take out the ,atra and tell the world the Cavrar Catla |Story o Pride[
o ie crore people o the state. It is not the story o Godhra, Naroda Patia or Gulmarg.
Gujarat was not a state o murderers, rapists as the pseudo-secularists, anatic and power
hungry Congress leaders are attempting to project,` Modi said.
- lri àrevra Moi .vg 2, 2002
Last week, in Banaskantha, Narendra Modi told a public meeting how ie crore people
o Gujarat hae oted me the best chie minister o the country but the jealous Congress is
trying to malign me.`
- 1le ..iav .ge, .vg 2, 2002
Relie camps are actually child-making actories. Those who keep on multiplying the popu-
lation should be taught a lesson.
-lri àrevra Moi, are..ivg a ra, iv Mel.ava i.trict vrivg li. gavrar ,atra, qvote iv 1le
ivv, et 10, 2002.
1V tapes prove Modi attacked Muslims
In the ecerpts o the audiotape, a oice - reportedly that o Mr Modi - is heard making
inlammatory speeches in Gujarati. The Lnglish translation is as ollows: I told them that I got
water rom Narmada in the month o lrarav. I they had it their way, they would hae got it
in Ramzan..Vhat should we do Run relie camps or them Do we want to open baby-
producing centres Ve are ie and we will hae 25 ospring. Gujarat has not been able to
control its growing population and poor people hae not been able to get money.`
-1le ..iav .ge, et 1:, 2002
Iormer Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad , Shri P.C. Pande
(he was CP when the carnage took place)
Nothing illustrates police role better than police commissioner P.C. Pande`s statement that,
Police were not insulated rom the general social milieu. Vhen, there`s a change in the
perception o society, the police are part o it and there`s bound to be some contagion eect`.
- 1le 1eegral, Marcl 2, 2002
BJP leaders
lor the irst time in years, we hae had an upsurge o popular sentiment that brought
together Dalits, tribals and middle-class Hindus on the same platorm,` he said.
- 1le 1eegral, Marcl , 2002, frov a Deli ateive reort fie b, tle ai,`. .ecia corre.ovevt,
qvotivg a ]P vivi.ter iv tle cevtra gorervvevt, ritlovt ievtif,ivg tle er.ov qvote.
He Narendra Modi, has salaged the party`s credibility and honour in a way no one has
done ater we came to power in the Centre.`
- . !viov vivi.ter frov tle ]P, vot ievtifie b, vave, qvote iv 1le 1eegral, Marcl , 2002.
Modi was the only one who had the guts to deend what happened in his state without
batting an eyelid or being red-aced. He did not say one thing one day and another the net
day.`
- ]P .ovrce.`, vot ievtifie b, vave, qvote iv 1le 1eegral, Marcl , 2002.
Ater the post-Godhra spontaneous Hindu upsurge, the party will hae to consider the
people`s strong eelings on ivvtra and nationalism`.
- larat Pav,a, ]P M., qvote iv Ivia 1oa,, Marcl 1, 2002. 1le reort ae tlat at a co.e
oor veetivg ritl art, re.ievt, lri ]ava Kri.lvavvrtl, iv .lveaba, M. after M. of tle ]P
tae of rerertivg to tle ivvtra trac.
The charge that Muslims did not take much interest in the national moement is correct.
They don`t consider India their home.`
-1iva, Kati,ar, ]P`. !P re.ievt, vrorte, qvotivg Malatva Cavli av lri .vbear, iv
li. fir.t are.. to tle !P .tate covvci of tle ]P a. it. re.ievt, qvote iv 1le tate.vav, .vg , 2002,.
RSS leaders
Let Muslims look upon Ram as their hero and the communal problems will all be oer`.
- R vovtliece, Orgavi.er, ]vve 20, 11.
Let Muslims understand that their real saety lies in the goodwill o the majority`.
- R re.ovtiov at it. avgaore veet, Marcl 1, 2002.
VHP Leaders
Now, it is the end o tolerance. I the Muslims do not learn, it will be ery harmul or them.`
- ari.l lai latt, 1P eaer, qvote iv MiDa, frov a èr Yor 1ive. reort, Marcl , 2002
It had to be done`, \HP leader says o riots. In a startling reelation, Proessor Kesharam
Kashiram Shastri, 96-year-old chairman o the Gujarat unit o the \ishwa Hindu Parishad,
told reiff.cov that the list o shops owned by Muslims in Ahmedabad was prepared on the
morning o lebruary 28 itsel.
- ltt:,,rrr.reiff.cov,ver.,2002,var,12traiv.ltv
Barely three months ater the Gujarat Carnage, the \HP announced its intentions to test war
on ila in UP. The \ishwa Hindu Parishad plans to turn Uttar Pradesh into a laboratory or
carrying out eperiments aimed at promoting the eeling o ivvtra among Hindus and
starting a campaign against the Muslim mentality o ila.` The irebrand \HP leader, Singhal,
was quoted as haing said that .b alav alav Colra loga ralav ralav Cvarat bli loga wher-
eer there is Godhra there will be Gujarat,.` He said that Muslims who nursed the ilai
mentality` would be taught a lesson. In Gujarat, or the time there has been a Hindu awaken-
ing and Muslims hae been turned into reugees. This is welcome sign and Gujarat has shown
the way to the country. Politics in India will now be based on the Hindu community - ]o ivv
lit i baat arega rol larat e raa arega A Hindu who talks about his rights, will rule India,,`
he said.
-1le ..iav .ge, ]vve , 2002
Modi is He-Man, Lyngdoh has religious bias: VHP
Both the CLC and the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, are Christians and both wanted
to postpone elections. Post-Dangs, Lyngdoh had shown his bias |against Hindus[ in a lecture
deliered at the IAS academy in Mussoorie,` \HP international general secretary Praeen Togadia
said in New Delhi.
-reiff ov vet, .vg 2:, 2002
We'll repeat our Gujarat experiment
\ishwa Hindu Parishad international working president Ashok Singhal today termed Gujarat
as a successul eperiment`-and warned that it would be repeated all oer India. Singhal, in
Amritsar to inaugurate a physiotherapy centre at the Shiala Bhaian temple, said, Godhra
happened on lebruary 2 and the net day, 50 lakh Hindus were on the streets. Ve were
successul in our eperiment o raising Hindu consciousness, which will be repeated all oer
the country now.`
-1le Iviav re.., et 1 2002
Godhra happened and the net day, 50 lakh Hindus were on the streets. Ve were successul
in our eperiment o raising Hindu consciousness, which will be repeated all oer the country
now.`
- ..lo ivgla, .eaivg iv gorivg terv. of tle fact tlat rloe riage. la beev evtie of I.av.
Peoe .a, I rai.e Cvarat. Ye., I o`, ivavgvrativg a l,.iotlera, cevter iv .vrit.ar qvote iv 1le ..iav
.ge, etevber 1, 02
Gujarat to decide country's politics: 1ogadia
\HP International general secretary Praeen Bhai Togadia warned that Colra a vttar aa
Cavlivagar, a Dii avr ar.ov Pai.tav veiv i,a a,ega` the reply to Godhra will be gien
today in Gandhinagar, tomorrow in Delhi and the day ater in Pakistan,.
- Prareev 1ogaia, ivtervatiova gevera .ecretar, of tle 1i.lra ivv Pari.la iv 1le 1ive. of Ivia,
et 1:, 2002
1V 5:nr ^.o) tapes prove Modi attacked Muslims
, ava, a.a
New Delhi, Sept. JS: Brushing aside the eidence produced by a teleision channel on
Gujarat chie minister Narendra Modi`s derogatory remarks on Muslims, and ignoring Prime
Minister Atal Behari \ajpayee`s censure o the state administration ollowing the Gujarat car-
nage, deputy prime minister L.K. Adani on Sunday stood irmly behind Mr Modi and said
his Cavrar Yatra` was an eample to be ollowed by the BJP.
The \HP, meanwhile, has decided to bring out another ,atra` in support o Mr Modi in
Gujarat. The BJP president, Mr M. \enkaiah Naidu, who only a ew days back was reported
to hae pulled up the Gujarat chie minister or his remarks against the minority community,
on Sunday appeared to retract his censure, and clariied that he had merely cautioned` Mr
Modi since there was a scope o misinterpretation.` He added that the matter ended ater
Modi claimed he neer made anti-minority comments.`
Howeer, Mr Modi`s assertion and Mr Naidu`s claim that no anti-Muslim statements were
made during the Cavrar Yatra was challenged by tar èr., which produced tapes with Mr
Modi`s recorded oice, taking a snipe at and ridiculing the minority community in Gujarat. The
state intelligence department had also cautioned the additional chie secretary home, in a letter
J,2,BJP,\atra,525,02 dated September 9, that such a speech could cause communal ten-
sion in the state.
The tape, broadcast by the teleision channel, gies a new twist to the controersy in the light
o the Gujarat goernment`s denial o the eistence o any tapes and the tet o Mr Modi`s
speech during the rally at Besraji illage in Mehsana district on September 9. The National
Commission on Minorities has asked or a copy o the tape ollowing a urore oer Mr
Modi`s remarks.
That Mr Modi, who lacked any caste-based support in Gujarat and was still regarded as an
outsider` by the locals, was trying to cash in on a communal diide, becomes somewhat
eident ollowing the airing o the tapes by the T\ channel. In the ecerpts o the audiotape,
a oice - reportedly that o Mr Modi - is heard making inlammatory speeches in Gujarati.
The Lnglish translation is as ollows:
I told them that I got water rom Narmada in the month o lrarav. I they had it their
way, they would hae got it in Ramzan...
Vhat should we do Run relie camps or them Do we want to open baby-producing
centres Ve are ie and we will hae 25 ospring. Gujarat has not been able to control its
growing population and poor people hae not been able to get money.`
The tapes clearly demonstrate how Mr Modi, in search o the Hindu ote,` tried to play to
the gallery. He went on with his tirade against Muslims thus: There is a long queue or children
who i tyre punctures. In order to progress, eery child in Gujarat needs education, good
manners and employment. That is the economy we need.`
Once again targeting Muslims, he ended with what appeared to be a warning: lor this we
hae to teach a lesson to those who are increasing population at an alarming rate.`
Vhile the BJP president reused to answer any question on Mr Modi, claiming that this
would only create urther tension,` the chie minister`s principal mentor in the party, Mr
Adani, irtually gae him a pat on the back and praised his Cavrar Yatra, saying it was an
eample or the BJP to ollow. The massie turnout at the Gujarat Cavrar Yatra is a source o
nerousness or the opposition.
Vhen the opposition denigrates Gujarat as Godse`s Gujarat` the need or restoring Gujarat`s
gavrar is more,` Mr Adani told BJP leaders who had assembled or the party oice-bearers`
meeting on Sunday.
The deputy prime minister went on: Just as the ,atra is a highly-successul programme, we
must now work with deotion to make the Caov Clao .bli,av and the proposed December
rally a success.`
-ltt:,,rrr.a.iavage.cov,vaiv.a.?a,ovt~2ccat1~1ccat2~22cver.i~11
S crore Gujaratis will chop off Miya Musharraf 's hands' Modi
Ahmedabad, Sept. JS: Gujarat chie minister Narendra Modi stooped down to a deplor-
able new low in political rhetoric on Sunday while warning Mi,a Musharra ` that i he does
not stop pointing his dirty inger towards Gujarat, ie crore people o Gujarat will not
hesitate to chop o his hand and teach him a lesson.`
Besides this, the chie minister has got adertisements published in newspapers asking the
public to decide between Modi and Musharra.`
Mr Modi, who called Gen. Musharra Mi,a` at least eight times, made the distasteul
remark o Gujarat chopping o his hand at a thinly-attended public meeting at \isaaadar in
Saurashtra where he ridiculed the Pakistan President or daring` to point his dirty inger` at
Gujarat. \isaaadar is the constituency o ormer chie minister Keshubhai Patel, who was
conspicuous by his absence on Sunday.
Mr Modi, who has been strictly warned by New Delhi not to make oensie and abusie
remarks, was reportedly annoyed at thin attendance at \isaaadar and lost his cool when groups o
people shouted slogans hailing ormer chie minister Keshubhai Patel, thereby interrupting his speech.
Mr Modi had mellowed down and rerained himsel rom making personal remarks on
any leaders till Saturday eening, ater he was reprimanded, or describing the Muslim philoso-
phy o lie as lvv aavcl lavare accli.` and stressed that he will not allow relie camps to
acilitate unending production o children last week. He, howeer, regained his old sel and
indulged in heay Musharra and Congress bashing in Saurashtra on Sunday. It must be noted
that the Saurashtra region had remained completely peaceul during the recent spate o com-
munal riots and these proocatie speeches by the chie minister has shocked the local popu-
lation, who see a sinister design in diiding them on the basis o community.
Attacking Mi,a Musharra ` or daring to raise Gujarat at the United Nations, Mr Modi
said, I am aware o what Mi,a Musharra is doing in Pakistan.` The Gujarat chie minister
added, A systematic cleansing o the Ahmediya Muslim community is going on in Pakistan.
Muslims who are minorities are being harassed, but Indian leaders don`t talk about it because
it is an internal issue o Pakistan.
And here we hae a Mi,a who is pointing his dirty inger at Gujarat,` he screamed, telling
the crowds that it was a matter o gavrar pride, or Gujarat not to let the Mi,a` point his dirty
inger towards Gujarat. Stop doing this Mi,a Musharra or ie crore people o Gujarat will
chop o the hand which has this dirty inger that you point towards Gujarat,` he roared.
Instead o ocusing on political rials in Gujarat or the rest o the country, Mr Modi has
now stooped to a leel where he has asked people to choose between him and Gen. Musharra.
On Sunday, under the banner o the Ra.ltri,a Cletva Mavcl, adertisements were issued asking
the public to take a decision between Musharra and Modi.` Vhile the BJP claims that it has
not issued these adertisements, party sources conirm that they hae been issued under direct
instructions rom the chie minister.
The adertisements hae mugshots o Mr Modi and Gen. Musharra and asks people to
choose between them. Musharra calls it Hindu Terrorism. This is Nationalism or Modi.
One insults the country. The other maintains the country`s sel-respect.`
Right below the mugshots Musharra `s picture also has a Pakistan lag emblem,, there is an
eclamatory message which asks the readers: |ai.o tavaro the decision is yours,!`
At a public meeting at \isaaadar and Lalpar, Mr Modi also lashed out at Mrs Sonia Gandhi`s
sketchy knowledge`. Mrs Gandhi earlier thought that Jagannath is some politician like our
deputy prime minister Adaniji, who is going to take out a ,atra.`
She did not een know Lord Jagannath and yet she wants to rule our country,` he thun-
dered, adding that the Congress was largely responsible or spreading canards about Gujarat at
the national and international leel. But the people o Gujarat will decide soon on whether
they want Soniaji around or whether they want someone else,` he said.
-ltt:,,rrr.a.iavage.cov,vaiv.a.?a,ovt~2ccat1~1ccat2~22cver.i~11
2S to 62S: look Modi's counting
1oa, àrevra Moi vore frov vv aavcl, lavare aclee. to Paavcl va aclee. ave aclee. va
2:, rlicl rovgl, trav.ate. ivto frov fire to 2: av frov 2: to 2:.`
, Miiv Clatrai
Navsari, September 22: Gujarat Chie Minister Narendra Modi`s concern oer the country`s
eploding population has no communal angle. That it has become such a recurrent theme in his
Gujarat Cavrar Yatra is nothing diabolic. Today he moed rom vv aavcl, lavare aclee. to Paavcl
va aclee. ave aclee. va 2:, which roughly translates into rom ie to 25 and rom 25 to 625.`
But, Modi clariied during the Chikhli leg o the ,atra today, his newest remark wasn`t
directed at Muslims, rather, at those who who didn`t beliee in amily planning.`
There was a hue and cry oer my statements at Becharaji but they still could not ind the
tapes,` Modi taunted reporters sitting with the crowd. Now, journalists, especially those with
tape recorders, should listen and tape careully.` There was a long, theatrical pause, which was
spoilt somewhat by a cow that ran in ront o his gavrar ratl. Vhen Modi inally spoke, he said
the population had to be kept in check to ensure that eery child to get proper education, and
that the Congress was not taking any responsibility` because o otebank politics.`
In 5,000 years until independence, we were only 30 crore. But during the Congress regime,
the population shot up to 100 crore,` he said. There were no means o entertainment earlier,
but why should the population rise today Vhen so many children are produced, they grow up
to become cycle repairers or pick-pockets.`
The only time Modi eer named any community directly was at Khergan, which he isited
earlier in the day. There, he said Bohras had ewer education acilities and that their youth aspired
at best to become bus conductors. Vhy can`t they think o becoming doctors or engineers` he
asked. And answered the question himsel: Because the Congress does not want them to come
orward. Vhen Lhsan Jari called up Congressmen or help, none o them came orward.`
At Chikhli, Modi repeated a point made earlier at Becharaji as well: The BJP is not ruling in
China but the country has introduced amily planning. My utterances about amily planning
hae been gien a communal colour. I something is wrong, it is wrong. I don`t know why the
Congress is interested in increasing population. Probably to increase slums.`
At his net stop at Bilimora, he targeted Colrava ai,o` and the Congress. The train
carnage accused are supplied chicken biryani and other delicacies in jail by people close to the
Congress,` he said.
At Gandei, Mi,a Musharra ` came under attack yet again.
He called us Hindu etremists. I Hindus were etremists, Pakistan would hae been wiped
out o the map,` he said to thunderous applause. India has one and a hal times more
Muslims than Pakistan. Unlike the minorities in Pakistan, they eel sae in India.` And Itai va
cla.va` became Itai vi goi` as he wondered why the Congress did not criticise Musharra or
mentioning Gujarat to the United Nations General Assembly.
Vhen reporters later questioned Modi on why he linked Abu Salem`s arrest with lriday`s
iolence in \adodara, he said he had receied intelligence reports that trouble began almost
immediately ater news o the gangster`s detention in Lisbon trickled in.
-ltt:,,rrr.iviavere...cov,fv_.tor,.l?covtevt_i~
Gujarat govt links violence to Abu Salem's arrest, Modi's charge shocks Muslims
, àvivi Oa
D èr. errice
Vadodara, Sept 22: Jehangir Pathan, the ather o 16-year-old Alta Pathan who died in
police iring on lriday, is too shocked to speak. But more than what happened to him during
the Lord Ganesha procession, his neighours and ellow Muslims are traumatized by caretaker
chie minister Narendra Modi`s statement and police commissioner D D Tuteja`s assumption
that don Abu Salem`s arrest sparked o the iolence.
As Alta `s amily mourns his death on the third day, Muslims o the Machhipeeth area where
he was shot angrily ask as to what connection they hae with Salem.
Perturbed oer what happened, the residents hae shot o letters to the President and the
police commissioner demanding action against a police constable, who they allege ordered the
iring. Alta had gone to buy grocery or his store. Vhen contacted, Mr Tuteja said he has
handed oer the inquiry to a senior oicer. Regarding the Salem connection, in a turnaround
rom Saturday`s statement he said it was just a hunch.
On Saturday, soon ater Mr Modi linked the \adodara riots with Salem, Mr Tuteja too
ollowed suit. On Sunday he said the iolence may hae something to do with a meeting on
April 2 when 18 leaders came and reportedly gae instigating speeches.
The iolence is belieed to hae been sparked o rom near the same mosque. Had the
police not eercised restraint, the situation would hae worsened, he said, eplaining that 12
policemen were injured. Demanding that een Dawood Ibrahim should be shot dead in pub-
lic, 0-year-old Haji Sabir Patel, a local leader, wonders how latehpura can hae a strong link
with Salem.
I iolence had to occur it would hae occurred in Mumbai, the residents say. \iolence
started rom latehpura. Lpressing concern that the Quran was also damaged in one o the
mosques in the city, another resident Ari Malek maintains that i Muslims had to indulge in
iolence they would hae done so during the Jagannath Yatra earlier this year.
Malek, an eyewitness to the Machhipeeth incident alleges that Hindu youths, who were
taking out the Ganesha procession, were shouting ulgar anti-Muslim slogans. Shops owned
by Muslims were looted and within minutes stone throwing began ollowed by police shoot-
ing at Alta and one Musta, who is undergoing treatment at SSG Hospital. Incidentally, the
Muslims had obsered a curew on lriday.
Another Muslim student o Macchipeeth considers Mr Tuteja`s statements as baseless and
says the news o Salem trickled in around 5 pm and iolence began in latehpura town im-
mediately. The People`s Union or Ciil Liberties and lavti .bli,av hae strongly condemned
statements by Mr Modi and Mr Tuteja saying that it relects their prejudiced understanding. Jagdish
Shah o the organisation alleged that such a statement clearly indicates Mr Modi`s ascist` leanings.
Meanwhile, the situation is peaceul in Borsad where police had to lob teargas shells to
control the two communities who indulged in stone throwing late on Saturday night. This is
one o the latest which has plagued Gujarat. Recently chie minister Narendra Modi alleged to
hae made damaging remarks against minorities.
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What Modi Said At Becharaji (1ranscript of Narendra Modi's speech)
J9 September : Should we run relie camps Open child producing centres`
On September 9, the Gujarat Cavrar Yatra rolled into Becharaji, where chie minister
Narendra Modi deliered his by now inamous vv aavcl, lavare aclee. speech. This is the
speech that the National Commission or Minorities NCM, now wants a tet o or its
apparently inlammatory content. And this is the speech that the Gujarat Goernment claimed
that it had been unable to trace a copy o-Modi`s principal secretary P K Mishra had earlier
told 1le Iviav re..: Since the goernment has neither any tapes nor a transcript o the
CM`s speech, it is not in a position to send the same to the NCM.` Lcerpts rom a translation
o an audio recording o the speech, courtesy `D11:
Power hungry people are out to deame Gujarat. At such a time, the ie crore people o
Gujarat will gain strength rom the blessings o Becharaji to build tomorrow`s glorious Gujarat.
Ve are dubbed ivvrai because we hae allocated Rs. eight crore towards the deelop-
ment o Becharaji. Is it our ault Are we communal
The Congress also accuses me o bringing the Narmada waters to the Sabarmati rier in
the month o lrarav. But the dam has already been built... I want to ask the Congress, why do
you object i people on the banks o the Sabarmati derie spiritual peace through the Narmada
waters brought in the month o lrarav Vhen you come to power, you are ree to bring
water during Ramzan.
Vhen we allocate unds or Becharaji, they do not like it. And i we bring Narmada waters
in the month o lrarav, then too they say they dislike it. So what should we do Do we go and
run relie camps Should we open child producing centres
Ve want to irmly implement amily planning. vv aavcl, lvvare aclee. Ve ie, our 25,
laughs,. Vho will beneit rom this deelopment Is amily planning not necessary in Gujarat
Vhere does religion come in its way Vhere does community come in its way
The population is rising in Gujarat, money isn`t reaching the poor Vhat`s the reason They
make a beeline, i cycle punctures (.vievce avgl.,.
I Gujarat is to be deeloped, then an economic system has to be deeloped where eery
child born in Gujarat gets education, manners and employment. And or this, those who are
multiplying population at a rapid rate will need to learn a lesson. I we object to population
growth, then too they dislike it. Vill someone please tell me is there any such, country in the
world Is there BJP rule in China \et, China has enacted laws to control population growth.
.rre,, what does religion hae to do with this
Ve talk o vara.a.. Mara.a. hae lourished in Gujarat. A child has a right to primary
education. But a child going to a vara.a is depried o primary education. Vhat will such a
child do once he grows up
Those who hae got no education, and got only religious education, would they not be-
come a burden on Gujarat
Ve started thinking about vara.a. in Gujarat. Vhen we epress concern oer vara.a.,
they call us communal. Vhy The Communist goernment in Vest Bengal applies laws in
vara.a., curbs their actiities, and it is still secular And i we try to regulate vara.a. in Gujarat,
we are dubbed as communal Ater all, any institution has to be regulated.
I Gujarat needs peace, a long-term plan has to be drawn. The merchants o death will not
be allowed to run their actiities in Gujarat as they like.
And as I sit here at this seat o strength, standing at the eet o mother Becharaji, I want to
assure you that the high seat o power, may go today or tomorrow, but I will not allow the
merchants o death who want to destroy Gujarat and harass the innocents to settle here.
Gujarat needs prosperity, it needs peace. Gujarat is orging ahead on the unity and strength
o its ie crore people. The days are gone when Dawood Ibrahim sitting in Karachi could
instruct the merchants o death here and Gujarat could be set on ire. Ve will not allow this.
Vhat or lor power Power may go today or tomorrow. Ve hae not applied leicol on
the chair. Ve are sitting at the eet o the people o Gujarat. I people eel we are perorming,
they will welcome us, otherwise they will throw us out.
I the Congress is araid o going to the people, then they should come out openly and say
that since they are sure o their deeat, the election should be delayed. Indira Gandhi had done
it too. \ou do it, who`s stopping you
But no, they abuse Gujarat and Gujaratis instead. I you abuse Gujarat, that is not accept-
able to us. Come out openly and gie us a ight i you are strong enough. Vhy do you escape
instead
It is I who has been deamed. \et, I am ready to go to the people. \ou go straight to Italy,
plead with the Llection Commission to stop polls. But we are not like you, we are proud o
approaching the people. Ve take pride in applying the dust rom people`s eet onto our ore-
heads.
Italy`s daughter has insulted Gujarat and its ie crore people. The land o Sardar Patel is
insulted. This has got to be eplained. Sanjay Gandhi, was only Maneka`s husband. \et, it is his
.avali that lies in Delhi, not that o Sardar Patel. The Congress is out to erase Sardar Patel`s
name, but beware.`
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Seers' meet calls for protection of temples
1ive. èr. ètror
Rajkot, Oct J8: A avt.` avveav organised here on Thursday by the \ishwa Hindu
Parishad has called or serious action to protect temples all oer the country. avt., in some no-
holds-barred speeches, called upon Hindus to unite and gie a beitting reply to the attack on
the temples in the country.
The .avveav also receied political acceptance with the participation o senior BJP leaders,
including Union minister o state or heay industry \allabh Kathiria, ormer minister \ajubhai
\ala, senior leader Chiman Shukla, \ijay Rupani and a host o other BJP leaders.
The .avt.` meet also unanimously passed a seen-point resolution which included handing
oer o the Ram ]avvabloovi comple to the Hindus, curbing terrorist actiities in Gujarat,
saing Jammu and Kashmir rom disintegration and creating awareness against ]elai elements.
\HP international general secretary Prain Togadia said time was ripe or orming a sepa-
rate army o Hindu youths who would protect the religion rom attacks by the ]elai..`
\HP president Ashok Singhal, who also attended the .avveav, said: Religion alone can
unite Hindus, as no amount o political planning can bring Hindus under one umbrella.`
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1hackeray for suicide squads of Hindus
Mumbai, Oct JS: Shi Sena supremo Bal Thackeray aours the ormation o suicide
squads among Hindus to take on the menace o terrorism.
I such suicide squads are ormed only then can we take on perpetrators o mindless
iolence`, Thackeray said in party mouthpiece aavva here on Tuesday.
The Sena chie, in his Dussehra message, ehorted people to be bold as he lashed out at state
and Central goenments or ailing to eectiely counter the scourge o terrorism.
Meanwhile, ollowing intelligence reports that Jaish-e-Mohammed militants hae sneaked
into the metropolis, unprecedented security has been deployed at Shiaji Park in central Mumbai,
where Thackeray is scheduled to address the annual Dussehra rally in the eening, according to
highly placed police sources.
Rapid Action lorce and State Resere Police personnel would be deployed around the
enue while armed policemen would be posted atop many o the buildings around the sprawling
ground.
Similarly, the route rom the Sena chie `s residence in suburban Bandra to Shiaji Park will
be heaily guarded, sources added.
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VHP decides to form suicide squads, 1hackeray's call touches home base
, . taff Reorter
Taking a direct cue rom Shi Sena chie, Mr. Bal Thackeray`s Dassera ehortation, the
\ishwa Hindu Parishad has decided to orm Hindu suicide squads` in Mumbai and Nai
Mumbai.
The Nai Mumbai unit o the \HP yesterday had a special meeting to discuss the matter
and has decided to orm such groups o 20-25 youth who will be responsible or working
against the eil designs o terrorists.
Lpressing solidarity with Mr. Thackeray`s iews, the \HP and Bajrang Dal hae sworn
their actie support to the ormation o such squads. Mr. Thackeray clariied that he had
not epressed his ire against the minorities but was irm about taking on anti-national
Muslims. The Hindu outits declared their readiness to go ahead with any instructions
coming rom him.
\esterday`s meeting at Nai Mumbai was attended by \HP Nai Mumbai unit chie, Mr.
Prainbhai Jain, and other oice bearers like Uddharao Kharade, \ashwantrao Jadha, Ramesh
Patil and Bajrang Dal leader Kiran \yaahare.
Meanwhile, Shi Sainiks disrupted a religious meet organised by Shankaracharya Swami
Narendranand Saraswati at Vagle Lstate, Thane, ater he spoke derogatorily about Mr.
Thackeray to journalists at a goernment guest house. The Shankaracharya had said that
Mr. Thackeray did not hae any genuine loe or Hinduism and only indulged in public-
ity stunts. This hurt the sentiments o the Sainiks and they stormed the religious meet
and orced its closure.
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1he text of Dr. 1ogadia's speech
(1li. i. tle .eecl tlat 1P ivtervatiova gevera .ecretar, Prareev 1ogaia vae ov atvra, at oia
riage-tle eicevtre of tle eartlqvae iv Cvarat`. lv i.trict-iv tle re.evce of tate Ivv.tr, Mivi.ter
vre.l Melta av .viva v.bavr, Mivi.ter Deravav oavi. cert. frov tle .eecl, rlicl ra.
fir.t reorte b, 1le Iviav re.., a. recore ov tae,.
Vhen I came here, some riends told me that some organisations hae requested that I
should not say anything that will oend their eelings. Now they dictate to us what we should
say. But my question is, don`t you oend us
At Bhimasar police station, a complaint has been lodged. An 18-year-old boy was taken to
Radhanpur si months ago and made a Muslim. I you do this, doesn`t this oend us Ve
don`t oend anybody`s eelings. But here our eelings hae been hurt. Hae you agitated against
this
Vhen you attack our Akshardham, does not this oend our eelings Vhen you burnt
people alie at Godhra station, does this not oend our eelings Vhen you destroy our
Somnath temple, does not this oend our eelings
Vhen the so-called Babri Masjid which was, in act, a Hindu temple was destroyed, Mus-
lims became unhappy. They Muslims, clamoured that Hindus had destroyed the va.i which
was a Hindu temple. Here, were your eelings not hurt They were. Vhen Babar destroyed our
Ram temple 450 years ago, were we not hurt then Vhen you burnt people at Godhra station,
we hae to respect your eelings. Vhen you create bloodshed at Akshardham we hae to
respect your eelings, but should you not respect our eelings in such incidents
This type o mindset has produced the ospring o Gazni in this country. Ve hae always
lied peaceully or ages. Do you ind any clash between the Parsees and Hindus Is there any
conlict between Hindus and Jews Is there any ight between Hindus and Buddhists Do you
ind any clash between Hindus and Sikhs Vhy then there is conlict with some Muslims
Vhen a surey conducted by the Ivia 1oa, magazine asked Muslims whether Mohammad
Gazni, Aurangzeb and Jinnah, who was unortunately rom Gujarat, were among their heroes,
one-third o the 12 crore Muslims gae an airmatie answer. How we can hae a rapport
with you when you hae this mentality They certainly cannot be our heroes. I you still think
that your eelings are hurt, then you should go to Pakistan. I you hae to lie in this country
you hae to respect the eelings o Hindus. Ve hae neer hurt your eelings, you hae. \ou are
still doing it.
A well known Mumbai-based authority on Islam, Raiq Zakaria, has written that only ilai.
opposed Muslims. O late, there is seen some protest against this mentality in some Muslims.
Zakaria clearly says that Hindus are not at ault here as it is work o only ilai Muslims.
I will gie you an eample o a illage near \iramgam where there was communal harmony
between Muslims and Hindus who greet each other with Rav Rav` and aaav 1aevv` or
ages. But then came a vavri rom Uttar Pradesh. One day, on a lriday, a Muslim did not greet
Hindus. Vhen the Hindu illagers asked the Muslim illagers or the reason behind this sudden
change in behaiour, they were told that the vavri had told them not to wish afir. on lriday.
Vhen the Godhra incident took place, the so-called secularists o this country did not
condemn it the same day. Those who disrupted Parliament or a whole month on the Ram
vavir issue didn`t raise this issue in Parliament. Then, the communal iolence began rom
lebruary 28. lirst, the puppies o Gujarat made noises and started barking. Vhen it was elt
that this noise would not do, dogs rom all oer the country started coming here. Some came
rom Lucknow, some came rom Kerala. Then we heard that a dog rom Italy also made the
rounds here.
There has been browbeating in Gujarat to delay the elections so that Hindu otes get
diided, so that people o Lohana community ote or their community candidates, so that
the Darbars, Patels and Brahmins do the same. So that the supporters o Mi,a Musharra
could rule here. Should we permit companions o Mi,a Musharra to rule here
Thereore, neer ote on the basis o caste. \ote on the basis o religion. I you do not
ote on the basis o religion, there cannot be unity among the people o Gujarat.
\ou think that Hindus could be suppressed with bomb eplosions or iolence Ve
are ie crore Hindus in Gujarat. I 50,000 Hindus get killed in a terrorist attack, the ie
crore igure will not get smaller. I you people who number 50,000 die, no one would
be let here rom you.
Our Soniaben is imported rom abroad. But Muslims o India are not imported. Indian
Muslims are conerted Muslims. Thereore, Soniaben is a oreigner to us but Muslims are not.
Since the oreathers o Muslims are Hindus, how can the blood o Arabia low in their
blood I adise all Muslims to get themseles tested or their Hindu origin. I request Indian
Muslims to get their genetics tested. The blood lowing in their blood essels will be ound to
be not o Prophet Mohammed but o Lord Rama and Lord Krishna. I it is proed that you
hae the blood o Rama and Krishna, then how can there be any dispute with you It is you
who are in conlict with us. I in the name o Prophet Mohammed, you pray in a mosque, we
hae no objection. But i you talk o ila, it is not acceptable to us.
Gujarat is not the right place or ila. \ou cannot harm Hindu religion and culture
by ila because Hindus hae the tradition o wearing a garland o lowers. But our
Hindu deity wears a garland o human heads, we eel we wrongly adopted the tradition
o wearing a garland o lowers.`
C. G. ROAD SHOP OWNLRS' ASSOCIA1ION
C. G. ROAD AHMLDABAD - 380009
This is to inorm all the traders o the C.G. Road Shop Owners` Association that today, i.e., 4-
4-2002 oice bearers o the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the oice bearers o the Bajrang
Dal Mr. Chinubhai Patel and Harishbhai Bhatt with their members met us personally. During the
isit, the current Gujarat situation was discussed. Since the isit was unepected, we listened
patiently to the oicers o the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal. Ater the discus-
sions and beore taking any decisions, we planned to hold a meeting with you. The meeting will
be attended by the important traders o C.G. Road and the oicers o the \ishwa Hindu
Parishad and the Bajrang Dal.
Ve hope that we will all combine our eorts and take an appropriate decision.
Place o meeting
Place : Hotel Nalanda, Mithakhali Chha si, Roads
Time : 04.31 P.M. Date : 06-04-2002 Saturday,
\our well-wishers,
lor C.G. Road Shop Owners` Association,
Your life is in danger you might be killed any time!
Lord Shree Krishna told Arjun: Lit your weapons and kill the non-religious.`
1he lord wants to tell us something also....
Dearest soul brothers,
àva.te! I hae come to meet you in solitude. I want to talk to you about something ery
important and serious. I epect that you will neer orget this meeting. \ou are a ery impor-
tant and responsible person o this country and your lie is aluable. There is a great danger to
your lie and that o your amily. I hae to come to warn you.
In the secure and sae Hindu localities in spite o security guards outside how sae
are you in your bungalows The traitorous, terrorist Muslims will come in truckloads,
kill the guards and then enter the bungalows. They will kill you in your bedrooms and
drawing rooms. Today lakhs o Hindus are araid o this happening and those liing
in volaa. stay up all night in groups to guard us. How many people can the army and
the police protect at a time
I am not talking about thousands o years ago - just 53 years. In 194, irst in Sindh proince,
then in Punjab and Bengal, they attacked Hindu bungalows and killed about 15 lakh Hindus cruelly
0K0f0 11
88l0 Nflll
and without any pity. This is a historic act and it can be repeated today. Then, how sae are you and
I in our own homes
In 194, the Muslims liing in this country o Hindus said that Hindus and Muslims are
dierent nationalities, dierent people. Their religions are dierent, their culture is dierent,
they hae dierent places o worship and pilgrimage, tradition, language, dress, estials, diet,
belies, etc. So we will not be able to lie with you in one country, so cut up the country and
gie us Muslims a separate Islamic nation and we gae them a Muslim country, Pakistan.
In 1915, Mahatma Gandhi returned to India rom South Arica. The whole country ac-
cepted his leadership. This man o international stature and the Congress tried ery hard to
unite the Hindus and the Muslims. Vhat was the result o their eorts Did the Hindus and
Muslims unite Certainly not! The Muslims responded by demanding a separate country and
broke up India. Pakistan is a monster born out o the eorts o Gandhiji to unite Hindus and
Muslims.
I a world leader like Gandhiji could not unite Hindus and Muslims, then what can today`s
politicians do Those who talk about Hindu-Muslim unity are deceiing themseles and are
misguiding crores o Hindus. There is no similarity between Hindus and Muslims and they do
not think o India as their country. It is not possible to unite with those who call India a witch
and oppose 1ave Matrav. Hindu-Muslim unity and brotherhood are deceptions, hallucina-
tions and this can be proed by the Muslim history o the last 1,400 years.
In 194, the Muslims snatched away all o Sindh and hal o Bengal to create Pakistan, a
Muslim country. 20 Muslims took away 30 o the land, and chased out o the country 2
crore Hindus, who owned about Rs. 80,000 crore o assets and business, empty-handed.
At the time o partition, in towns like Lahore, Islamabad, Dhaka, Peshawar, Hyderabad and
Karachi, they went around shouting .alo.bar!`, Pai.tav Zivaba!` and Kill the non-
belieers!` while carrying sticks, swords, knies and lighted torches, raped lakhs o our Hindu
mothers, sisters and daughters and then killed them. To presere their irginity many women
jumped into wells or into ires. About 15 lakh Hindus were killed cruelly and Hindus were
wiped out in their own country. The land turned red with the blood o Hindus and riers o
blood were lowing.
How many Hindus know that one-third o our land was taken away to create Pakistan
How many know that 15 lakh o our predecessors were killed I a nation orgets its history
it is doomed to lie it again. History repeats itsel.`
Ater breaking up the nation and creating Pakistan, the Muslim population in the country has
again reached 16 crore. They do not beliee in amily planning. They are permitted to hae
our wies by the Congress and the Constitution. Their population is eploding and this is their
one-point program. The day their number reaches 25 to 30, the condition o the Hindus
is going to be ery bad.
In Pakistan, the status o the Hindus is not just second class - they are slaes there and that
is going to happen to the Hindus in India. They will use their numbers and their weapons to
create seeral Pakistans in India, proclaim India as a Muslim nation and hoist the green lag o
Islam on Red lort.
Laden alone gae America a taste o terrorism killing almost 5,000 Americans. All the
Americans as well as the opposition supported Bush, while the politicians in the opposition in
India are opposing POTO in the hopes o Muslim otes. lrom a distance o 8,000 miles,
America attacked Aghanistan and killed 10,000 Aghan Muslims while India is ighting Mus-
lim terrorism and harassment or the last 1,300 years.
America ound Laden alone too much whereas we hae in our lanes and by-lanes thousands
o Ladens, Dawoods, Latis, Imam Bukharis, Syed Shahabuddins and two lakh vvalvavri.
who poison one lakh vara..a. and mosques day and night with terrorist actiities. Organisations
like SIMI, Lashkar-e-Toiba and ISI, with the support and help o Pakistan, are carrying on
terrorist actiities. They train lakhs o terrorists in thousands o institutions. They hae ormed
an army o single, unemployed Muslim youth o India by paying high salaries.
The terrorist and traitorous Muslims o this country get weapons rom more than 50 Mus-
lim nations to carry out their religious wars. They are supplied with AK-56 and AK-4 riles,
automatic machine guns, small canons, rocket launchers and seeral kilos o RDX.
The entire country is sitting on a heap o weapons and heading towards ciil war and
internal strie. Vhen Pakistan attacks India, the Muslims liing here will reolt. In 194, they
only had sticks, swords and spears but now they hae modern weapons. They are plotting to
kill crores o Hindus and we will be ighting these traitorous Muslims in eery lane and by-lane
o the country. I the Parliament and the Kashmir assembly can be attacked then what saety is
there or the citizens o the country
Vhen the National Human Rights Commission`s chairman, Justice Mr. \erma saw the melted
window bars o the coach in which the ar .era. returning rom Ayodhya were burnt alie, he
wondered what the condition o the people inside must hae been. The women and children
clung to each other to sae their lies and they must hae cried piteously in the laming coach.
About 58 ar .era. were burnt in this land o Hindus.
One can understand i Muslims oppose construction o temples in Pakistan but how can
one tolerate their opposition to the construction o Ram temple in Ram`s own country Do
Hindus hae to lie at the mercy o Muslims in India also Are Hindus still slaes o Muslims
The Godhra incident is just one symptom o the cancer in this country. This cancer o
terrorism has spread to the entire country. Godhra is only the trailer - the entire ilm is still to
be seen. There is a plan to hae seeral Godhra incidents.
To understand Muslims one must understand Islam. \ou will not understand it with just one
or two instances - you will hae to go deeper, to the roots. \ou will hae to understand their
history o the last 1,400 years. Ater the birth o Islam, in the last 1,400 years, the bigoted Arabs
descended with a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other. They had only one condition
- either accept Islam or die! About 10 crore people who did not accept Islam were killed and
the inherent culture o the country was wiped out. They were proclaimed Islamic countries
and the lag o Islam was hoisted there.
In our country, Aurangzeb, Babar, Humayun, Akbar, Chengiz Khan, Mohammed Gazni,
Mohammed Ghori, Shahjahan and other rabid, murderous and dictatorial Muslim inaders
and emperors ruled oer us and enslaed us. In the last 1,000 years o Muslim rule in India, 2
crore Hindus were murdered by the Muslims who ought 10,000 battles and caused commu-
nal riots against Hindus. They killed two lakh .alv. and .avt.. They pulled down 5 lakh Hindu
temples like those o Shri Ramjanmabhoomi, Ayodhya, Shri Krishnajanmabhoomi, Mathura,
ShriKashiishwanath, Benares and Shri Bhagwan Somnath, Gujarat, and built mosques in their
place. Crores o cows were slaughtered and lakhs o Hindu mothers, daughters and sisters
were abused and raped. I we orget all this, then een god will not be able to sae us.
It is written in the holy book o Islam, the Quran, that those who are not Muslims, i.e.,
Parsis, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and people o other religions o the world are
afir. non-belieers,. Those who accept Islam should not be harmed but those who do not
should be killed and slaughtered. I you kill such people, you will get the title o gai and i you
die ighting them, you will be called .lalee. All gai. and .lalee. will be taken by God to the
seenth heaen and will be supplied with alcohol and airies. This is their idea o heaen:
alcohol and perersions.
The Quran ehorts all Muslims that i they are liing in non-Islamic countries Darvlarab,,
they should ight religious crusades and make them Islamic countries DarvI.av,. light the
non-belieers till the last drop o your blood because religious crusades are a Muslim`s duty
and their dream should be to establish Islam as the only religion worldwide lying the lag o
Islam in all countries.`
In the 1,400-year history o Islam, the behaior, thinking and language o Muslims has
shown to all the people o the world that they hae blind aith and are backward, iolent,
icious, atrocious, unorgiing, uncompromising inleible,, bigoted, indictie and illed with
hate. This is the real and naked ace o Islam and the Muslims hae been ighting Jews, Hindus,
Parsis and the Lnglish or years.
As long as there is Islam in this world, there will be crusades - which means wars and
killings, atrocities and genocide. Islam is not a religion, culture, tradition or a spiritual moe-
ment. There is no truth, non-iolence, humanity, pity or loe in Islam. It only preaches iolence
and atrocities. It is the plot o Arab Muslims to orce itsel on all the peoples o the world. To
think o or call Islam as a religion is olly, a denial o acts. I you want to lie then you hae to
assess their acts during 1,400 years o their history.
Hindus hae now woken up, they are now one big amily o crores o Hindus. Crores o
Hindu hands hae risen to combat the atrocities that the Muslims hae handed down to us. The
Hindu is not to be pitied any more or to be beaten up. I een one Hindu is bullied, crores o
Hindus will react. They will come out and demand an eye or an eye. I we are attacked we will
attack right back. The Iron Man, Sardar Patel, remoed the mosque and graes built by
Mohammed Ghazni ater demolishing the Somnath temple and built a grand temple, which
does the nation proud. In spite o Congressman Nehru`s opposition, the then President,
Rajendrababu, attended the ceremony or the construction o Somnath temple and gae it his
ull support. I Sardar Patel were alie he would erase the signs o slaery and build grand
temples in Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi. Ve must resole to build these grand temples to
make the wishes o crores o Hindus come true.
Len animals lie or their young ones - we are born in India and it is our duty and
responsibility to deend the country and religion and repay our debts to our motherland. I
you want to lie in peace and honour, unite! Lery Muslim, no matter how poor, gies 5 o
his earnings to the mosque or his religion. Hindu businessmen industrialists, are kidnapped by
Muslims, who demand lakhs and crores o rupees and many o us pay up the ransom out o
ear. This money is used to buy weapons with which to kill Hindus. Lery year, seeral Hindu
girls are kidnapped by Muslim hoodlums and are married to them orcibly.
To sole these Islamic problems, each Hindu amily will hae to make sacriices. A ied
part o his income will hae to be gien to Hindu groups - not just within your means but
much more than that. Ve will not be able to surie i we do not unite. Only talking or wishing
well or blessing will not be enough. Join up and gie monetary donations. To gie monetary
help to Hindu groups is not donation or pity - it is an inestment or our saety and security.
Think only o the country and not o political party philosophies or traditional belies. Hindus
will demand eplanations rom those who aour Muslims or political epediency. The Jaichands
and Amichands will not be spared by Hindus.
\ishwa Hindu Parishad is the generally accepted powerul group o Hindus worldwide
including those in our country. About 250 workers in Gujarat hae let their jobs and busi-
nesses to work ull time or it and it has a presence in ,000 illages. They run 350 one-teacher
schools in orest areas besides hospitals, dispensaries, reugee homes, a.lrav schools and thou-
sands o centres or .at.avg. There are rile-training camps and the Bajrang Dal workers are
gien tri.lv. and taught to use them.
The \ishwa Hindu Parishad is protecting and uniting the Hindus in an untiring eort to
make the country strong and sae. Ve epect a lot o monetary support. Ater the Godhra
killings, many young men who tried to protect Hindus were killed and others were jailed under
clauses 302, 30 and the Riot Act, and this is still going on. Their number is in thousands and
they will stay in jail or a long time to come. They had no personal enmity towards the Muslims
- they hae suered or society, religion and the country and now that they are in prison, it is
our yours and mine, duty to eed their amilies.
It is not enough just to show lip sympathy - you will hae to come orward to support
them and do our duty otherwise our yours and mine, conscience will not orgie us, nor will
society. Vhen Mohammed Ghazni attacked Somnath temple, the 10,000 Brahmins inside were
saying their rosaries. Mohammed Ghazni slaughtered them and destroyed the idols - he did
this 1 times and killed lakhs o Hindus. The Muslims could enslae us or 1,000 years because
we were not united. In 194, when the country was partitioned, Pakistan was ormed and
lakhs o Hindus were killed. In Kashmir, since the last 10 years, lakhs o Hindu avit. hae
been killed and orced to leae and i we still do not come to our senses, een god will not be
able to sae us. Hindus hae no option but to unite-otherwise they will not surie and we
will be killed in broad daylight.
I repeat my question - what sacriice are you willing to make indiidually Become a
member o \ishwa Hindu Parishad and donate. Otherwise, or a small section o society, the
people will be tired o making sacriices. Ve require strong support rom you. Vrite a check in
the name o \ishwa Hindu Parishad Gujarat right now, otherwise it might be too late. The
Parishad is registered with income ta and charity commissioners so you can get 50 deduc-
tion under 80G. \ishwa Hindu Parishad is the group o crores o Hindu amilies. It is the
security orce or our saety, protection and tradition. Only a united Hindu society can bring
peace to the nation and the world. Hinduism is patriotism and Hinduism is uniersal brother-
hood. Proclaim with pride, Ve are Hindus!`
Send this letter to your neighbors, relaties, riends and traders and become a member o
the \ishwa Hindu Parishad. Come to the Parishad oice and meet us personally. Please reply
to this letter.
I am writing this historic letter to you. I am making you aware o what is happening in the
country ater analysing history and assessing historic truth as well as the current situation, and
warning you. Lery time you read this letter, you will discoer something new - a new aspect.
I hae come to make you sleepless. I hope that your mind, senses and conscience will accept
this truth. The country that learns its lessons rom history and plans its uture accordingly always
suries, while others are destroyed - etch this truth in your heart.
The lie subscription or the Parishad is Rs. 2,000. The lie subscription or \ishwa Hindu Samachar
is Rs. 600. Donate Rs. 15,000 rupees iteen thousand, or each amily o those arrested.
Gie the traitorous Muslims a taste o patriotism by boycotting them socially and economically.
The Hindu who sees god in eery particle worships truth, non-iolence, loe and peace.
Vithout complete peace, the economic, social and spiritual progress o the country will end,
people will all prey to mental illnesses and the entire country will be pushed towards death.
Peace cannot be attained by begging: crores o united and powerul Hindus will be able to
establish peace and security in the country.
\ours truly,
\our well-wisher
Chinubhai N. Patel
\ishwa Hindu Parishad state leader
\ishwa Hindu Parishad Oice
\anikar Smarak Bhaan, 11, Mahalakshmi Society
Mahalakshmi Cross Roads, Paldi, Karnaati.
Tel. 6604015, 6631365 Tel. res., 454699
AWAKL, HINDU BRO1HLRS!
The time has come or the Hindu religion, which has been enslaed in spite o liing in
Hindustan. To date, all the goernments hae been supporting Muslims. These Muslims do not
know that Hindu society has woken up and is in the process o sending all Muslims to
Pakistan. Those Muslims who are against Hindus are all terrorists. Their chie bootlegger is
Delhi`s Shahi Imam Bukhari who is the main terrorist. Those Muslims who think \HP and
Bajrang Dal are like mushrooms cat`s cap, should know that your Bukhari or Dawood Ibrahim
or the Muslims o Pakistan or larat could neer compare with Prain Togadia or Bal Thackeray.
All o you are like ants and insects in ront o these two. The iolence that erupted ater the
killings in Godhra is a warning to you Muslims that there is still time or you to go to Pakistan
i you want to.
Ve do not want to leae a single Muslim alie in Gujarat. The people o illages as well as
cities hae now woken up and they are ready to take an eye or an eye respond to stones with
bricks}. To aenge murder reenge or blood with blood} we will kill Muslims whereer we
see them. Annihilate Muslims rom larat. Muslims do not know that they are not anatical
Muslims. Vhen there were kings, the Muslim kings orced our Hindu brethren to conert and
then committed atrocities against them.
And this will continue to happen till Muslims are not eterminated. Thereore, it is necessary
or our Hindu brethren to come orward. Ater the Godhra killings, only 10 per cent o
Hindus hae been enraged. Muslims should realise that only 10 per cent o Hindus hae called
or their annihilation. I the remaining 90 per cent also call or their annihilation then the name
Muslim will not surie in Gujarat and the time has come to call or the annihilation o all
Muslims. In many illages, this has already been done. Now the Hindus o the illages should
join the Hindus o the cities and complete the work o annihilation o Muslims. The Muslims
who consider the architect o larat, Baba Ambedkar, to be an untouchable, do not know
that they are not een it to be his ootwear.
I Sardar \allabhbhai Patel had been the Prime Minister o India, then not a single Muslim
would hae been in India. So, let all Hindu brethren know that the time has come to eradicate
the Muslim word rom Gujarat. All Hindu brethren are requested to be ready to destroy
Muslims without being araid o any politician. Temples are searched to catch ar .era. then
why cannot the vara..a. and mosques be searched or the arms o Muslims People o
illages and cities get ready and celebrate net Holi with the corpses o Muslims.
Let the supreme court say what it wants to
The temple will be constructed at that spot
Long lie Hindu nation!
Hindu 5.+nL
1HL ONLY SOLU1ION IS IINANCIAL BOYCO11
Anti-national elements that are using the money they earn with our cooperation to weaken
us. They buy arms and molest our sisters and daughters. The answer to these elements lies in
linancial Non-Cooperation Moement
Come! Let us resole:
1, I will not buy any thing rom any Muslim shopkeeper.
2, I will not sell my goods to these elements.
3, Neither use these traitors` hotels or their garages.
4, I will gie my car to Hindus` garages only. lrom a needle to gold, do not buy anything
made by a Muslim nor sell anything made by us to them.
5, Boycott moies casting Muslim heroes-heroines. Banish ilms o traitorous producers.
6, Neer work in Muslims` oices and do not employ Muslims.
Such a stringent economic boycott will suocate those elements and break their backs. Then
it will be diicult or them to lie in any corner o the country. lriends, start this boycott rom
today so that no Muslim will hae the guts to lit his head beore us and lie. Hae you read this
newsletter Then make 10 copies and distribute it amongst our brethren. He who does not
ollow this newsletter and does not distribute it to others-may he be cursed by Hanuman and
Ramchandra. ]ai lri Rav!
A true Hindu patriot.
Service Security Culture
Specially for Hindu Youth
Let Bajrang Dal ready its crossbow War is the only Salvation
50 years ater independence it appears that Hindus are second citizens o this country. Reli-
gious conersions, iniltration, terrorism and bomb blasts hae surrounded Hindustan. On the
ostentatious stage o democracy, in ilms and in T\ serials, Hindu philosophy and Hindu gods
and goddesses are continuously being insulted. Not only in Kashmir, but all oer Hindustan, it
appears as i the Hindu is an outsider.
At present Hindustan is caught....
K 1 lakh Christian missionaries bring in crores o rupees rom abroad and carry out
conersions.
K The oreathers o 95 Christians and 90 Muslims were Hindus... because o coner-
sions the Hindus are decreasing in number.
K Because o conersions the Hindus o the border ia. are becoming minorities.
K Instead o 3,000 there are 35,000 slaughter houses in India. More than 50,000 cattle are
being slaughtered eery day.
K lrom the country o Buddha and Mahair, lesh is being eported instead o non-iolence.
All oer the country, you see anarchy and aimlessness because Hindu, Hindu culture, Hindu-
ism and Hindu religion are being continuously eroded.
Islamic ela, o which the world is ed up, has also targetted Hindustan.
K Vheneer Pakistan has lost a war it has started a proy war with ISI its secret agency,.
K ]ela` is being carried out in order to establish an Islamic state in Hindustan.
K lanatic organisations like Jamaat-e-islam, Tabligh moement, Student Islamic Moe-
ment o India SIMI,, and Ahl-e-hadis under the guidance o I.S.I., are carrying out anti-
Hindu, anti-national actiities on a war ooting.
K Because o Islamic ela, there isn`t a single Hindu suriing in Kashmir.
K Because o the ISI, during the last seeral years....
29151 citizens hae been killed
5101 security oicers hae been killed
61900 automatics hae been ound
51810 kgs. o eplosies hae been ound
K There is a scheme o getting Hindu youth o Hindustan habituated to addictie substances.
K Countereit currency notes o Rs. 100 and Rs. 500 are brought into the country to destroy
the economy o Hindustan.
K There is a scheme, openly carried out, to trap thousands o Hindu girls and put them in
harems.
K lanatical communal training is being gien in nearly 80,000 vara..a. against Hindus.
K Graes and argal. are mushrooming on stations, dams, bridges and goernment land as
well as in all important places.
K Nearly 300 Hindu temples hae been pulled down een ater independence.
K Most o the ia. near the border are without Hindus
Islamic ela means annihilation o all Hindus
Islamic ela means pulling down all Hindu temples
Islamic ela means destroying Hindu religion
Islamic ela means diiding Hindustan
Islamic ela means destroying Hindu culture
Lery young man must join Bajrang Dal today because....
K In Hindu Hindustan, the largest group o Hindu youth with lakhs o members is Bajrang Dal.
K It is Bajrang Dal`s aim that Hinduism, Hindu religion and Hindustan can be ictorious in
protecting itsel by ighting till mother larat is pleased.
K Bajrang Dal is the strength o the Hindus today. Since 1984, Bajrang Dal has been
ighting on arious ronts.
K Bajrang Dal saed more than one and a hal lakh cows rom the slaughter houses by
celebrating cow protection year.
K Oer the short period o eight months, Bajrang Dal has courageously saed more than
100 Hindu girls rom the irreligious.
K In Gujarat`s 3321 illages, Bajrang Dal is busily carrying on the good work o serice,
protection and unity.
K Make an army o 20 young persons in eery illage.
K Gie physical training to the youth or sel protection and protection o Hindus.
K Run playgrounds, gyms. or eercise schools.
K Once a week, either on Tuesdays or Saturdays, arrange oerings, to Hanuman or group
worship.
K Hanuman Jayanti O \almiki Jayanti
K Martyr`s Day on 2 Noember
K 14 August All India Memorial Day
K 6
th
December National Glory Day
Hindu youth....
Reply in the same language that is used or ela.
- the arms that hae risen or ela should become serile
- do unto others as they do unto you....Hindus should become one.
Reply to ela with crusades. lor this, the young o eery illage will hae to join Bajrang
Dal. Arrange to donate tri.lv. in eery illage. Arrange seminars and public meetings eplain-
ing the terror o ela.
Bajrang Dal is Hindu strength
Lery youth should join Bajrang Dal immediately
Carry the tri.lv.
J11A1
The people o Baroda and Ahmedabad hae gone berserk
Narendra Modi you hae ucked the mother o vi,a.
The olcano which was inactie or years has erupted
It has burnt the arse o vi,a. and made them dance nude
Ve hae untied the penises which were tied till now
Vithout castor oil in the arse we hae made them cry
Those who call religious war, iolence, are all uckers
Ve hae widened the tight aginas o the bibi.`
Now een the adiasis hae realised what Hinduism is
They hae shot their arrow in the arse o vval.
Vake up Hindus there are still vi,a. let alie around you
Learn rom Panad illage where their mother was ucked
She was ucked standing while she kept shouting
She enjoyed the uncircumcised penis
Vith a Hindu goernment the Hindus hae the power to annihilate vi,a.
Kick them in the arse to drie them out o not only illages and
cities but also the country
Let the uckers know that
The ucking o uckers will not work.
INS1RUC1IONS IROM LOCAL LLADLRS 1O RSS MLMBLRS
1, Go to the temple twice a day in the morning and eening.
2, Keep yoursel ready to respond to your leader when he needs your help.
3, Vhen the army marches past, set o ire crackers.
4, Dress in khaki pant, white shirt and cap and tie a string on your handwrist,.
5, During meetings and arious assemblies, moe around to help each other.
6, I they dare, get ready and shout.
, Ater eery meeting, shout .loa. at least three times.
8, Hold one meeting per week.
9, Vhen ighting the Muslims change the appearance o your neighbourhood so you are
not recognised.
10, Don`t mount a rontal attack-attack rom the back.
11, light more at night-time.
12, Try to lie close to Muslims.
13, Don`t gie the police a chance to catch you with weapons.
14, Vhen you work or the Muslims, don`t accept labour compensation.
15, I it is time or wages, then collect people around you on the pretet o searching.
16, I you purchase anything rom a Muslim shop pay only the cost price, not the proit.
1, Don`t gie correct testimony to the police.
18, Guard your temple.
19, I you get any inormation, let your leader know in writing immediately.
20, Lery member should be trained to ight against ten people at a time.
21, During a battle use any weapon to ight.
22, Vhen you do - , in Muslim houses hae irregular relations with Muslim
women so that you hae the opportunity to increase Hindu population.
23, Deorm new-born babies o Muslims.
This was the nation o heroes, now it is illed with rightened people.
They escape rom our control and the poor innocent is sacriiced.
I the Hindu youth is angered there will be a rain o shoes on their heads.
Hindu wake up now and chase away the Muslims.
Do you know that...................
K The terrorist actiities all oer India are conducted rom a vara..a in Akwada, Bhanagar
called Dar-ul-ulum, rom where recently 12 truckloads o weapons hae been ound and the
CBI has come rom Delhi to inestigate this.
K All No. 2 business such as spare parts, oil, grease, bogus billing, scrap, money laundering,
smuggling, kidnapping etc. is done only by Muslims. They do not pay any taes and lie at our
epense in our country and with our money in style and arrogance.
K They who used to buy goods rom Hindus now preer to buy rom other Muslims een
i it is epensie while the Hindu customer will buy rom a Muslim or a small adantage.
K At the time o independence, the population o Hindus was 30 which has now gone
down to 9 while the Muslim population has increased rom crore to 30 crore an increase
rom to 32,.
K lrom small illages to big cities, all the mosques hae been painted at the cost o seeral
crore o rupees.
K In all the vara..a. the children are taught to be anatical Muslims.
K Most o the politicians in the country are not concerned with the welare o the Hindus.
They are only interested in corruption and robbing the nation to ill their pockets, and play the
politics o ote banks by aouring Muslims at the epense o Hindus.
K Lach Haj traeller is gien Rs. 22,500 to go or Haj while Hindus get nothing
The best solution to the burning questions aboe is this-
K Attack the Dar-ul-ulum vara..a in Akwada and destroy it.
K I you hae any inormation about the No. 2 actiities, immediately inorm the sales ta,
income ta, custom ecise or collector`s oice or the nearest police station and get the goods
coniscated.
K Deal only with Hindus whether it is a little cheaper or more epensie. Support only the
Hindus in business and boycott the Muslims economically.
K Tell the children about the great people o our culture and create in them a sense o
courage, heroism and enthusiasm, teach him to be a anatical Hindu rom childhood.
K Oppose the subsidy gien to Haj pilgrims and demand that it be stopped.
Ask all politicians only what they are doing or Hindus. I he associates with Muslims,
boycott him and teach him a lesson. Lplain calmly to those Hindu traders who maintain close
relationships with Muslims in the hope o cheap goods that this is wrong-then warn them
and i they still don`t listen, cause them as much economic damage as possible
MAKL A1 LLAS1 1LN COPILS AND DIS1RIBU1L 1HLM
Ov Marcl 2, 2002 tli. grov .evt tli. aert aovg ritl tle trav.ate avlet to tle Pre.ievt of Ivia
Shri KR Narayanan, Hon President o India
March 28, 2002
We appeal that
K The President makes a call or restraint or a stop to Holi lveti, celebrations in Gujarat,
K The President as Commander o the Armed lorces calls the Army to be on a red alert
and be present at all sensitie locations tomorrow March 29, 02 in the state o Gujarat espe-
cially Ahmedabad,
K The President directs and ensure the preentie arrest o all those lumpen leaders many
o whom, unortunately are elected representaties o the ruling BJP, who hae been wit-
nessed as leading the iolence in Gujarat in the past month,.
K The President directs the remoal o chie minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet who
hae ailed in their basic constitutional obligations.
1eesta Setalvad Javed Anand
An etremely disturbing, inlammatory and seditious pamphlet tet included, is being dis-
tributed in hundreds o thousands in Ahmedabad city or the past 48 hours. It is calling upon
the trained and armed cadres o the RSS, \HP, BD and BJP to indulge in more iolence
tomorrow, the day o the estial o Holi-March 29, 02.
It uses ilth and abuse that reeals the mindset o the perpetrators o iolence, it is anony-
mous so that authorship and responsibility cannot be pinned down in law and action not taken,
moreoer, past outbursts o systematic iolence in Gujarat reeal that such pamphlets hae
worked their intent in urthering murder and destruction on the streets.
lrom \ata to Naroda, Bapunagar to Kalupur,
On 29
th
March there will be a call, take Ram`s name and attack,
Ve will kill Muslims the way we destroyed Babri,
Ve will burn Jamalpur and empty Dariyapur,
Vhether it is an old chawl or vi,a`., we will not leae you,
Ve ivv.tavi. swear we will seek you out and kill you,
This is the tradition o Raglvv and we neer oreswear,
Let Sonia hae dogs like larroukh Shaikh or Haji Bilal,
Ve will treat them like Ahsan Jaery,
Muslims hae darkened the skies with the smoke rom burnt shops,
Ve will cut them and their blood will low like riers.`
lrom the tet o the pamphlet receied by us enclosed as an anneure,
The record o the present goernment in prooking cadres or the irst two days by calling
the reaction to Godhra .rablari ratiri,a understandable,natural reaction,and worst still,
marginalising those IAS,IPS oicers who hae resisted political inluences and perormed
their duties as enshrined in the Indian Constitution leaes little or no room or doubt that the
grim intent to further perpetuate annihilation and violence against the minority com-
munity as enunciated in the pamphlet need not be an empty threat.
The President o India and the Chie Justice are called upon to respond to this state o
aairs which is like nothing eperienced by the Indian union beore. In a desperate hope, the
Prime Minister o India, Atal Behari \ajpayee and Home Minister L.K.Adani are also being
appealed to- to honour their Constitutional Duty i not their Ideological Ailiations.
Instead o responding ater death and mulilation hae taken place, the Indian State - that
still remains wedded to the Indian Constitution - must call or a restraint or stoppage to Holi
lveti, celebrations, call or the President as Commander o the Armed lorces to call the
Army directly to red alert and be present at all sensitie locations and inally to ensure the
preentie arrest o all those lumpen leaders many o whom, unortunately are elected repre-
sentaties o the ruling BJP, witnessed as leading the iolence.
linally the occasion calls or the immediate remoal o the chie minister o Gujarat,
Narendra Modi and his cabinet and the handling o law and order by a machinery, unhindered
by political ailiations.
The occasion demands an interention by the President o India Shri K.R. Narayanan. The
occasion also behoes interentions by the Chie Justice o the Supreme Court.
1eesta Setalvad Javed Anand
1ext of Pamphlet
Wake up.. Get up.. Be united...

{Reply to bricks with stones]
Today the minority community is trying to crush the majority community. The Muslims
should be ashamed that een ater 50 years o independence they hae not become ivv.tavis,
but they hae no idea o the strength o the majority community.Muslims are traitors as com-
pared to Hindus-the Godhra killings and the razing o the Sindhi market hae proed this.
Till now, Muslims were showing their treachery only in Kashmir, then they etended their
actiities to the Parliament in Delhi and now they hae made a great blunder by challenging
Gujarat. Now the Muslims cannot be protected rom the Hindus by either the police or the
army-or the ote-seekers or the political parties who pamper them.
Vhen India got her independence, there were 3 crore 30 million, Muslims in India. Now
on the 50
th
anniersary, there are 35 crore 350 million,. Understand.be warned., in ie to
ten years they will be as many as us. Nobody is preparing a cricket team that army,...that is
being prepared by Pakistan.
Police and army, you also beware, you are also Hindus. \ou can also be attacked. \ou
should also support Hindus. Ve Hindus support the police and the army ully.
My Hindu brethren, unite and orm a lree Indian Army just like the one during the struggle
or independence. Annihilate the enemy and lighten the burden o sin, which the country is
carrying.
lrom \ata to Naroda, Bapunagar to Kalupur,
On 29
th
March there will be a call, take Ram`s name and attack,
Ve will kill Muslims the way we destroyed Babri,
Ve will burn Jamalpur and empty Dariyapur,
Vhether it is an old chawl or vi,a`., we will not leae you,
Ve ivv.tavi. swear we will seek you out and kill you,
This is the tradition o Raglvv and we neer oreswear,
Let Sonia hae dogs like larroukh Shaikh or Haji Bilal,
Ve will treat them like Ahsan Jaery,
Muslims hae darkened the skies with the smoke rom burnt shops,
Ve will cut them and their blood will low like riers.
lree Indian Army is the union o Hinduism. Thousands o our brethren hae joined it.
\ou also join and gie your support to sae Hindustan.
Thanks to Narendra Mody, we salute you, ater Sardar \allabhbhai Patel, a hero is born
Gujarat is proud and the glory o India is in your hands.
Lvery Hindu is requested not to stone the police or army. 1hey are our brothers.
Rerovce lere i. tle vgi.l trav.atiov of a avlet iv Cvarati, rlicl ra. rie, circvate iv avei
torv av it. veiglbovrloo a fi vovtl before tle attac ov tle Mv.iv. ov .vgv.t 12 av 1:, 1,.
ONWARDS 1O SANJLLI!
Let`s unite - to stop young, tribal women rom being lured and kid napped. Let us unite to
put an end to these unholy incidents o Hindu women being sold in Muslim countries - Let`s
respond to bricks with stones.
Onwards to Sanjeli! Public meeting Onwards to Sanjeli!
Date: July 7, J998, Sunday afternoon, 3 p.m.
At Rein Bassera, Sanjeli
Leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal to address the meeting
A young, 18-year-old woman, Kanta, o Randhikpur, and another married Adiasi woman
were seduced and kidnapped to some unknown destination by Muslim youths. Ve hae no
trace o them. This is not the irst incident in our area. Vhether it is \andana rom Bandibaar,
or Ami and Surekha rom Jhalod, or \arsha rom Godhra. There hae been innumerable such
incidents o kidnappings and disappearances. lor months and years, our sisters and daughters
cannot be traced. Apart rom that, tragic incidents like the suicides o seeral elders like Magabhai
Ninama keep happening in our society.
K Hindu young women are kidnapped and Hindu elders commit suicide.
K Hindu population on the decline Produce more children by kidnapping young women.
K Add to Muslim population A widespread conspiracy to add to the numbers of
anti-Hindu, anti-national elements is at work throughout the country.
lor the establishment o Rav Ra,a, it was the people alone who came orward to help
lagrav Ram. Now too, Adiasi brethren will hae to come orward and unite to destroy this
conspiracy.
Vhen there is a weekly illage market what do these Muslim loaers do How do these
Muslim loaers behae with Adiasi women going to the rier or rier sand Pretending to
help, do you know how these loaers tempt and lure young Adiasi women and their elders
Vithout epecting anything rom the police, the goernment, or any o the politicians who
are only interested in securing our otes - come - let us sae our sisters and daughters rom the
clutches o these yaanas demons, who sell them to the Arabs.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad - Bajrang Dal - Sanjeli.
Rerovce abore are vgi.l trav.atiov. of tle avlet. iv Cvarati tlat lare beev rie, circvate iv
Cvarat iv tle a.t fer ,ear.. 1le 1ribvva la. ov it. recor orgiva coie. of tle.e avet. iv tle Cvarati.
!lat la. beev rerovce lere are vgi.l trav.atiov. of tle .ave av vbi.le b, Covvvvai.v Covbat,.
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ADVANI GIVLS BLS1 CM CLR1IIICA1L 1O MODI
|rov ]a Klavbata
New Delhi, 24 July 2002: Going a step urther rom preious night`s snub to the Oppo-
sition in the Lok Sabha that Chie Minister Narendra Modi needs not their certiicate` but
that o the people o Gujarat, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Adani on Vednesday told
the Rajya Sabha that Modi has turned out to be the best Chie Minister in the last hal
century.`
His certiicate o the best Chie Minister` was based on his contention that Modi had
sternly` dealt with the communal iolence with a irm hand, proing himsel to do the best
possible under the gien conditions.
Adani was replying to a short-duration debate on the Gujarat situation that had begun
Tuesday noon and continued or most part o the day een as the Lok Sabha was adjourned
or the day in memory o Congress member Atmaram Patel rom Gujarat who died on
Tuesday.
The Opposition staged a walk-out protesting that they did not want Adani`s certiicate or
Modi but they had epected his response to the debate issue as to what steps had been taken by
the Goernment in pursuance o the motion adopted by the Rajya Sabha on May 6 to inter-
ene in Gujarat under Article 355 o the Constitution o India.
Braing repeated interruptions and noisy scenes, Adani asserted that the conditions in Gujarat
were quite conducie or holding elections and there was no reason or the Centre to interene
any urther under Article 355 or Article 356.
He also sought to allay the Opposition`s ears that the minority rightened by the communal
iolence may not be able to eercise their ranchise i the polls were held soon beore the
situation normalises. He said the Centre stands committed to ensure ree and air elections in
the state. The Opposition was, howeer, unimpressed as members interrupted to accuse the
Goernment trying to capitalise on the communal iolence in Gujarat.
Meanwhile, the Congress criticised Adani or continuing to gloriy his protege hardcore
Modi and his discredited regime.` His certiicate` o the best CM bestowed on Modi was
shocking` as it was based on an absurd claim, party spokesman Anand Sharma airmed at
the daily Press brieing.
As the country`s Home Minister, Adani was supposed to hae a balanced iew but he
seems to hae lost his balance by treating his disciple Modi, een aboe the Constitution,`
Anand said, adding that it was true that there had been no Chie Minister in the past 50 years
who had presided oer a regime with perceied complicity in the communal carnage.
Anand Sharma said the same Adani had said just two weeks ago in Ahmedabad that the
situation was not normal and the ear and insecurity among the people persists on account o
the communal iolence that rocked Gujarat. His new stand that the situation was conducie or
the polls, Sharma added.
Advani praises Modi's Gujarat Gaurav Yatra
JS & J6 September, 2002: Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kischenchand Adani on Sunday
gae Gujarat Chie Minister Narendra Modi a pat on the back`, while praising his much-
criticised Gujarat Cavrar Yatra saying it was the need o the hour`, and the popular response to
it was unnering the opposition.
Vhen the opposition parties denigrate Gujarat as Godse`s Gujarat`, the need or restoring
Gujarat`s gavrar |honour[ is all the more important,` he said addressing oice bearers in a
meeting o the party in New Delhi.
Describing the ,atra as a highly successul programme`, Adani said the party must now
work to ensure that its Caov Clao .bli,av |Go to the illage campaign[ and the proposed
December rally in the capital also turns out equally successul.
Reerring to the criticism o Modi within the party, he cautioned the members to be careul
and maintain unity. As a ruling party, we are under the microscope. Thereore, our political
behaiour must strie or idealism,` he said.
The criticism suraced when Gujarat reenue minister Haren Pandya had resigned rom the
state Cabinet ollowing dierences with Modi, which was later sorted out with central inter-
ention, een as Modi`s predecessor and poll campaign in-charge Keshubhai Patel had recently
stated that elected legislatures would chose their leader as against the projection o Modi as a
chie ministerial candidate.
Adani has been taking actie interest in party aairs o late, ollowing the BJP`s debacle in
Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and other places and made changes in the party, including the change
o leadership and rejuenation o the organisation at the state leel.
The deputy prime minister said that in the last three months, a new sense o conidence has
grown in the party. The party`s actiities, its zonal conerences, the political programmes, hae
made the opposition jittery. The hostility o the opposition is the result o the successul
programme o the BJP,` he said.
- ltt:,,rrr.reiff.cov,ver.,2002,.e,1:ar.ltv
Gujarat a blot, admits Advani ecert.,
London, Aug. 22: ...Mr Adani, who is on his trip abroad ater being eleated to the post
the deputy prime minister, also said, I all the countries in Lurope can put aside their dier-
ences and come together, then why can`t Indian Pakistan and Bangladesh do the same.`
The deputy prime minister described the Gujarat iolence as an indeensible issue. Gujarat
is a blot on the goernment. It is something indeensible. I just cannot deend it. Ve Prime
Minister Atal Behari \ajpayee and Mr Adani, were outraged and shocked by the iolence.`
... The deputy prime minister uneiled a bust o India`s Iron Man, Sardar \allabhbhai Patel,
at the Indian high commission on Vednesday. Speaking in chaste Hindi, he described how
Sardar Patel integrated the 500-odd princely states into India ater Partition.
In the background, meanwhile, a group that had gathered outside the Indian high commis-
sion building in central London held placards and shouted slogans against the deputy prime
minister, blaming him and the BJP or the recent riots in Gujarat. The protesters were rom
organisations such as South Asia Solidarity, India Muslim Council UK and South Asia Vatch.
Inside, Mr Adani dismissed reports that Sardar Patel was anti-Muslim, and quoted scholar
Raiq Zakaria and Jai Prakash Narayan to illustrate. The bust was donated by the Sardar Patel
Memorial Society in London.
Later, addressing a select group o guests at the high commissioner`s residence here, Mr
Adani praised NRIs or their contributions in their adopted countries. He used his skill as a
good storyteller to show how Indians abroad ecelled in their proessions. Mr Adani also
relected on how cynicism hampered progress in India and urged people to be positie in their
attitude.
- ltt:,,rrr.a.iavage.cov,vaiv.a.?a,ovt~2ccat1~1ccat2~22cver.i~11
BJP can no longer claim providing riot-free Govt: Advani
Pre.. 1rv.t of Ivia
Bhopal,September 04: Deputy Prime Minister LK Adani on Vednesday said because
o the iolence in Gujarat ater the Godhra incident, the BJP can now no longer claim that it
always proided riot-ree Goernments.
Adani said beore the Gujarat incidents, he had claimed both in Parliament and outside that
no iolence eer took place in states, ruled by BJP.
But all this has now changed because o Gujarat,` Adani said in his address on the open-
ing day o the two-day meeting o BJP MLAs and oice-bearers rom Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Goa.
He said the \ajpayee Goernment at the Centre had done ecellent work since 1998 and
urged party workers to tell people all oer the country about its achieements in arious ields.
- ltt:,,rrr.livv.tavtive..cov,ver.,11_:1,0000001.ltv
(1li. ivterrier aeare ov Marcl 12, 2002,
It had to be done, VHP leader says of riots
leea latt in Ahmedabad
In a startling reelation, Proessor Kesharam Kashiram Shastri, 96-year-old chairman o
the Gujarat unit o the \ishwa Hindu Parishad, told reiff.cov that the list o shops owned by
Muslims in Ahmedabad was prepared on the morning o lebruary 28 itsel.
Shastri was replying to an allegation that shops in Ahmedabad were looted on the basis o
a list prepared by the \HP in adance and that the iolence was not a spontaneous outburst
against the carnage in Godhra.
A scholar o the Mahabharat and a highly respected literary igure o Gujarat, Shastri said in
a tape-recorded interiew, In the morning we sat down and prepared the list. Ve were not
prepared in adance.`
Asked why they did it, he responded, Karrvv ae, arrvv ae it had to be done, it had
to be done,. Ve don`t like it, but we were terribly angry. Lust and anger are blind.` He said the
rioters were era,ea ivv clora` well-bred Hindu boys,.
He said there were two reasons or the inactiity o the Ahmedabad police during the
rioting. They eared death,` he said simply. And some o them were Hindus who thought, let
the mob do whateer it wants.`
He agreed that the atmosphere in the city now is so charged that i he were to go to the
Muslim-dominated Kalupur area o Ahmedabad, he would not come back alie.
He admitted that people had been burnt, mosques razed, and shops looted, but argued that
all that had been done in a renzy`.
Shastri agreed that iolence was not the answer to iolence, but remarked, These things
|vovrioevce[ look good in the .la.tra.. Our boys were charged because in Godhra women and
children were burnt alie. The crowd was spontaneous. All o them were not \HP people.
The Vaghri community a scheduled caste, didn`t een know the ictims o Godhra, but they
hae done an amazing job! They are not our members. In illages all these people who were
angry are not our people. They are angry because ivvtra was attacked. This is an outburst, a
tremendous outburst that will be diicult to roll back.`
He said the situation could get aggraated and bigger riots were possible. There will be a
war,` he said. So much poison has spread that it`s diicult o contain it now.`
Asked how he, a scholar and a litterateur, could condone innocents being burnt alie, he
remarked, The youngsters hae done een those things which we don`t like. Ve don`t support
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it. But we can`t condemn it because they are our boys. I my daughter does something, will I
condemn it
Ve don`t beliee that the boys hae done something wrong, because this was the result o
an outburst. But we do eel that they should not hae gone so ar. But that`s an aterthought. Ve
needed to do something. It`s said that snakes that are not poisonous should keep the enemy
away by hissing once in a while.`
He agreed that in Hindu philosophy, such actions are sinul, but it`s done! Now we should
work or peace. Because India can`t aord such disturbances.`
The Ahmedabad police hae so ar arrested 9 persons on charges o rioting, looting,
burning and killing people in response to irst inormation reports iled by the ictims and
relaties o the dead.
According to the police, the search or looted goods has been quite successul. In many
colonies and slums, looted stu has been ound abandoned on the roads by rioters earul o
being caught.
According to a police source, a legislator in Ahmedabad has sought police protection be-
cause the relaties o those arrested hae been nagging him day and night to get them out.
A senior police oicer told reiff.cov that the arrested boys are now blaming local leaders and
saron actiists. Our boys did it because the mobs and leaders supported it. Now how can
you arrest them` say the relaties o the rioters.
According to Shastri , The \HP has ormed a panel o 50 lawyers to help release the
arrested people accused o rioting and looting. None o the lawyers will charge any ees
because they beliee in the RSS ideology.`
- ltt:,,rrr.reiff.cov,ver.,2002,var,12traiv.ltv
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80N N0l8l 00f0f, 0M008080 1.
Spot inestigation report No.2 regarding CR No. 9,2002. Godhra Railway Police Station
A team o orensic eperts had isited the place o oence on 3,5,2002 in which along
with the under signed, Shri AN Joshi, Scientiic Oicer, Ahmedabad was included. In order to
recreate the real picture o how the oence was committed on the day o incident, one coach
o the train was kept on the same spot. Vith the help o dierent types o containers eperi-
mental demonstrations were also carried out by using liquids inside the said coach. On the basis
o which the ollowing conclusions were made.
J. It was ound that the height o the window o the coach was around t. rom the
ground at the place. Under this circumstance, it was not possible to throw any inlammable
luid inside rom outside the coach rom any bucket or carboy, because by doing this, most o
the luid was getting thrown outside. At the place o the incidents there was one heap o grit
o three eet height at a distance o around 14-t. in the southern side o the coach. Vater was
thrown on the windows o the coach with the help o bucket standing on the top o the said
heap, in that case only about 10 to 15 o the water went inside and the rest o the quantity
was spilled outside itsel. Thus i the inlammable luid is thrown rom outside then major part
o it would all around the track outside and catch ire and cause damage to the outer part o
bottom side o the coach. But ater eamination o the coach and the track, no eect was
ound o the ire on bottom side below the windows o the coach. By taking in to consider-
ation this act and also the burning pattern o the outer side o the coach, a conclusion can be
drawn that no inlammable luid had been thrown inside rom outside o the coach.
2. There also appears to be no possibility that any inlammable liquid was thrown through
the door o the bogie.
3. By standing in the passage between the compartment o the bogey and the northern side
door o the eastern side o the bogie, water was poured towards the western side rom a
container with a wide mouth like a bucket, in that case most part o the bogie was coered
with 60 liters o water. By pouring the water in this manner, the water went only towards the
Vest and no part o it came out o the door nor did it go towards the latrine side.
4. On the basis o the aboe eperimental demonstration such a conclusion can be drawn
that 60 liters o inlammable liquid was poured towards the western side by using a wide
mouthed container by standing on the passage between the northern side door o the eastern
side o the S-6 coach and the compartment o seat No. 2 and coach was set on ire immedi-
ately thereater. I the period ater the train had started rom Godhra Railway Station, intensity
o ire, the degree o burn o the objects that were inside the bogie etc. are taken into account,
it can also be concluded that a large quantity around 60 liters, o highly inlammable luid was
used to set the aoresaid ire and that the ire had spread ery rapidly.
Sd,-
Dr. M S Dahiya
Assistant Director
Seal,
Spot investigation report No. J regarding CR No. 9/2/2002.
Godhra Railway Police Station
The orensic eperts had isited the place o oence on 1,5,2002. In the team o the
eperts along with the undersigned, the other eperts were Shri AR \aghela, Scientiic Oicer,
\adodara, Shri \ogesh Patel, Scientiic Oicer Mobile,, Panchmahal and Shri SI Desai, Pho-
tographer, Surat. The eperts hae made detailed inestigation o the burnt down S-6 coach
o the Sabarmati Lpress train. The said coach was kept in the yard o Godhra railway station.
The obserations made on the basis o the inormations learnt by the detailed eamination o
the coach are as under.
J. A large number o hit marks were obsered on the outer part o the southern side o the
burnt out S-6 coach which were due to stones. Apart rom this a large number o stones were
ound scattered inside the coach and similarly glass pieces were also seen. It was ound that the
said glass pieces were o the windows. lrom these obserations it is possible to say that there
was large scale stone pelting on the coach rom outside and the glasses o the southern side
was primarily broken due to stone throwing and the glass o the northern side were broken
due to the heat o the ire.
2. lrom the condition o the colour on the door o the coach, the burning pattern, condi-
tion o the hand lock, the marks o the melting Aluminum strips o the rame o the window
etc. it can be established that both the east-west doors o the northern side o the coach and
similarly the eastern door o the southern side, thus a total o three doors were opened at the
time o the incident o ire and the door in the west direction o the southern side was closed.
3. Out o the windows in the southern side, one rod o one o the windows was ound to
be broken due to heat. As the height o the lower part o the window was at the height o
more than t. rom the ground, it negates the possibility o orce on the rod rom window
side. lurther it was not ound that any instrument was used to bend the rod. Thus, it becomes
clear that the rod was attempted to be broken by the use o orce rom inside. It appears that
the other rods had become loose due to the melting o joints due to heat.
4. By obsering the burning pattern inside the coach, its degree, the depth and the eligatering
pattern on the loor, it appears that the ire has spread inside the coach ery rapidly. lurther, by
obsering the intensity o the eligatering pattern on the loor, it appears that the ire has started
rom the eastern side o the coach and thereater spread towards western side rapidly. lurther,
it appears that the intensity and proportion o the burning o the objects inside the coach was
ery high, up to around 80 part o the east to west side whereas in the 20 part, the intensity
o burning was less in comparison with 80 part.
S. No sign was obsered o the use o any corrosie luid like acid in the said ire.
6. By obsering the condition o the rames o the windows o the coach it appears that
all the windows o the coach were closed during the time o the ire.
Dr. M.S. Dahiya
Assistant Director
Seal,
UN convention on genocide
Conention on the Preention and Punishment o the Crime o Genocide: Approed and
proposed or signature and ratiication or accession by General Assembly resolution 260 A
III, o 9 December 1948 entry into orce 12 January 1951, in accordance with article XIII
1le Covtractivg Partie.,
Haing considered the declaration made by the General Assembly o the United Nations in
its resolution 96 I, dated 11 December 1946 that genocide is a crime under international law,
contrary to the spirit and aims o the United Nations and condemned by the ciilized world,
Recognizing that at all periods o history genocide has inlicted great losses on humanity, and
Being coninced that, in order to liberate mankind rom such an odious scourge, interna-
tional co-operation is required,
Hereby agree as hereinater proided:
Ar:1.I. 1
The Contracting Parties conirm that genocide, whether committed in time o peace or in
time o war, is a crime under international law, which they undertake to preent and to punish.
Ar:1.I. 2
In the present Conention, genocide means any o the ollowing acts committed with intent
to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
a, Killing members o the group,
b, Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members o the group,
c, Deliberately inlicting on the group conditions o lie calculated to bring about its physi-
cal destruction in whole or in part,
d, Imposing measures intended to preent births within the group,
e, lorcibly transerring children o the group to another group.
Ar:1.I. J
The ollowing acts shall be punishable:
a, Genocide,
b, Conspiracy to commit genocide,
c, Direct and public incitement to commit genocide,
d, Attempt to commit genocide,
e, Complicity in genocide.
0K0f0 1
08 0090ll0 0 6000l00
Ar:1.I. 4
Persons committing genocide or any o the other acts enumerated in article III shall be
punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public oicials or priate indi-
iduals.
Ar:1.I. 3
The Contracting Parties undertake to enact, in accordance with their respectie Constitu-
tions, the necessary legislation to gie eect to the proisions o the present Conention, and,
in particular, to proide eectie penalties or persons guilty o genocide or any o the other
acts enumerated in article III.
Ar:1.I.
Persons charged with genocide or any o the other acts enumerated in article III shall be
tried by a competent tribunal o the State in the territory o which the act was committed, or
by such international penal tribunal as may hae jurisdiction with respect to those Contracting
Parties which shall hae accepted its jurisdiction.
Ar:1.I. 7
Genocide and the other acts enumerated in article III shall not be considered as political
crimes or the purpose o etradition.
The Contracting Parties pledge themseles in such cases to grant etradition in accordance
with their laws and treaties in orce.
Ar:1.I. 8
Any Contracting Party may call upon the competent organs o the United Nations to
take such action under the Charter o the United Nations as they consider appropriate or
the preention and suppression o acts o genocide or any o the other acts enumerated
in article III.
Ar:1.I. v
Disputes between the Contracting Parties relating to the interpretation, application or ulill-
ment o the present Conention, including those relating to the responsibility o a State or
genocide or or any o the other acts enumerated in article III, shall be submitted to the
International Court o Justice at the request o any o the parties to the dispute.
December 18, 1992
47/J3S. Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Lthnic,
Religious and Linguistic Minorities
The General Assembly,
Reairming that one o the main purpose o the United Nations, as proclaimed in the
Charter o the United Nations, is to achiee international cooperation in promoting and en-
couraging respect or human rights and or undamental reedoms or all without distinction
as to race, se, language or religion,
Noting the importance o the een more eectie implementation o international human
rights instruments with regard to the rights o persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious
and linguistic minorities,
Velcoming the increased attention gien by human rights treaty bodies to the non-discrimi-
nation and protection o minorities,
Aware o the proisions o article 2 o the International Coenant on Ciil and Political
Rights 144 concerning the rights o persons belonging to ethnic, religious o linguistic minorities,
Considering that the United Nations has an increasingly important role to play regarding the
protection o minorities,
Bearing in mind the work done so ar within the United Nations system, in particular through
the releant mechanisms o the Commission on Human Rights and the Sub-commission on
Preention o Discrimination and Protection o Minorities, in promoting and protecting the
rights o persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities,
Recognizing the important achieements in this regard in regional, sub-regional and bilateral
rameworks, which can proide a useul source o inspiration or uture United Nations actiities,
Stressing the need to ensure or all, without discrimination o any kind, ull enjoyment and
eercise o human rights and undamental reedoms, and emphasizing the importance o the
drat Declaration on the Rights o Persons Belonging to National or Lthnic, Religious and
Linguistic Minorities in that regard,
Recalling its resolution 46,115 o 1 December 1991 and taking note o Commission on
Human Rights resolution 1992,16 o 21 lebruary 1992, by which the Commission ap-
proed the tet o the drat declaration on the rights o persons belonging to national or
ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and Lconomic and Social Council resolution 1992,
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08 000l8f8ll0 0 80lll008 Nl0flll08
4 o 20 July 1992, in which the Council recommended it to the General Assembly or adoption
and urther action.
Haing considered the note by the Secretary-General,
1. Adopts the Declaration on the Rights o Persons Belonging to National or Lthnic, reli-
gious and Linguistic Minorities, the tet o which is anneed to the present resolution,
2. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the distribution o the Declaration as widely as
possible and to include the tet o the Declaration in the net edition o Human Rights: A
Compilation o International Instruments,
3. Inites United Nations agencies and organizations and intergoernmental and non-go-
ernmental organizations to intensiy their eorts with a iew to disseminating inormation on
the Declaration and to promoting understanding thereo,
4. Inites the releant organs and bodies o the United Nations, including treaty bodies, as
well as representaties o the Commission on Human Rights and the Sub-commission Preen-
tion o Discrimination and Protection o Minorities, to gie due regard to the Declaration
within their mandates,
5. Requests the Secretary-General to consider appropriate ways or the eectie promotion
o the Declaration and to make proposals thereon,
6. Also request sthe Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its orty-eighth session
on the implementation o the present resolution under the item entitled Human rights questions`.
92
nd
plenary meeting
18 December 1992
Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Lthnic, Religious
and Linguistic Minorities
The General Assembly,
Reairming that one o the basic aims o the United Nations, as proclaimed in the Charter,
is to promote and encourage respect or human rights and or undamental reedoms or all,
without distinction as to race, se, language or religion,
Reairming aith in undamental human rights, in the dignity and worth o the human
person, in the equal rights o men and women and o nations large and small,
Desiring to promote the realization o the principles contained in the Charter, the Uniersal
Declaration o Human Rights, the Conention on the preention and punishment o the
Crime o Genocide, the International Conention on the Llimination o All lorms o Racial
Discrimination , the International Coenant on Ciil and Political Rights, the International Co-
enant on Lconomic, Social and Cultural rights, the Declaration on the Llimination o All
lorms o Intolerance and o Discrimination Based Child, as well as other releant interna-
tional instruments that hae been adopted at the uniersal or regional leel and those concluded
between indiidual States Members o the United Nations,
Inspired by the proisions o article 2 o the International Coenant on Ciil and Political
Rights concerning the rights o persons belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities,
Considering that the promotion and protection o the rights o persons belonging to na-
tional or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities contribute to the political and social stability
o States in which they lie,
Lmphasizing that the constant promotion and realization o the rights o persons belonging
to national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as an integral part o the deelopment o
society as a whole and within a democratic ramework based on the rule o law, would
contribute to the strengthening o riendship and cooperation among people and States.
Considering that the United Nations has an important role to play regarding the protec-
tion o minorities,
Bearing in mind the work done so ar within the United Nations system, in particular by the
Commission on Human Rights, the Sub-commission on Preention o Discrimination and Pro-
tection o Minorities and the bodies established pursuant to the International Coenants on Hu-
man Rights 16 and other releant international human rights instruments in promoting and pro-
tecting the rights o persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities,
Taking into account the important work which is done by intergoernmental and non-
goernmental organizations in protecting minorities and in promoting and protecting the rights
o persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities,
Recognizing the need to ensure een more eectie implementation o international human
rights instruments with regard to the rights o persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious
and linguistic minorities,
Proclaims this Declaration on the Rights o Persons Belonging to National or Lthnic, Reli-
gious and Linguistic Minorities:
Ar:1.I. 1
1. States shall protect the eistence and the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic
identity o minorities within their respectie territories and shall encourage conditions or the
promotion o that identity.
2. States shall adopt appreciate legislatie and other measures to achiee those ends.
Ar:1.I. 2
1. Persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious, linguistic minorities hereinater reer to
as persons belonging to minorities, hae the right to enjoy their own culture, to proess and
practice their own religion and to use their own language in priate and in public, reely and
without intererence or any orm o discrimination.
2. Persons belonging to minorities hae the right to participate eectiely in culture, reli-
gious, social, economic and public lie.
3. Persons belonging to minorities hae the right to participate eectiely in decisions on the
national and, where appropriate, regional leel concerning the minority to which they belong
or the regions in which they lie, in a manner not incompatible with national legislation.
Ar:1.I. J
1. Persons belonging to minorities may eercise their rights, including those set orth in the
present Declaration, indiidually as well as in community with other members o their group,
without any discrimination.
2. No disadantage shall result or any person belonging to a minority as the consequences
o the eercise or non-eercise o the rights set orth in the present Declaration.
Ar:1.I. 4
1. States shall take measures when required to ensure that Persons belonging to
minorities may eercise ully and eectiely all their human rights and undamental
reedoms without any discrimination and in ull equality beore the law.
2. States shall take measures to create aorable conditions to enable Persons belonging to
minorities to epress their characteristics and to deelop their culture, language, tradition, and
customs, ecept where speciic practices are in iolation o national law and contrary to inter-
national standards.
3. States should take appropriate measures so that where possible, Persons belonging to
minorities may hae educated opportunities to learn their mother tongue or to hae instruction
in their mother tongue.
4. States should, where appropriate, take measures in ield o education, in order to encourage
knowledge o the history, traditions, language, and culture o the minorities eisting within their
territory. Persons belonging to minorities should hae adequate opportunities to gain knowledge
o the society as a whole.
5. States should consider appropriate measures so that Persons belonging to minorities may
participate ully in the economic progress and deelopment in their country.
Ar:1.I. 3
1. National policies and programmes shall be planned and implemented with due regard or
the legitimate interests o Persons belonging to minorities.
2. Programmes o cooperation and assistance among States should be planned and imple-
mented with due regard or the legitimate interests o Persons belonging to minorities.
Ar:1.I.
States should cooperate on questions relating to Persons belonging to minorities, inter alia, e-
changing inormation and eperience, in order to promote mutual understanding and conidence.
Ar:1.I. 7
States should cooperate in order to promote respect or the rights set orth in the present
Declaration.
Ar:1.I. 8
1. Nothing in the present Declaration shall preent the ulillment o international obligations
o States in relation to Persons belonging to minorities. In particular, States shall ulil in good aith
the obligations and commitments they hae assumed under international treaties and agreements
to which they are parties.
2. The eercise o the rights set orth in the present Declaration shall not prejudice the
enjoyment by all persons o uniersally recognized human rights and undamental reedoms.
3. Measures taken by States to ensure the eectie enjoyment o the rights set orth in the
present Declaration shall not prima acie be considered contrary to the principle o equality
contained in the Uniersal Declaration o Human Rights.
4. Nothing in the present Declaration may be construed as permitting any actiity contrary
to the purpose and principles o the United Nations, including soereign equality, territorial
integrity and political independence o States.
Ar:1.I. v
The specialized agencies and other organizations o the United Nations system shall contrib-
ute to the ull realization o the right and principles set orth in the present Declaration, within
their respectie ields o competence.
Shri Narendra Modi Chie Minister,,
Shri Gordhan Zadaphai Home Minister,
Shri Ashok Bhatt, Health Minister,
Shri Nitin Patel Minister o inance,
Shri Naranbai Laloodas Patel Minister o Transportation,
Shri RM Patel IAS, Secretary, Social Justice & Lmpowerment,
Shri G Subha Rao IAS Chie Secretary,
Shri K Nityandam IPS,, Chie Secretary,Home,
Shri Ashok Narayan, IAS, Additional Chie Secretary Home,
Shri Himmatsingh Patel, Mayor, Ahmedabad Munucipal Corporation,
Shri P Paneerel IAS, Municipal Commissioner
Shri. K. Srinias, Collector. Ahmedabad
Shri KK Shastri, \HP oice
Shri PC Pandey, Commissioner o Police
Shri K Chakraarty, DG & IGP Police Commissionerate
Shri Rahul Sharma, Deputy Commissioner o Police
Shri \iek Sriastaa, Deputy Commissioner o Police Prohibition & Lcise,
Shri \inod Mall, Additional Commissioner o Police,
The designations are as o the date that the letters were sent
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lrom Godhra to Ahmedabad, in so many places, there are so many incidents o people
being burnt alie, including helpless women and children. This is a blot on nation`s orehead
and has grieously harmed India`s image in the eyes o the world`.
-lri .ta ilari 1aa,ee, Prive Mivi.ter of Ivia`. .tatevevt ov Marcl , 2002, frov tle PMO`. reb.ite
I do not know what ace I will show them the world, now ater the shameul eents in
Gujarat.`
-lri .ta elari 1aa,ee, vrivg li. ri.it to .lveaba ov .ri 1, 200, qvote iv 1le ivv.tav 1ive..
My one message to the chie minister is that he should ollow ra larva. A ruler should not
make any discrimination between his subjects on the basis o caste, creed and religion.`
- .ta elari 1aa,ee, vrivg li. ri.it to .lveaba ov .ri 1, 2002, qvote iv 1le ivv.tav 1ive..
Iviav re.. (21 .ri 2002,
Who are these people accusing us, India was secular even before
Muslims and Christians'
(Rerivte lere i. tle vgi.l tet of tle .eecl, eirere iv ivi, b, Prive Mivi.ter .ta ilari
1aa,ee at a vbic veetivg iv Coa ov .ri 12,.
I was in Cambodia just recently. It is the Kamboj state o the past, where magniicent
temples that kissed the sky were built in the 10th and the 11th centuries. It had Hindu states
ruled by Hindu kings. There were others too among the citizens, but there was justice towards
all. Sometimes the kings also used to ight among themseles. The wheel o ictory and deeat
rolled on. But during their centuries` long history there isn`t a single instance o a Hindu king
destroying temples or breaking idols when he attacked another Hindu king. The kings who
were ictorious used to build a new temple. I \ishnu was being worshipped there earlier,
later Shia began to be worshipped. I Shia was being worshipped at one time, then other
deities began to be worshipped later. Neertheless, no king destroyed a temple or damaged
the deities` idols at the time o attacking another king.
This is our culture. This is our outlook, which treats all aiths equally. \et, accusations are
being hurled today that secularism is under threat. Vho are these people accusing us Vhat is
the meaning o secularism or these people India was secular een when Muslims hadn`t
come here and Christians hadn`t set oot on this soil. It is not as i India became secular ater
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they came. They came with their own modes o worship and they too were gien a place o
honor and respect. They had the reedom to worship God as per their wish and inclination.
No one thought o conerting them with orce, because this is not practised in our religion,
and in our culture, there is no use or it.
Today the 100 crore people o India are engaged in creating their uture on the basis
o their own culture. Sometimes, minor incidents do take place here and there, some-
times these take the orm o major incidents. But i you go to the root o these inci-
dents, you will ind intolerance, you`ll ind them to be a maniestation o growing intol-
erance.
Vhat happened in Gujarat I a conspiracy had not been hatched to burn alie the
innocent passengers o the Sabarmati Lpress, then the subsequent tragedy in Gujarat
could hae been aerted. But this did not happen. People were torched alie. Vho were
those culprits The Goernment is inestigating into this. Intelligence agencies are collect-
ing all the inormation. But we should not orget how the tragedy o Gujarat started. The
subsequent deelopments were no doubt condemnable, but who lit the ire How did the
ire spread Ours is a multi-religious country, a multi-lingual country, we hae many di-
erent modes o worship. Ve beliee in peaceul and harmonious co-eistence. Ve be-
liee in equal respect or all aiths. Let no one challenge India`s secularism. I hae read
somewhere in newspapers that the Congress Party has decided not to try to topple my
Goernment. Shall I thank them or this Or shall I say that the Grapes are sour`` How
will the Goernment all Once they did topple it, but they couldn`t orm one themseles.
Then a resh mandate rom the people was called or, and the people once again gae us
an opportunity to sere them.
lor us, the soil o India rom Goa to Guwahati is the same, all the people liing on
this land are the same. Ve do not beliee in religious etremism. Today the threat to our
nation comes rom terrorism. Vhereer I went around the world, the heads o state or
o elected goernments complained to me that militant Islam is sowing thorns along
their paths. Islam has two acets. One is that which tolerates others, which teaches its
adherents to ollow the path o truth, which preaches compassion and sensitiity. But
these days, militancy in the name o Islam leaes no room or tolerance. It has raised the
slogan o Jehad. It is dreaming o recasting the entire world in its mould.
\ou will be surprised to hear this - indeed, I too was surprised - that some terrorists
belonging to Al-Qaeda were arrested in Singapore. The rulers o Singapore couldn`t een
hae imagined that Al-Qaeda would be actie in their country, too, that Al-Qaeda would
hatch a conspiracy in Singapore too. Some 15 or 16 persons were arrested, an inestiga-
tion is underway, which will reeal the truth. The same is happening in Indonesia. The
same is happening in Malaysia. Vhereer such Muslims lie, they tend not to lie in co-
eistence with others, not to mingle with others, and instead o propagating their ideas in
a peaceul manner, they want to spread their aith by resorting to terror and threats. The
world has become alert to this danger.
As ar as we are concerned, we hae been ighting against terrorism or the past 20
years. Terrorists hae tried to grab Jammu and Kashmir through iolence, but we hae
countered them. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part o India, and will oreer remain
so. No other country`s dream will eer come true. Now other nations in the world hae
started to realize what a great mistake they did by neglecting terrorism. Now they are
waking up, and are organising themseles. They are putting together an international con-
sensus against terrorism.
Ve tell them through our own eample that a large number o non-Hindus lie in
our country, but there has neer eer been religious persecution here. Ve hae neer
discriminated between our people`` and aliens``. The modes o worship may di-
er, but God is one. Only the paths to reach Him and realize Him can be dierent.
It is or this reason that India`s prestige is growing, India`s reputation is rising. I hae
also had an occasion to isit many other countries. Lerywhere Muslims lie in large
numbers. And the rulers in those countries are worried lest those Muslims embrace
etremism. Ve told them that they should educate people on the true tenets o
Islam, that they should teach science in madrasas, and that they should also teach
other subjects in madrasas. Islam too should be taught, but emphasize that people
should lie together and that that it is necessary to accept that aith cannot be propa-
gated on the strength o the sword.
Our Goernment has completed two-and-a-hal years. Ve hae tried to change
the ace o our country. In a country, which once had a scarcity o oodgrains,
which used to import oodgrains to eed its people, in that ery same country we
hae created a situation wherein, thanks to our toiling kisans, a day has come when
we eport oodgrains to other countries and eed the stomachs o their citizens.
Ve hae large oreign echange reseres. Ve are progressing in science and tech-
nology. Our young men and women are ecelling in global competition. Len in the
midst o an economic recession, India is progressing, India is marching ahead. Vhen
taes are imposed in the budget, it is bound to create some diiculties, but in turn,
we are ulilling many needs o our people. Ve hae taken up such works and
projects that were neer touched in the past. Ve want to create world-class national
highways o our lanes that link the North to the South and the Last to the Vest,
and on which there can be obstruction-ree traic. Vork has already begun on this
massie National Highway Deelopment Project coering 13,000 kilometers. Ve
will spend 60,000 crore rupees on this project. Ve want to build a network o good
roads all oer the country.
Ve hae also prepared programmes and projects or the deelopment o Goa.
There is a proposal to link Goa to the Goden Quadrilateral part o the National
Highway Deelopment Project. I wish to assure you that we shall do eerything
possible to implement this proposal. lor this, the National Highway No. 1 will be
widened to our lanes. Ve shall see to it that this proposal goes ahead.
Vhen I had come here last time, I had spoken about improing the sewerage system
along the coastal belt o Goa. Beach tourism is adersely aected by this. It is ery neces-
sary that the sewerage system is improed along the coastal belt i we want that tourists
come here. Nature has made Goa ery beautiul. It has a sea coast. Goa is an enchanting
place. Tourists wish to come here in large numbers. Howeer, we need to create better
acilities or them. The State Goernment is making eorts in this direction. I wish to
assure the State Goernment that whereer Central assistance is needed, we shall proide
such assistance in required quantity.
Goa is also paying attention to the deelopment o roads. Ve are trying to build roads
to connect all the unconnected illages. Goa does not hae unconnected illages and hilly
regions, but it has a large, well-spread out area. It is necessary to link it with good roads
and to make communication smooth. The problem o water is growing in North Goa.
Pollution too is becoming a serious problem. I any project to tackle these problems comes
beore the Goernment, we shall proide assistance to them and contribute to their comple-
tion. Goa will once again pass through a trial. The Goa Goernment acted on its own to
dissole itsel. This showed that those who were running the Goernment in Goa had no lust
or power. Vhen they realized that the atmosphere had got polluted, that party-hopping had
started, and that they were not in a position to sere the people, then our riends dissoled the
Legislatie Assembly in Goa.
Now a new Assembly will be elected. It will be elected with your otes. It will be elected
with your choice. \ou elect such a new Goernment that will be stable, that will be ree o
corruption, and that will open up new aenues or Goa`s progress. The orthcoming election
will gie you an opportunity to do so. I necessary, we in Delhi shall mobilize resources or
your deelopment. At the ery least, we shall certainly send you our best wishes.

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1 Concerned Citizens Tribunal - Gujarat 2002

Wake up.. Get up.. Be united...

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