MINORITIES - 2002 - Indian Social Institute

AHMEDABAD, JUNE 21. The Gujarat Governor, Sunder Singh Bhandari, has informed the
State Congress that he had issued instructions to the State Government not to close down the
relief camps for riot victims without making alternative arrangements for them. The Governor's
response comes in the wake of a letter by the three Congress members, the State Congress
president, Amarsingh Chaudhary, the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Naresh
Raval, and a member of the State Assembly, Siddarth Patel, in the All-Party Committee for
Relief, saying that they would be compelled to resign from the committee if corrective measures
were not taken immediately. Pointing out that in some cases the victims had been paid a meagre
amount as compensation, the members demanded a re-survey of the .affected houses and
industries damaged in the riots. (The Hindu 22.6.02)
23 rd June
VHP warns Muslims of refugee life (7)
Hardwar, June 22:- A crucial " meeting of VHP central advisory board began on a belligerent note here on
Saturday morning with its leader Ashok Singhal warning Muslims that if they continue to take the country
towards partition they will have to stay in refugee camps like in Gujarat.
In a major u-turn on its earlier commitment to abide by the court verdict, the VHP declared that the Ram
temple issue was non-negotiable and matters of faith cannot be decided by judiciary. The VHP also went
back on its commitment to maintain status quo at Ayodhya accusing government of backtracking on its
promises and asking Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati to take back its written undertaking to
the Centre in this regard. The VHP leaders also condemned BJP-led NDA government's suppression of
March 15 shila daan programme and demanded enactment of a.law to hand over the land to facilitate
construction of Ram temple (Asian Age 23.6.02)
23rd June
Gujarat violence not a conspiracy, says police (7)
Ahmedabad: June 22: Despite several pointers that the post-Godhra riots were well planned and had the
same modus operand! in the entire state, police says the riots were spontaneous and that there was no
conspiracy involved. It is amazing that though VHP announced a statewide bandh on February 28, no one
has been caught for planning to target minority community's lives and property, said a senior police officer.
This, despite common knowledge that many local VHP leaders allegedly led the mobs on that fateful day,
he added. VHP had reportedly held meetings of its workers in Ahmedabad and other district centres on
February 27. One DCP said that many people in the mobs had the list of shops they were to target and
knew exactly which were the Muslim shops, so someone obviously had made the list. (Asian Age 23.6.02)
24 th June
Government apathy causes riot aid to rot (7)
Ahmedabad, June 23: A $ 650,000 shipment of aid for the,riot victims of Gujarat sent by concerned Non
Resident Indians of Canada is rotting at the Kandla port since May 25, embroiled in typical bureaucratic
and political hassles. The Gujarat government is doing absolutely nothing from its end to get the shipment
released and is even dilly-dallying the issuance, of a registration certificate to the NGO to which the
shipment has been addressed. The shipment has, been sent••
by Human Concern International, a 22-year-old human rights group functioning from Canada and it
contains medical aid, household utility items, clothes and footwear for riot victims. (Asian Age 24.6.02)
24 th June
Stop Modi from appointing gram mitras: Gowda (7)
New Delhi, June 23: Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has urged the Union government to
immediately intervene and prevent the Gujarat government's move to appoint some one lakh gram
mitras in the state to propagate Hindutva and prepare ground for elections. "The Gujarat government
headed oy Narendra Modi has decided to appoint these gram mitrds"who will be posted in all the 18,000
villages of the state. They will be paid Rs 1,000 per month from the government coffers which will result