Fact: There was a contrast of day and night in these two riots.
The next chapter will comprehensively point out the differences between the Gujarat riots and the 1984 riots. In 1984, the Sikhs were butchered. In 2002, Muslims attacked Hindus and as many as at least 254 Hindus were killed in the Gujarat riots, after the Godhra massacre. In 1984, riots occurred outside New Delhi, including places like West Bengal, Tripura, while not a single riot occurred outside Gujarat in 2002.
In 1984, officially 3,000 Sikhs were killed. Not a single Congressman was killed in 1984 riots (except Indira Gandhi) while as many as 313+ Hindus were killed in Gujarat in 2002 AD, including 59 karsevaks killed in Godhra.
Not even one person was killed in 1984 in police firing in Delhi, according to ex-DGP B P Singhal, while 199 people were killed in police firing in the Gujarat riots of 2002 AD. This writer later read reports that one person was killed in police firing in Delhi.
India Today (then fortnightly) dated 30 November 1984 said that 11 were killed in police or Army firing in Madhya Pradesh state in the 1984 riots. The Nanavati Commission which submitted its report on the 1984 riots mentioned on page 2: “It (Ranganath Mishra Commission appointed to probe these riots) also found that there was delay on the part of Delhi Administration i.e. the Lt. Governor and the Commissioner of Police in calling the Army, though about 5,000 Army men were available by mid night of October 31 [1984, the day Indira Gandhi was assassinated].”
40,000 Hindus were living in refugee camps in Gujarat, while not even a single relief camp was organized for the Sikhs in 1984, not to talk of any Congressman needing to live in refugee camps, as per ex-Director General of Police, B P Singhal. Not only was there a huge difference in the nature of the riots- there was also a huge difference in the government handling of the riots.
There are many more details of these contrasts. For full details of these contrasts- see the next chapter. Click on the link:
https://gujaratriots.com/gujaratriots/news/chapter-05-contrasts-between-1984-and-gujarat-2002-riots/
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