MINORITIES - 2002 - Indian Social Institute

totally razed, Waheeda only has memories to fall back on. "How can one just construct a temple in place
of our house," she asked angrily, pointing out that neither Hindu nor Muslim religion preaches to do such a
thing, Waheeda and her mother Hanifabanu accuse their neighbours of demolishing their house and
constructing temples in its place. (Asian Age 21.5.02)
21 st May
US delegation meets group on minority rights (7)
New Delhi, May 20: A four-member American delegation met the members of the National Commission
for Minorities here on Monday to discuss the issues pertaining to the minorities in India. The recent
Gujarat carnage is learnt to have been discussed at length in the meeting that lasted for almost one and a
half hour. The commission said that the Gujarat violence can not be taken as a permanent phase in the
country with regard to minorities. (Asian Age 21.5.02)
21 st May
SC declines order on Gujarat relief camps (7)
THE SUPREME Court on Monday declined to pass any order on a PIL seeking a direction to the Gujarat
Government not to shut the relief camps. The PIL said the inmates would face hardship if the camps were
closed. A vacation bench comprising Justices N. Santosh Hegde and S.N. Variava said the matter could
be heard after the summer vacation. However the bench suggested that the petitioner, People’s Union for
Democratic Rights, could approach the Gujarat High Court. (Hindustan Times 21.5.02)
21st May
Fear seeps into psyche of Muslims (7)
Ahmedabad, May 20: Fear psychosis and a overwhelming sense of threat from the majority community
has seeped into the psyche of several individuals of the minority community and manifested into
physiological ailments. Doctors attending to Muslim patients since the last two months inform that in the
wake of continual communal violence in the city, the minority population is reeling under a phase of
anxiety and depression that have resulted in psychosomatic disorders. (Asian Age 21.5.02)
21ST May
Riot-torn tiptoe back home under guard (7)
Ahmedabad, May 20: Under police protection, riot refugees Have begun to return to their homes in trickles
as Ahmedabad passed nearly a week without a major incident. The city’s new police chief, K.R. Kaushik,
who is spearheading efforts to resettle victims of communal violence in their forsaken homes, hopes to
build on the trickle and get even refugees from Naroda-Patia and Gulbarg Society in the walled area of
Ahmedabad, which saw the most gruesome killings, to go back. Of the 448 families that fled their homes
in two localities — Shakerkotda and Madhavpura —about 100 have returned. After talking to local people
of both communities, the police began to rehabilitate refugees where there was no or little damage to
houses, and residents had fled simply out of fear. (Telegraph 21.5.02)
22 nd May
Troops withdrawn from Gujarat, head for border (7)
NEW DELHI May 21. - The Army, already on high alert, has pulled out several thousand troops which
were deployed in Gujarat to ensure law and order after the communal riots, arid moved them to the
Indo-Pakistan border. The decision was taken today with the mounting tension along the border. A brigade
of the Southern Command was pulled out of the southern Rajasthan area and moved to Gujarat when the
rioting was getting out of control. The Navy, especially on the West cdast, and the Air Force are also on
high alert in the wake of the Kaluchak massacre and the possibility of punitive action against Pakistan.
Defence sources said there were clear reasons to move ‘the troops out’. First, there have been no major
cases of communal rioting in the last few days. (Statesman 22.5.02)