Fact: As per figures given by the then Union Minister of State for Home, Shriprakash Jaiswal, who belongs to the Congress Party, in Parliament on 11 May 2005, that too in a written reply, 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed in the riots, 2,548 people were injured and 223 people were missing [Official records show that at one point of time, 228 people were missing, of whom 101 were found alive, and remaining 127 missing were declared dead later, after the expiry of the 7-year period]. The report placed the number of riot-affected widows at 919 and the number of children orphaned at 606.
The UPA Government, which was a staunch opponent of Narendra Modi gave these figures. There have been many occasions of massive exaggeration by several leaders of the UPA coalition on this issue many times (e.g. in a TV debate with BJP leader Sahib Singh Verma on SAB TV in the program ‘Khula Manch’ in March 2004, Congress leader Narendra Nath claimed that ‘lakhs of Muslims were killed in the Gujarat riots’). (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20100406025921/http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=46538 ).
To read the Rajya Sabha records click: http://164.100.47.5/EDAILYQUESTIONS/sessionno/204/uq11052005.pdf
The Indian Muslims’ English newspaper Milli Gazette also reported this (URL: http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2005/01-15June05-Print-Edition/011506200511.htm).
BBC too reported the same. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4536199.stm
The editorials of many Indian national English dailies, and the articles published from the freelancers and others on the Indian and global newspapers’ editorial pages mentioned an exaggerated death toll, like ‘Thousands of Muslims were killed’. NDTV repeated many times during the Lok Sabha elections of April-May 2004 that “2,000 Muslims were killed in Gujarat”.
Let us see the interview given by Narendra Modi to Aaj Tak’s Prabhu Chawla, excerpts of which were published in the India Today (4 November 2002 issue):
“…Q: You are held responsible for the killing of 1,100 innocent people in the riots.
A: In our previous interview, you said 900 people. Now you are saying 1,100. Are you adding all the people killed in other states like Maharashtra and Bengal to Gujarat’s account? (Narendra Modi is talking of the Solapur riots of 10th and 11th October, 2002 in Maharashtra and other riots which occurred long after Godhra.)
Q: So what is the correct toll?
A: There would have been no riots in Gujarat if there had been no Godhra.
…
Q: Do you accept that you failed to provide security to the people of the state?
A: 98 per cent of Gujarat would not have peace if we had failed to fulfill our duties. We managed to control the riots within 72 hours…” (Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/seedhi-baat/story/20021104-communal-riots-in-gujarat-were-unfortunate-narendra-modi-794400-2002-11-04 ).
As we see, the number of people killed in the riots jumped from 900 to 1,100 after Narendra Modi’s previous interview, i.e. within four months! Now it has jumped from 900 to 2,000. The death of a single innocent person, whether Hindu or Muslim or belonging to any other religion, is highly unfortunate and cannot be justified. That more than 1,000 people were killed is highly unfortunate and reprehensible. But that cannot a justification to exaggerate and inflate the number of people killed to 2,000 or any higher figure.
It is generally believed, even in the Sangh Parivar, that the post-Godhra riots were one-sided.
After many terrorist attacks, like the bomb blasts in various Indian cities (e.g. Ahmedabad in July 2008), a section of the Indian English media rationalized the deed on grounds of the ‘Gujarat riots’. The very fact that some terrorists claim that they “plan to avenge the Gujarat riots” clearly shows the devastating consequences of the lies.
The UPA Government, with Sonia Gandhi as the UPA chief, and Communists as outside supporters, with Muslim League as an ally, gave the figure of 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus killed after Godhra. Since this was in a written reply, the government knew fully well what it was doing. It was in response to a question asked by a Congress member of the Rajya Sabha and Babri Masjid Action Committee lawyer, R.K. Anand. The compensation paid by the Gujarat Government shows 1169 deaths [It is said that these 1169 include 863 Muslims and 306 Hindus but this could not be independently verified by this writer]. The UPA Government also gave a special additional package of 3.5 lakh rupees to the Gujarat riot victims in May 2008, also to the same number i.e. 1169. URL: http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/govt-enters-poll-year-with-relief-for-gujarat-riot-victims/313352
This shows that the death toll is less than or equal to 1169 since it is absolutely impossible that the UPA Government will fail to give ex-gratia to families of people killed in the riots when the riots have been politicized so much, and when it attacked Narendra Modi on this issue so much, and when its leaders made exaggerated claims on the riots. (And if the UPA, which is a staunch opponent of Narendra Modi claims that any more than 1169 people were killed in the riots, then it itself would be admitting that it did not pay compensation to some killed people’s families!) UPA’s figures in Parliament would amount to 1171 deaths- 790 Muslims, 254 Hindus and 127 missing people (after 101 missing were found alive), 790+254+127= 1171. This closely matches the ex-gratia figure of 1169, paid by both the Gujarat and the UPA Government.
The Army began leaving Gujarat on 21 May 2002. The Tribune reported on 30 April 2002 that the death toll crossed the 900 mark on 29 April. The riots had almost ended by that time and maximum 50 more would have been killed by 10 May 2002. This was 2 months after the major violence of 28 Feb, 1st and 2nd March, most of the bodies of the killings of these days had been found by 30 April.
The official figures, before the missing were declared dead were 952, also reported by The Telegraph on 1 March 2009, after the 7-year period expired. https://web.archive.org/web/20120608125144/http://www.telegraphindia.com/109031/jsp/nation/story_10608005.jsp
The maximum number of people thus killed in Gujarat, assuming that all the missing are dead, would be 1171. There is no scope for anyone in the world, such as religious freedom groups and TV channels like NDTV and company to report that one more than 1171 people was killed in the Gujarat riots.
2,000 is the number of Muslims who carried out the massacre of 59 Hindus in Godhra, not the number of Muslims killed in the subsequent riots. It is everybody’s duty to state the correct figure.
We have seen in the second chapter the so-called secularists’ attitude of trying to reduce Muslims’ fanaticism and Hindus’ suffering as much as possible. It is this mentality which is responsible for them exaggerating the number of Muslims killed in the riots to as much as possible.
A must read article is on the role of the Gujarat Government in controlling violence in the riots.
To read the full chapter, read the book “Gujarat Riots: The True Story”.
https://www.amazon.in/Gujarat-Riots-True-Story-Truth/dp/1482841649/
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