The Indian Express
http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=7905
SABARMATI FIRE: Death toll reaches 58
Press Trust of India
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1016 hrs IST
Two youths were stabbed in the sensitive Gopipura area of the city on Wednesday night. Both youths were immediately rushed to a private hospital.
Earlier, a 19-year-old youth was stabbed by two persons on the outskirts of Puna Kumbharia, near Surat, police said.
The victim was undergoing treatment in a private hospital when he was stabbed by the duo, sources said.
Unidentified miscreants had pelted stones on Ahmedabad-bound Okhapuri Express late on Wednesday night in Udhna-Surat section of western railway, police said.
However, the train proceeded on its onward journey following police intervention.
Meanwhile, additional police force had been requisitioned to maintain law and order and police personnel deployed in sensitive localities of the city as a precautionary measure, they added.
Reports from Ahmedabad said the death toll in Sabarmati incident has reached 58. The killed included 25 women and 15 children while 43 others were injured when a violent mob set on fire four coaches of Sabarmati Express carrying “ram sevaks†from Ayodhya.
Of the 58 bodies, 54 bodies were being transported by road to civil hospital Ahmedabad. Of four bodies which were identified, two bodies were taken to Baroda, one to Surat and one by relatives at Godhra railway station, according to police sources.
Indefinite curfew was clamped at Godhra town and shoot at sight order issued by the authorities.
Half a dozen incidents of violence, targeting the city buses and a shop, were reported from different areas outside Ahmedabad walled city.
Police fired five rounds to contain the rioting mobs in Godhra town.
The injured of Sabarmati Express attack, including 31 men, nine women and three children who received burn injuries, were admitted to civil hospital at Godhra.
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VHP's bandh begins, one killed in Vadodra
Press Trust of India
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1042 hrs IST
The VHP-sponsored Gujarat bandh in protest against the attack on the Sabarmati Express at Godhra town on Wednesday, in which 58 people were killed and 43 others injured, began with reports of fresh incidents of stabbing in Vadodra city early Thursday morning.
An auto-rickshaw driver was stabbed to death by some unidentified persons in Karelibag area and a cleaner of a truck was injured after he was assaulted by some people in Pani gate area of Vadodra in wee hours, police said.
Meanwhile, indefinite curfew, imposed in Godhra town after the attack on the train yesterday continued today without any relaxation.
No untoward incident was reported during the curfew so far, police said.
As many as 40 persons were arrested by the police in connection with yesterday's attack.
At least 58 people, including 25 women and 15 children, were killed and 43 others injured when a violent mob set on fire four coaches of Sabarmati Express carrying "Ram sevaks" from Ayodhya which also sparked violence at Baroda and Anand Railway Stations killing two more persons Wednesday.
The VHP-sponsored Gujarat bandh in protest against the attack on the Sabarmati Express at Godhra town on Wednesday, in which 58 people were killed and 43 others injured, began with reports of fresh incidents of stabbing in Vadodra city early Thursday morning.
An auto-rickshaw driver was stabbed to death by some unidentified persons in Karelibag area and a cleaner of a truck was injured after he was assaulted by some people in Pani gate area of Vadodra in wee hours, police said.
Meanwhile, indefinite curfew, imposed in Godhra town after the attack on the train yesterday continued today without any relaxation.
No untoward incident was reported during the curfew so far, police said.
As many as 40 persons were arrested by the police in connection with yesterday's attack.
At least 58 people, including 25 women and 15 children, were killed and 43 others injured when a violent mob set on fire four coaches of Sabarmati Express carrying "Ram sevaks" from Ayodhya which also sparked violence at Baroda and Anand Railway Stations killing two more persons Wednesday.
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Indefinite curfew in Vadodra
By Milind Ghatwai/Express News Service
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1047 hrs IST
The spectre of communal violence returned to Vadodara after a long gap as curfew was imposed in half a dozen police station areas on Thursday morning following outbreak of violence in different areas.
One was person was stabbed to death in front of Infectious Diseases Hospital in Karelibaug in the small hours of Thursday. A truck driver was killed when a mob set afire his vehicle at Kapurai crossroads on the National Highway No 8 early Thursday morning, taking to three the number of persons who have been killed in Vadodara as a reaction to the massacre in Godhra. Curfew was also imposed in Karelibaug, Panigate, Wadi, Raopura, City and Navapura police station areas on Thursday morning.
The bandh call given by the VHP evoked total response in the city as shops and establishments remained closed. In areas like Wadi some shops did open but closed after police patrol vans announced that curfew had already been put in the area.
Cases of arson were reported from Mangal Bazaar, Manjalpur and Ajwa road,outside the curfew-bound areas.
Meanwhile, three cases of stabbing were reported from Surat late on Wednesday night. Stones were pelted on the Okha bound Okha Express at Udhna late on Wednesday.
Curfew was also imposed in Lunavada in the Panchmahals after four houses belonging to minority community were burnt in the night. No one was inside when the houses were torched. In Godhra, Rapid Action Force teams carried out flag march. CID (Crime) team from Ahmedabad reached there to investigate into Wednesday's massacre while Forensic Science Laboratory officials carried out tests on the railway track and inside the burnt coaches to know more about the fuel used.
The spectre of communal violence returned to Vadodara after a long gap as curfew was imposed in half a dozen police station areas on Thursday morning following outbreak of violence in different areas.
One was person was stabbed to death in front of Infectious Diseases Hospital in Karelibaug in the small hours of Thursday. A truck driver was killed when a mob set afire his vehicle at Kapurai crossroads on the National Highway No 8 early Thursday morning, taking to three the number of persons who have been killed in Vadodara as a reaction to the massacre in Godhra. Curfew was also imposed in Karelibaug, Panigate, Wadi, Raopura, City and Navapura police station areas on Thursday morning.
The bandh call given by the VHP evoked total response in the city as shops and establishments remained closed. In areas like Wadi some shops did open but closed after police patrol vans announced that curfew had already been put in the area.
Cases of arson were reported from Mangal Bazaar, Manjalpur and Ajwa road,outside the curfew-bound areas.
Meanwhile, three cases of stabbing were reported from Surat late on Wednesday night. Stones were pelted on the Okha bound Okha Express at Udhna late on Wednesday.
Curfew was also imposed in Lunavada in the Panchmahals after four houses belonging to minority community were burnt in the night. No one was inside when the houses were torched. In Godhra, Rapid Action Force teams carried out flag march. CID (Crime) team from Ahmedabad reached there to investigate into Wednesday's massacre while Forensic Science Laboratory officials carried out tests on the railway track and inside the burnt coaches to know more about the fuel used.
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http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=7907
Opposition delays Budget presentation
Agencies
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1047 hrs IST
The Opposition has delayed the presentation of the Union Budget, raising the issue of the killing of kar sewaks in Gujarat. The Budget presentation was to start at 1100 hrs IST. IT has been delayed by about 10 minutes.
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http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=7915
Sabarmati fire victims' funeral sparks off riots
Express News Service
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1251 hrs IST
A mob of about 2,000 people went on a rampage in the Hatkeshwar area on Thursday morning during a funeral procession of 15 people who died in the Sabarmati Express attack.
The mob smashed windscreens of cars and buses and set four houses on fire in the Hatkeshwar area.
Rioting and arson was reported from 27 places in Ahmedabad city on Thursday morning even as VHP and Bajrang Dal workers enforced a total bandh.
Mobs torched shops on C G Road, Satellite area, Behrampura, Shahpur and Vastrapur area. A police vehicle was completely damaged when a mob attacked it near Navrangpura.
Arsonists set on fire the Millennium Restaurant at Satellite junction. A mob of about 500 people blocked the fire brigade from entering the premises where 15 LPG cylinders are stored in the kitchen.
Earlier, 58 bodies were brought the Sola Civil Hospital on Thursday early morning from Godhra. Only 36 could be identified so far. A VHP spokesman said they will wait till 4 pm after which they will arrange for a mass funeral at the Sola Crematorium.
Meanwhile there are reports that unidentified persons have set afire Gujarat secretariat complex in Ahmedabad. No casualities have been reported so far.
Curfew has been imposed in Rajkot city where mobs set on fire a religious place near the ST bus depot. Mobs manhandled two lensmen, smashed their equipment and snatched the films. An orphange was also targetted by mobs who torched shops and roadside stalls.
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Rioting in Gujarat, indefinite curfew in several towns
Express News Service
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1409 hrs IST
Indefinite curfew has been clamped in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Lunavada and Bharuch towns following large-scale violence across Gujarat on Thursday. Four persons were killed in fresh violence in the state as curfew and shoot-at-sight orders remained in force in Godhra town for the second day.
Following large-scale arson in Ahmedabad indefinite curfew was clamped in Kalupur, Dariapur, Rakhial, Karanj, Bapunagar, Naroda, Vatwa and Sherkotda areas at 1 p.m.
Curfew has also been imposed in Rajkot city where mobs set on fire a religious place near the ST bus depot. Mobs manhandled two lensmen, smashed their equipment and snatched the films. An orphanage was also targetted by mobs who torched shops and roadside stalls.
The minority board office also known as the Wakf board office in the old Sachivalaya building, a stone throw's away from the Secretariat was attacked and set on fire by arsonists on Thursday afternoon. The old Sachivalaya building houses several state government office. The Wakf board office on the ground floor was torched by VHP and Bajrang Dal members who ransacked it first.
Funeral of Sabarmati victims sparks riots in Hatkeshwar
A mob of about 2,000 people went on a rampage in the Hatkeshwar area today morning during a funeral procession of 15 people who died in the Sabarmati Express attack.
The mob smashed windscreens of cars and buses and set four houses on fire in the Hatkeshwar area.
Rioting and arson was reported from 27 places in Ahmedabad city today morning even as VHP and Bajrang Dal workers enforced a total bandh. Mobs torched shops on C G Road, Satellite area, Behrampura, Shahpur and Vastrapur area. A police vehicle was completely damaged when a mob attacked it near Navrangpura.
Arsonists set on fire the Millennium Restaurant at Satellite junction. A mob of about 500 people blocked the fire brigade from entering the premises where 15 LPG cylinders are stored in the kitchen.
Earlier, 58 bodies were brought the Sola Civil Hospital today early morning from Godhra. Only 36 could be identified so far. A VHP spokesman said they will wait till 4 pm after which they will arrange for a mass funeral at the Sola Crematorium.
Violence returns in Vadodra
The spectre of communal violence returned to Vadodra after a long gap as curfew was imposed in half a dozen police station areas this morning following outbreak of violence in different areas.
One person was stabbed to death in front of Infectious Diseases Hospital in Karelibaug on Thursday. A truck driver was killed when a mob set afire his vehicle at Kapurai crossroads on the National Highway No 8 early Thursday morning, taking to three the number of persons who have been killed in Vadodara as a reaction to the massacre in Godhra.
Curfew was imposed in Karelibaug, Panigate, Wadi, Raopura, City and Navapura police station areas on Thursday morning.
The bandh call given by the VHP evoked total response in the city as shops and establishments remained closed. In Muslim-dominated areas like Wadi some shops did open but closed after police patrol vans announced that curfew had already been put in the area.
Islamic Study Centre at Ajwa Road, Vadodara was also attacked by a mob around 11 am. But the 125 students remained unharmed and were later taken to safety, stated the centre supervisor. But the mob damaged the three computer labs, the centre office, as well as ransacked the masjid premises in the centre. A fiat car and transformer was burnt in the centre, stated the supervisor Ayub Rathore.
Cases of arson were reported from Mangal Bazaar, Manjalpur and Ajwa road, outside the curfew-bound areas.
Stabbing in Surat
Meanwhile, three cases of stabbing were reported from Surat late on Wednesday night. Stones were pelted on the Okha bound Okha Express at Udhna late on Wednesday.
Curfew was also imposed in Lunavada in the Panchmahals after four houses belonging to minority community were burnt in the night. No one was inside when the houses were torched.
Flag march in Godhra
In Godhra, Rapid Action Force teams carried out flag march. CID (Crime) team from Ahmedabad reached there to investigate Wednesday's massacre while Forensic Science Laboratory officials carried out tests on the railway track and inside the burnt coaches to know more about the fuel used.
Curfew in Bharuch
Curfew has been imposed in Bharuch town, about 65 km from Vadodra, following outbreak of sporadic incidents on Thursday. The curfew was imposed in the town around 11 p.m. when at least four shops were burnt and one person was stabbed in Phaga Talao.(With inputs from agencies)
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1409 hrs IST
Indefinite curfew has been clamped in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Lunavada and Bharuch towns following large-scale violence across Gujarat on Thursday. Four persons were killed in fresh violence in the state as curfew and shoot-at-sight orders remained in force in Godhra town for the second day.
Following large-scale arson in Ahmedabad indefinite curfew was clamped in Kalupur, Dariapur, Rakhial, Karanj, Bapunagar, Naroda, Vatwa and Sherkotda areas at 1 p.m.
Curfew has also been imposed in Rajkot city where mobs set on fire a religious place near the ST bus depot. Mobs manhandled two lensmen, smashed their equipment and snatched the films. An orphanage was also targetted by mobs who torched shops and roadside stalls.
The minority board office also known as the Wakf board office in the old Sachivalaya building, a stone throw's away from the Secretariat was attacked and set on fire by arsonists on Thursday afternoon. The old Sachivalaya building houses several state government office. The Wakf board office on the ground floor was torched by VHP and Bajrang Dal members who ransacked it first.
Funeral of Sabarmati victims sparks riots in Hatkeshwar
A mob of about 2,000 people went on a rampage in the Hatkeshwar area today morning during a funeral procession of 15 people who died in the Sabarmati Express attack.
The mob smashed windscreens of cars and buses and set four houses on fire in the Hatkeshwar area.
Rioting and arson was reported from 27 places in Ahmedabad city today morning even as VHP and Bajrang Dal workers enforced a total bandh. Mobs torched shops on C G Road, Satellite area, Behrampura, Shahpur and Vastrapur area. A police vehicle was completely damaged when a mob attacked it near Navrangpura.
Arsonists set on fire the Millennium Restaurant at Satellite junction. A mob of about 500 people blocked the fire brigade from entering the premises where 15 LPG cylinders are stored in the kitchen.
Earlier, 58 bodies were brought the Sola Civil Hospital today early morning from Godhra. Only 36 could be identified so far. A VHP spokesman said they will wait till 4 pm after which they will arrange for a mass funeral at the Sola Crematorium.
Violence returns in Vadodra
The spectre of communal violence returned to Vadodra after a long gap as curfew was imposed in half a dozen police station areas this morning following outbreak of violence in different areas.
One person was stabbed to death in front of Infectious Diseases Hospital in Karelibaug on Thursday. A truck driver was killed when a mob set afire his vehicle at Kapurai crossroads on the National Highway No 8 early Thursday morning, taking to three the number of persons who have been killed in Vadodara as a reaction to the massacre in Godhra.
Curfew was imposed in Karelibaug, Panigate, Wadi, Raopura, City and Navapura police station areas on Thursday morning.
The bandh call given by the VHP evoked total response in the city as shops and establishments remained closed. In Muslim-dominated areas like Wadi some shops did open but closed after police patrol vans announced that curfew had already been put in the area.
Islamic Study Centre at Ajwa Road, Vadodara was also attacked by a mob around 11 am. But the 125 students remained unharmed and were later taken to safety, stated the centre supervisor. But the mob damaged the three computer labs, the centre office, as well as ransacked the masjid premises in the centre. A fiat car and transformer was burnt in the centre, stated the supervisor Ayub Rathore.
Cases of arson were reported from Mangal Bazaar, Manjalpur and Ajwa road, outside the curfew-bound areas.
Stabbing in Surat
Meanwhile, three cases of stabbing were reported from Surat late on Wednesday night. Stones were pelted on the Okha bound Okha Express at Udhna late on Wednesday.
Curfew was also imposed in Lunavada in the Panchmahals after four houses belonging to minority community were burnt in the night. No one was inside when the houses were torched.
Flag march in Godhra
In Godhra, Rapid Action Force teams carried out flag march. CID (Crime) team from Ahmedabad reached there to investigate Wednesday's massacre while Forensic Science Laboratory officials carried out tests on the railway track and inside the burnt coaches to know more about the fuel used.
Curfew in Bharuch
Curfew has been imposed in Bharuch town, about 65 km from Vadodra, following outbreak of sporadic incidents on Thursday. The curfew was imposed in the town around 11 p.m. when at least four shops were burnt and one person was stabbed in Phaga Talao.(With inputs from agencies)
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1,000 para-military personnel rushed to Gujarat
Press Trust of India
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1629 hrs IST
Home Minister L K Advani on Thursday directed despatch of about 1,000 personnel of para-military forces to trouble-hit Gujarat following a request by Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
"Eleven companies of para-military forces have been despatched to Gujarat and they will be reaching there by tonight," a Home Ministry official said.
Modi had telephoned Advani to apprise him of the situation in Gujarat in the wake of Wednesday's attack on Sabarmati Express and requested for additional forces to deal with law and order problem.
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1629 hrs IST
Home Minister L K Advani on Thursday directed despatch of about 1,000 personnel of para-military forces to trouble-hit Gujarat following a request by Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
"Eleven companies of para-military forces have been despatched to Gujarat and they will be reaching there by tonight," a Home Ministry official said.
Modi had telephoned Advani to apprise him of the situation in Gujarat in the wake of Wednesday's attack on Sabarmati Express and requested for additional forces to deal with law and order problem.
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70 killed, Army on stand by
Express News Service & Agencies
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 1806 hrs IST
In the worst communal flagration in Gujarat in recent times, at least 70 people were killed - 38 of them burnt alive in Ahmedabad - as rampaging mobs attacked homes and set ablaze shops, buildings and buses in retaliation to Wednesday's killing of 58 people in Sabarmati Express.
In a gruesome incident, 38 people of a minority community, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jaffri and 19 members of his family, were burnt alive in their homes in Meghaninagar suburb in Ahmedabad.
Repeated calls for help from the former MP to the police failed to fetch them any succour.
Police complained the rampaging mob outnumbered them and had set up road blocks hindering their movement.
Concerned over the unabated violence during the VHP-sponsored Gujarat bandh, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Thursday called a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security which decided that Army will stand by in the disturbed areas of Gujarat.
Defence Minister George Fernandes has left for Ahmedabad, the worst hit by the violence, to take stock of the situation.
The streets across Gujarat turned into a battlefield on Thursday as the VHP-sponsored bandh turned violent. Rioters took to the streets, indulging in stabbing, looting and arson.
Earlier in the evening, addressing a crowded press conference, Chief Minister Narendra Modi put the death count at 20, said curfew was imposed on 26 areas and over 700 were arrested in the state—including 80 in Godhra, the place of Sabarmati Express carnage. Army has been asked to stand by, Rapid Action Force and Central Industrial Security Force have also been deployed in sensitive areas, he added. "If possible, Army may be air-lifted from the border," Modi added.
Asked about the Godhra incident, Modi said, "It seems to be pre-planned and judicial inquiry has been ordered to find out these elements." The probe is to be headed by a retired High Court judge, he informed. Minister of State for Home, Gordhanbhai Zadafia claimed that "as far as Ram sevaks were concerned, there was no slogan shouting at Godhra railway station while they were going or returning from Ayodhya".
In the morning, 58 bodies were brought the Sola Civil Hospital from Godhra. Only 36 were be identified. A VHP spokesman said they would wait till evening after which they would arrange for a mass cremation at the Sola Crematorium.
STREETS ON FIRE
The areas where indefinite curfew has been clamped are in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Lunavada and Bharuch towns.
Following large-scale arson in Ahmedabad indefinite curfew was clamped in Kalupur, Dariapur, Rakhial, Karanj, Bapunagar, Naroda, Vatwa and Sherkotda areas at 1 p.m.
Rioting and arson were reported from 27 places in the city in the morning, even as VHP and Bajrang Dal workers enforced a total bandh. Mobs torched shops on C.G. Road, Satellite area, Behrampura, Shahpur and Vastrapur area. A police vehicle was completely damaged when a mob attacked it near Navrangpura.
The Millennium Restaurant at Satellite junction was set on fire, while a mob of about 500 people blocked the fire brigade from entering the premises.
At Godhra, where curfew and shoot-at-sight orders remained in force for the second day, four persons were reported killed in fresh violence. RAF carried out flag march, even as CID (Crime) team from Ahmedabad reached there to investigate Wednesday's massacre. Forensic Science Laboratory officials carried out tests on the railway track and inside the burnt coaches.
Curfew has also been imposed in Rajkot city where mobs set on fire a religious place near the ST bus depot. Mobs manhandled two press photographers, smashed their equipment and snatched the films. An orphanage was also targeted by mobs who torched shops and roadside stalls.
The minority board office also known as the WAKF board office in the old Sachivalaya building, a stone throw's away from the Secretariat was attacked and set on fire in the afternoon. The old Sachivalaya building houses several state government office. The WAKF board office on the ground floor was ransacked, before it was set afire.
Over 2,000 people went on a rampage in the Hatkeshwar area on Thursday morning during a funeral procession of 15 victims of the Sabarmati Express attack. Windscreens of cars and buses were smashed and four houses set on fire in the area.
VIOLENCE RETURNS TO VADODRA
The spectre of communal violence returned to Vadodra after a long gap. Curfew was imposed in half a dozen areas in the morning following outbreak of violence.
One person was stabbed to death in front of Infectious Diseases Hospital in Karelibaug. A truck driver was killed when a mob set afire his vehicle at Kapurai crossroads on the National Highway No 8 early in the morning, taking to three the number of persons who have been killed in Vadodara as a reaction to the carnage in Godhra.
Curfew was imposed in Karelibaug, Panigate, Wadi, Raopura, City and Navapura police station areas.
The bandh call given by the VHP evoked total response in the city as shops and establishments remained closed. In Muslim-dominated areas like Wadi some shops did open but closed after police patrol vans announced that curfew had already been put in the area.
Islamic Study Centre at Ajwa Road, Vadodara was also attacked by a mob around 11 am. However, the 125 students were unharmed and were later taken to safety, the centre supervisor said.
But the mob damaged the three computer labs, the centre office, as well as ransacked the masjid premises in the centre. A fiat car and transformer was burnt in the centre, stated the supervisor Ayub Rathore.
Cases of arson were reported from Mangal Bazaar, Manjalpur and Ajwa road, outside the curfew-bound areas.
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VHP calls for Delhi bandh on Friday
Press Trust of India
Posted: Feb 28, 2002 at 2117 hrs IST
"All wholesale markets and shops will remain closed and public transport would remain off the roads tomorrow," Delhi VHP president Om Prakash Singhal said.
He, however, said essential services have been exempted from the purview of the 'bandh' and students appearing for board examinations would be allowed to go to their examination centres.
'Chakka jams' (road blockades) would be organised across the capital on Friday, he said.
Meanwhile, police have made tight security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident during tomorrow's bandh.
Police presence and patrolling have been beefed up inthe communally sensitive areas such as North-East Delhi and the walled city
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The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2002/02/28/stories/2002022803070100.htm
57 killed as mob torches train in Gujarat
By Manas Dasgupta
By Manas Dasgupta
Bodies of those killed in the attack on the Sabarmati Express kept near a burnt coach in Godhra on Wednesday. - Reuters
GANDHINAGAR, FEB. 27. Fifty-seven persons, mostly women and children, were killed and 43 sustained burn injuries when a coach of the Faizabad-Ahmedabad Sabarmati Express carrying `Ram sevaks' was set afire by a group of people on the outskirts of the Godhra railway station, about 200 km from here, this morning. The `Ram sevaks' were returning from Ayodhya.
The incident led to tension in other parts of the State as a relief train, carrying passengers of the affected train, reached these stations on the way to Ahmedabad. At least two persons were stabbed to death in the Anand and Baroda railway stations, from where three more incidents were reported. Two incidents of stabbing were reported in the Ahmedabad railway station and in the Meghaninagar locality despite heavy police bandobust. A municipal bus was set afire in the labour-dominated Bapunagar locality of Ahmedabad. A dozen cases of arson were also reported from here.
VHP calls for bandh
An indefinite curfew has been clamped in Godhra town and a ``shoot at sight'' order issued following the incident. The authorities are keeping their fingers crossed in view of a call by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and its sister organisations for a `Gujarat Bandh' tomorrow to protest against the ``ghastly'' incident. The State Government has appealed to the people to maintain peace.
The Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, who rushed to the spot along with the Minister of State for Home, Gordhan Jhadaphiya, and the Health Minister, Ashok Bhatt, said the Government had ordered a ``high-level inquiry''.
Making a brief statement in the Assembly, which is holding its budget session, Mr. Modi condemned the incident and said he had spoken with the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee. He also announced an immediate compensation of Rs. 2 lakhs to the next of kin of the deceased.
Attack was planned?
Mr. Modi hinted at the possibility of the attack being a ``planned'' one, pointing out that the train was ``attacked'' at the Godhra railway platform, where it halts for only about three minutes.
Even as conflicting reports about the sequence of events kept pouring in, the Home Secretary, K. Nityanandam, said a group of people had thrown stones at the train as soon as it halted at Godhra, forcing the passengers to bolt the doors from inside. As soon as the train left the platform, it stopped in the yard, which the railway authorities said was because someone had pulled the chain. It was not clear who pulled the chain, but someone from the attackers having climbed into the train before it left the platform is not ruled out.
As the train stopped, the miscreants virtually gheraoed the train and a flurry of stones poured in on the passengers. One of the coaches was doused with petrol and kerosene brought from a nearby petrol pump and set on fire. Also, burning rags were thrown in through the windows. The fire soon spread to at least four contiguous coaches, forcing many passengers to jump out. Those who could not - some 25 women and 15 children - perished in the fire.
Eyewitnesses said that about 1,200 `Ram sevaks' were travelling in the train. The local people in the Muslim-dominated Godhra town had been ``irritated'' by the ``abusive language'' used by the `Ram sevaks' while they were going to Ayodhya by the same train a few days ago. They had reportedly raised slogans as the train approached Godhra on the return journey this morning.
Senior police and railway officials, who rushed to the spot, found it difficult to recover the bodies, most of which were charred beyond recognition. The authorities said they had estimated the number of dead by merely counting the bones, adding that the exact number was not known immediately.
A relief train was sent from Ahmedabad and the State Government arranged for 30 State buses to carry the stranded passengers to their destinations. The Home Minister said the Government was taking necessary steps to ensure that the disturbances did not spread during the bandh tomorrow.
PTI reports:
Among the injured in the attack were 31 men, nine women and three children. Of them, 20 passengers, who sustained serious burns were admitted to a hospital at Godhra, Mr. Nityanandam said.
One of the coaches of the 18-bogie train was completely gutted. Two coaches were detached at the Godhra station while the train with the rest of the coaches arrived at Ahmedabad.
Mr. Vajpayee, who spoke with Mr. Modi over phone from New Delhi, has asked him to firmly deal with the situation arising out of the attack. The Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, has also spoken to Mr. Modi.
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VHP seeks resignation of Central, Gujarat Govts
NEW DELHI, FEB. 27. The senior VHP leader, Mahant Naval Kishor Das, today demanded the resignation of the Central and Gujarat Governments over the killing of ``Ram sevaks'' at Godhra even as the RSS appealed to the people to exercise restraint.
``The Central and State Governments should own up moral responsibility and resign,'' Mr. Das told PTI.
Condemning the incident, he also asked human rights organisations, which had raised hue and cry over the killing of Australian missionary, Graham Staines in Orissa, to take up the issue without any double standards.
- PTI
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Sonia condemns Gujarat incidents
By Our Special Correspondent
By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, FEB. 27.The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, today expressed shock at the violent incidents in Gujarat and strongly condemned the perpetrators of such acts.
In a statement here, she appealed to all sections of the society to strive their utmost to maintain peace and communal harmony. She also conveyed her deepest sympathies to all the bereaved families.
Meanwhile, the Congress party expressed disappointment at the outcome of the all- party meeting on Ayodhya called by the Prime Minister on Tuesday evening.
``It comes as a great disappointment to the Congress party and also to most of the leaders of political parties who attended the meeting when they found out that neither the Prime Minister nor the Home Minister was prepared to give specific and meaningful commitments in this regard'', the party spokesperson,
S. Jaipal Reddy said.
He said the intentions of the VHP`` were loud and clear'' and alleged it would``go to any extent to unauthorisedly build the temple'' after March 15.
``The Congress party will continue to focus on this potentially dangerous situation and mobilise public opinion through Parliament to prevent the communalisation of the atmosphere in the country and violation of the law of the land'', he said.
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