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News : Archive (July 1-15, 2002)
- Gujarat riot victims: End of a makeshift home?
AFP, Ahmedabad, July 15 Crammed into a rickshaw, their feet lying on piles of clothes and cutlery, the Ismail family is finally ending four months in a makeshift displacement camp--by returning to a burned-out home.
- ‘Elections help resolve issues, Gujarat now needs a new govt’
Darshan Desai, The Indian Express, July 15, 2002
Kanwar Pal Singh Gill thinks it’s time to book his flight out of Gandhinagar, to which he was sent by the Centre as Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s Security Advisor on May 2. It’s Gill’s view — as reported by The Indian Express on July 13 — that his assignment has now reached its last chapter, that the next big thing for Gujarat is Assembly elections. Gill spoke to Darshan Desai in Gandhinagar.
- First Gujarat verdict is Not Guilty, courtesy the cops
Burning Muslim shops: all acquitted in just two sessions
Milind Ghatwai, The Indian Express, July 14, 2002
Lunawada, Gujarat, July 13: If this is a test case for justice, the victims have reason to worry. For, in the first verdict delivered in the Gujarat riots last week, all nine people arrested for setting shops owned by Muslims on fire here were set free.
This came after an unusually speedy trial that has raised several questions over the police’s sketchy chargesheet and its lax approach to the case.
- Rath yatra over, Muslims heave sigh of relief
Shefali Nautiyal, The Indian Express, July 13, 2002
Ahmedabad, July 12: For days, even the thought of the rath yatra sent shivers down their spine. Now that it has passed off peacefully, hundreds of Muslims residing in Dariapur and Shahpur — from where the rath yatra was to pass — are heaving a sigh of relief.
- Gujarat tense after rath yatra-related riots
Times News Network, July 13, 2002
KHEDA\PETLAD: While peace prevailed in the entire state, it was central Gujarat that witnessed communal flare-ups on the day of the Jagannath rath yatra. Both Kheda and Petlad towns witnessed pitched battles between two communities on Friday night and the situation was tense even on Saturday as curfew continued in Kheda.
- Gujarat rath yatra ends peacefully
Times News Network, July 12, 2002
AHMEDABAD: The 125th annual rath yatra of Lord Jagannath ended peacefully in Ahmedabad on Friday evening. It was a triumph of peace amid unprecedented stringent security arrangements and even though the crowds accompanying the chariots were less this year in view of the security concerns, the event was not lacking in its religious fervour.
- Hindus, Sikhs join Muslims to restore mosque
Lucknow, July 11 (PTI), Deccan Herald, July 12, 2002
In a show of communal amity, the Hindus and Sikhs have joined their Muslim brethren to restore a 150-year-old mosque in Lucknow.
The task of restoring the Jama Masjid, lying in a bad shape, was taken up by locals in 1995 and since then, a large portion has been spruced up with the help of local people from all religions who were contributing both in cash and kind, Rizwan Haider, the man behind the restoration work, told PTI.
- Tight security for rath yatra
By Manas Dasgupta, The Hindu, July 12, 2002
AHMEDABAD JULY 11. In view of the Jagannath rath yatra tomorrow, the walled city areas here have virtually been taken over by police. Khaki-clad men and women are seen everywhere — on the roads, at the bus stops and even on rooftops, guarding the traditional route of the annual yatra.
- Commandos to protect chariots during rathyatra
PTI, July 11, 2002
AHMEDABAD: The rathyatra began on Friday morning from Jagannath temple amid tight security. Commandos have been deployed to protect the chariots and bomb disposal squads are keeping a tight vigil to ensure that the yatra passes off peacefully.
- Clergy tell Muslims to stay indoors during yatra
Times News Network, July 11, 2002
AHMEDABAD: It's with an air of cocky confidence that the police are approaching the bandobast for the Rathyatra in a city on tenterhooks. But the Muslim clergy don't seem as sure.
- Ahmedabad residents hold breath for today’s rath yatra
Mukta Chakravorty, The Indian Express, July 11, 2002
Ahmedabad, July 11: Ahmedabad was wrapped in uncertainty and apprehension as arrangements were put in place for the annual rath yatra beginning Friday.
- Rathyatra sends them packing
Mukta Chakravorty, The Indian Express, July 11, 2002
Ahmedabad, July 10: WITH just a day to go for the Rathyatra, it’s pack up time for residents of the sensitive Dariapur and Shahpur areas. Fearing violence on July 12, many have locked up their homes and moved out, bag and baggage. Others are all set to follow suit.
- In Godhra, it’s no work and no pay
Milind Ghatwai, The Indian Express, July 10, 2002
Godhra, July 9: SITTING idle is a tough job but that’s what more than 20,000 Muslims are doing in Godhra. Rendered jobless after February 27, most of them just hang around their localities, staring at everything that goes by.
- Vadodara Muslims call for curfew during yatra
Times News Network, July 10, 2002
VADODARA: In a major initiative to ensure peace during the Jagannath Rathyatra in the city, leaders of the minority community here have agreed to observe 'janta curfew' in sensitive areas of the city. Friday's 'namaz' in the afternoon will also be held about half-an-hour before its scheduled time.
- Vadodara Rathyatra to stick to traditional route
Times News Network, July 09, 2002
VADODARA: The Jagannath Rathyatra, otherwise a low-key event in Vadodara, has this time become a cause of concern for the city police with organisers insisting that they would stick to the traditional route. The city police had been trying to convince the organisers to change the route as it passes through some sensitive areas.
- SC accepts NHRC plea
By Our Legal Correspondent, The Hindu, July 9th, 2002
NEW DELHI July 8. The Supreme Court today accepted the plea of the National Human Rights Commission and transferred to itself two petitions pending in the Gujarat and Madras High Courts pertaining to the `Godhra riots' and the arrest of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK president, M. Karunanidhi.
- After Gujarat
Prayers of Unknown Muslim
Mahmood Alam Raz, The Times of India, July 08, 2002
The Gujarat carnage has been meticulously documented by the media. There seems to be a general agreement over its origin. Burning of a railway car with the obvious intention of killing is a heinous crime in any language. That the mob doing so was Muslim does not make it any less gruesome. But what followed is unprecedented in its planning, precision of execution, tactical innovation and administration’s partisanship, if not participation, chiefly on the promptings of their political masters.
- Rathyatra procession cut down to one-third
Times News Network, July 08, 2002
AHMEDABAD: The length of the procession for the 125th annual Rathyatra scheduled on Friday has been cut down to one-third of the usual, owing to security reasons. The procession is now expected to wind up before sundown, trustees of the Shree Jagannathji Mandir trust told newspersons on Monday.
- Jobs gone, Muslims while away time
Milind Ghatwai, The Indian Express, July 8th, 2002
Godhra, July 7: Over 20,000 Muslims in this town have reportedly been rendered jobless since Feb 27. Among them are unauthorised vendors driven out of the station, drivers and cleaners of trucks torched or damaged, lorrywallas, and also those whose shops were bulldozed in Polan Bazar on Feb 28.
- Their shops make way for temples
Express News Service, July 7th, 2002
Ahmedabad, July 7: FOUR months ago, the riots snatched away their livelihood. But while other riot victims are busy rebuilding their lives, these shop owners are forced to watch helplessly. The reason: their shops were razed to the ground and temples built in their place.
- BJP gains, Gujarat loses
Narendra Modi has `served' his party well, writes Manas Dasgupta., The Hindu, July 7th, 2002
THE GUJARAT Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, has brought the BJP back from near oblivion in the State to a position of `strength' from where it can hope to return to power. He has `served' his party well.
- Normalcy returns, like a vulture
Amitava Kumar, The Hindustan Times, July 7, 2002
If you ask anyone in Ahmedabad why this happened-why what amounts to an ethnic cleansing took place-they will very likely tell you one of two things. They will say that the killings and the destruction was a just response to the torching, on February 27, of the train-compartment, in Godhra, in which 57 Hindu karsevaks perished. Or they will say that in India as a whole, and in Gujarat in particular, the Muslim is a second-class citizen and, in the current environment, any excuse can be used to kill or terrorize them. The two answers seem to present opposed truths. But, the depressing fact is that they both perform the same function: in Ahmedabad, they reveal the religious identity of the speaker.
- Advani disputes forensic report on Godhra
IANS, July 07, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani has rejected a forensic report that contradicts the government's view that a mob had set a train on fire from outside, killing 58 passengers, in February near here.
- Rathyatra: bandobast begins on war footing
Stavan Desai, The Indian Express, July 7, 2002
Ahmedabad, July 5: FOR the first time in several years, city police has sought the help of Indian Air Force (IAF) to provide a helicopter for aerial surveillance during the Rathyatra on July 12. Not taking any chances, police has also requested the Centre to alert the Army to be on standby. This is part of the unprecedented security arrangements being made for the 125th Rathyatra that will roll out from Jamalpur and pass through communally sensitive areas of Shahpur and Dariapur.
- Relief camp merger worries riot victims
Times News Network, July 07, 2002
AHMEDABAD: The riot-hit are gearing up for a second displacement. This time it was not the fear for life but the government's insistence to huddle them together at one spot.
Around 12,000 victims from Ahmedabad- who till now have made relief camps their second homes - are anxious about their imminent dislocation. They may have to shift to other camps if the government has its way.
- Godhra court acquits 9 riot-accused
Times News Network, July 06, 2002
GODHRA: A Godhra court has acquitted nine persons, accused in a case of burning and destruction of shops in Lunawada town in Panchmahal district, for lack of evidence.
- After homes, yatra hits Ahmedabad trade
Mukta Chakravorty, The Indian Express, July 6, 2002
Ahmedabad, July 5: It's not only those who live along th e yatra route who have shifted out. Even traders and businessmen, who operate from Shahpur and Dariapur, have begun vacating their shops fearing trouble during the yatra.
- Residents along Rathyatra route living on the edge
Ruchir Chandorkar, Times News Network, July 06, 2002
AHMEDABAD: All seems quiet when you journey down the tentative route that the Rathyatra would take on July 12. But scratch the surface and people express their misgivings about it and the possibility of violence in a city that recorded 500 deaths in March-April.
- NGO to help widows, children at Lunawada camp
Times News Network, July 06, 2002
VADODARA: To help rehabilitation of widows and children affected in the recent riots, the Guild of Service (GOS), a national voluntary organisation that is actively involved in providing services to people in difficult circumstances, has planned a home for 44 widows and 47 children currently residing in the Lunawada refuge camp.
- Muslims desert homes as Jagannath rath yatra nears
By Manas Dasgupta, The Hindu, July 6, 2002
AHMEDABAD July 5 . Wasim Khan, who is working with a non-government organisation in a riot relief camp here, has sent his family to some relatives' house in Karnataka. Nazir has already sent his children to Anand and now plans to shift his wife and other women there.
- Yatra of harmony
The original Jagannath rath yatra is different
Samanwaya, The Indian Express, July 5, 2002
In riot-hit Ahmedabad, rath yatras have become a cause of discord. The Jagannath Temple Trust had at first turned down pleas to change its route — citing tradition — although they later agreed to scale it down.
- Gujarat victims say they are being forced to leave camps
Sanjeev Singh, NDTV.com, July 5, 2002 (Ahmedabad)
While the Gujarat government is closing riot relief camps as proof of the improving law and order situation, organisers of these camps are alleging that these are being shut down for political reasons.
- ‘Closed’ camps have 15,000 inmates
The Collector duped us into signing forms, say organisers
Shefali Nautiyal, The Indian Express, July 5, 2002
Ahmedabad, July 4: Ten relief camps and 10,000 inmates: that’s District Collector K. Srinivas’s official figure for Ahmedabad for the PM’s ears. According to a study, what he won’t hear is that there are 15,000 more in 15 camps, ‘‘officially closed’’, and hence ‘‘officially’’ out of the government’s sight and mind.
- Shopkeepers take cue from residents, move out ahead of rathyatra
Mukta Chakravorty, The Indian Express, July 5, 2002
Ahmedabad, July 4: IT’S not only those who live along the rathyatra route who have shifted out. Even traders and businessmen who operate from Shahpur and Dariapur have begun vacating their shops fearing trouble during the yatra.
- Gujarat carnage: response of health sector draws flak
By Our Staff Reporter, The Hindu, July 05, 2002
NEW DELHI: BJP on Thursday described as "wholly unnecessary" the media debate and "media trial" with regard to from where the inflammable material was thrown inside the railway compartment in Godhra since it was a matter of criminal law and investigation.
- Media debate on Godhra wholly unnecessary: BJP
PTI, July 04, 2002
NEW DELHI: BJP on Thursday described as "wholly unnecessary" the media debate and "media trial" with regard to from where the inflammable material was thrown inside the railway compartment in Godhra since it was a matter of criminal law and investigation.
- Restoring Gujarat's image
Editorial, The Hindu, July 4, 2002
THE DECISION OF the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and the State's BJP unit to put off the series of `rath yatras' scheduled from today is indeed a matter of great relief to the extent that an imminent threat to the fragile peace obtaining there has receded — the programme has only been "deferred", not called off.
- Not a matter of pride
The BJP high command should have nixed Modi’s yatra earlier
Editorial, The Indian Express, July 4, 2002
No matter what the BJP’s freshly-anointed spokesperson claims, the Gujarat Gaurav Rathyatra was not about a political party’s legitimate right to launch a political campaign. Nor is the decision to call a last-minute halt in the wake of the NHRC’s criticism indicative of the Commission exceeding its jurisdiction, as miffed BJP men in Gujarat have been heard complaining. The fact is Narendra Modi’s road show was a hideous, even dangerous, idea.
- Restoring Gujarat's image
Editorial, The Hindu, July 4, 2002
THE DECISION OF the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and the State's BJP unit to put off the series of `rath yatras' scheduled from today is indeed a matter of great relief to the extent that an imminent threat to the fragile peace obtaining there has receded — the programme has only been "deferred", not called off.
- Rural riot victims reluctant to go home
Robin David, Times News Network, July 04, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Riot victims in the cities of Gujarat may find a way of putting the recent communal violence behind them and start lives afresh. But many from the rural areas are still reluctant to go home.
- Yatra not on hold for good: Jaitley
Express News Service, July 4, 2002
New Delhi, July 3: The BJP today defended Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s now shelved ‘‘Gujarat Gaurav Yatra’’ as ‘‘a normal political campaign’’ without any religious overtones.
- BJP guns for NHRC after yatras called off
Times News Network, July 04, 2002
NEW DELHI: A day after Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was forced to call off the controversial Gaurav Yatra, the BJP made no secret of its unhappiness with the NHRC's reservations about it, saying the yatra was a political activity and "political freedom is part of human rights".
- Women's panel visits relief camps
Times News Network, July 04, 2002
AHMEDABAD: An All-Party Women Empowerment Parliamentary Committee visited several relief camps in the city on Wednesday to inquire into the atrocities committed on women during the riots and to find out the steps taken for the rehabilitation of the riot-affected.
- Muslim groups raise money for riot victims
PTI, Times News Network, July 03, 2002
AHMEDABAD: Disappointed by Gujarat government's attitude towards rehabilitation of violence-affected people belonging to the minority community, Muslim organisations have embarked upon a plan to raise money for solving their problems.
Islamic Relief Committee (IRC) and Jammait Ulemae Hind (JUH) are raising funds for rehabilitation of the people belonging to the minority community, Nasirbhai Sheikh and Junaid Sheikh of the Refugee Rehabilitation Committee (RRC) said here on Wednesday.
- What riot, he’s busy making Lord’s garland
Mukta Chakravorty, The Indian Express, July 4, 2002
Ahmedabad, July 3: It's a tradition that not even the communal tension over the past four months has been able to stop. For the coming Jagannath rath yatra on July 12, Muslim workers of Jamalpur have been busy making garlands of resham (silk) and moti (pearls).
- Modi Govt. puts off `gaurav rath yatra'
By Manas Dasgupta, The Hindu, July 3, 2002
AHMEDABAD JULY 2. Forced by the party's central leadership, the Gujarat unit of the BJP has cancelled "for the time being" the "gaurav rath yatra" of the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, scheduled to begin from the holy town of Ambaji on Thursday.
- PM rains on Modi’s pride parade
State officials say riot victims scared, PM asks Advani to call Modi
Arati R Jerath & Darshan Desai , The Indian Express, July 03, 2002,
New Delhi, Gandhinagar, July 2: The Gujarat Gaurav Rathyatra of Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been halted in its tracks 48 hours before it sets off packaging Modi as the state’s Sardar Patel. New Delhi, Gandhinagar, July 2: The Gujarat Gaurav Rathyatra of Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been halted in its tracks 48 hours before it sets off packaging Modi as the state’s Sardar Patel.
- NHRC warns Modi Govt.
By Our Special Correspondent, The Hindu, July 2, 2002
NEW DELHI JULY 1. In light of the BJP-organised Gaurav yatras and the annual Jagannath yatra to be held in Gujarat from July 4, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a strongly worded statement calling on the Gujarat Government to act in such a manner that "innocent residents of the State are not exposed, yet again, to violence or the threat to violence.''
- Rains, epidemic threaten relief camps
Ruchir Chandorkar, Times News Network, July 02, 2002
AHMEDABAD: The riots may have subsided but life continues to be a struggle for hundreds of families still living in relief camps in the city, who are defying the government's squeeze on supplies.
- NHRC airs concern over Gujarat yatras
Times News Network, July 01, 2002
NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday expressed serious concern at the proposed Gaurav Yatras and Jagannanth Rath Yatras in Gujarat. The commission felt it could re-ignite communal violence in the riot-hit state.
- The riot act
Amulya Ganguli, The Hindu, July 1, 2002
Though not unrelated to the routine inquiries into communal riots, the inquiry into the Babri masjid demolition is expected to provide an insight into the mindset and organisational aspects of this brand of fascistic as well as fundamentalist politics.
More - Archive One (June 15 - June 30, 2002)
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