|
BARODA-DARGAH
DEMOLITION AND AFTER
(PERIOD
APRIL 30 TO MAY 8)
IN
THE EYES OF NATIONAL ELECTRONIC
AND PRINT MEDIA- WEB SITES
1
Dargah demolition in Vadodara claims 4 lives (zee
news)
Vadodara,
May 01: The demolition of a more than 200-year-old Dargah here today by
civic authorities sparked widespread violence in which four persons were
killed in clashes and police firing, forcing the authorities to impose
curfew in the sensitive walled city.
Twenty-two people were injured, many of them in police firing and the
others in stone-pelting, at the Champaner Gate area following violent
protests against the demolition of the Dargah of Rafikuddin Ramatullah
Aulia by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. A policeman was among the
injured.
Two locals of Yakoutpura, who were among the protestors, succumbed to
bullet injuries received in the police firing. Two more persons were
stabbed to death in clashes.
Police opened fire after failing to disperse the protestors with teargas
and a cane-charge.
The trouble started when a VMC squad began demolishing the Dargah, which
authorities said was encroaching on government land.
Residents of the area began shouting slogans and then attacked officials
involved in the demolition, Vadodara city Police Commissioner Deepak
Swarup said.
"Police have intensified patrolling apart from clamping curfew in all
the sensitive areas and the situation is presently under control,"
Swarup said.
The complete walled city area has been placed under curfew, police said.
Violence, including heavy stone-pelting, was also reported from Macchipith
and Nyay Mandir areas. Police lobbed tear gas to control the crowd in the
Nyay Mandir area, officials said.
Director General of Police P C Pande said about 200 additional personnel
of the state reserve police force hadbeen sent to Vadodara. "We have
also kept the rapid action force on standby. The situation is right now
under control."
The additional forces were sent at the request of the city Police
Commissioner to deal with the situation, Pande said.
Principal Secretary (Home) K C Kapoor said it was not a case of communal
violence.
"It is a case of people blocking authorities from carrying out their
official duty," he said in Ahmedabad adding that the demolition drive
is being carried out by the civic authorities against unauthorised
structures.
Police said people of the minority community had requested the authorities
and city Mayor Sunil Solanki not to demolish the Dargah as it was more
than 200 years old and its destruction could hurt the feelings of the
community.
They demanded that the Dargah be declared a heritage site.
However, the VMC squad demolished the Dargah, which they said was
obstructing the traffic, and built a road in its place.
Soon after, people from two groups started pelting stones at each other
and set four shops on fire. Some vehicles were also set on fire during the
clashes, police said.
Police fired at least 10 rounds and lobbed more than 30 teargas shells to
disperse the violent mob.
Bureau Report
2.
Vadodara: 2 killed in violence over demolition (Rediffmail
Website)
May 01, 2006 14:51 IST
Two persons were killed in police firing and seven others injured in
stone-pelting in the Champaner Gate area following a violent protest
against the demolition of an 'encroached' dargah in Vadodara. The Vadodara
Municipal Corporation had undertaken the demolition on Monday morning.
Subsequently, a curfew has been imposed in the area.
Two
locals of Yakoutpura, who were part of the protestors, succumbed to bullet
injuries after police opened fire to quell the violence and also lobbed
tear gas shells, senior police officials told PTI.
The
trouble started when the VMC squad started demolishing the 200-year-old
dargah and locals of the area began shouting slogans and later attacked
officials involved in the demolition, Vadodara city police commissioner
Deepak Swarup said.
A
policeman hit during the stone pelting was also among the seven injured.
"Police have intensified patrolling and clamped curfew in all the
sensitive areas and the situation is presently under control," Swarup
said.
Police
said people of the minority community had requested the authorities and
city mayor Sunil Solanki not to demolish the dargah, as it is more than
200 years old and could hurt the feelings of the community. They demanded
that the dargah be declared a heritage site.
However,
the VMC squad went ahead with its demolition plans as the structure was
obstructing traffic, police said.
People
from two groups started pelting stones on each other and set on fire four
shops, officials said. Police fired at least 10 rounds and lobbed more
than 30 tear gas shells to disperse the violent mob.
3.
Violence in Vadodara, 3 die in police firing
Reuters
Posted online:
Monday, May 01, 2006 at 1411 hours IST
Updated: Monday,
May 01, 2006 at 1854 hours IST
Ahmedabad, May 1: At
least three people died and 18 were injured on Monday when rowdy mobs
fought pitched battles with the police in Vadodara, protesting a
demolition drive in a communally-sensitive city of Gujarat, police said.
Police
opened fire at the violent crowd which pelted stones when civic
authorities came to demolish a Muslim shrine that was on the list of
properties encroaching roads in Baroda, 120 km (75 miles) south of
Ahmedabad.
Two
of those killed died in police firing, police said.
"Muslims
objected to the anti-encroachment drive and pelted stones," Deepak
Swaroop, the city police chief, told Reuters. "We had to take
action," he added.
A
curfew has been imposed in the area, the officer said. He added there were
no clashes between Hindus and Muslims but an alert had been sounded in
sensitive areas.
Gujarat
was rocked by Hindu-Muslim riots in 2002 when 59 people were burnt to
death in a train compartment.
4
Four killed in Vadodara violence (NDTV)
Rohit
Bhan
Monday, May 1, 2006 (Ahmedabad):
Four
people were killed in the Fatehpura area of Vadodara where an incident of
stone-throwing by a mob sparked off tension on Monday.
The mob was protesting against the demolition of a 300-year-old dargah
by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation.
Members of the minority community had requested the authorities and city
mayor Sunil Solanki not to demolish the dargah and declare it a
heritage site instead.
Traffic obstruction
But the VMC went ahead with its demolition plan as the dargah was
obstructing traffic, said police Commissioner Deepak Swarup.
The administration has said that this is not the first religious structure
it has had to remove for obstructing traffic.
"The city police station area under which the dargah comes
been put on curfew. But what is more important is that there is no
communal angle to this matter. All communities have been told that
Vadodara is a city which is over 200 years old," said Deepak Swaroop,
Police Commissioner, Vadodara.
"We are trying to bring a modern look to the city and anything that
would obstruct us in this matter will have to go. Anybody who comes in the
way of developing this city will have to change," he added.
In retaliation, people from two groups started pelting stones and set four
shops on fire.
The police fired at least eight rounds in the air and lobbed 78 tear gas
shells to disperse the mob.
A curfew has now been clamped in the troubled areas. (With PTI inputs)
5
'Don’t let Vadodara clashes go out of hand'
Press
Trust of India
Posted online: Monday, May 01, 2006 at 1642
hours IST
New Delhi, May 1: The
centre on Monday asked the Gujarat government to take all necessary steps
to ensure that the situation did not get out of hands in Vadodara, where
two persons were killed in police firing.
Union
Home Secretary V K Duggal spoke on telephone with state Chief Secretary
Sudhir Mankad and offered central assistance to control the situation, an
official said.
Duggal
told Mankad that all steps that were required to control the situation in
the sensitive area in Vadodara should be taken by the state authorities.
Two
persons were killed in police firing and seven others injured in stone
pelting in Champaner gate area following violence by people protesting
against demolition of an "encroached" dargah by Vadodara
Municipal Corporation in the city on Monday morning, leading to imposition
of curfew in the area.
6
NDTV 2-5-06
Tuesday,
May 2, 2006 (Vadodara):
A
day after four people were killed in clashes after a dargah was
demolished in Vadodara, tension continues to prevail in the city.
Fresh incidents of stone pelting and arson were reported from the
Fatehpura area of Vadodara on Tuesday.
The incident took place in the key circle of the city police station in
the walled city.
Rapid Action Force personnel, who have been patrolling the streets, soon
brought the situation under control.
The curfew has been lifted in staggered phases in four of the six police
circles of Vadodara.
7
Vadodara admn was not cautious: Centre
INDIAN EXPRESS 2-5
22 HRS
Press
Trust of India
Posted online: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 at 1610
hours IST
Updated: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 at 1633 hours
IST
New Delhi, May 2: The Centre on Tuesday said the Vadodara district
administration did not take enough caution in dealing with the issue of
removing the dargah as matters of religious sentiments need to be dealt
with a lot of sensitivity.
"Enough caution
was not taken by the district administration which decided to remove the
dargah on the pretext of clearing illegal encroachment. More caution
should have been taken," Minister of State for Home Sriprakash
Jaiswal told reporters here.
Jaiswal, who visited
Vadodara where five persons have been killed in clashes following the
demolition of the dargah, said "such matters (religious) should have
been dealt with more sensitivity."
He said the
administration could have sorted out the matter in consultation with the
community representatives and not resorted to the demolition right away.
Pointing out that it was believed that the dargah was nearly 300 years
old, Jaiswal said "distinction should be made between an ordinary
place of worship and the one which is a few hundred years old, where more
sentiments are involved."
Jaiswal said the
district administration could have used baton-charge or fired rubber
bullets to bring the situation under control.
Asked whether the
Centre would order an inquiry into the clash, he said "we will see
what the state government will do and thereafter decide on the
matter."
He also said the
Centre was ready to assist the state government in every possible manner
and would provide extra forces, if sought.
Jaiswal said according
to the information received by him, the clash was not of
communal nature but
between the district administration and members of a particular community.
8.
Politics made dargah removal point of prestige
Express
News Service
Posted online: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 at 0931
hours IST
Vadodara, May 2: The razed dargah near Champaner gate, over which
violence broke out in Vadodara on Monday, stood in the middle of the road.
Local Muslims say it was of a Sufi saint called Syed Rashiuddin Chishti, a
descendant of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer. They claim the shrine was
some 300 years old.
Little else is known
about the shrine, except that it has been attacked in all communal riots
in Gujarat since 1969.
But Vadodara Municipal
Corporation (VMC), which is controlled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
seemed to have been intent on removing it - and on Monday itself - to
prove a point.
All along the BJP and
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had been building up pressure to have it
demolished, if only to show that the ongoing demolition drive against
illegal structures was not targeting only Hindu shrines.
The local Muslims
leaders’ decision to oppose the demolition on the ground that it was a
“historical structure” — Muslims do generally not consider dargahs
places of worship — only seemed to have increased the political
pressure.
This was evident from
the presence of BJP leader Nalin Bhatt and councillors Rakesh Patel,
Arvind Patel, Chandrakant Thakkar, Lalit Raj, Harish Shevani, Yogesh Patel
and Mahesh Rana during the demolition.
But the situation had
been made volatile even before. An open letter from the VHP had taunted
the municipal administration for failing to take action against Muslim
shrines while removing those of Hindus.
Muslims had made
official representations against the demolition on Saturday. They’d also
faxed a memorandum to the National Minorities Commission on Sunday quoting
the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which they ensures
status quo to religious places built before 1947.
Municipal commissioner
Rohit Pathak’s statement on Monday evening mentioned the demolition of
20 Hindu temples with people’s co-operation. What it did not mention was
that the Muslim community, too, had co-operated during the removal of a
smaller dargah in the Danteshwar area.
So the dargah near
Champaner gate became one that was prominent enough to drive home the
point that demolitions would continue come what may.
To declare the dargah
an illegal structure, municipal authorities latched on to the fact that it
does not have ownership papers nor is it a protected monument. Only the
city survey of 1911 by the then Baroda State makes mention of the dargah.
Police officers admit
that hastening the removal guaranteed violence.
Given the
politicisation of the issue, the conversion of the attack against the
authorities into communal violence took little time — something for
which the police seemed ill-prepared, as indicated by how the violence
spread to several areas in the walled city.
Violence
unfortunate, but drive will go on
The demolition drive
will continue, we did it in larger public good. The violence and
opposition is sad and unfortunate.
Rohit Pathak,
Municipal Commissioner
We are telling Hindus
to remove temples, how could we allow the other community to remove it
partially. A balance needed to be maintained. The demolition drive will
continue.
Sunil Solanki,
Mayor
We tried our best to
maintain peace, but there was no co-operation from the municipal
administration. They were adamant. Development can’t be at this cost.
Moin Refai, Member
of Muslim Delegation
9.
Vadodara police fires to disperse crowds again
[
Tuesday, May 02, 2006 10:15:33 pm IANS
]
VADODARA: Police fired
seven rounds to disperse crowds that were pelting stones at them during
the funeral procession of the Muslim youths killed in police firing on
Monday morning.
"People shouted slogans against police and indulged in stone pelting
in the Wadi area of the city from where the funerals were taken out.
Policemen controlled the situation by firing seven rounds," Vadodara
Police Commissioner Deepak Swarup said.
"There is a strong
feeling of anti-establishment among Muslims and they are reacting as the
bullet that killed two youths were from police. It will take some time for
the feeling to die down," he added. (EMPHASIS SUPPLIED)
10
Vadodara tense, Modi to assess situation
NDTV
MAY 3 14.30HRS
NDTV
Correspondent
Wednesday, May 3, 2006 (Vadodara):
Vadodara
continues to be tense after a night of violent clashes. There are reports
of fresh incidents of stone throwing in the Panigate area.
In a separate incident, two factories in the Sardar Industrial area were
set on fire by a mob.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi will visit Vadodara later in the day to
assess the situation.
Fresh violence erupted after a man was burnt alive on Tuesday by rampaging
mobs.
Six people have been killed since Monday when Vadodara Municipal
Corporation demolished the over 200-year-old Rashidudin Chisti-ni-Dargah
in Fatehpura area of the walled city.
On the defensive
Reacting to the persisting violence in the city, the BJP has blamed vested
interests for trying to frame the state government.
BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also asserted that the party had full
faith in Narendra Modi.
Senior BJP leader L K Advani also spoke to Modi on the Vadodara situation
and asked for a comprehensive appraisal.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, meanwhile, has asked the state
government to take immediate action to control situation.
"What has happened in Gujarat is being watched by us. I am sure the
Gujarat government is also watching it and will take necessary action. It
should not be hyped up but it should not be taken lightly either,"
said Patil.
11.
“NDTV Correspondent
Wednesday, May 3, 2006 (Vadodara):
Tension
mounts
About 20 riot victims are already in the local hospitals.
Eyewitnesses told NDTV that a mob of over 2,000 people attacked Muslim
colonies on Ajwa road.
Residents of the Muslim colonies alleged that the police did nothing
despite repeated calls for help.
"We kept calling the police but the phones were either switched
off or busy. We finally called police control and they said go to
Pakistan. We would request the government to take action against the
people in the control room," said Yusuf Sheikh, an eyewitness.
Muslim residents said the police refused to help on account of shortage of
forces.”
12.
“Vadodara clashes revive memories of 2002 riots
Wednesday,
May 3, 2006 (Vadodara, godhra, riots):
Tuesday night's
violence in Vadodara has revived memories of the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
Eyewitness accounts of organised mob violence and police indifference to
desperate calls for help are chillingly familiar in the state.
The family of Rafiq Vohra, who was burnt alive in his car, is
inconsolable.
"He was like my brother. We kept calling the police but there was no
response. They kept saying 'we're on our way' but never came," said a
relative of Rafiq.”
13.
Conduct a detailed inquiry: Centre to Guj govt
Press
Trust of India
Posted online: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at
1257 hours IST
New Delhi, May 3: The Centre on Wednesday asked the Gujarat
government to conduct a detailed inquiry on how the situation in Vadodara
went out of control in the wake of demolition of a dargah there.
It has also asked the
state authorities to ascertain whether the district administration acted
appropriately to tackle the situation.
"I have so far no
reason to believe that the state and district authorities acted
otherwise," Home Secretary V K Duggal said after reviewing the
situation with senior officials of the ministry.
Asked whether the Army
will be deployed, he said government was in
touch with the state authorities and will act "according to what
the situation is".
14
Jaipur, May 3: Senior BJP leader L K Advani has sought a report
from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on the violence in Vadodara.
15.
Muslims can’t 'trust' state govt
Reuters
& Agencies
Posted online: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at
0941 hours IST
Ahmedabad, May 3: After a mob burnt alive a man in his car, curfew
was further clamped in Vadodara. The 30-year-old victim, who worked in an
oil refinery, was returning from a late shift, when he was surrounded by a
mob of hundreds.
Muslim residents said
they did not trust the state government.
"Our lives are in
danger as Hindu extremists armed with swords and knives surrounded our
residences. We called the police but no one responded," said Moyin
Khan.
State home minister
Amit Shah said the government was keen
to control the violence and was doing all it could.
16.
NDTV Correspondent
Wednesday, May 3, 2006 (Vadodara):
The Centre has
deployed the Army in Vadodara to quickly contain the situation and bring
normalcy in the city.
The city has been tense following violent clashes triggered by the
demolition of a 200-year-old Rashidudin Chisti-ni-Dargah in Fatehpura area
of the walled city.
Home Secretary V K Duggal said nine to ten columns consisting of about
1,000 Army personnel have been deployed in Vadodara.
He made the announcement after a meeting to review the situation was
undertaken by the Centre. Army is on the standby in Ahmedabad, he said.
The decisions were taken after Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi spoke
to Home Minister Shivraj Patil.
Appeal for peace
Earlier in the day, Modi visited Vadodara to assess the situation and
appealed for peace.
"Situation in Vadodara is under control. I have asked for additional
forces. Now 24 companies of our state forces are outside for election
duty. That's why we need additional forces," said the Chief Minister.
The city continued to simmer even as fresh reports of stone throwing in
the Panigate area came in.
In a separate incident, two factories in the Sardar Industrial area were
set on fire by a mob.
17.
Cong 'blowing out of
proportion' Vadodara incidents: Naidu
Coimbatore,
May 03: Criticising the Congress for 'blowing out of proportion' the
Vadodara incidents, BJP Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu today said they
were doing so 'only because' it happened in a BJP ruled state. zee
news 22.30
18.
May 3
The
Gujarat HC, taking note of a media report about a mob attack on a district
court after the Vadodara Municipal Corporation razed a dargah, had on May
2 directed the municipalities of Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad to
take immediate steps for the removal of religious structures on public
land.
19.
‘We called police, they told us to call up Pakistan instead’(INDIAN
EXP May 4)
Soumik
Dey
Posted
online: Thursday, May 04, 2006 at 0000 hrs
VADODARA,
MAY 3: The mob that killed 38-year-old Mohammad Rafi Vora at
11.45 pm on Tuesday night near his Kismat Colony residence did not spring
to action suddenly. In fact, the situation in the curfew-bound Ajwa Road
area had been tense even four hours before the incident.
However,
the police reportedly did not respond to frantic calls from residents of
minority community societies here, and arrived only after Rafi was
attacked with swords and his Tata Sierra car (GJ-6AA 8285) set on fire
with him inside.
‘‘He
was coming towards the colony and the mob was already on the street. He
honked and accelerated to get past the mob, when the car hit the divider
and overturned. The mob then turned on him and set the car on fire,’’
said Rafi’s friend Salim Vora, a Vora Colony resident.
The
mob did not give Rafi a chance to come out of his car and attacked him
with swords. ‘‘He was killed first and then set on fire along with the
car,’’ is what his post-mortem report states.
His
younger brother Mohammad Haji Vora says, ‘‘My brother was into the
business of leasing out oil tankers. On Tuesday night he was coming back
from Gujarat Refinery. We had called him when he was at Dhumal Chowkdi and
warned him that the situation was tense. He was the pride of our family
and had donated money for the construction of the Ektanagar police chowki.’’
‘‘Retired
police inspector B I Pathan, a resident of Kismat Colony, had called the
police when the mob started gathering. Instead, he was asked to call up
Pakistan,’’ he added.
Haji’s
friends alleged that residents of the Riddhi Siddhi society opposite Vora
Colony were part of the mob. ‘‘The Friends of Police also ditched us
in time of need. This, however, is the first incident of communal violence
in so many years,’’ said another Vora Colony resident Akil Sheikh.
Police
Commissioner Deepak Swaroop refused to comment on why the police did not
respond in time. But he added that rioteers had tripped transformer
switches in the area, which caused an impediment in police work.
The
police are yet to take any action following the incident. ‘‘We have
registered an FIR and combing operations are to begin by Wednesday
evening,’’ said Panigate police inspector Y A Bhatiya. On Wednesday
morning, Rafi’s body was brought from SSG Hospital to the residence of
his elder brother in Fatehgunj and then taken for burial.
20.
Vadodara violence:
Jaiswal to submit report
(NDTV
4-5-06 9.30hrs)
NDTV Correspondent
Thursday, May 4, 2006 (Vadodara ):
Minister
of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal will submit a report on the Vadodara
violence, a day after his visit to the communally sensitive city.
Jaiswal reportedly, said that the Rashidudin Chisti-ni-Dargah in the
Fatehpura area should not have been demolished and condemned the police
firing.
The city has been tense following violent clashes triggered by the
demolition of the 200-year-old dargah in the walled city.
The death of Rafiq Vohra, a Muslim contractor, who was burnt alive by a
mob on the outskirts of the tense city has raised several questions about
where the police was when the violence peaked.
Muslims alleged that an over 2000 strong mob attacked their colonies but
there was no police action.
“He was like my brother. We kept calling the police but there was no
response. They kept saying 'we're on our way' but never came," said
Rafiq Vohra’s relative.
Locals said the police station is at a distance of around one kilometer
but it still took the policemen close to an hour and a half to arrive at
the site.
Fear among Muslims
The violence has brought back memories of the 2002 Gujarat riots when the
same Muslim colonies were targeted.
Residents of the Vohra and Kismet colonies that are Muslim dominated say
they made close to 200 SOS calls between 11:30 pm (IST) and 12.30 (IST)
but the police did not respond to their pleas for help.
The police however, claim there was no delay in action.
“If they say we reached late, that is totally baseless. It might have
taken us 5-10 minutes to get there. I was there and the DCP was also
there,” said VM Parghi, ACP.
According to sources the Centre has indicated that stringent action should
be taken against Vadodara Police Commissioner, Deepak Swaroop. ...
21.
Vadodara tense, Army conducts flag marches ZEE
4-5-06 930HRS
Vadodara, May 04: The Army last night
conducted flag marches in all curfew-bound localities of this riot-hit
town where a shop was set on fire in a fresh outbreak of arson as three
days of violence left six dead and more than 60 injured.
Two columns of the Army marched through trouble-torn areas in city police
station limits, Nawapura, Wadi, Raopura, Karelibagh and Panigate
localities, city Police Commissioner Deepak Swarup said.
He said if necessary, the Army would conduct flag marches in some other
violence-hit areas today in the wake of the demolition of a Dargah on
Monday.
The Armymen had moved in all curfew-bound localities of the town,
officials said.
The shop of Indian steel traders was set ablaze in Daboi area but there
were no casualties.
Home Secretary V K Duggal told reporters in Delhi that nine to 10 Army.
columns consisting of about 1,000 soldiers had been deployed in Vadodara
to control the situation.
The Army had also been put on standby in Ahmedabad, he said. Earlier, the
Centre had despatched 500 para-military personnel to Vadodara.
A few incidents of stone-pelting and arson were reported today in the
violence-hit town which remained tense.
Police said anti-social elements burnt three factories at the Sardar Patel
estate and looted a shop at Raopura. Police used teargas in Bavchavad area
to disperse two groups pelting stones at each other.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who toured riot-hit areas, said the
situation was under control and warned of stern action against anyone
fomenting unrest.
22.
Gujarat 2006 versus Gujarat 2002 (INDIAN EXPRESS)
MILIND
GHATWAI, SHIV AROOR & VARGHESE K GEORGE
Posted
online: Thursday, May 04, 2006
In
2002, there was no response from the BJP-led NDA Centre for hours after
violence broke out. This time, the UPA sent Minister of State Sri Prakash
Jaiswal the same evening as violence broke out on May 1.
•
After Modi’s request at 4 pm today, 13 paramilitary troop
companies—nine deployed in Vadodara and four in Ahmedabad—have been
drawn from the Rapid Action Force (RAF), CRPF and BSF. In 2002, the Army
was not deployed until the worst massacres had already happened in
Ahmedabad and across the state.
•
Today, the Army put three columns from its Vadodara-based air defence
brigade and another from Gandhinagar on flag march duty. Four columns,
consisting of about 250 troops, are to make a peaceful flag march through
the sensitive parts of Vadodara today in a 10-vehicle convoy of jeeps.
•
Two more columns of the Army have been pressed in to assist the civil
administration and Gujarat police.
•
Last night, Home Minister Shivraj Patil told Modi in no uncertain terms
that it was the Gujarat government’s responsibility to ensure that the
situation did not spiral out of control.
•
The Home Ministry also asked Gujarat Chief Secretary Sudhir Mankad to
provide a detailed report on the violence.
•
Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi also spoke to Mankad and indicated to him
that with the assistance of additional central forces, it was imperative
that the situation was defused immediately.
23.
Government gives shoot orders to army
[ Thursday, May 04, 2006 08:54:28 pm IANS
]
Times
of India may 5 10.30hrs
Vadodara:
NEW
DELHI: The central government has granted extraordinary powers to the
army, deployed in Gujarat's strife-torn city of Vadodara, to shoot to
prevent any escalation in the violence to avoid a repeat of the state's
sectarian clashes of 2002.
Ten companies of the army,
deployed in the city on Wednesday night, were given the power to shoot if
that was necessary to control any rioting mobs, official sources said
here.
The move, however, risks a spat
with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Gandhinagar, since,
according to the norm in such situations, the army's role is only to
assist local authorities, and a prior permission from the district
magistrate is required to fire at mobs indulging in violence.
Violence broke out in Vadodara,
about 110 km from Ahmedabad, when police fired at an unruly crowd on
Monday, killing two people. The largely Muslim crowd was protesting the
demolition by civic authorities of a 300-year-old tomb.
The police firing provoked
clashes, leading to four more deaths in two days, even as the situation
was 'under control' on Thursday and curfew was relaxed in many parts.
The army was sent to the troubled
city at the request of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, as 24 companies of
the state's reserve police force were on duty in the states where assembly
polls were on.
The violence brought back
memories of the sectarian strife in the state, including in Vadodara, in
2002 that claimed at least 1,000 lives.
While the United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) government did not want further flare-up in the situation,
the Modi government could cite numerous precedents to make a case of the
central government encroaching into the state's purview as law and order
is a state subject.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Gujarat
High Court rejected a petition against the ongoing demolition of illegal
encroachments in the state and asked the authorities to continue the
drive.
The central government's case,
meanwhile, was bolstered on Thursday when the Supreme Court took
cognisance of media reports about the situation in Vadodara, and stayed
the demolition drive against illegal encroachments in the state.
Union Law Minister H.R. Bharadwaj
has been asked to study the high court judgement and examine the grounds
for a possible appeal, the sources said.
Union Minister of State for Home
Shriprakash Jaiswal, who visited on Vadodara Monday, is understood to have
prepared a report critical of the state police's firing. The report also
criticised the civic authorities for carrying out the demolition when
there was enough ground for apprehension that it could lead to communal
tension.
Union Home Secretary VK Duggal
has told the state government in no uncertain terms that violence not be
allowed to spread to others parts of the state.
24.
Lynching in Vadodara
After
inaction, cops turn prompt
EXPRESS
NEWS SERVICE
Posted online: Friday, May 05, 2006 at 0541
hours IST
Updated: Friday, May 05, 2006 at 0608 hours
IST
VADODARA, MAY 4: After accusations that they did not respond to
frantic calls for help made by residents of a society on Ajwa Road
following the Tuesday night lynching of Kismat Colony resident Mohammad
Rafi Vora, the police have suddenly decided to become more proactive in
the case.
Immediately after the
incident, an FIR for murder was registered in which a Panigate police
inspector was the complainant. A few hours later, the FIR was changed and
the prime witness in the case and the brother of the deceased, Haji Vora,
was made the complainant instead of the inspector.
This, after an inquiry
was conducted throughout Wednesday. The new complaint names 12 people
among the accused who were part of a mob of more than 1,000. All the names
were provided by the prime witness Haji Vora.
On Thursday, the
police conducted combing operations in the Kisanwadi area and Ajwa Road
societies near the incident site, and around 25 people were reportedly
held for questioning to identify those present in the mob.
25.
SC stays Gujarat HC directive on removing religious structures ZEE
5-5 7.30HRS
The Supreme Court on
Thursday stayed the Gujarat high court order directing authorities to
remove all religious structures that were encroaching upon public spaces
across the state without any discrimination.
The
bench stayed the high court order and issued notices to Gujarat chief
secretary, state`s Director General of Police, Police Commissioners and
Municipal Commissioners of Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and
development authorities of these cities seeking their response in the
matter.
It also issued a notice to a media organization on the basis of whose
report the high court passed its order.
The ASG said the high court took suo motu action based on a newspaper
report "without even conducting a prima facie examination into the
veracity of the contents of the newspaper report and without any pleadings
on record."
"There was no petition, no affidavits or counter-affidavits or any
official documents about the total number of temples or Islamic shrines on
public space or whether they are protected monuments," he submitted.
NDTV MAY 5 22HRS
26.
Curfew temporarily lifted in Vadodara
NDTV
Correspondent
Friday, May 5, 2006 (Vadodara):
To
halt the possible spread of violence, the Supreme Court on Thursday
ordered municipal authorities in Vadodara to halt all demolitions of
illegal structures.
Mohammad Asar Doodhwala, a local resident in JB Nagar spoke of
intimidation and fear in the city in the wake of the demolition.
"I
sat to have dinner with my family when a they came and stared abusing us
saying go away or we will burn you alive. We got up and ran".
JB Nagar is a poor neighbourhood with a mixed population of Hindu and
Muslim residents. (emphasis supplied)
SUNDAY EXPRESS May 7, 2006
27.
Peace comes to Vadodara
Press
Trust of India
Posted online: Sunday, May 07, 2006 at 1257
hours IST
Vadodara, May 7: With the city remaining by and large peaceful on
Sunday, curfew was lifted for seven hours in all six police station areas
and people ventured out of their homes to stock
essential supplies, police said.
With no major
incidents of violence reported in the last three days, people came out in
large numbers to complete their weekend shopping as the seven-hour curfew
relaxation started from 9 am.
Police commissioner
Deepak Swarup said the decision to lift curfew and withdraw the army is
likely to be taken this evening after reviewing the situation.
28
Halt bloodshed to prevent another Godhra: Rights group (Hindustan
times May 5)
Agence France-Presse
 Vadodara, May
4, 2006
Gujarat
must take action to stop Hindu-Muslim riots from worsening, a rights group
warned on Thursday as troops patrolled a city where six people have
already died.
Vadodara
has been under curfew since Monday when violence erupted after authorities
demolished a Mulsim shrine saying it was built on government land.
"The
Gujarat government must be vigilant against extremist violence against
helpless civilians," said Brad Adams, Asia director for the New
York-based Human Rights Watch.
"Instead
of allowing this violence to deepen religious hatred, the authorities
should launch an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation to
ensure that those responsible are prosecuted and punished," he said
on Thursday.
The
group said it was worried that there could be a repeat Gujarat's 2002
riots which left more than 2,000 people dead, most of them Muslims.
29.
Army withdrawn from Vadodara
Press
Trust Of India
Posted online:
Monday, May 08, 2006 at 2146 hours IST
Updated: Monday, May 08, 2006 at 2148 hours
IST
Vadodara, May 8: The Army was on Monday night withdrawn from all
riot-affected areas of the city when the troops marched out of remaining
four localities ahead of schedule following improvement in the situation
there.
The Army troops pulled
out of city, Wadi, Panigate and Navpura of the city at 8 pm IST. They had
been withdrawn from Raopura and Karelibagh, the other riot-hit areas, on
Saturday morning.
City
Police Commissioner Deepak Swaroop told PTI that with no untoward incident
being reported from the city in the last four days, he decided to withdraw
Army from the city tonight.
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