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National / Cover Stories MAGAZINE | MAR 05, 2012

AP

Feb 28, 2002 Nightmare on an Ahmedabad street

GUJARAT RIOTS

A Beast Asleep?Ten years after Gujarat 2002, Outlookasks if were likely to witness s uch horror again

SABA NAQVI, SMRUTI KOPPIKAR

TEXT SIZE

India is a nation that was born in the bloodshed and displacement of the Partition riots. In itsDNA, it inherited the schizoid gene of being a large Hindu nation with one of the worlds largest

Muslim populations. It was a historical faultline that was exploited for politics time and again.

Ahimsa was the Gandhian ideal we paid lip service to but the reality far too often was mass

violence. In urban ghettos, in the old cities across the land, small riots were part of the cycle of

life. A religious procession would be taken out, a skirmish would take place, curfew would be

clamped, a minor riot would have just taken place or been barely averted.

But the Gujarat riots of 2002 marked the apogee of communal hatred. Ten years after the

Sabarmati Express coach was set afire in Godhra on February 27, and after the bloodbath thatfollowed, we must pause and ask: can it happen again? Many would argue that it cannot

because, in the long term, Narendra Modi has had to pay a price for presiding over a bloodbath

afterthe advent of 24-hour television. In the immediate aftermath of the riots, however, he

gained enormously. Modi ran a communally charged election campaign six months after the

violence, when he would famously use Mian Musharraf as a rhetorical term for the entire

Muslim community. Modi had been sent to Gujarat in October 2001, at a time when the BJP

under Keshubhai Patel was doing badly and had lost a byelection. He began his first term as

CM on Oct 7, 2001; five months later, the carnage happened; later in the year, in December

2002, he won the state election with a huge margin and began his second term. He has now

been the longest-serving chief minister of Gujarat and will contest later this year for a fourth

erm.

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Flash points The Dec 6, 1992, Babri Masjid demolition; Sabarmatis burning coach

The 2002 Gujarat riots also marked the coming of age of anti-communal activism. Several

citizens, activists and lawyers who live within Gujarat have consistently fought against a state

administration determined to block any probe. On the national stage, individuals like Teesta

Setalvad have never relented, losing one legal battle to come back with another. Although Modi

has been able to stay one step ahead of the legal snare, he is certainly bogged down by it.

Outside Gujarat, he may have appeal for the BJP cadre, but regional parties want to keep a

distance from him. If the big players of any regional front in the future are to be Mamata

Banerjee, Naveen Patnaik and Nitish Kumar, the CMs of Bengal, Orissa and Bihar would not

like to share a platform with Modi even if realpolitik were to force any sort of arrangement with

he BJP. Indeed, one can argue that the political price of riots is now too high. Modi is quite

stuck.

The perpetrators of riots are long-term players in the political landscape. The Thackerays

have again bounced back in the local polls in Maharashtra. But the city of Mumbai has

changed under their watch. The ferocity and cruelty of the violence that ripped right through

Bombay (which became Mumbai later) in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition, in two

phases in December 1992 and January 1993, came to symbolise the worst face of a seemingly

inclusive city. Till then the city would be described as a cosmopolitan megacity where caste,

class and religion were not the dominant markers of public l ife. Bombay was the city of

dreams, its s treets offered anonymity, its pavements could turn into homes, its constant

whirring machine of enterprise and entrepreneurship played the great equaliser. Surely, such a

place could not be derailed by communal violence? This belief turned into a shattered myth in

hose two spans of 92-93 when nearly 850 people were killed, 575 of them Muslims; over 2,000

injured and nearly 1,00,000 displaced.

After that, Bombay became Mumbai and no one really calls it a cosmopolitan place any longer.

Resilient, yes, but not cosmopolitan. Bombay had its Hindu- and Muslim-dominated

neighbourhoods but they were not community-insulated as has happened in the post-riots era.

The ghettoising effect of 1993, which continues even today, has made the divisions sharper. In

fact, its easier now to target this or that community and in many areas the other is not

welcome at all, says Farooq Mapkar, who was witness to five namazis being shot in Hari

Masjid by policemen, was wrongly accused of rioting and acquitted after 16 long years. A bank

employee now, he says, There is now a Muslim Mumbai and a Hindu Mumbai.

Aligarh, 1990 125-150 people died in riots set off by killing of Muslims near a mosque by PAC. Misreporting,

rumours, partisan PAC kept flames alive for nine days. (Photograph by HT (From Outlook, March 05, 2011)

The Shiv Sena in 1993 called itself the defender of Hindus. The Srikrishna Commission

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Year Place Toll

Aug 67 Hatia, Ranchi 183

Mar 68 Karimganj, Assam 82

Sep 69 Ahmedabad 512

May 70 Bhiwandi, Mah. 76

May 70 Jalgaon, Mah. 100

Oct 77 Varanasi 5

Mar 78 Sambhal, UP 25

Sep 78 Hyderabad 20

Oct 78 Aligarh 30

April 79 Jamshedpur 120

Aug 80 Moradabad 1,500

Apr 81 Biharsharif 80

Sep 82 Meerut 12

Dec 82 Baroda 17

Feb 83 Nellie, Assam 1,819

Sep 83 Hyderabad 45

May 84 Bhiwandi, Mah 146

Oct 84 Delhi 2,733

Apr 85 Ahmedabad 300

Jul 86 Ahmedabad 59

Apr/May87 Meerut 70

Mar 89 Bhadrak, Orissa 17

Oct 89 Indore 27Oct 89 Bhagalpur 1,161

Oct 90 Ahmedabad 41

Oct 90 Jaipur 52

Oct 90 Jodhpur 20

Oct 90 Lucknow 33

Oct 90Chandni Chowk,

Delhi100

Oct 90 Hailakandi, Assam 37

Oct 90 Patna 18

Oct 90 Hyderabad 165

Nov 90 Agra 31

Dec 90Hassan, Mandya,

Mysore60

Dec 90 Hyderabad 200

Dec 90 Aligarh 150

May 91 Baroda 28

May 91 Meerut 40

Oct 92 Sitamarhi, Bihar 44

Dec 92 Surat 152

Dec 92 Malpura, Andhra 24

Dec 92 Kanpur 254

Dec 92 Bhopal 143

Dec 92/Jan

93Bombay 872

Nov/Dec 97 Coimbatore 20

Feb 98 Coimbatore 60

Dec 98 Surathkal, Karnataka 12

Mar 2001 Nalanda, Bihar 8

Mar 01 Kanpur 14

Oct 01 Malegaon 13

Feb-May 02 Gujarat 1,267

May 02 Marad, Kerala 9

Apr 06 Aligarh 6

May 06 Baroda 6

Dec 07 Kandhamal 12Oct 08 Bhainsa, Andhra 6

Sep 09 Miraj, Karnataka 5

Sep 11 Bharatpur 10

report famously indicted Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and said that like a veteran general, he

commanded his loyal S hiv Sainiks to retaliate by organised attacks against Muslims,

especially in January 1993. The Mumbai police registered four offences against him for a

communally provocative editorial exhorting such violence, but the go-ahead to prosecute was

not given by the state government; then CM Sudhakarrao Naik famously said if certain leaders

were arrested, Bombay would burn; it escaped his notice that the city had already burnt.

***

Riot After Riot

Fifty-eight major communal riots in 47 places since 1967

Ten in South India, 12 in East, 16 in West, 20 in North India

Ahmedabad has seen five major riots; Hyderabad, four; Calcutta, none since 64*

The 1990s saw the most riots in the last five decades: 23

The 1970s saw seven riots, the 80s, 14; the 2000s have seen 13

Total toll: 12,828 (South 597, West 3,426, East 3,581, North 5,224).

* In 64, a wave of rioting in Calcutta, Jamshedpur and Rourkela killed 2,500.

Note: Only riots with a toll of five or more included; deaths due to bomb blasts not included

Data: Alka Gupta

***

Till 92-93, the city police was seen as a proud

force in khaki, worthy of being compared to

Scotland Yard; their brutality and vehemence

during the 92-93 carnage turned them in the

public eye into a force that did not hesitate to

display the saffron beneath the khaki. As police

officers and constables told the Indian Peoples

Tribunal in the immediate months, they wereShiv Sainiks at heart and policemen of a

supposedly secular state by accident. As

many as 32 policemen, including then joint

commissioner R.D. Tyagi, were severely

indicted by the Srikrishna Commission (SKC)

for acts of omission and commission during the

riots. None was punished; in fact, Tyagi was

promoted to the post of city commissioner

during the Sena-BJP regime in Maharashtra

soon after.

Senior Sena leaders refuse to discuss the riots

but point to the thousands of illegal

Bangladeshi migrants and Pakistani

sympathisers who live in the myriad lanes of

the metropolis and sometimes need to be put

in their place. If at that time the Muslims were

the target, today the other is t he bhaiyya or

migrant from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Though political organisations may have found

it increasingly difficult to stoke such large-

scale, mind-numbing violence in recent years,

Mumbai is s till a tinderbox and vested interests

can still play with people. Besides, the

question of justice cant be forgotten when we

talk of riots. It rankles the victims that justice

has still not been done; not only is justice a

prerequisite for reconciliation, its also a

necessary signal to those who believe they

stand to gain by engineering such violence,

victims say. The bomb blasts that followed in

March 1993, killing 257 and injuring 800, have

resulted in convictions, but no one has been

punished for the 92-93 riots except formerSena MLA Madhukar Sarpotdar who was

convicted in July 2008 and let off on a Rs 5,000

bail. When the Shiv Sena-BJP came to power

in Maharashtra in 1994, barely a year after

Bombay burned, the administration withdrew as

many as 3,000 cases registered against their

workers. The subsequent Congress

governments did not drop cases against

Muslims that even the SKC concluded were

false.

This one-sided justice has exacted its price.

The Muslims in the ghettos are angry and often

justifiably so. Every bomb blast and terror

attack since has meant comb-and-search-and-

arrest operations in their mohallas. Now after

every major and minor terror attack on Mumbai,mohalla committees mobilise their peace

soldiers in bastis, c ommunity elders come out

requesting calm and peace, Muslims display

their patriotism through solidarity marches in

case theyre perceived as anti-nationals. The

peace is kept but the tensions simmer.

Still, the cycle has been broken in other cities. Hyderabad, for instance, has moved on. The old

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SUNDEEP DOUGAL

OPINION

Reminding, A Rough ArtOne would never wish 2002 to have an encore, but to discount that possibility would

mean being lulled into complacency.NILANJAN MUKHOPADHYAY

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Suman Kumar Mishra Works at Tata Teleservices Limited

riots is nothing new with this decade or others.. hinduism and islam being two very

contrasting religions have always stood out because of the diff erences.. t he earlier

onslaughts be it macedonians , kushas came to india and dissolved in the culture ,,. leaving

behind their footprints but ultimately being part of the local culture .. islam was different ..

apart from the loot , it came to plunder , to destroy the thousands of years of culture , to

erase it with sword and gun powder .. it did suceed in some way but wasnt able to erase it

completely ... they dest royed temples which got rebuilt.. they were able to drive off hindus

fromsindh, afghanistan, parts of punjab to east or down south .. people fled but refused to

part away with the belief handed over by generations . . the islamic rule for 1000 years has

been littered with...See More

Reply Like Follow Post April 8 at 4:28pm

Rohit Mittal IIPS, DAVV

how can the authors expect t o be taken seriously af ter writing a communally charged article

like that ; portray ing muslims as innocent victims at the hands of the hindu minority? they

conveniently forget to even mention that 30% of gujarat riot t oll were hindus. It is so

important to be politically correct and pseudo secular in India that no one now dares to speak

up about the centuries of genocide unleashed upon the hindu populace by foreign, mostly

muslim attackers. We are instead taught t hat although these f ilthy barbarians slaughtered

our civilians, raped our women and took lakhs of slaves, they did good deeds in their own

countries. Those times are instead port rayed as a utopian era of hindu- muslim solidarity. It iis

our recurring nightmare that if word of these dark deeds gets out, communal harmony in the

country will go f...See More

Reply Like Follow Post April 7 at 1:15am2

Aparna Vaidik

Rohit is this your response or f rancois gautier's?

Reply Like April 7 at 2:16am

Suman Kumar Mishra Works at Tata Teleservices Limited

Aparna Vaidik is this your response or are you shitting out information from media

which has been so biased .. you should start analysing and thinking .. if thats not

your capacity , dont shit in public forums ,, are u in denial of the 1000 yea rs of

history under islamic rule, are you under denial that any islamic structure you see

be it babri mosque or qutub minar is built over ruins of preceding culture or a re

you in denial that part ition which happened was unjust . i think thinking is beyond

you .. y ou are good in what you have just done . . stink .. go wash yourself

Reply Like April 8 at 4:13pm

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PUBLISHED DAILY MAIL

HAVE YOUR SAY

1

MAR 19, 2012

The Long Shadow of Past Prejudice

Rather than looking at the possibilities of a recurrence of a pogrom,

the need of the hour is to heal the scars of the earlier riots (Can it

happen again?, Mar 5). The compensation provided to the victims,

both in terms of justice and aid and rehabilitation, has been thin and

nominal; in reality, they face social ost racism. The haunting memory

of your house being burnt, or your daughter being raped in front of

you, is not easy to erase. The courts and the government, therefore,

need to resort to unbiased judgements and punish those who do

institutionalised rioting rather than hold out development as a

surrogate placebo.

AISHWARIYA SAGAR, NEW DELHI

To all those who express their discontent with the biased reporting

of the media against the majority, Id say, it is absolutely valid. The

majority in every country has a responsibility not to let the minority

feel marginalised. The social discomfort they feel develops very

quickly into discontent, then into fear and concurrently into reaction.

This stands true in India where the minority is defined by religion or in

other countries where it is racial, on account of immigration. The

more we run away from this responsibility, the more chaos it creates.

CHINTAN, LONDON

The post-Godhra riots will always remain a slap in Modis face. What

they did is desanctify the land of the father of the nation, Mahatma

Gandhi.

JANGA BAHADUR SUNUWAR, JALPAIGURI

The 2002 Gujarat incidents, deplorable as they were, have been

ballooned up to unnecessary proportions. Ten years is a long time,

the point has been made enough number of times, and systems are

in place so that this kind of thing is not repeated, not just in Gujarat,

but anywhere else in India. Lets get on with life and look to finding

solutions to our daily problems like bad roads, inflation and all-

pervasive corruption. By harping on thus about Modi, how are you

going to undo what has already been done?

PRAVEEN KUMAR, THANE

In your cover story, you say the riots of 2002 marked the coming of

age of anti-communal activism. You can hardly characterise it as

anti-communal. Yes, you can say its come of age: thats because

people have learned to make money off it. Its a business built on the

basis of phony affidavits and fake stories. Such activism has

actually helped keep the polarisation active even though Gujarat has

been prospering without any incidents for the last 10 years. You

wont see these combatants fighting for the victims of the 1984 riots

as there is no glory or financial gain in doing that.

MAHA, NEW JERSEY

It looks like a section of the hyper-secular media wants to keep the

Gujarat issue alive for another ten years.

PRAMOD SRIVASTAVA, NEW DELHI

Indians are so religiously and communally prejudiced that a Gujarat

kind of riot can erupt anywhere, anytime at the slightest provocation.

K. CHIDANAND KUMAR, BANGALORE

Modi is a monster because he allegedly presided over the killing of

1,200-odd people. Rajiv Gandhi is a saint despite the mass murder of

Sikhs in Delhi and his infamous dismissive remark about the earth

shaking when a tree falls. And yes, Modi has not apologised in 10

years. But it took Congress 25 years to mumble an apology of an

apology for the 1984 riots.

CHARAN RAWAT, MUMBAI

Wont you ever get tired of this eternal Modi-bashing? This issue,

sadly, is more like celebrating 10 years of Modi hatred than looking

at things with an unbiased view.

KIRAN VOLETI, CHENNAI

Whatever the secular lobby may hope and pray for, Narendrabhai will

remain the hope for a large population of educated middle-classHindus.

RAJIV CHOPRA, JAMMU

A beast asleep? Certainly, and all the more necessary that the

perpetrators are not allowed to get away. Outlookdeserves special

praise for playing a part in keeping the pressure on for all these years

and not letting 2002 be forgotten.

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SANTOSH JOHN SAMUEL, KOCHI

Can Gujarat 2002 happen again? Not if BJP is the ruling party. If the

Congress is ruling, then we will be back to the riot regime because it

thrives on dividing the society on religious and caste lines.

SRINIVAS, LUCKNOW

I feel quite depressingly certain that we shall be seeing even more

ferocious bloodbaths in the days to come.

ATUL CHANDRA, MUMBAI

It was rather intriguing that Doordarshan chose the third week of

February 2012election timeto telecast Nandita Dass Firaaq(which deals with the 2002 Gujarat riots) on its national network.

Would it now show Parzania? Or wait, why dont they telecastAmu,

which is on the anti-Sikh riots of 1984? And with proper advance

publicity to boot! Or even better, maybe rescue Kissa Kursi Ka from

oblivion!

HARSH RAI PURI, BHOPAL

Only the film industry has done justice to sensitive subjects like

riots. No wonder Modi was afraid to have Parzania screened.

S.S. ALMAL, CALCUTTA

Gujarat 2002 might be replicated unless medical science can fully

eradicate insanity from India like it did smallpox, unless politicians

refrain from caste-based strategies, and religious places stop

delivering provocative sermons.

RAJNEESH BATRA, NEW DELHI

If indeed we have reached a place where the political costs of riots

are too high to figure as a benefit in the cost/benefit analyses of

political parties, maybe one part of the problem would be solved. Still,

electoral politics are about the short term. Over the long term,

perhaps Modis winning a possible lifetime CMship of Gujarat is

enough of a pro to offset losing a shot at a national role.

ARUN MAHESHWARI, BANGALORE

PERMALINK

2

MAR 19, 2012

Burning Faith

Ten years have passed since Gujarat was set on fire,

When on grounds of religion, mankind conspiredBilqis Banos daughter was snatched from her

That moment is c lear in her head, it did not b lur

In that minute she saw her child die

That one minute can never really pass by

Qutubuddin Ansaris face was all over the world

They saw his folded hands and moist eyes

His sc ream could be heard

Those fateful hours and days

Humanity was on a pyre

To save a brother, a daughter

There wasnt much they could do

Apart from pray for a miracle

Hoping its just an awful dream, an unreal ordeal

Only to see the faith go in vain

To live with scars and a mind torn with pain

Where is justice, after all these years?

Why do people still live with fears?

Gujarat lived the most dreaded nightmare,

Yet, everything is so unfair

After seeing and reading all those stories

We only lose faith in this country

From a layman, its an appeal to the powers that be,

To put justice on priority

Though a mother who lost her child will always cry silently

Families that lost their love will never laugh carelessly

Only a ray of justice can illumine their lives

And help them regain their faith in humanity.

KANIKA KHURANA, NEW DELHI

PERMALINK

3

MAR 26, 2012

Give Him His Due

Your cover story on the Gujarat riots (A Beast Asleep?, Mar 5) failedto note that the state has been virtually trouble-free since the 2002

riots. And Narendra Modi must be credited for that.

SANDIP K. PITT Y, CALCUTTA

The Gujarat riots were an organised effort by the higher

administration to kill Muslims and destroy their property.

Unfortunately, even the sit set up by the Supreme Court was found

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wanting in its work, almost as if it wanted to somehow put Modi in

the clear.

C.A. CHALY, KOCHI

If perpetrators of riots are punished severely, riots will never happen.

But when the likes of Sajjan Kumar (of 1984 Delhi fame) and

Narendra Modi go scot-free, riots will definitely recur.

PROF H.S. DIMPLE, JAGRAON

PERMALINK

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