Asghar Ali Engineer is a rights activist and heads the two organisations, Institute of Islamic Studies and Centre for Study of Society and Secularism. He has authored or edited 44 books on such  issues  as  Islam and communal and ethnic problems in India and South Asia in general.  For links to his other articles, please go to the top page of this site.

The communal carnage in Gujarat early this year had shaken the whole world. The country had never witnessed such carnage before and after independence. Day after day for more than three months Muslims were massacred most brutally, toll unofficially mounting to more than 2000 though officially admitted deaths do not exceed one thousand. Heinous crime of rape was committed by the VHP provoked hoodlums against several women. In one case Kausar Begum from Naroda Patia, an eight month pregnant was raped, her womb split open and child extracted and thrown into fire. The chief Minister Narendra Modi justified all this as equal and opposite reaction to an action based on Newton’s law.

The Government of Gujarat later constituted a commission of inquiry under a retired Gujarat High Court Judge but was seen as partisan by the people. Justice Nanavati, a retired judge of Supreme Court was then appointed to head the inquiry commission. The official inquiry commissions usually take long time to complete the inquiry and even then they are hardly ever implemented.

The example of Srikrishna Commission appointed to inquire into Mumbai riots of 1992-93 is before us. It took several years to complete the inquiry but did a thorough job. Unfortunately when the inquiry commission report was submitted there was Shiv Sena-BJP Government, which obviously refused to implement recommendations of the Commission. Those who were accused were themselves in power. But what was worse was that the subsequent PDA Government led by the Congress which appealed to Muslims for votes on the ground that it will speedily implement the Srikrishna Commission Report, itself never bothered to implement it. Now its counsel pleaded before the Supreme Court that there is no need to revive it

After Mumbai riots also People’s Committee for Human Rights headed by Justice Krishna Iyer had constituted a People’s Inquiry Committee consisting of Justice Suresh and Justice Dawood, retired judges of Bombay High Court which helped inquiry and speedily completed it. Its findings were almost same as those of Srikrishna Commission, which took several years to complete.

After the Gujrat carnage the concerned citizens took initiative to appoint an inquiry committee called Concerned Citizens Tribunal headed by Justice Krishna Iyer, retired justice Supreme Court. It consisted of several eminent justices and citizens like Justice Samant, retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Suresh, retired Bombay High Court judge, K.G Kannabiran, an eminent advocate and Chairman, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, KS Subramanian, Ex-Director General of Police, Aruna Roy, a noted social activist and former IAS officer, Ghanshyam Shah and Tanika Sarkar, professors from JNU, Delhi.

The report has been published in three volumes, the third volume being compilation of important documents on the carnage. The whole report is tilted as Crime Against Humanity – An Inquiry into the Carnage in Gujarat. One does not know when the Government appointed Commission will come out with its report but this Concerned Citizen’s Tribunal has already completed its inquiry and put it before the people’s court. The VHP has dubbed it as mere slander and has even threatened to sue the tribunal for defamation, which it may never do. The evidence against VHP is so strong that this report will stand in any court of law.

The tribunal collected 2,094 oral and written testimonials, both individual and collective, from victim-survivors and also independent human rights groups, women’s groups, NGOs and academics. The tribunal says, “ After recording evidence, visiting sites, placing on record statements and collecting other material, the Tribunal arrived at some prima facie conclusions.”

The Tribunal does not entirely dismiss the surmise that the Narendra Modi Government was panicky for its continuously loosing ground in election after election despite its Hindutva hyperbole and it is likely that to retrieve the lost ground it might have tried to polarise the Gujarat people along religious lines by organising such a carnage.

Thus the Tribunal report says, “Given the continuous downslide of the BJP in the state since ’98, the question has been raised by many as to whether there were any electoral political calculations and machinations behind what subsequently happened in the state from February 28 onwards. While this remains in the realm of speculation, the fact is that the Modi government prematurely dissolved the state assembly and pushed very hard for early election even though the situation in the state was far from normal. For this he was widely criticised and the BJP was charged for trying to cash in on the carnage.”

What a way to run democracy in the 2nd greatest democracy in the world if there is in truth in this charge. The Sangh Parivar is trying to convert our pluralism into a nightmare for the country and for its peace loving citizens. The statements of top VHP leaders are clear proof of this, if any proof is needed. The Gujarat carnage leaves no one in doubt about intentions of the Sangh Parivar. It can go to any extent or realising its objectives.

How well planned the Gujarat carnage was is evident from the fact that the Sangh Parivar hordes attacked several areas and towns in Ahmedabad simultaneously on 28th February itself. More than 100 persons were killed on the very first day of the carnage. On 28th February in the morning a mob consisting of 20-22,000 holds the whole of Gulberg society to ransom for over seven hours and this mob in over seven hours hacked more than 70 persons to death and burnt them alive (10 -12 women and girls were raped). The former Congress M.P. Ahsan Jafri was killed in this operation and despite desperate phone calls the Police Commissioner Pande did not save these helpless people.

And at the very time mobs of 15000 or 10,000 were killing, burning and looting in Naroda fruit market, Naroda Gam and Naroda Patiya which was worst affected by violence where more than 100 people were brutally done to death or burnt alive. And simultaneously similar operations of killings, lootings and burnings were going on in Odhav, Gomtipur, Amrawadi, Paldi, Kabadi Market Vatwa and several other places. The Tribunal Report lists all these areas. How this could be possible without meticulous planning. And the mobs everywhere were well equipped with gas cylinders, trishuls, swords and other sharp weapon.

All this started after the burning of coach S-6 in Godhra in which 58 persons perished. The assumption was that the Ghanchi Muslims of Signal Falia set fire to the coach. But this has come under doubt and it is very difficult to say who did it. The Forensic experts say it was inside job and 60 litres of petrol or some highly combustible substance was used to set fire from inside. The Tribunal report also raises several questions and throws light on the character and behaviour of the kar sevaks right from the time they boarded the train. It was certainly not a peaceful lot and were misbehaving with people on every station. All this has to be taken into account.

The Report gives detailed account of all major incidents not only in Ahmedabad, which was worst affected but also in various towns and villages. It is an important document for all those interested in studying the carnage in detail. It also provides extremely valuable material for future researchers and scholars. 

The Report throws light on various aspects of carnage – the state and central government complicity, role of police and bureaucracy and opposition parties and communalisation of public space like hospitals and other institutions. About the Police system the Tribunal observes that “Evidence before the Tribunal establishes the absolute failure of large sections of the Gujarat police to fulfil their constitutional duty and prevent mass massacre, rape and arson – in short to maintain law and order.” Continuing further it says, “Worse still is the evidence of their active connivance and brutality, their indulgence in vulgar and obscene conduct against women and children in full public view. It is, as if, instead of being impartial keepers of he rule of law, they were a part of the Hindutva brigade targeting helpless Muslims.”

The Report also says that, “To begin with, the Godhra incident would not have taken place; had the police taken due precautions right from the beginning. Given Godhra’s history and communal background, the police should have maintained a strict vigil as the kar sevaks crossed Godhra, on their way to Ayodhya and their return journey, more so because the climate in the country was already tense because of the VHP’s Ayodhya plan. On their way to Ayodhya, the kar sevaks had indulged in provocative acts at Godhra station.”

The Godhra and post-Godhra carnage was a grim tragedy for democratic and secular India and for which the entire responsibility goes to the Sangh Parivar. It has been creating climate of intolerance and abuse of Hindu religion for political ends which clearly defeats the very ideal of secularism in our country. One can say that Gujarat carnage is a direct result of Mr. L.K.Advani riding rath yatra in 1990 and subsequent demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992. The BJP used only Hindutva plank for coming to power. Since then it has been systematically destroying the secular and democratic values in the country. One can say and the Tribunal Report also supports this idea that Gujarat carnage was possible only because there was BJP-led Government at the Centre. 
 

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Centre for Study of Society 
and Secularism, 
Mumbai:- 400 055, 
E-mail: css@vsnl.com