The post-Godhra riots were projected as anti-Muslim riots by the Indian national English media, akin to the anti-Sikh riots witnessed in 1984 in New Delhi and elsewhere. It was reported as if the riots were nothing but a systematic targeting of the Muslims, in which only Muslims were attacked and killed. That is to say, the media reported as if the riots were one-sided with only the Muslims suffering. This was deliberate (mind the word deliberate) mischief on the part of the biased section of the English media. In this chapter, let us see the truth of the Gujarat riots, the other side of the coin— attacks on Hindus. As per the police records, some 157 riots in Gujarat after 3rd March, 2002 were started by Muslims. (Source: Article by Francis Gautier on www.rediff.com dated 11th March 2003 http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/mar/11franc.htm ).
As per figures given by the UPA Government comprising anti- BJP parties, anti-Narendra Modi people, inside Parliament on 11th May, 2005 and that too in a WRITTEN REPLY a total of 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed in the riots of 2002 in Gujarat. Naturally, the question arises, who killed these 254 Hindus in Gujarat?
When this writer talked to some people who call themselves secularists, on the attacks by Muslims on Hindus and Dalits in particular, he got interesting answers. In Muslim-dominated areas of Ahmedabad and other places, the Hindus living in minority (often microscopic minority), many of whom were Dalits, suffered horribly, were thrown out of their homes, attacked and killed by Muslims. Not only that, even in other areas like Sindhi Market and Bhanderi Pole areas of Ahmedabad the Muslims attacked the Hindus. The Muslim backlash started on 1 March 2002, one day after 28 February when the Hindus attacked Muslims in Ahmedabad’s Naroda Patiya, Gulbarga Society and other areas.
The people calling themselves as secularists, after listening to these facts of Muslim attacks said to me: “It is natural and inevitable. If Hindus attack and kill them in Naroda Patiya, they will obviously attack, kill, render homeless the Hindus living in minority in their dominated areas in the next days”. This response has 2 important implications:
1- When Muslims attack Hindus, they think it is ‘natural’ and ‘inevitable’ because of attacks by Hindus on 28 Feb in Naroda Patiya. But the Naroda Patiya attacks were not ‘inevitable’ and ‘natural’ because of Godhra killings of Hindus!
2- They know and admit that Muslims attacked Hindus even after Godhra, when they say its ‘natural’ and ‘inevitable’. If they know that its ‘inevitable’ that Muslims will attack Hindus in their areas and also other areas if riots last for weeks, then why do they lie that Muslims were massacred in one-sided attacks ignoring attacks on Hindus, in particular, Dalits?
Godhra happened on 27th February. On 28th February was retaliation from the Hindus. On 1st March, the second day of the riots, the Muslim counterattack began. As we saw in the 3rd chapter, The Hindu reported on 2nd March, 2002:
“But unlike Thursday (i.e. 28th February) when one community was entirely at the receiving end, the minority backlash (on 1st March, Friday) caused further worsening of the situation.
Police presence had little impact on the two communities pelting stones at each other in Bapunagar, Gomtipur, Dariapur, Shahpur, Naroda (Muslim concentrated areas) and other areas from where incidents of firing had been reported. But there were no reports of casualty. Pitched battle was continuing between the two communities late in the evening. The official sources said timely arrival of the police foiled a retaliatory attempt to break into a prominent temple in Jamalpur locality in the walled city.”
The UPA Government, staunchly anti-BJP, anti-Sangh Parivar and anti-Narendra Modi said in a WRITTEN REPLY inside Parliment on 11 May 2005 that 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed after Godhra. It mentioned 223 people missing at that time. At one point, 228 people were missing but later 101 of them were found alive and only 127 people remained missing even after 7 years, when they were declared dead. 59 Hindus were also killed in Godhra. So, as a minimum 313 Hindus were killed in Gujarat in 2002.
As early as 5 March 2002, out of the 98 relief/ refugee camps set up in the state, 85 were for the Muslims and 13 were for the Hindus, as per official records. As on 17 March 2002, as per the report of a newspaper as anti-BJP as The Times of India,more than 10,000 Hindus were rendered homeless in Ahmedabad alone.
As on 25 April 2002, out of the 1 lakh 40 thousand refugees, some 1 lakh were Muslims and 40 thousand were Hindus.
None other than Times Now channel admitted in 2009 quoting from Agencies that 40,000 Hindus were also rendered homeless in the Gujarat riots, i.e. Muslims threw out as many as 40,000 Hindus in Gujarat even after Godhra, just like they did in Kashmir where lakhs of Hindus left the valley.
http://www.timesnow.tv/articleshow/4327688.cms
The Indian Express devoted two full reports exclusively to Hindu victims of Ahmedabad. Dalits were attacked by Muslims in Ahmedabad and were rendered homeless. The Indian Express dated 7th May 2002 and 10th May 2002 gave two reports on the plight of Hindu victims. These Hindus were not only rendered homeless-they did not even have refugee camps to live in-and hence had to live in temples. Many others were forced to sleep on the streets.
See link: http://archive.indianexpress.com/oldStory/2401/
The Times of India dated 18 March 2002 also devoted a report exclusively to the Hindu victims of Ahmedabad. The report was titled-”Riots hit all classes, people of all faith” and says-“Contrary to popular belief that only Muslims have been affected in the recent riots, more than 10,000 people belonging to the Hindu community have also become homeless”. This was the case only in Ahmedabad. What happened to Hindus in Muslim dominated villages outside Ahmedabad and in other cities like Vadodara was not reported by The Times of India! This report also indicates that Muslims attacked Hindus unprovoked on February 28 itself in some areas of Ahmedabad. The Hindus who were living in minority in Muslim dominated areas of Ahmedabad suffered horribly. The Dalits suffered heavily at the hands of Muslims.
This report can be read on http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4193006.cms
The Hindus also suffered economically. As per the reports of none other than The Times of India, as many as 50 Hindus shops were torched in Revdi Bazaar area of Ahmedabad on 23 March 2002 by Muslims. The financial loss was as much as 15 crore rupees. Many more Hindu shops were looted in the rest of Gujarat too. The Tribune dated 30 April 2002 also reported that 36 Hindu shops were looted on 29 April 2002.
To read the report of The Times of India on the burning of 50 shops in Ahmedabad, see this link – http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4609603.cms
On 30 May, 2002 The Hindu reported: “In a chat with The Hindu, (CPM Politbureau member) Ms Brinda Karat, who was in Bangalore last week, shared a few thoughts on the hurdles in the rehabilitation of people affected by the riots, both Hindus and Muslims…When she did actually see a cheque for Rs. 22,000, it was at the Kankadia camp, which housed Dalits, and Hindus. There, Karat also came across cheques for Rs. 10,000, Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 22,000. “The government seems to be offering some substantial compensation only to the Dalit community,” Ms. Karat observes, emphasising the need to compensate everyone equally.”
None other than Marxist leader Brinda Karat also admitted that Hindus and particularly Dalits were also homeless. The compensation provided by the Government was indeed equal for all, just that she ‘saw’ cheques of different denominations at different relief camps. While forcibly trying to imply that the Gujarat Government was discriminating Hindu and Muslim victims of riots, she admitted that there were Hindus also rendered homeless. Note here also that Dalits and Hindus are not separate, Dalits are Hindus indeed, but Brinda Karat forcibly tries to separate Dalits from Hindus as if they are different.
… (End of preview)
The above is the beginning of the Chapter “Attacks on Hindus”. 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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