MINORITIES - 2002 - Indian Social Institute

don't pass muster with the common people. "There is a huge difference in the way unaffected people view
vietims of disasters. For the victims
of a natural calamity, people would dig into their belongings and donate freely. But somehow, riot victims
are a group that don't seem to invite the same largesse/* says An-shu K Gupta, whose organisation,
Goonj, collects clothes that have been sent to the victims of Chamoli earthquake, 1999, Orissa super
cyclone, 2000, and last year's Gujarat quake. (Indian Exp 23.4.02)
23 rd April
Gujarat riot victim case gathers pace in Britain (7)
LONDON: Mohammed Aswat, a UK citizen of Indian origin, was dragged out of his car and killed by a mob
at Ptantij in Gujarat while travelling from Agra to Ahmedabad. Till date the Indian government has failed to
send even a letter of condolence to his family. His wife and five children have stopped waiting for any such
gestures. They are now going to the international court in search of justice.He is said to have been known
to the Indian High Commission officials here as a regular helper at then-visa surgeries in west Yorkshire.
Indian officials confirmed that they recalled "a Mohammed bhai, who used to help control the crowds and
settle people at the visa surgeries". (Times of India 23.4.02)
23 rd April
Diseases swamp stinking Gujarat camps (7)
NEW DELHI: Contrary to the claims of the Union health ministry, a measles epidemic is raging in some
riot relief camps of Gujarat. In the absence of proper antibiotic supply, other diseases, too are spreading
fast in the cramped and unhygienic conditions. In an SOS sent through the activist and NGO network
Sunday, doctors have asked people to donate antibiotics. At a camp housing about 1,500 people in
Godhra, doctors told Times News Network that at least 60 children had developed measles and most of
the medicines have come from NGOs and private donors. ( Times of India 23.4.02)
24th April
Muslims specific targets of riots: Germany, Holland (7)
New Delhi, April 23: AFTER UK and the European Union, Germany and Holland have now filed reports on
the Gujarat violence damning the state government, underlining India's growing isolation in the
international community over the events in Gujarat. All this, despite the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
sending a note last week to several European countries, which ostensibly meant to assuage any concerns
on Gujarat, but where the underlying message clearly was: Lay off Gujarat. The German report, compiled
by a senior diplomat in the German Embassy who travelled Ahmedabad and Baroda last week, has been
reported to describe the attacks on Muslims "surgical strikes" specifically targetting minority establisments.
(Hindustan Times 24.4.02)
24 th April
Eight more die as Jana says Gujarat near normal (7)
EVEN while claiming that near normalcy had returned to the whole of Gujarat barring some pockets of
Ahmedabad, BJP national president K Jana Krishnamurthy today said "further stringent measures were
needed to be taken to check stray incidents of violence. He said his observation was based on feedback
from BJP leaders. Krishnamurthy, who was here on his first visit after getting elected to the Rajya Sabha
from the state, told ' mediapersons that in the light of what had happened ' from Sunday onwards,
incidents of deaths in police firing showed that the government was trying its best to control the situation
and near normalcy had returned. Eight more deaths in Ahmedabad city today pushed the toll in the
communal violence in Gujarat to 822. (Indian Exp 24.4.02)
24 th April
MEA out to prove Gujarat situation is peaceful (7)
New Delhi April 23: The ministry of external affairs has launched an aggressive campaign to convince the
. world that the situation in Gujarat is absolutely normal and the culpability of the state government under
chief minister Narendra Modi was part of a major disinformation campaign launched by the media and
even the non governmental organisations. The official website of the ministry reads like a page out Of the
Gujarat state government official records.