MINORITIES - 2002 - Indian Social Institute

train on fire from the inside. His statement does not mention municipality chief Mohammed Hussain Kalota
and Haji Billal, who have been booked by the police. Kurkur is absconding. The boy’s 8 page statement is
significant because he was a member of one of the four Hindu families staying in Singal Falia and knew
the whole Ghanchi Muslim neighbourhood. “His statement was the best part of the investigations carried
out so far,” said police source. Many analysis, however, think that the boy has been set up. In his
statement, the boy said that day, he had reached the station, where he worked in a teashop, around 7
a.m. As Sabarmati Express came in he could hear shouts of Jai shri Ram”. A little later, he found that
another vendor, siddique Bakkar, had been beaten up by kar sevaks. Some kar sevaks grabbed him and
told him to shout. “Jai shri Ram”. The boy compiled just as the train started moving. (Times of India,
26.8.2002)
27 th Aug
SC issues notices on Gujarat polls, hearing on Thursday (7)
NEW DELHI, Aug. 26. — The Su preme Court today launched the process of dealing with the presiden tial
reference on the deferment of As sembly elections in Gujarat by issuing notice to the Election Commission,
all state governments and six national political parties. The notice is return able on Thursday. On that day,
the five-member Con stitution Bench (coram. Kirpal, CJ, Khare, Balakrishnan, Bhan, Pasayat, JJ) will fix
the schedule for hearing the views of those to whom the notice has been issued. When the presidential
reference came up for a preliminary hearing to day, the Bench declined to immediate ly commit itself to an
expeditious dis posal of the matter. "We will take care of that when fixing the schedule" the Chief Justice
told the Solicitor-Gener al, Mr Harish N Salve, who drew at tention to the urgency of the issue. The Court
also rejected a plea to in volve the regional political parties in the proceedings as that would be "un wieldy"
and make it difficult to control the proceedings, the CJI observed. (Statesman 27.8.02)
28 th Aug
Godhra victims left in lurch. (7)
Ahmedabad, Aug. 27 : Six months after what triggered off communal violence in the state, the focus has
increas ingly shifted on investigations into the Godhra carnage but family members of 58 kar sevaks, who
lost their lives, continue to live a miserable life with even the Vishwa Hindu Parishad ignoring them. The
families have not received the claims from the Railways either". The Panchal sisters, who lost their
parents and two sib lings, could be a case apart for whom the VHP purchased a house but life for several
other families is not the same after sole bread earners died in the carnage. The Sonis, the Rawals and the
Brahmbhatts are just cases in point. Similarly, Navin Brahmbhatt, who lost his wife Niru, says he does not
want any thing. "The VHP has not cared for us," he claims. Neighbours say Niru was the only bread earner
as Navin has some health problems. Mother-in-law Narmada is at loss of words when she says that the
VHP has only provid ed them food grains and edi ble oil for two months. An amount of Rs 60,000 received
from the state government has been used for clearing out standing debts. When The Asian Age con tacted
VHP leader Dr Jaideep Patel, he fumed saying. "VHP knows what type of care has to be taken". "If they
have complains, they will tell us. Only few days ago we helped the Vyas family with medicines." he says.
"We had decided to give ration for four months," he says but when questioned as to why in some cases
ration was given for one or two months, he avers that they gave ar. But for families like that of the Sonis
that lost both father and son, such help does not make much of a difference. Pension of the head of the
family Hasmukhbhai, who died, is yet to start and till then mother and daughter sur vive on the amount
received from the government. (Asian Aged, 28.8.2002)
28 th Aug
Why the train stopped again at Godhra. (7)
Ahmedabad: Fresh light has been shed on how the Sabarmati Ex press came to a grinding halt after
leaving Godhra railway station on February 27 this year, sparking off some of the worst communal riots
ever seen in India. A rickshaw-puller, who doubled up as a cigarette vendor on the plat form, has
reportedly confessed be fore a judicial magistrate that he had turned the disc of the train to re lease the
vacuum, bringing it to a stop for the second time. The train had been stopped for the first time when kar
sevaks pulled the chain to enable their colleagues, who were left behind on the plat form, to get in. The
21-year-old from Polan Bazar, requesting anonymity, has reportedly admitted that he was provoked by
some people shouting on the platform that a "a Muslim girl had been pulled inside the Sabarmati
Express". This, he claims in the last para graph of his testimony, was a "ru mour" circulated by an accused.