Gujarat Riots- Ignored facts
Manmath Deshpande, Nagpur

The media- biased against the Sangh Parivar and the BJP- has written horribly about the Gujarat riots. Innocent well-meaning people have fallen prey to the media's evil designs. The Gujarat riots were plain riots- not pogrom' or 'massacre'. The state government- far from being involved in the riots- handled the riots effeciently and controlled them in 3 days- while riots continued in Gujarat for 6 months in 1969 and 1985 under Congress rule in which close to 10,000 people each were killed. At the time of the 2002 riots, this same English media did report the truth at times. The following facts will make it clear-

1) On 28 February 2002 , The Hindustan Times reported that the entire police force of 70,000 had been deployed in Gujarat view of apprehensions that riots may break out.

2) On Feb 28 The Indian Express reported that “(On Feb 27) the state government had deployed the Rapid Action Force in Ahmedabad and other sensitive areas and the Centre sent in CRPF personnel”.. Both these reports were published even before a single riot had taken place.

3) Riots began in Ahmedabad on Feb 28 at 11 AM . India Today weekly ( 18 March 2002 ) reports that Modi informally requested the Centre for deployment of Army at 12-00 noon i.e. within 1 hour. The same weekly also reports one column of troops reached Ahmedabad at 2-30 AM on 1st March and staged a flag march the same morning at 9 AM.

4) The same weekly in the issue also says that the then Defence Minister George Fernandes was in Ahmedabad at 2-00 Am on 1st March on Modi's request and was bravely on Ahmedabad’s streets that morning (1st March) at a great personal risk.

5) The Hindu reported on 1st March 2002 that, “The Army units, frantically called by the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi…started arriving in Ahmedabad…”.This shows that some Army units reached Ahmedabad so quickly on Feb 28 that The Hindu had time to report their arrival on Feb 28 itself and publish it on 1st March!

6) Out of 18,600 villages, 240 towns and 25 district headquarters, hardly 60 places saw riots. One-third of Gujarat, i.e. Saurashtra and Kutch were completely unaffected by riots even in the first 3 days. After the first three days- riots were limited to Ahmedabad, Vadodara and some places near Godhra- and almost all were started by Muslims.

7) In the first three days- Gujarat police shot dead 98 rioters- majority of whom were Hindus. On 1st March, The Hindu reported that- "At least 10 people have been killed in police firing in Ahmedabad alone by evening (of Feb 28)". Then on 2nd March, The Indian Express reported that "Police shot dead 20 people in Gujarat, 12 in Ahmedabad, on 1st March". Then on 3rd March, Indian Express reported-"77 more people have been killed in Police/ Army firing (on 2nd March)". Then on 2nd March 'The Hindu' reported that-"Unlike Feb 28 when one community was entirely at the receiving end, the minority backlash on 1st March has further worsened the situation."

8) The Times of India dated 18 March 2002 devoted a complete report titled, “Riots hit all classes, people of all faith” on Hindu victims of the riots and says, “Contrary to popular belief that only Muslims have been affected in the recent riots more than 10,000 persons belonging to the Hindu community have also become homeless”.

9) The Indian Express devoted two full reports exclusively to Hindu victims in Ahmedabad in its issues dated 7 May 2002 and 10th May 2002. The victims were not only homeless; they did not even have relief camps to live in, and hence had to live in temples.

10) India Today weekly reports in its issue dated 27 May 2002, “A series of attacks by Muslims on policemen has further added to mutual lack of faith. Now strapped with the anti-Muslim label, the police has been slow in acting against Muslim fanatics”.

11) India Today (27 May 2002) also gives details of attacks on Hindus by Muslims. The same weekly reports in its issue dated 15 April 2002 that- “A young Hindu went to Himmatnagar (Muslim) area of Ahmedabad to do business and was found dead, with his eyes gouged out”. This issue also gives details of Muslim aggression.

12) India Today weekly dated 22 April 2002 also reports that ‘Gujarat police saved 2,500 Muslims from certain death in Sanjeli, North Gujarat on 1st March 2002’. The weekly also says- ‘Like Sanjeli, 5,000 Muslims were also saved in Bodeli town in Vadodara district by the police’ and ‘Thousands of Muslims were also saved in Viramgam town from 15,000 armed Hindus’ by police and the Army. The UPA government- staunchly anti-BJP, has given figures of 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus killed in the Gujarat riots, and 223 missing, in Rajya Sabha on 11 May 2005. A total of 790 Muslims were killed in the riots- more than thrice that number were saved on one day at a single place.

13) Throughout Gujarat riots- there are only two instances of real anti-Muslim riots-The Ehsan Jafri case and the Naroda Patiya case. In the Ehsan Jafri case, the police shot dead 5 Hindus outside his house and saved the lives of more than 200 Muslims. There were 250 people inside Jafri's house and the mob killed 39- with police saving more than 200- despite being overwhelmingly numbered by the rioters who were more than 10,000..

14) There have been 4 convictions of Muslims for rioting after Godhra and Muslims were given various sentences. 4 Muslims were convicted by a Vadodara fast track court on 16 October 2003 and given life imprisonment. Ex-Vadodara Deputy Mayor and Congress leader Nisar Bapu was acquitted, but his son and son-in-law were convicted. This was reported in at least three English dailies, including The Times of India dated 17 October 2003. 9 and 7 Muslims were convicted in two separate judgments on 18 and 28 March 2006 by fast track courts in Ahmedabad- reported by all major English dailies the next day. Muslims were hardly the cattle hiding from the slaughter house that the media makes them out to be. The conviction of Muslims proves that Muslims were equally on the offensive.

The newspaper editors and others who call the Gujarat riots as a 'holocuast', 'pogrom', 'genocide' or 'massacre' should look at their own newspapers' reports on these very things. Will these facts awaken the conscience of the newspaper editors and journalists and ofcourse the electronic media and make them reveal the bitter truth of the Gujarat riots- that even after Godhra, the riots that followed were not one-sided?

Yours sincerely,
Manmath Deshpande, Nagpur
"Anand Vilas", Chitale Road,
Dhantoli, Nagpur- 440012