MINORITIES - 2002 - Indian Social Institute

1 st Aug
EC teams visit Ahmedabad (7)
GANDHINAGAR, JULY 31. Teams of observers of the Election Commission today visited several
riot-affected areas in Ahmedabad to elicit the people's views on early Assembly elections in Gujarat. A
nine-member team, which arrived here late last night, divided itself into three groups and visited some
relief camps, the localities affected by riots and some other areas which were under curfew for long
periods during the disturbances. While one team visited Shah Alam, Na-roda-Patiya, Gulmarg
Society-Chamanpura, the three worst-hit areas in the city, as well as Amraiwadi, Ramol Janatanagar,
Isanpur, Dani Limda, and some parts of Kalupur, the second team visited Jamalpur, Shahpur,
Sankalitnagar relief camp in Ju-hapura, Rakhial and Gomtipur and the third team, Khanpur, Mirzapur and
Idgah. Later in the evening, the observers held a meeting with the Government officials in Gandhinagar to
learn about the relief and rehabilitation measures being taken by the administration for the riot-hit,
apparently to cross-check the reports the team had collected from the affected people during the day.
(Hindu 1.8.02)
2 nd Aug
Refugees thrown out of camp, spend night on streets (7)
Ahmedabad, August 1: IF NARENDRA Modi thinks he can convince the Election Commission to hold
early elections in Gujarat, he has a lot to cover up. While a nine-member EC delegation went around the
districts of Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Vadodara and Bhavnagar, a group of minorities were forced to leave
their relief camp and spend the night on the streets. On Wednesday evening, authorities at the Quresh
Hall camp near Mirzapur forced nearly 150 people, including women and children, to leave the camp.
Their fault: they had complained of unhygienic conditions in the camp. Last Friday, around 2,500 people
were shifted from the Dariya Khan camp to the Quresh Hall camp. The Dariya Khan — which was set up
in a municipal school building—had to be vacated since classes were about to begin. The condition at the
Quresh Hall camp was something the refugees weren't prepared for. "There are only two toilets for
thousands of us and the basement where we were stay is stinking. It is also full of mosquitoes," said
Mumtaz Bibi. She says she slept better on the pavement than she had while at the Dariya Khan camp.
(Hindustan Times 2.8.02)
4th Aug
Rehabilitation before polls, cry riot victims (7)
Ahmedabad: Riot victims today told the Election Commission team touring Gujarat not to hold polls till
they are rehabilitated. The nine member team headed by deputy election commissioner A.N. Jha split up
into three sub teams to visit the Shah-e-Alam relief camp. Gulbarg Society and Naroda Patia where over
120 people were massacred on February 28, a day after the Godhra carnage. As the team was leaving
the Shah-e-Alam camp that houses about 3000 victims from Znaroda Gam, Naroda Patia, Shahpur
Sabarmati, Maninanagar and Champanmpura, some of the residents shouted : Election nahi makan
chahiye, Election nahi roti chahiye (We need food and housing not elections). (Times of India 4.8.02)
5 th Aug
It was war in Gujarat. (7)
Bangalore: Terming the recent communal carnage in Gujarat as nothing short of a war in terms of
suffering and misery undergone by the affected, National Human Rights Commission chairman J S Verma
on Sunday asked Prime Minister A B Vajpayee to translate his "rhetoric" on religious intolerance into
action. Verma said those affected by the Gujarat incidents could not return to their homes for "whatever
reasons", and stated that they had lost their kith and kin in large numbers. "How is it different from war ?",
he asked. "The effect remains the same," he said. "How can this (communal riots on a large-scale)
happen in this country? I never hope to witness this in my life," he said, inaugurating a national Roundtable
Conference on Communalism and Human Rights organised by the NHRC and the National Law School of
India University here. Indicating that the situation had not returned to normal as yet, he said "Gujarat
continues to haunt us even now. I only hope the agony does not go on much longer." He said he was
happy to read that the Prime Minister (on Jul 31) had expressed anguish over religious intolerance,
without referring to Gujarat (Times of India, 05.08.2002)