Before going into the details, let us first see the opinion poll on the Gujarat Assembly elections done by ORG MARG for India Today weekly and Aaj Tak TV channel, published in India Today in its issue dated 25 November 2002. The poll gave the BJP 120-130 seats, and the Congress 45-55 seats out of 182. In that poll, the weekly also asked a question: “How did the Modi government handle the riots?” The answer to that was:

a)- Fairly and effectively- 61 %

b)- In a partisan manner- 21 %

c)- Incompetently- 15 %

   The same weekly also did another opinion poll in December 2002. That poll gave the BJP 100-110 seats and the Congress 70-80 seats. The magazine published results of that poll in its issue dated 16 December 2002. The same question asked earlier gave the results:

1. Fairly and effectively –62 %
2. In a partisan manner- 20 %
3. Incompetently- 15 %

   Both these polls also carried a question- “What caused the March riots?” The answer given to that question in the November poll was:

1. Godhra incident- 56 %
2. Muslim extremists- 20 %
3. State sponsored riots – 10 %
4. Miscreants on both sides -9 %
5. Hindu extremist groups – 3 %

   This same question gave the following results in the December 2002 poll:

1. Godhra incident- 64 %
2. Muslim extremists- 18 %
3. State sponsored riots – 7 %
4. Miscreants on both sides -7 %
5. Hindu extremist groups – 3 %

URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/20021216-opinion-poll-conclusive-victory-for-bjp-gujarat-chief-minister-narendra-modi-793890-2002-12-16 or https://smedia2.intoday.in/indiatoday/images/stories/2002December/org-marg_l_022912074101.jpg

   This was a survey done of the Gujarati people, much closer in time to the actual happening of the riots. Both the polls gave more or less the same results. Even among the Congress voters, many felt that the Modi government handled the riots fairly and effectively. What the people of Gujarat felt was completely different from what some newspaper editors said in New Delhi.

    Only 10 % of the people (who had a large proportion of Muslims) considered the riots to be state-sponsored, and only 3 % blamed Hindu fundamentalists for the riots. Most people agreed that the post-Godhra riots were caused by the Godhra massacre (this included a large number of Muslims too). And close to 20 % blamed Muslim fundamentalists for the riots.

    India Today also did a national opinion poll called “Mood of the Nation” published in its issue dated 26 August 2002, in which it asked the question- “Who is responsible for the Gujarat riots?” The answers were:

1. -Muslim fundamentalists– 26 %
2. -Godhra attackers- 19 %
3. –State government- 14 %
4. -Local miscreants– 13 %
5. -Hindu militants- 5 %
6. -Don’t know/ Can’t say –23 %

 URL:https://smedia2.intoday.in/indiatoday/images/stories/2002August/org-marg_l_041112093034.jpg

   This was a nation-wide survey and was also before the results of the Gujarat Assembly polls, which significantly changed the view of the masses towards the Gujarat riots. Even before that, the single largest view was that Muslim fundamentalists were responsible for the Gujarat riots, as was the Godhra incident.

What the Government had to face

   The Gujarat Government had to face a very difficult situation in trying to control the post-Godhra riots. That’s because Gujarat was then an extremely communally sensitive state and often even minor things like kite flying and cricket matches were enough to cause riots.

   Gujarat has a long history of communal violence, dating from at least 1714 AD and in the recent past, saw horrible riots in the pre-Independence period of the 1940s and then again riots after Independence. The Times of India dated 13 April 2002 carried a report saying: “Trivial reasons sparked earlier riots” and began with the sentence:

   “If it took a shocking massacre like Godhra to trigger off massive communal riots in the state (Gujarat) in the 21^st century, history shows that trivial incidents caused most riots in the 20^th  century….”

   Now the situation was far worse in February 2002. But the gruesome Godhra killings were not the only cause. At that time, there were war clouds between India and Pakistan following the attack on India’s Parliament (on 13^th December 2001). There was great anger in Gujarat over terrorism and anti-national activity. India Today reported in its issue dated 18 March 2002 in an article by V. Shankar Aiyar:

   “The immediate provocation for the riots may have been the Godhra inferno, but the savagery of retaliation belies a resentment spanning years. The Hindu-Muslim gulf has been widening since the 1969 Ahmedabad riots, the 1989 rath yatra on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir issue and has been fuelled by the Kashmir conflict. The heightening Indo-Pakistan tension and Islamic terrorism in the past two years—from cross-border terrorist attacks in Kashmir to the December 13 Parliament attack—have given Hindu militancy both momentum and respectability…. The past few months have seen mounting public opinion on the lack of action against Pakistan— over Kargil and more recently the Parliament attack. In fact, during his attempts last week to pacify Gujarat, Union Defence Minister, George Fernandes was not only pummelled by stones, but also queries like, ‘Why isn’t India attacking Pakistan?’

   Indifference to or perhaps ignorance of global compulsions has fuelled hostility and the state’s Muslim population is being held responsible for Pakistan’s jehadi policies.

  Another aggravation has been the mushrooming of Deobandi madarsas in the border state over the past two years. The lackadaisical attitude of the Keshubhai Patel and Narendra Modi governments in curbing their growth has widened the gulf between the communities. In fact, police officials attribute the ferocity of attack at the Gulmarga Society and former MP, Ehsan Jafri’s house to the presence of one such madarsa in the complex….

   Last week, what marked the slaughter of people was the unprecedented intensity as well as societal sanction. The underclass was supported in the looting by the middle and upper middle classes, including women. They not only indulged in pillaging but openly celebrated the destruction and mounting death toll. Residents from posh localities in Ahmedabad didn’t balk at taking to the streets at the slightest hint of an approaching mob. By the chief minister’s own admission, the pattern of rioting didn’t correspond at all to Gujarat’s 100 most sensitive localities. New areas joined the sectarian frenzy.”

URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/india-today-archives/story/20020318-a-look-at-the-events-that-led-to-the-worst-riots-in-gujarat-since-partition-795714-1999-11-30

     So, in short, the state had a bloody history of communal violence and was extremely communally sensitive, there was great anger over Islamic terrorism in India, attack on Parliament and over the growth of madarsas in Gujarat. Added to that was the Godhra carnage and the rubbing of salt into people’s wounds after Godhra by the secular establishment, particularly the TV channels, and politicians.

   The Telegraph published from Kolkata also reported on 1 March 2002: “(On Thursday, 28 February) The Vajpayee government, alarmed that law and order were spiralling out of control, ordered deployment of the army in the state. The army has already begun pre-deployment drills in violence-scarred areas and will be out latest by tomorrow (Friday, 1 March) morning. Defence minister, George Fernandes is travelling to Gujarat tomorrow…Curfew was clamped in 26 towns…‘There is a fire inside us. Our blood is boiling,’ Mangalben, a woman from Dariapur, said. ‘What is the fault of those children who died? There is a volcano of anger.’”

   Thus there was a volcano of anger among the masses, whose blood was boiling after Muslims brutally roasted 59 karsevaks including 15 children in Godhra. So angry were the masses, that a newspaper like The Telegraph published from Kolkata (the capital of the then Marxist fort of West Bengal) and anti-RSS in ideology had to publish a report in which a woman said “Our blood is boiling”.

    Gujarat could see riots even if cricket batsman Sachin Tendulkar got out on 90 against Pakistan. It saw the most horrific massacre ever known in Independent India.

    The Indian Express dated 1 March 2002 said that: “In a state so polarised as Gujarat, such a violent backlash (which occurred on 28 February 2002) was expected ever since yesterday morning’s Godhra massacre…”

    We saw earlier that on 28 February 2002 India Today and Outlook both predicted weeks or months of violence in Gujarat in their issues dated 11 March 2002.

    The Tewatia Committee report “Godhra and After” (published by the “Council for International Affairs and Human Rights”) of the team headed by Justice D.S. Tewatia, a retired Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, after its study of the situation there in the first week of April 2002, said that on many occasions, the rioters had better weapons than the police.

Steps taken by the Government to control violence

   To know the steps taken by the Gujarat Government to control violence, we must first also know the background of the political situation at that time. At that time, the BJP had only 182 seats in the Lok Sabha (lower house of India’s Parliament), way short of 272 needed to be at the majority. The BJP was running a coalition government at the Centre with around 22 parties who were different in ideology (the parties called themselves ‘secular parties’) and was following the NDA agenda. Crucial support of the NDA allies (in particular, parties like TDP which had a huge 28 Lok Sabha seats, or DMK) was needed to keep the government above the majority mark, else, had the allies withdrawn support, the Central Government would have collapsed.

    The NDA agenda was totally different from the BJP agenda and explicitly excluded the Hindutva agenda. All BJP governments or BJP-led governments in the states were also following the same NDA agenda, for fear of collapse of the NDA, or for any other reason (they were all BJP-led coalition governments dependent on support from allies too, Gujarat was the only state with a full-fledged BJP government). 3 weeks before Godhra, India Today dated 18 February 2002 said:

   “It is strange that the country’s only full-fledged BJP Government in Gujarat headed by Narendra Modi is doing precious little to cleanse the madarsas of jehadi elements. Especially when fundamentalists seem to be gaining clout in madarsas in the border districts of Kutch-Banaskantha as well as in north and south Gujarat. A fact underlined by VHP leader Pravin Togadia last week. No wonder Modi has earned the epithet “Junior Vajpayee” because of his soft approach.”

Link: https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/20020218-gujarat-cm-narendra-modi-does-little-to-cleanse-madarsas-of-jehadi-elements-795903-2002-02-18

   In its 18 March 2002 issue, India Today reported: “Says another party worker alluding to the fact that Modi was, until last fortnight, unwilling to take action on issues relating to Hindutva for fear of jeopardising the future of the BJP-led NDA government at the centre: ‘Ever since he took over Modi was hell bent upon becoming a Vajpayee but the people have swept him in the direction of Sardar Patel.’” (URL:https://web.archive.org/web/20090205135242/http://indiatoday.com/itoday/20020318/cover2.shtml)

   And that is why we should understand that Modi, who a BJP man claimed, wanted to become another Vajpayee, took firm action against the rioters and quelled the violence as quickly as possible. With a hostile media, NDA allies at stake, Central Government at stake, it was very necessary for the BJP Government to prevent riots in Gujarat.

Steps taken on 27^th February (Wednesday)

   The Godhra massacre occurred on 27 February at around 8:00 a.m. Around 9:00 a.m., Chief Minister Narendra Modi, then in Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, (they are different but twin cities) was informed of it. Modi then went to visit Godhra in the evening. Modi imposed curfew in Godhra at 9:45 a.m. from Ahmedabad / Gandhinagar itself. The Left-minded and anti-BJP newspaper, The Hindu in its issue dated 28 February 2002 reported that: “(On 27 Feb) The Chief Minister, Narendra Modi gave shoot-at-sight orders in Godhra”.

   That is, even after Godhra, the BJP Chief Minister issued ‘shoot-at-sight’ orders in Godhra, primarily aimed at Hindus, who could have retaliated in Godhra.

  On 27 February itself, The Times of India reported in a report titled “Shoot-at-sight orders, curfew in Godhra”:

   “The Gujarat government imposed an indefinite curfew and issued shoot-at-sight orders in Godhra after 57 people were killed and several injured when a mob set the Sabarmati Express on fire. Four bogies of the train were set on fire by miscreants at the Godhra station…”

(URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2256789.cms)

   This report was posted at 1:37 p.m. This shows that Modi’s claim of imposing curfew at 9:45 a.m. was absolutely true. The same day The Tribune (published from Chandigarh) gave a report which said:

   “Indefinite curfew was clamped and the shoot-at-sight orders issued in Godhra town immediately after the incident…” (Notice the words ‘immediately after’).      URL: https://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020228/main1.htm       

   It was not merely them. All English dailies the next day reported this along with websites like rediff.com and so did many foreign newspapers. San Francisco Chronicle, a US newspaper, reported on 27 February 2002 online quoting the Associated Press:

   “Fearing the (Godhra) attack would ignite sectarian riots, Indian officials immediately stepped up security across this vast, religiously divided nation. The prime minister urged Hindus not to retaliate… ‘It is clear from the statements of survivors that the attack was carried out by local people belonging to the Muslim community and, for this reason, because of chances of retaliation, we have already instructed our police officers to arrange special security cover for the Muslim population’, (Gujarat’s MoS for Home) Zadaphia said.

  Police also deployed extra patrols in cities where Muslims and Hindus live in close quarters. In Old Delhi, the Muslim section of India’s capital, security was tightened in the congested lanes of the ancient walled city”. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/02/28/MN11171.DTL

   Xinhua news agency also reported online on 27 February 2002 that the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee appealed for peace. The same day the website rediff.com also reported that the State Government had taken precautions and tightened security to prevent riots. These reports of rediff.com are given in Chapter 7, Myth 14, “Narendra Modi gave free hand for three days”.

   After this, Narendra Modi returned to Gandhinagar in the evening. On his return to Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, 827 people were arrested as a preventive measure on his orders. He said this in an interview to India Today dated 18 March 2002 and this is on official records. India Today of 18 March 2002 also admitted that pre-emptive arrests were made without specifying the number. The SIT too said 827 preventive arrests made on 27 February 2002, as reported by newspaper Ahmedabad Mirror on 10 February 2012.

https://web.archive.org/web/20130923053554/http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/printarticle.aspx?page=comments&action=add&sectid=3&contentid=2012021020120210022507339854bdfb0&subsite=

   On 27 February, the Gujarat Government deployed the entire police force of 70,000 in Gujarat as per the report of The Hindustan Times dated 28 February 2002, in view of the apprehension of riots. The Telegraph of UK also reported that more than 70,000 security men had been deployed in Gujarat on 27 February. These foreign dailies also reported that security had been tightened not only in Gujarat but also in all places with sizeable Muslim population in India on 27 February.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/138631/Hindus-massacred-on-blazing-train.html

   The same day, on 27^th February, the Gujarat Government deployed the Rapid Action Force in Ahmedabad and other sensitive areas and the Centre sent in the CRPF personnel. This was reported by The Indian Express and also Mid-Day in their issues on 28^th February 2002. (URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20090721050239/http://www.mid-day.com/news/2002/feb/21232.htm).

   The Times of India reported online on 27 February that the Gujarat Government asked the Centre to send 10 companies of CRPF. https://web.archive.org/web/20140630074904/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2002-02-28/news/27362130_1_sabarmati-exp-godhra-railway-station-police-officers

   These reports were published even before a single large-scale retaliatory riot had taken place.

   The Hindu also reported on 28 February that: “(On 27^th February) The state government has appealed to the people to maintain peace…. The Home Minister said the government was taking necessary steps to ensure that the disturbances did not spread during the bandh tomorrow (i.e. 28^th February).”

URL:https://web.archive.org/web/20150303163043/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2002/02/28/stories/2002022803070100.htm 

   The VHP also appealed for peace. The Times of India reported on 28 February, 2002 even before a single major riot had taken place: “VHP International Vice-President, Acharya Giriraj Kishore told reporters here at Sola Civil Hospital, where 54 out of the 58 bodies of the train attack victims were brought, that ‘Hindus should maintain calm and keep patience. I appeal to the Muslim brethren to condemn the attack and ask them not to put Hindus’ patience to test. Hindus are keeping a restraint but if such incidents do not stop, there can be a counter-reaction, which may be uncontrollable’.”

URL:  http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=2347298

   The Indian Express dated 28 February 2002 and Outlook weekly’s website online on 27 February also reported that the Centre had announced a nationwide alert in the evening of 27 February.

   In Godhra on 27 February evening, Narendra Modi, while talking to the electronic media, urged people to maintain calm (and not retaliate). Modi also made another appeal to the people to maintain peace in an appeal broadcast on National TV (Doordarshan) on 28^th February. The main substance of that appeal was urging people not to take law in their hands, as the culprits of the Godhra carnage would be given severe punishment, so that no one dares to commit such acts again. This video was broadcast for many days on National TV after 28 February, everyday. This is also available today on YouTube.

   URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIRMR8zW0iI

   Thus, in brief, the steps taken on 27 February 2002 (Wednesday) were:

1. Modi issued shoot-at-sight orders and rushed from Ahmedabad to Godhra.
2. The entire police force was deployed in
3. All the companies of Rapid Action Force in the state were deployed in Ahmedabad, Godhra and other sensitive areas by the State
4. The Central Government rushed CRPF personnel to
5. The State Government imposed curfew in Godhra and other sensitive
6. 827 preventive arrests were
7. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Gujarat Government urged the Hindus not to retaliate and maintain
8. The RSS and VHP also appealed to Hindus to maintain peace and not
9. CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) units were also
10. The Centre sounded a nationwide alert in the

   Also, bodies of the karsevaks killed in Godhra were brought to Ahmedabad. This was necessary, because most of the killed karsevaks were from Ahmedabad and keeping the bodies in Godhra could have inflamed the situation there and Godhra was also under curfew, so it was difficult if not impossible for relatives to go to Godhra and get the bodies. The SIT has said that the Godhra hospital had no facilities for DNA or some other tests and, most importantly, most of the kar sevaks were from Ahmedabad and the train was returning to Ahmedabad, and hence it was not an option not to bring the bodies and hand them over to families in Ahmedabad.

   The bodies were brought to Western Ahmedabad’s isolated Sola Civil Hospital, where the Muslim population was negligible. Had the government wanted to instigate Hindus, it would have brought the bodies to Eastern Ahmedabad’s main civil hospital from where most of the killed karsevaks resided and from where it would have been ideal to instigate the violence against the Muslims. The Sabarmati river divides Ahmedabad into Eastern and Western parts.

  The bodies were brought at 3:30 a.m. of 28 February in a sombre atmosphere (as reported by India Today dated 18 March 2002 and Times of India online on 28 February, as well as by SIT). The time 3:30 a.m. is very difficult to instigate riots with most people asleep and is also very inconvenient for the relatives. Had the government wanted to, it would have brought the bodies at 2 p.m. or 12 noon, which would have been convenient for relatives and easy to instigate riots. The government, thus, seems to have done 4 things right which are:

1. Bringing the bodies to Ahmedabad instead of keeping them in Godhra so as to calm the matters in Godhra and for relatives’ convenience.
2. Bringing them to Ahmedabad at 3:30 am instead of in day-time so that chances of retaliation were very
3. Bringing them in a sober atmosphere instead of ceremonial
4. Bringing them to Western Ahmedabad’s hospital where the Muslim population was negligible instead of Eastern

   The transport of these bodies was done inside trucks, and no one could see them, and it was also done from 11:30 pm – 12 midnight to 3:30 am, from Godhra to Ahmedabad. Even after coming to Western Ahmedabad’s isolated hospital, care was taken to send the bodies to the crematoriums (those which were not cremated at the hospital itself, some had been cremated at the hospital itself) in vehicles, not visible to anyone, while this could have been done on foot as well. This shows the sincerity of the government in preventing display of the bodies. The SIT appointed by the Supreme Court has said all this in its closure report on page 63 as well. Far from being ‘paraded’, extra care was taken to prevent display of the bodies. Despite this, some have wrongly claimed that ‘the dead bodies were paraded by the Government’.

   The SIT has also said that the decision to bring the bodies was a collective one, taken by many Ministers, and with knowledge and consent of officials like the then Collector of Godhra Jayanti Ravi (on page 64), the Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad, the DGP of Gujarat, etc. The media has largely not told the truth of all the above facts to clarify things.

   The Supreme Court of India in its verdict on 24 June 2022 said (on pages 149-151 of its judgment): “As regards the allegation regarding dead bodies having been paraded, the same has been fully enquired into and the SIT was of the opinion that no such event of parading had occurred at any place…There is not even a tittle of material to indicate that the bodies were taken in open vehicles or so to say, paraded from Godhra to Ahmedabad or anywhere else by any group of private persons before cremation…. It was also decided to take the dead bodies during night time under police protection to avoid any untoward situation. Such being the material on record, the argument regarding the bodies being paraded, much less as a part of larger conspiracy at the highest level, is preposterous.”

  Despite the above steps, large scale riots happened on 28 February. That was due to the extreme anger of the masses over Godhra, the reaction from secularists on it, and great anger over terrorism and anti-national activity (as well as provocations in places like Naroda Patiya).

On 28^th February (Thursday)

   It was difficult to control the anger of the masses in view of the limited police force. Weekly India Today dated 18 March 2002 reported:

   “That the police was ineffective is clear (on February 28). But was this intentional? Ahmedabad has a police force of 6,000, including 1,500 armed personnel. In addition, the entire state has just four companies (530 jawans) of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), of which only one company could be spared for Ahmedabad. Considering that the mobs that simultaneously surfaced at nearly half-a-dozen places numbered from 2,000 to 10,000, the forces proved woefully inadequate. At one point, on 28^th February there were at least 25,000 people targetting the Muslim localities in Ahmedabad alone.

    What’s more, the police was expecting trouble in Ahmedabad’s walled city, which has been the scene of communal violence in every riot in the past two decades. This time, however, it wasn’t the walled city where the troubles began. (This was also reported by The Times of India online on 28 February 2002.) At Naroda Patia, the scene of the worst carnage, there was no police presence worth the name to prevent the mobs from grouping in the morning and going on a rampage. There were at least three mobs of 4,000 to 5,000, each attacking Muslims. Among them were members of a tribe called the Chara, who have a township not very far from Naroda. Till now, the Charas were known for thefts and bootlegging. Last Thursday (i.e. 28   February), they earned a reputation for rioting too.

   In Chamanpura area, where nearly 40 persons, including former Congress MP, Ehsan Jafri and his family members were killed, there were just a few armed guards when the crowd began assembling. Reinforcements did arrive but by that time, the mob had swelled to 10,000 and even though police firing killed at least five persons on the spot—in all police firing led to 40 deaths in Ahmedabad alone—it didn’t stop the carnage. The situation was aggravated further by Jafri firing from his revolver on the mob injuring seven. Others in the housing complex are said to have thrown acid bulbs too.

    Last Thursday (i.e. 28 February), the Ahmedabad police received at least 3,500 calls for help from the fear-stricken residents, mostly Muslims, against the normal average of 200. The fire brigade, which has the capacity to handle 100 fire calls, received 400 calls on, 28^th February. Says Ahmedabad Police Commissioner, P.C. Pandey: ‘In my 32-year career, I have never seen something like this. It was an upsurge, unstoppable and unprecedented. A stage came when it became physically impossible for the police to tackle mobs running into thousands.’

    Elsewhere in Gujarat, the problem was broadly similar. The state police force is about 43,000 strong, though only 12,000 of them are armed. The SRP numbers 14,000. The mobs which targetted the Muslims in rural areas, ranged in strength from 500 to 10,000. In Sardarpura, where 29 people were burnt to death, the mob was over 500-strong while in Pandarwada, where more than 50 were burnt to death in their homes, the mob, drawn from people of nearby villages, numbered over 5,000. Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Gordhan Jhadaphiya says, ‘There is ample evidence to show that the police resorted to effective firing against the rioters’. Union Law Minister, Arun Jaitley stated in the Rajya Sabha that the police fired 2,000 rounds, which killed 98 rioters. In addition, 4,000 people were arrested for rioting in the past week….

    …there’s also much criticism over the delay in calling for the army’s help. According to Modi, he had officially called for the army by 4 p.m. on 28^th February. By 6:30 p.m., a formal request had landed in Delhi. By 1 a.m. on 1^st March, George Fernandes had landed in Ahmedabad at Modi’s behest. At great personal risk, he bravely took to the streets next morning to check the violence. At 11:30 a.m. the army was staging a flag march in Ahmedabad.

   Significantly, Modi tried to ensure that the bodies of the victims were cremated near the hospital, where they were brought for post- mortem at 3:30 a.m. on 28^th February from Godhra. The Sola Civil Hospital is on the western outskirts of Ahmedabad, where the Muslim population is negligible. Cremating the bodies there, Modi thought, would have helped contain the anger.

    Some VHP leaders present at the spot were also under instructions to convince the relatives of the victims to agree to the proposal. But the moment the proposal was floated, the kin of the dead flared up and accused the BJP ‘of acting in a manner worse than the Congress’. Vishnu Sathwara, a VHP worker shouted: ‘After using us to climb to the top, the BJP leaders have now left us at the mercy of the wolves.…’

    …says political analyst, Arvind Bosmia: ‘It is beyond the means of the Sangh Parivar to lead such an upsurge.  It was largely a spontaneous reaction to the Godhra killings.  And not just Modi but the entire Sangh Parivar has been put on this strident path. In fact Modi has been swept up in this militancy.’”

(URL:https://web.archive.org/web/20140630055508/http://www.indiatoday.com/itoday/20020318/cover.shtml)

   This report from India Today reveals that the Gujarat police had a very difficult task in dealing with the situation. We must note the vital points here:

1. Entire police force of Ahmedabad was deployed, total 6,000, out of which only 1,500 were armed. The size of the mobs was unprecedented on February 28 and the police forces were woefully
2. The deployed Rapid Action Force too could not prevent the
3. Ahmedabad police received at least 3,500 calls on February 28, against an average of
4. Ahmedabad Fire Brigade, which had the capacity to handle 100 calls, received 400 calls on that day.
5. The statement of the then Ahmedabad Police Commissioner, C. Pandey also shows that the situation was out of control.
6. The Hindu also reported the next day that ‘mob fury reached its crescendo’ on 28 February 2002 and ‘the situation seemed to slip out of hand’.

   Actually, more than 50,000 people and not 25,000 people, were targeting Muslim localities in Ahmedabad alone at one point of time on 28 February. The mob at Ehsan Jafri’s house in Chamanpura was 20,000+ [Zakia Jafri, widow of Ehsan Jafri herself said as reported by India Today dated 18 March 2002 ‘I have never seen such a huge mob, they burnt alive my husband’], the mob at Naroda Patiya was 17,000 strong [as per the statement of the then Police Inspector of Naroda K K Mysorewala to the Nanavati Commission on 19 August 2004, reported by The Hindu the next day, India Today said in its 18 March 2002 issue that ‘there were at least 3 mobs of 4 to 5 thousand each in Naroda Patiya’ and the SIT in its final closure report too said on page 491 that the mob attacking Muslims in Naroda Patiya was between 15,000 to 17,000], the mob at Naroda Gram numbered between 5 to 7 thousand [as per the final SIT report, page 491]. The strength of the mobs at these 3 places itself gives a total of around 42,000 people at least and there were mobs at various other places in Ahmedabad too. As against this, there were only 6000 policemen, of whom only 1,500 were armed.

 The Hindu reported on 1 March 2002, covering events of 28 February:

  “The Army units, frantically called by the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, as the situation seemed to slip out of hand, started arriving in Ahmedabad and are likely to be deployed in the city on Friday…”

URL: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/140-killed-as-gujarat-bandh-turns-violent/article27833900.ece

      Even in its infamous article misquoting the Chief Minister Narendra Modi as saying, “Every action has equal and opposite reaction” (which he never said), The Times of India dated 3 March 2002 said: “…the mobs had swelled to enormous proportions. The sparse police presence looked like a drop in the ocean of violence”. This was despite the deployment of the entire police force, State Reserve Police, Rapid Action Force and CRPF personnel.

   The Times of India dated 1 March 2002 also said that the situation was out of control in Rajkot, and that the fire brigade received 175 calls and was out of water. Police fired two rounds and imposed curfew on half the city— according to this report. Rajkot is much lesser than Ahmedabad in size. The population of Ahmedabad city as per the 2001 census was about 45 lakh (i.e. 4.5 million) while that of Rajkot was around 10.14 lakh (1.014 million). So Rajkot Fire Brigade getting 175 calls was actually more serious than Ahmedabad Fire Briagde getting 400 calls.

   Let us compare the violence in Ahmedabad on 3 successive days- namely 28 February (Thursday), 1 March (Friday) and 2 March 2002 (Saturday). As per the SIT’s final closure report [page 210], there were 182 deaths in Ahmedabad city on 28 February 2002- 151 Muslims and 31 Hindus. They do not seem to include missing people declared dead later (since after that the death toll in Gulberg Society and Naroda Patiya itself would be 69 + 95 = 164 Muslims), and 30 missing were declared dead in Gulberg Society and 11 in Naroda Patiya, and 2 in Naroda Gram, so adding them, the deaths would be 194 Muslims and 31 Hindus, a total of 225 deaths on 28 February.  

   The Hindu reported on 23 April 2002 that: “After the Gujarat bandh day on February 28, the first day of the post-Godhra violence, the Ramnavami day on Sunday [21 April 2002] accounted for the highest number of deaths in the city in a single day: nine persons succumbed to injuries in hospital late in the night, in addition to the nine killed earlier in the day. The casualty figure may go up as the condition of at least 18 injured was still critical (at least 3 more died immediately within 1 day, as a report of rediff.com of 22 April 2002 said ’21 lives lost on this day’).” https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/toll-could-rise-in-ahmedabad/article27843381.ece

   This shows that the number of people killed in violence on the 2nd day, i.e. 1 March 2002 (Friday) was lesser than 18 [though 12 more could have been killed in police firing], since The Hindu said that after 28 February, the highest single day deaths in Ahmedabad were on 21 April 2002 (Sunday) and the deaths on that day were only 18 till that time.

  On 28 February newspapers like The Hindu, The Telegraph, The Tribune, Times of India all said that the situation was out of control. The deaths were at least 182, and most likely 225, in Ahmedabad city. But the next day on March 1, the intensity of the violence was much lesser, and on this day, the number of deaths in riots was less than 18, and less than 30 including those killed in police firing, as is known from the report of The Hindu. We have thus conclusively seen the intensity of the violence of 1 March to be much lower than that on 28 February. 

   And on 2 March, the violence was even lesser, with the city almost becoming normal again. The Tribune reported on 3 March 2002 that: “(On 2 March) Ahmedabad, the worst hit by the communal flare-up in the wake of Godhra train killings, was virtually back to normal…”

   The Times of India reported on 2^nd March 2002 on events of 1^st March (Friday)- “Neither the Army nor the shoot-at-sight orders given to Gujarat Police could control the mob frenzy in Ahmedabad as the city witnessed a total collapse of the law and order machinery for the second straight day taking a heavy toll of human lives…”

   And this was on 1 March 2002 (Friday) when the violence was much lesser than 28 February (Thursday). If even the Army and shoot-at-sight orders couldn’t stop the violence when it was relatively much lesser, then what must have been the situation on 28 February when the Army was not present in the day and the violence was much more?

   The India Today report also gave figures of police strength. The state police force was 43,000 strong, the SRP was 14,000 which gives a total of 57,000. In Ahmedabad the police was 6000 strong giving us 63,000. Whether these 6000 include SRP or not is not known. CRPF jawans, RAF, CISF units etc were all deployed making the number of security personnel 70,000. Since we have the reports of The Telegraph (UK) and Hindustan Times which say that 70,000 security men were deployed, the above figures giving strength of the personnel show that the 70,000 personnel deployed was indeed the entire strength plus all possible additions like CRPF, CISF etc.

   We have also seen the report of The Telegraph dated 1 March 2002 that the Vajpayee Government ordered deployment of the Army on 28 February (on Modi’s request) as ‘law and order were out of control and protestors slipped out of hand’. This shows that the situation in Ahmedabad had slipped out of hand and no administration, be it of Narendra Modi or of Sonia Gandhi, could have controlled it. What Acharya Giriraj Kishore had warned, reported by The Times of India on 28 February 2002, that the anger of the Hindus could be uncontrollable, became true.

   But the state Government dealt with the situation firmly and effectively.

   India Today in its issue of 11 March 2002 (which covered events till 28 February) reported that: “Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, an RSS pracharak-turned-BJP politician says, ‘The culprits of the gruesome incident will be brought to book, come what may.’ He is in a difficult situation. Though Modi had the Army called into Ahmedabad, he said, ‘The anger of five crore people of Gujarat is impossible to control with our limited police force. We have done our utmost to prevent the violence from spreading’”.

URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20020311-godhra-carnage-leads-to-worst-rioting-in-gujarat-since-babri-masjid-demolition-795770-2002-03-11    

   India Today reported on 28 February itself that the Army had been called into Gujarat and that the Chief Minister was caught in a difficult situation.

   The riots began in Ahmedabad on 28 February 2002 at around 11:00 a.m. At 12:00 p.m. Chief Minister Modi called on the Central Government and informally requested for deployment of the Army, i.e., within 1 hour. This was reported by India Today (18 March 2002 issue) in an article “Chronology of a Crisis”. The Army, which was then posted at the border in view of the war clouds between India and Pakistan, sent some of its units immediately. Some troops arrived in Ahmedabad before 1:30 a.m. in the morning on 1 March itself. And this was in a record time. In the past (e.g., in the 1969 riots), it had often taken three to five days for the Army to arrive in Gujarat to control the riots, even when almost the entire Army was not at the border.

   The Hindu said that on 28 February (Thursday) Narendra Modi frantically called the Army units to Ahmedabad. Despite this, some people claimed that: “Modi did not call the Army for three days”. The Gujarat police were overwhelmingly outnumbered, but despite this, the police fired 1496 rounds on that day. A total of 11 Hindus were shot dead in police firing and 16 were injured. These are official records and also can be seen from the report of The Hindu dated 1 March 2002 (Friday):

   “(On Thursday, 28 February) At least 30 others were killed in police firing, stabbing and other incidents in different parts of the city while the casualty in other cities and towns in the State was put at over 50…. Till evening, police fired 46 rounds in Ahmedabad, in which at least 10 persons were believed to have been killed.”

   First it says at least 30 were killed in police firing, stabbing and other incidents in Ahmedabad without specifying how many were killed in police firing. Later it states that at least 10 were believed to have been killed in police firing in Ahmedabad alone by evening. Official records show that 17 were killed in police firing on 28 February.

  The Portsmouth Herald reported online on 28 February 2002: “In the state’s commercial centre, Ahmedabad, officers fired tear gas at a Hindu mob descending on the Muslim houses. The crowd wouldn’t stop, so police fired rifles, injuring six people, three of them seriously, officials at the Civil Hospital told The Associated Press”.

(URL:  http://seacoastauction.com/2002news/2_28_w2.htm).

   The BBC reported online on 28 February when the death toll reported by it was a mere 40 for the entire state of Gujarat, i.e. when violence was going on: “The army has been deployed there (Ahmedabad) to counter Hindu youths…. They included six people, who were shot dead by police in Ahmedabad as they tried to restore calm. (Final figure was 17)”

(URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1845996.stm).

   There were no allegations of police inaction, or police joining rioters. Instead, it said: ‘The police tried to restore calm’.

   The Telegraph dated 1 March 2002, also reported: “Authorities said police were forced to open fire and lob tear gas shells at several places as protesters got out of hand during today’s VHP bandh (28 February, Thursday).  Two persons died in police firing in Nadiad and Godhra.”

   The Hindu reported in its issue of 1 March: “The Army units started arriving in Ahmedabad and are likely to be deployed in the city on Friday (i.e., 1 March)”. This shows that the Army units reached Ahmedabad so quickly on 28 February— past midnight—that The Hindu had time to report their arrival and publish it in its issue dated 1 March 2002!

   The same day The Indian Express also reported: “(On 28 February) This pushed the toll, by 1.30 am, to at least 70 out of which 60 was for Ahmedabad alone. By this time, Defence Minister George Fernandes was in town meeting Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the Army’s Gandhinagar-based 11 Division had begun to send out reconnaissance patrols. The news of the Army’s arrival came as a glimmer of hope to residents of the city …”

  Thus, The Indian Express also had time to report the arrival of the Army and also of George Fernandes in its issue of 1 March 2002. So did The Telegraph (Kolkata edition) which said: “The Army has begun pre-deployment drills and will be out latest by tomorrow (Friday, 1 March) morning”.

   The report on the online edition of The Indian Express on February 28 was:

“1,000 para-military personnel rushed to Gujarat

Press Trust of India

Posted online: Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 1629 hours IST

New Delhi, February 28: 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.”

URL:https://web.archive.org/web/20120807035643/http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=7922

    The time of this report’s posting is 4:29 PM. Take into consideration the time required for preparing the report, editing, proof reading and posting and it becomes clear that the decision was taken much earlier. It was done so quickly that by 4:30 PM of 28 February, the report was published online.

   Among another step taken was the request made to the then Defence Minister George Fernandes by Modi to come to Ahmedabad. He came immediately on 1 March at 1:00 a.m.

   The Tribune (which in January 2005 editorially fully supported the claim of U.C. Banerjee that the Godhra train burning was an accident, absolving Muslim attackers of their heinous crime) reported on 1 March 2002:

   “(On 28 February) The police complained they were outnumbered and the rampaging mobs had set up road blocks hindering their movement. Chief Minister, Narendra Modi told a crowded press conference here 700 arrests had been made throughout the state (BBC report quoted earlier also admitted 700 arrests), including 80 in Godhra, where the train was set ablaze killing 58 persons…. Mr. Modi had telephoned Mr. Advani to apprise him of the situation in Gujarat in the wake of yesterday’s attack on Sabarmati Express and requested for additional paramilitary forces to deal with law and order. The Centre today issued a fresh direction to the state governments and Union Territories to deploy security forces in sensitive areas while arranging logistics for implementation of contingency plans …. The police opened fire in Kalol town to disperse unruly mobs…”
(URL: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020301/main7.htm)

    The Hindu also reported the next day that on 28 February, the police were outnumbered and discarded tyres were used to create road blockades. Nowhere is it alleged that the police deliberately turned a blind eye to the rioting. No mention of police being involved in the violence or giving a free hand to the rioters. No mention of any delay in calling the Army. These charges of “police turning a blind eye, allowing killings for three days, not calling Army until three days had passed…etc.” were made after the riots. If these charges were true, the newspapers would have alleged so the very next day. Nothing like this happened. And, no charge that the riots were being ‘sponsored’ by the Gujarat Government.

   The Hindu also reported on 1 March that on 28 February: “An indefinite curfew has been clamped in 26 cities and towns in the State, including parts of Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda (i.e. Vadodara), Rajkot, Nadiad, Anand and Kaira in addition to the indefinite curfew in force in Godhra since Wednesday (27 February).”

   Not merely The Hindu, almost every newspaper reported this the next day, and so did the weeklies India Today and Outlook in their issues dated 11 March 2002, covering events till 28 February.

   Perhaps the only newspaper that accused the police of deliberately turning a blind eye to the rioting was The Indian Express in its issue dated 1 March 2002, on the events of 28 February. After that The Indian Express too did not make any allegations during the actual time of the riots. And The Indian Express’ allegations too were out of ideological bias.

   Now no one can deny that the stray policeman may be lethargic in his duty or sympathetic towards the rioters but that does not mean that the government ordered the police to turn a blind eye. Also, when the policemen are overwhelmingly outnumbered by the rioters, if they try to intervene in a hopeless situation, will they not lose their own lives and that too without any gain? Despite this, there are occasions in Gujarat where police officers have saved the Muslims at a great risk to personal life like in Viramgam, Bodeli.

   The bias of The Indian Express can be seen from the fact that it did not report that the police shot dead at least 10 rioters in Ahmedabad alone by evening which was reported by The Hindu nor did it report that: “Narendra Modi frantically called the Army to Ahmedabad and requested George Fernandes to come”, but it did report both of their arrival. Nor did it report that the police fired about 600+ rounds in Ahmedabad and 1496 in the whole state, and burst 4297 tear gas shells in the whole state that day.

   The Times of India reported on 1 March in a report titled: “Six Burnt Alive near Godhra”:

   “…Kalol has been the worst-affected, with nearly 5,000 people descending on it after rumours that the town had been attacked by miscreants… The police have been grossly outnumbered on the highway as villagers attacked the passing vehicles…Arad road was one of the worst-affected, with a mob of at least 200 people on the street at any given point of time. Many have armed themselves with knives and sticks. Violence from these two towns has spilled on to the highway, where villagers are having a field day. They have created roadblocks using boulders, burning tyres, large drainage pipes and leftovers of unfinished engineering projects. Every once in a while a police van arrives and disperses the crowds from the highway but they are back again the moment the van moves ahead to the next trouble-spot. As one policeman puts it, ‘They will lynch me if I try to stop them. It is better I turn a blind eye.’ (The Times of India justifies this.)”

(URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//india/Six-burnt-alive-near-Godhra/articleshow/2472761.cms)

   The Indian Express reported on 2 March 2002: “(On 1^st March) In Vadodara, three persons were burnt alive and one person succumbed to Police bullets when police fired to disperse a violent mob that gheraoed a Deputy Superintendent of police and an inspector in Manjalpur.  Police Commissioner, D.D. Tuteja said additional forces had to rush in to save the policemen.”

   According to The Times of India in its online edition of 1 March 2002, the police escorted 400 Muslims to safety in Naroda Patiya, after succeeding in dispersing the mob, a number of them were shifted to the SRP (State Reserve Police) headquarters in the vicinity. (URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mob-burns-to-death-65-at-Naroda-Patia/articleshow/2473565.cms) 

   Even before any major riots had taken place, The Times of India reported: “Vadodara: Five companies of paramilitary forces will be stationed in Vadodara to take care of any untoward incident. A company of RAF is also scheduled to arrive in the city. These will be in addition to five companies of SRP already present in the city. One company of recruits from the police training school will also be deployed in the city. Five additional mobiles equipped with communication equipment will also be given to each police station”. (URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//city/Ahmedabad/Security-beefed-in-Vadodara/articleshow/2308509.cms)

   On 28 February, former Congress Lok Sabha MP from Ahmedabad, Ehsan Jafri was killed by a Hindu mob, which was said to have swelled to 20,000+ in the end, in Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad. Ehsan Jafri fired on the Hindu crowd with his revolver, injuring 15 and killing one according to the SIT (Special Investigation Team appointed by the Supreme Court of India) on page 1 of its report. His firing was also mentioned by India Today (18 March 2002), Outlook and The Times of India at least.  India Today states that the police reinforcements arrived outside Jafri’s house despite the fact that the police forces were inadequate in the city but, by that time, the mob had swelled to 10,000.

    India Today states that the police shot dead five people outside his house. There were 250 people in the complex and 69 were killed (after all missing were declared dead). When Jafri fired on the Hindu crowd, the situation was further aggravated and the people went crazy and planned to kill each and every person in the complex but the police saved 180 Muslims in this episode. The Times of India in its online edition on 28 February 2002 reported:

   “…Meanwhile, fire tenders which rushed to the spot were turned back by the irate mob, which disallowed the Ahmedabad Fire Brigade (AFB) personnel and the district police from rushing to rescue…. Sources in the Congress Party said that the former MP (Ehsan Jafri) after waiting in vain till 12:30 p.m. for official help to arrive had opened fire on the mob in self-defense, injuring four (actually 15 were injured and one killed, as per the SIT report, page 1). Thereafter mayhem ruled the roost…. The mayor, Himmatsinh Patel appealed to the residents to maintain peace…. The situation remained volatile and an inferno raged till 8:00 p.m., till which time the police forces could not gain entry into the colony”.  (URL: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-02-28/india/27143338_1_gulbarg-society-commissioner-of-police-mk-colony)

   The Times of India in its online edition on 28 February 2002, reported at 2:34 p.m.: “Ahmedabad:  At least six persons were injured when police opened fire to disperse a rampaging mob in Meghaninagar (Chamanpura, Ehsan Jafri case) area of the city on Thursday afternoon. The injured were brought to the civil hospital where the condition of at least three is stated to be serious…the incident took place at Chamanpura area under Meghaninagar police station. Meanwhile, one person was stabbed to death in Kalupur area of Ahmedabad which is placed under curfew. The incident took place at Ghadiali-na-Khancho area in the afternoon. With this, the death toll in the post-Godhra aftermath in the state has risen to eight, with four deaths recorded in stabbings in Ahmedabad. The toll is expected to go up higher as reports of more violence are trickling in.”

(URL:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//india/police-open-fire-in-Ahmedabad-6-hurt/articleshow/2360713.cms)

   That is, much before 2:34 p.m., police had injured six outside Ehsan Jafri’s house and actually five were killed in their firing (considering the time taken to get the news, prepare report, edit, proof read and post it online, this must have happened much before 2:34 pm). This despite the hopeless situation which is clear from reading The Times of India’s report that the Fire Brigade and police were not allowed to be reached by the mob. Though police gained control only after 8:00 p.m., they fired much before that, before 2:00 p.m. and saved 180 Muslims. Kalupur was already under curfew before 2:34 p.m.

   In fact, reading the online reports of The Times of India, one knows that almost all the places where violence was being reported were under curfew, which must have been imposed immediately as violence occurred.  Another report posted at 11:31 a.m. on 28 February titled “VHP Bandh Turns Violent; Eight Stabbed to Death” also mentions imposing of curfew at many places. In its report titled “Indefinite Curfew in Ahmedabad, Vadodara” posted on 28 February, it says:

   “Gandhinagar: Curfew was imposed in many areas of old Ahmedabad on Thursday (i.e. 28 Feb) afternoon following unprecedented acts of violence and arson. The district collector of Ahmedabad has requested for more forces to be brought in as violence and arson threatens to spread into rural Ahmedabad. Fires have been reported in more than 80 places in Ahmedabad. According to the government sources, the situation in rural Ahmedabad could turn grim as enough forces are not available to impose curfew. Police Commissioner P.C. Pandey said at 12:30 p.m. that he was imposing curfew in the police station areas of Shahpur, Dariapur, Karanj, Kalupur, Bapunagar, Gomtipur and Rakhial and the police chowky areas of Saraspur and Isanpur. Police burst tear gas shells on C.G. Road to control mobs which were setting on fire shops belonging to a particular community. Curfew has also been imposed in the towns of Bharuch and Ankaleshwar following acts of arson on Thursday morning (28 February). Curfew was imposed earlier in areas of Vadodara city following deaths of two persons in stabbings.

    Curfew in Vadodara: Indefinite curfew has been imposed in the city from 8 a.m. on Thursday morning (28 February) following two cases of stabbing reported from Salatwada and another from the highway after Wednesday night (27 February), a senior police official said. Curfew had been imposed in the six police station areas of the walled city and RAF and CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) companies have been deployed in sensitive areas, city Police Commissioner, Deen Dayal Tuteja said. Indefinite curfew has also been imposed in Lunawada town of Panchmahal district after 2 a.m. on Wednesday night following incidents of arson and looting, he said.” (URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//india/Indefinite-curfew-in-Ahmedabad-Vadodara/articleshow/2340805.cms)

    There were no allegations of any inaction. The Times of India’s report, in its online edition of 1 March titled “Gujarat Violence Hits Industries”, also says that police were totally outnumbered in the town of Halol and unable to stop the mobs. The same was the case in other industrial areas like Shapar, Veraval and Latiplot, according to the report. (Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//india/Gujarat-violence-hits- industries/articleshow/2483562.cms).

   The Times of India also reported in its online edition on 1 March that rich men in cars became looters, just like India Today (18 March 2002) said.

   As per information put up on the site www.indianembassy.org (the official site of the Indian embassy in USA), on 28 February, Gujarat state also requested for additional forces from neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, all of whom were ruled by Congress. Two companies of Maharashtra Reserve Police Force (less than 500 personnel) arrived and were deployed in Surat. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan did not send any. The SIT also said this on page 448. Later Gujarat also asked Congress-ruled Punjab for extra police force, which Punjab refused, as reported by The Tribune dated 10 May 2002. https://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020510/main3.htm

   The SIT said that on 28 February 2002, a total of 151 Muslims and 31 Hindus were killed in Ahmedabad (this does not seem to include missing people). 17 were killed in police firing (whether in Ahmedabad alone or in the whole state is not told, though the then Ahmedabad Police Commissioner P C Pandey’s statement saying this was for Ahmedabad alone is quoted on page 217) out of whom 11 were Hindus and 6 Muslims. Since 31 Hindus were also killed on 28 February (assuming 11 in police firing, 20 in riots) it is clear that some Hindus were also attacked. As we will see in the chapter “Attacks on Hindus”, on 28 February Hindus were attacked in Ahmedabad’s Bapunagar and Jamalpur areas, at least. Hence 6 Muslims were also killed in police firing. Besides, the police cannot generally know the religion of the rioters while firing, in many cases.

   Thus, in brief, the steps taken on 28 February were:

1. The riots began in Ahmedabad at 11:00 m. The Chief Minister Narendra Modi informally contacted the Central Government to send Army at 12 noon, i.e. within one hour. Curfew was imposed by 12:20 at noon at all places in Ahmedabad. In many places, it was imposed much earlier.
2. As per The Hindu, Narendra Modi “frantically” called the Army
3. Narendra Modi requested the Union Defence Minister, George Fernandes to come to
4. Curfew was imposed in 26 towns and cities in
5. The police saved about 180 Muslims despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered by the mob at Ehsan Jafri’s house. Police shot dead five rioters outside his The SIT said that police lathi-charged the mob, fired 124 rounds and burst 134 tear gas shells, killed 4 Hindus and injured 11 at this place.
6. The police fired 1496 rounds in the state, including at least 600 in
7. Police shot dead 11 Hindus and injured 16. At least two people were shot dead by police outside Ahmedabad in Nadiad and At least 17 were killed in police firing.
8. At 4:00 m., a press conference was held, in which the decision of having called the Army was publicly announced. All procedures needed for this were done very quickly.  The meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security of the Central Government was held at 6:45 P.M. under the Prime Minister’s chairmanship, it approved Army deployment immediately.
9. The Army units reached Ahmedabad so quickly that newspapers like The Hindu, The Indian Express had time to report their arrival on 28 February 2002 (Thursday) itself and publish it on 1 March 2002 (Friday)!
10. Defence Minister, George Fernandes reached Ahmedabad so quickly that newspapers like The Indian Express reported his arrival the next day!
11. Police escorted 400 Muslims to safety in Naroda-Patiya after dispersing the mob in Naroda-Patiya. Total of 95 people were killed, at least 900 Muslims were saved, since The Times of India reports that 1,000 Muslims lived in the attacked area in Naroda-Patiya.
12. The Gujarat Government requested neighbouring states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to send additional police force.
13. 700 people were arrested by the police in the state, including around 80 in Godhra on the very first day of the violence when the situation was out of control. 4297 tear gas shells were also burst in the whole state.

On 1^st March (Friday)

   On the next day, i.e. 1 March 2002, the Army staged a flag march in Ahmedabad at 11:30 a.m. The Hindu reported on 2 March 2002 (Saturday):

   “(On 1 March) The Army began flag marches in the worst-affected areas of Ahmedabad, Baroda, Rajkot and Godhra cities and the ‘shoot at sight’ order was extended to all 34 curfew-bound cities and towns in Gujarat”. The title of the report itself was: “Shoot Orders in Many Gujarat Towns, toll over 200”. On this day, even the Army could not prevent the riots, nor the shoot-at-sight orders given to Gujarat police, according to The Times of India.  The Telegraph (Kolkata) too said that the Army too could not stop the riots. It reported on 2 March 2002 that “(On 1 March) Despite the presence of the army—some 3,500 soldiers have arrived in the state—in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot, the rioting has not stopped.”

   No newspaper accused the administration of not doing enough to prevent riots from this day onward. The Indian Express reported on 2 March: “(On 1 March) The police, its credibility lowest than ever, tried to salvage its reputation intervening in some clashes by opening fire. Twenty were killed in police firing across the state, 12 in Ahmedabad.”

   There are two things to be noted from this very vital statement. First, the police did their best to control the violence and could not be accused by anyone, including The Indian Express, of negligence from this day onward, the second day of the riots, i.e. 1 March 2002. And second, there were “clashes” going on between Hindus and Muslims, and not one-sided massacres of Muslims.

   Direct evidence of the fact that Muslims were also on the offensive is available from the report of a newspaper as anti-BJP as The Hindu dated 2 March 2002: “But unlike Thursday (28 February) when one community was entirely at the receiving end, the minority backlash (on Friday, 1 March) 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 (all areas with high Muslim population) and other areas, from where incidents of firing had been reported…. 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”. (URL: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/shoot-orders-in-many-gujarat-towns-toll-over-200/article27834088.ece )

   The Indian Express also said on 2 March, 2002: “(On 1^st March) Tension escalated in the walled city areas just before the Friday prayers. There were violent clashes between mobs in Jamalpur, Bapunagar and Rakhial (all Muslim concentrated areas of Ahmedabad).” Clearly Muslims were on the offensive. And The Times of India also reported the same day: “(On 1^st March) There were signs of retaliation in areas like Juhapura, Kalupur, Dariapur and Shahpur (all Muslim-dominated areas) …” This clears all possible doubts.

   The Indian Express reported that George Fernandes appealed to the citizens for peace in Ahmedabad and later left for Vadodara, but it did not mention that he was bravely on the streets of Ahmedabad at a great risk to personal life (at least not in that report)! This was mentioned by India Today (18 March 2002), and The Times of India in its online edition on 2 March 2002 in which The Times of India praised George Fernandes.

   The Hindu reported on 2 March 2002 that at least 17 were killed in police firing in Ahmedabad until the second day of the riots.

  On the second day, i.e., 1 March, additional 24 Hindus were shot dead and 40 were injured. These are official statistics. The Indian Express reported that 20 were killed in police firing on 1 March. It could be that at that time, many injured were alive when The Indian Express wrote the report, and died later, so the number of people killed in police firing on 1 March was more than what The Indian Express reported that day. Some suggest that The Indian Express could also have deliberately reported lesser number of people killed in police firing than the correct number due to bias, but that seems unlikely in this case to me.

   27 Muslims were also killed in police firing on this day throughout the state. Since there was a minority backlash (as reported by The Hindu), and shoot-at-sight orders were on, it was natural that Muslims would also be killed in police firing. The SIT’s closure report quotes the then Ahmedabad Police Commissioner P C Pandey as saying (on page 217) that the police cannot know the religion of the rioters on whom firing is being done.

   On 1 March, the police saved lives of 2,500 Muslims when they were attacked by 8,000 armed tribals in Sanjeli, a town in North Gujarat. This was reported by India Today (22 April 2002).

   The website www.indianembassy.org reports: “The next brigade of the Army was also deployed in Rajkot and Vadodara on 1^st March, 2002 itself. Three columns allotted to Godhra reached in Godhra, Lunawada and Halol on the early morning of 2^nd March 2002. Thereafter, the Army has been shifted in Surat and Bhavnagar as and when the situation warranted such a shift.”  

URL:https://web.archive.org/web/20100511093127/http://www.indianembassy.org/new/gujarat_02/index.htm

   In short, the steps taken on 1 March (Friday) were:

1. On the morning of 1^st March, George Fernandes bravely took to streets to check violence in Ahmedabad, at a great risk to personal life. He was pummeled with stones. Later, he left for
2. 24 Hindus were shot dead by police and 40 injured, and 27 Muslims were also killed in police firing, according to official records.
3. The Army staged flag marches in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Godhra and Rajkot’s worst-affected
4. Shoot-at-sight orders were extended to all 34 curfew-bound cities and towns in the state.
5. 2,500 Muslims were saved in Sanjeli town by the Police.
6. The police fired 2167 rounds and 1969 tear gas shells were also burst in the whole state, according to official records.
7. 568 more preventive arrests were made (443 Hindus and 125 Muslims) and 695 arrests were made for offences. (Official figures)

On 2^nd March (Saturday)

    2^nd March 2002 was Saturday. On this day also Muslims were aggressive. Ahmedabad was almost completely peaceful on this day with major violence occurring in other parts of Gujarat. As we saw earlier, The Tribune reported on 3^rd March 2002 that: “(On 2^nd March) Ahmedabad, the worst hit by the communal flare-up in the wake of Godhra train killings, was virtually back to normal….”

   That is, riots were controlled in the communally sensitive state in only three days after Godhra and in only two days in a communally ultra-sensitive place like Ahmedabad! Reports of The Hindu and The Telegraph of 3 March 2002 also prove that Ahmedabad was virtually back to normal on 2 March 2002 itself. The Hindu reported that ‘the situation improved in Ahmedabad with no major incidents of arson reported’ and The Telegraph reported that ‘Riot spins out of Ahmedabad’.

   From the night of the second day till the third day of the riots, i.e. 2 March 2002, the police shot dead at least 47 people in Gujarat including 19 in Ahmedabad, as per the report of The Hindu dated 3 March 2002. The Hindu reported: “Even while claiming that the situation was improving, Mr. Modi said the police fired at least 1,031 rounds in different parts of the State since last night (i.e. Friday, 1^st March night) besides bursting 1,614 tear gas shells to disperse violent mobs. While 19 people were killed in police firing in Ahmedabad and eight in Godhra, six people were killed in police firing in Baroda, five in Anand, three each in Mehsana and Gandhinagar, two in Kaira and one in Bhavnagar.” URL : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/86-killed-in-fresh-incidents-in-gujarat/article27834261.ece

   The same day i.e. 3^rd March 2002, The Indian Express reported: “The toll went up to over 450 as police recovered more bodies and 77 more people were killed either in police or Army firing”.

   Thus, in brief, the steps taken on 2 March 2002 were:

1. The police fired more than 1,031 rounds and burst 1,614 tear gas shells. More than this, because these were the figures till Modi’s press conference in the evening after which more were
2. At least 47 people were shot dead by the police in Gujarat: 19 in Ahmedabad, eight in Godhra, six in Vadodara, five in Anand, three each in Mehsana and Gandhinagar, two in Kaira and one in Bhavnagar since 1^st March night [some of them may have been on 1 March night].
3. Curfew was imposed in 40 places in
4. Border Security Force units were dispatched to
5. 2,000 Muslims were saved in Dahod by the
6. 573 preventive arrests (477 Hindus, 96 Muslims) and 711 arrests for offences (482 Hindus, 229 Muslims) were made, as per official records.

   The efforts to control violence can be clearly seen from the report in India Today dated 18 March 2002 in an article titled “Chronology of a Crisis”:

   “27^th  FEBRUARY, 2002

    8:03 a.m.: Incident at Godhra claims lives of 57 karsevaks.

    8:30 a.m.: Modi is informed of the carnage. (This could be at 9 am)

    4:30 p.m.: Gujarat Assembly adjourned and Modi visits Godhra where he holds a meeting, giving shoot-at-sight orders to the police.

   10:30 p.m.: CM holds meeting with senior government officials at Gandhinagar; (This meeting was simply a law and order review meeting) orders curfew in sensitive places and pre-emptive arrests (These orders of curfew and preventive arrests had nothing to do with that meeting).

   28^th  FEBRUARY, 2002

   8:00 a.m.: Special control room set up in CM’s house to monitor the situation during VHP bandh.

  12:00 p.m.: Modi informally contacts Centre for calling in Army. Cabinet Secretary, T.R. Prasad tells Defence Secretary, Y. Narain that army is to be mobilised.

   12:30 p.m.: Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General N.C. Vij tells Narain that only two columns are available as the rest are deployed on the border.

   12:35 p.m.: Prasad directs Narain to advise Chief of Army Staff, Gen.  Padmanabhan to have troops ready due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ahmedabad.

   12:45 p.m.: Narain tells Vij to arrange immediate movement of troops to Gujarat.

   4:00 p.m.: Modi   requests army deployment   following consultations with Advani (the then Home Minister of India).

   6:45 p.m.: Cabinet Committee on Security meets under the Prime minister’s chairmanship; approves the immediate movement of troops to Ahmedabad and other parts of Gujarat. Vajpayee (Prime Minister) deputes Fernandes (Defence Minister) to supervise the deployment of troops.

   7:00 p.m.: The Gujarat Government’s formal request for Army deployment is received in Delhi.

   11:30 p.m.: Airlifting of troops begins.

    1^st MARCH , 2002

   2:30 p.m.: A brigade reaches Ahmedabad. The 54th Division’s General Officer Commanding contacts acting Chief Secretary.

   9:00 p.m.: Discussions between representatives of the Army and the state take place, followed by troop flag march in Ahmedabad.” URL:  https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20020318-gujarat-riots-is-narendra-modi-the-villain-who-allowed-mobs-to-seek-revenge-for-godhra-795729-1999-11-30

   Just a couple of corrections must be stated here. Curfew was imposed in Godhra not at 4:30 p.m. on 27 February when Narendra Modi visited it, but at 9:45 a.m. itself. And the Army brigade reached Ahmedabad before 1:30 a.m. of 1^st March and not at 2:30 a.m. as reported by The Indian Express the next day.

   The following report from The Hindu dated 4 March 2002 will make it clear that the major violence had stopped in the first three days:

   “Ahmedabad, 3^rd March. The orgy of violence in Gujarat appears to have ended. Today only two deaths were reported, one from Godhra. Officially the death toll is 431, more than half of them in Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad was quiet, apart from two major arson attacks on a Muslim-owned petrol station and warehouse.

   Curfew has been lifted in most areas of the 40 towns and cities where clashes were reported, including Naroda and Meghnaninagar (i.e. Gulberg Society case, i.e. Chamanpura, Ehsan Jafri case) in Ahmedabad, where hundreds were killed. The state administration says that curfew will be relaxed in more areas tomorrow. There was a ‘sense of normality in the State’ today.

   But the smouldering remains of burnt-out buildings and the acrid smell of burning rubber, five days after the violence began, are a reminder that ‘normality’ in Ahmedabad is a very long way off. …” (URL: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/ahmedabad-quiet-toll-431/article27834421.ece)

   This report clearly proves that the riots were controlled in 72 hours.

   The following was the report of The Hindu dated 6^th March 2002:

   “Peace Marches, Prayer Meetings Held in Gujarat

    By Our Special Correspondent

    Ahmedabad, 5^th March. The Gujarat Government, voluntary organisations and prominent citizens organised a peace march here today as the situation in the State showed signs of returning to normality.

   Hundreds of prominent citizens, Sarvodaya leaders and others marched from the Kocharab Ashram to the Sabarmati Ashram, both set up by Mahatma Gandhi, and held an all-religion prayer meeting. Peace marches and prayer meetings were also held in Surat, Porbandar, the birth-place of the Mahatma, and several other cities and towns.

   State-owned transport corporations resumed partial operations. Municipal buses in Ahmedabad are expected to start services from tomorrow, at least in some areas…

   Schools have reopened in many parts of the State. The Education Minister, Anandiben Patel, said the remaining schools would be reopened tomorrow.

   Board examinations for the secondary and higher secondary classes had been postponed by a week to 18^th March…” (URL: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/peace-marches-prayer-meetings-held-in-gujarat/article27834765.ece ).

   The report of The Hindu dated 7 March 2002 was:

   “Gujarat Limping Back to Normality

   By Our Special Correspondent

   Ahmedabad, 6^th March. No untoward incident has been reported from any part of Gujarat for the second consecutive day today. The Home Secretary, K. Nityanandam, said the curfew had been relaxed in most areas.

   For the first time since the Sabarmati Express was torched on 27^th February, curfew was relaxed for six hours in Godhra today. Though the situation was tense, no incidents were reported.

   The Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, has announced a judicial inquiry into the post-Godhra violence…

   …Mr.  Modi visited relief camps housing the minorities and instructed the officials concerned to ensure supply of essential commodities. Doctors visited the camps to treat the injured for the first time today since the beginning of the violence. Some 30,000 people are being sheltered in 18 relief camps…”  

URL: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/gujarat-limping-back-to-normality/article27834915.ece

    The Times of India dated 10^th March 2002 also carries a similar report, which makes it absolutely clear that the real major riots stopped in the state in 72 hours. Later retaliatory riots were started by Muslims and stray rioting continued.

    The Gujarat police saved as many as 2,500 Muslims at a single place on a single day, in Sanjeli, which is more than thrice the total number of Muslims killed in the state in the entire period of rioting of two-and-a-half months. If, at a single place, at a single time, 2,500 Muslims were saved, surely many more must have been saved at other places on the same day, and many thousands in the first three days in total.

   However, it is not merely this act that is record. Like in Sanjeli, 5,000 Muslims were saved in Bodeli, a town in Vadodara district, from a crowd of over 7,000. The following is another report quoted from India Today dated 8 April, 2002: “When a Muslim woman was burnt alive by Hindu zealots (in Viramgam, not far from Ahmedabad), the minorities, who constitute almost 30% of the 70,000- odd population went on the rampage. Soon, nearly 15,000 Hindus from nearby villages encircled Viramgam and targetted the Muslim localities in the town. It took some deft handling by the police and the Army to save the day.” (URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/story/20020408-despite-gujarat-riot-taint-cm-narendra-modi-likely-to-lead-bjp-in-next-assembly-polls-795461-2002-04-08)

    And in the 22 April 2002 issue, India Today says:

   “…Take Sanjeli. In the carnage that ensued after the February 27 Godhra killings, 8,000 armed tribals descended on the town of 8,000 in the tribal heartland of Dahod district.  Bows, stones and gunshots rained on the fleeing Muslims, killing 15. Police intervention meant another 2,500 were spared a savage death…. In an identical display of insanity, around 7,000 armed tribals marched into Bodeli town in Chotte- Udepur tribal area of Vadodara district intent on massacring the Muslims, who had taken shelter there after being driven out of the neighbouring villages. While hundreds were saved by the police, Vadodara District Collector, Bhagyesh Jha and other senior officers were fired upon by tribals as they tried to rescue the trapped Muslims. (A total of 5,000 were saved here).

    Tragedy was also averted by the police and army at Viramgam town near Ahmedabad where over 15,000 Hindus, mostly armed OBC Thakores, burnt 250 Muslim houses…”

(URL:  https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/story/20020422-tribal-inspired-communal-violence-results-in-death-of-150-people-in-gujarat-795575-2002-04-22 )

   That is to say, the Gujarat police and the Indian Army together saved thousands of Muslims, of the 21,000-odd of Viramgam town (30% of 70,000). If we assume that there was no police or Army presence, 10,000 Muslims of the town may have been killed. On the basis of records available to this writer, we can conclusively say that the Gujarat police saved at least 17,500 Muslims in Gujarat in just 3 cases. Many sources have told this writer that the Gujarat police saved 24,000 Muslims in the state in the first three days alone.

   The Gujarat Government said in an advertisement given in India Today weekly dated 6 May 2002:

   “On March 1, over 2,000 people in Sanjeli, a village of 8,000 in tribal-dominated Dahod district, were attacked by a violent mob. However, the police managed to pull them out of Sanjeli amidst the raging attack. District Superintendent of Police A. K. Jadeja himself suffered serious injuries but he put his revolver to effective use before managing to take the affected people to the safety of Dahod city. In an equally valiant rescue effort, the Vadodara police saved the lives of 5,000 people in Bodeli by preventing a large crowd of nearly 7,000 from marching to the town. Admits Abdul Majid of Sanjeli, who was among the 2,200-odd people whose lives were saved by police: ‘But for the timely and bold intervention of the police we would all have perished on that fateful day.‘

   These episodes, which prove the sincerity of the Gujarat Government in tackling the riots from day one, are just two of the many cases in which the police saved thousands of people. Yet a smear campaign is being run against the Gujarat Government by divisive elements. This is best proved by the fact that the courageous rescue efforts of the Gujarat Police, which took place in the initial phase of the riots, did not find much of a mention anywhere. For had they been taken into account by the self-styled judges of the Gujarat situation, their “Narendra Modi hatao” campaign would have been dented…”

URL: http://www.hvk.org/2002/0502/41.html

   Though this number of 5,000 being saved in Bodeli was given by the Gujarat Government itself, this incident had also been independently reported by India Today earlier (without giving the number as 5000, but only stating ‘hundreds were saved’) and is also mentioned by the SIT on page 352. Hence it is absolutely correct that 5000 were saved in Bodeli, like 2500 in Sanjeli.

   The website www.indianembassy.org of the Indian Embassy in USA said:

   “In the Mora village of Panchmahal district, SDM, Mamlatdar and police rushed to the spot where the crowd was gathered, dispersed the crowd and saved the lives of 400 people by shifting them to a safe place.

   On receipt of information on 3^rd March, 2002, a madarsa in Asoj, in Vagodia, Vadodara district was likely to be attacked, nearly 40 persons including 22 children were evacuated to a safe place.

   On the night of 2^nd/3^rd March, 2002, in Dahod, the police escorted over 2000 persons belonging to the minority community to a safe place, rescuing them from the mob that had gathered from surrounding 28 villages.

   In the Surat city, protection was provided to about 60 persons and the mosque in Nana Varacha area.

   On receipt of information that some women and children were trapped in a mosque, the Surat police escorted them to a safe place.

   On receipt of information that 100 persons were trapped near Rita Society opposite Yateem Khana Jain Mandir, the police immediately rushed there and dispersed the mob, but found no persons trapped inside. The Surat police immediately provided protection requested for by 12-15 houses of Muslims near the Khoja Masjid.” (URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20100511093127/http://www.indianembassy.org/new/gujarat_02/index.htm )

   There are many other instances as well. Some of them are:

1. 5,000 people from the Noorani Mosque area were saved by Ahmedabad Police
2. 240 people were saved at Sardarpura of Mehsana district and shifted to safer places
3. 450 were saved in Pore and Nardipur villages of Gandhinagar district, and shifted to safer places
4. 400 were saved in a Madrasa at Bhavnagar [SIT report, page 301]
5. 1,500 people were saved from Fatehpura village of Vadodara district [SIT report, page 352]
6. 3,000 people were saved and shifted from Kwant village of Vadodara district

   Police records and figures given by the Union Home Ministry as well as by India Today (18 March 2002), as well as by The Times of India dated 7^th March 2002 reveal that as many as 98 people were killed in the first three days in police firing. We have already looked at the reports of The Indian Express and The Hindu to know that the figure of 98 people being shot dead in the first three days is indeed true. Never before were so many people shot dead in police firing for rioting in so few days in the entire history of communal riots in India, not even in the 1969 or 1985 Gujarat riots. Of the 98 people killed in police firing, majority are Hindus (60 Hindus). Out of these 98, 40 were killed in Ahmedabad alone-which included 17 Hindus and 23 Muslims.  

  The reason for Muslims also being killed in police firing was that they were on the offensive as well on 1^st and 2^nd  March 2002. ‘Shoot at sight’ orders were on, and Muslims had started a backlash on 1 March, so it is natural that they too would be killed in police firing. (And no one alleged at the time of the riots, not even the worst critics like Indian Express, that the police killed Muslims ruthlessly in firing!) The Indian Express and The Hindu reported that the police tried its best intervening in clashes by opening fire. Since ‘clashes’ were going on between Hindus and Muslims, Muslims too were killed in police firing.

    Outside Ahmedabad, out of the 58 killed in police firing, 43 were Hindus. This includes Vadodara as well, where Muslims were almost as on the offensive as in Ahmedabad, despite that, the proportion of Hindus killed in police firing is very high—43 out of 58. According to ex-Vadodara Police Commissioner D.D.Tuteja, quoted in the SIT report page on 364, in Vadodara 4 Hindus and 7 Muslims were killed in police firing, but this was for the entire duration of the riots and not just the first three days. Had they been for the first three days, it would have given us the figure of 39 Hindus out of the 47 killed in police firing outside Ahmedabad and Vadodara in the first three days. 

Riots did not affect the entire state, only parts of it

    That the whole of Gujarat was burning is an incorrect depiction of the riots by a section of the media. The riots did not spread to Saurashtra and Kutch, both of which are border areas. Saurashtra (52) and Kutch (6) accounted for as many as 58 out of the Gujarat assembly’s 182 seats at that time. That is, they are nearly one-third of Gujarat. This shows that the State Government had absolutely no hand in instigating the riots and it by no means wanted to encourage the riots. If the State Government wanted to instigate riots, it could have easily done so in Saurashtra and Kutch. It was reported that a section of the Patels were unhappy with Keshubhai Patel’s replacement as Chief Minister, and that Narendra Modi was a bit unpopular in them. Since Saurashtra was the home turf of Keshubhai Patel, instigating riots there would have polarized the Hindus there and helped the BJP in general and Narendra Modi in particular. But this region was peaceful. Hindus did not retaliate in one-third of the state even for the first three days.

   Northern and southern Gujarat were peaceful after 2^nd March 2002 and only some places in central Gujarat saw riots. Basically, after 2^nd March 2002, riots were limited only to Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and a few places in Panchmahal district near Godhra-by and large. All TV channels and almost the entire print media admitted at some point or the other that Saurashtra and Kutch remained peaceful throughout the two-and-a-half months of rioting and saw no riots. But this admission was more pronounced not during the time of riots in Gujarat, but many months later, during the coverage of the Gujarat Assembly elections of December 2002.

   Around 6 December 2002, Narendra Modi was invited on Star News/ NDTV’s programme Hotline. In that programme, the anchor Pankaj Pachouri asked Narendra Modi this question. He said, “Your party always gains because of the riots. But no riots took place in Saurashtra and Kutch, so you are all set to lose there. How will you respond to this?” To that Narendra Modi replied:

   “When 2% of Gujarat was burning, you were saying that the whole of Gujarat is burning. Now you are saying that no riots took place in Saurashtra and Kutch. So, first you apologize for lying that the entire state was burning when only 2% of the state was burning.”

   In the entire State of Gujarat, there are 18,600 villages, 240 municipal towns and 25 district headquarters. The riots occurred in no more than 90 places. If one includes the two big cities of Ahmedabad and Vadodara, by the maximum stretch of imagination, it can be said that 2 per cent of the state was affected by riots, or was in flames.

   In this regard, some people quote a report of R Sreekumar, a police officer, of August 2002 and claim that 154 Assembly seats, with 151 towns and 993 villages were affected by riots. This does not mean that all these places saw riots. On page 153 of SIT closure report, Ashok Narayan, ACS (Home) is quoted as saying that Sreekumar arrived at this figure by including all places where food grains and other items of relief had been provided in relief camps or other places by the government. Ashok Narayan is quoted as saying that the actual places seeing violence were lesser. Naturally, there is a vast difference in the places where the foodgrain was provided and places which actually saw violence. Besides, there are many issues with Sreekumar, who is a known anti-Narendra Modi man, and his claims have been deemed ‘unreliable’ and ‘motivated’ by the SIT owing to various issues.

   Anti-Sangh Parivar and Leftist magazine, fortnightly Frontline also reported after the December 2002 Gujarat polls: “The Bharatiya Janata Party made its greatest gains in the riot-affected areas — it captured 50 of the 65 riot-affected constituencies…In places untouched by riots, the BJP lost ground. In Kutch, it got only two out of the six seats, compared with the four seats that it had won in the previous election…In Saurashtra, where the water crisis is acute, the BJP slipped from its 48-seat tally in 1998 to just 37 seats this time.”

URL: https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30214974.ece

   If Frontline itself claimed 65 riot-affected seats out of 182 (this includes places like Ahmedabad district and Vadodara district which had 19 and 13 Assembly seats at that time, and also 2 other cities of Rajkot and Surat), then it shows that it is absolutely impossible for riots to have occurred in 993 villages and the correct number of places of violence must indeed be close to 90, since Ahmedabad and Vadodara districts themselves account for 32 Assembly seats. And Frontline also admitted that Saurashtra and Kutch were untouched by riots.

   On the 1^st day of the riots, 26 places needed to be placed under curfew as reported by dailies the next day. On the 2^nd day, 34 places needed to be under curfew as reported the next day by dailies (these included the 26 already under curfew). And on the 3^rd day 40 places were under curfew. The Hindu reported on 4 March 2002: “Curfew has been lifted in most areas of the 40 towns and cities where clashes were reported (till 3 March 2002)”. This shows that only 40 towns and cities saw violence in the first 3 days.

  Since the riots after the first 3 days were mainly limited to Ahmedabad, Vadodara and some other places, even assuming that 10 more places than those in the first 3 days, saw violence after the first 3 days, the number of total places seeing violence becomes 40 + 50 = 90. We can clearly see that it is absolutely impossible for riots to have occurred in 993 villages, and that the figures of maximum 50 villages and maximum 90 places seeing riots are absolutely true.

   The Times of India reported on 7 March 2002: “The official statistics say that 99 persons have been killed in police firing. The security forces have fired 5,176 rounds of ammunition at the mobs as well as 7,276 tear gas shells” (URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Toll-now-677-due-to-recovery-of-more-bodies/articleshow/3055362.cms) Since real riots stopped on 2^nd March itself, it clearly proves that in the first  three days, the police fired more than 3,900 rounds and burst 6,500 tear gas shells.

    Mobs of both communities indulged in rioting, at least after 28^th  February.

 As for violence after the first three days, India Today (20 May 2002) reported:

   This shows that around 550 were killed in the first three days in the real large-scale riots. Since the total number of people killed assuming all missing are dead is 1169, it is around 200 more. We should assume that these extra 200 deaths took place in the first 3 days, which would give 750 deaths in the first 3 days, an average of 250 deaths per day, and 400 in the next 70 days, an average of six killings a day. This shows that after the first 3 days at least, these were full-fledged Hindu-Muslim riots and not one-sided riots. As per police records, Muslims started some 157 riots after 3 March 2002. No violence worth the name took place in Gujarat from 11 May 2002 to 20 May 2002 and the Army began leaving Ahmedabad on 21 May 2002.

 https://www.rediff.com/news/2002/may/21guj.htm

   The following are the excerpts of the interview given by Narendra Modi to weekly India Today dated 18 March 2002:

   “A composed Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi spoke to Senior Editor, V. Shankar Aiyar and Special Correspondent Uday Mahurkar. Excerpts:

Q. Nearly 600 people have died in the Gujarat riots. Was there a complete breakdown of the official machinery? Are you responsible?

A. It’s a false and baseless charge. Let’s go by the official I was in Godhra on the evening of 27^th March (this is a mistake, it should be 27^th February) and on my return to Ahmedabad, 827 people were arrested as a preventive measure the same night. I immediately issued shoot-at-sight orders in Godhra. The riots began on 28^th February at around 11:00 a.m. and I had requested the Army’s presence by 4:00 p.m. On my request, Defence Minister, George Fernandes was in Ahmedabad by 2 a.m. on 1^st March.

Q. But all the measures proved ineffective.

A. Only in the minds of those who don’t know the state’s history of riots. In the early 1980s, some parts of Godhra remained under curfew for a whole year. In 1985, curfew was imposed in Ahmedabad’s Kalupur-Dariapur for six months. I have controlled the riots faster than any of my predecessers.

Q. The Muslims allege that the police not only took no action but even collaborated in the killings, arson and looting on 28^th February and even later.

A. I don’t agree. The police fired 1,000 rounds on the first But you must not forget that what happened was a reaction to the brutal killings (in Godhra). The size of the angry mobs on Thursday (28 Feb) was something unprecedented. The police must have been overwhelmed at some places because of this but still it did its best. Five persons were killed in police firing at the spot where Ehsan Jafri was killed and police saved lives of 200 Muslims in the episode.

Q. Why do you think the rioting had such a brutal tinge to it?

A. It wasn’t a communal riot but something like a mass There was already great anger against terrorism and anti-national activity. The Godhra episode symbolised that.

Q. Does the spectre of backlash worry you?

A. My perception is that they will try and do something. So in the coming months, Gujarat will have to be very alert…”. (URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/interview/story/20020318-i-have-controlled-the-riots-faster-than-any-of-my-predecessors-narendra-modi-795709-2002-03-18)

   Now, let us see the interview given by Narendra Modi to Outlook magazine in its issue dated 18^th March 2002:

   “Q. Were you playing the fiddle while Gujarat burned?

A. No. Contrary to what is now being projected, I brought sanity within 72 hours of the violent outbreak. It would take months before communal rioting during the previous Congress governments could be brought under control and a semblance of normalcy could be restored. This is for the first time that a communal riot has been controlled in record time.

Q. Your government stands accused of aiding and abetting the Bajrang Dal and the VHP. Their cadre ran amok for a full 48 hours while your police force stood and watched—in some places, it even joined in with the rioters.

A. How can that be? You have to realise that when violent rioting breaks out on such a scale, the police force is under great stress. Resources are limited. More than 70 people have been killed in police firing, so where is the question of the state administration taking sides against one or the other community?

Q. Was the Army deliberately called in late so that the police could play out its passive role?

A. The Godhra massacre took place on 27^th February. The next day I declared that Army help had been requisitioned. The Prime Minister called a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on 28^th February to take the Army’s help. But that was not There was no Army presence in Ahmedabad because of the deployment on the borders. Next day, on 1^st March, shoot-at-sight orders were issued. I spoke to George Fernandes and within 16 hours, the Army was called in. So where is the question of any delay?

Q. What precisely is your government’s connection with the VHP and the Bajrang Dal?

A. I have worked hard to raise the BJP in the state. Can I be accused of improving my party’s prospects?

   …Q. Your impartiality was not exactly in evidence over the past few days?

A. In a democracy, anyone can say anything. You have to remember that communalism runs high in Gujarat. If Sachin Tendulkar gets out on 90 against the Pakistani team, riots break out here. Even a small provocation can lead to violence and Godhra was a very big In the 1969 riots, under the then Congress regime, curfew was imposed for 65 days in a row.

Q. You speak about previous Congress regimes but what about your party’s claim to better governance?

A. We are providing better governance. But can we ignore facts? Of the 80-odd arrests so far, 65 have Congress backgrounds. The Congress is misusing the sentiments. They are alleging that the independent corporators involved in Godhra were backed by the BJP. Until now, the media has been saying that there are no Muslims with the BJP. But when it comes to this incident, my party is supposed to have backed Muslim corporators. There is a limit to double In any case, (independent) corporators are not members of any party.

Q. You put a ban on a section of the media. People see this as an authoritarian step designed to muzzle the …

A. There was no ban on the media. I blacked out just one channel because of the provocative reporting methods used. Traditionally, the print media has used its own methods of self-censorship, taking care not to mention the name of communities while reporting If every half-an-hour the names of communities are going to be mentioned, without any substantiation or any attribution, it inflames the situation instead of allaying it. It is not difficult to see what impact it will have. I must also tell you that since then the channel has rendered an apology and made amends.”

(URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20100209043917/http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?214916).

   Outlook increases the time in which police were accused of allowing rioters to run amok to 48 hours, while even the worst critic, The Indian Express admitted that the police did its best from day 2, i.e. from 24 hours only! Police did not allow rioters to run amok even for the first 24 hours and did its best firing 1496 rounds, 4297 tear gas shells, saving thousands in Naroda Patiya, Chamanpura, etc.

   Note Narendra Modi’s sentence “No. Contrary to what is now being projected, I brought sanity within 72 hours of the violent outbreak.” In other words, the projection against Modi started AFTER the riots. We have seen the reports of the newspapers like The Hindu, The Tribune, etc in which there were no allegations against Narendra Modi or the Gujarat Government at the time of the actual riots. They started much later.

    Doordarshan news reported on 3 March 2002 (Sunday) at night in the English bulletin: “Violence has ended in a record time in Ahmedabad…Only 3 days… In the past, it would take many weeks…. Today (Sunday) curfew was relaxed, people bought items from bazaar…(market)”.

   No allegation against the State Government but praise of controlling violence in just 3 days! Most demands for Modi’s resignation, dismissal started AFTER the riots. This was because, that section of the media wanted some scapegoat to be made for the riots. It wanted Modi to sack a few police officers, drop a minister or two. But Modi did nothing of the sort. He did not make anyone a scapegoat. So then the target became Modi himself.

   In an interview to NDTV (Walk the Talk program), broadcast in March/April 2004, Narendra Modi said to Shekhar Gupta (Editor of The Indian Express): “You all wanted that someone be made scapegoat. I did not do that. I allowed you to break all pots on my head alone. You have all decided, all these riots happened under this man (Narendra Modi). Until this man is removed from the Chief Minister’s post, we will not rest in peace. My best wishes to you in your mission.”  Narendra Modi did not resign, and the BJP did not dismiss him, so this section of the media was livid.

   And following are the excerpts from an interview with The Hindustan Times dated 10^th March 2002:

   “Q. …There is a wide gap between your claims (of prompt action) and eye-witness accounts of the government being a mute spectator for a good 48 to 72 hours after violence erupted during the VHP-sponsored bandh on 28^th February. What’s your defense?

A. The situation was brought under control in 72 hours. There is no truth also in the charge that we delayed calling in the The Godhra incident took place at 8:00 a.m. At 9:45 a.m, I imposed curfew there. My government opened fire at the Railway Station. If our purpose was to target a community, we had an opportunity at Godhra. But we did not do that. The challenge before us was the safety of the surviving passengers. To keep the violence from spreading, I gave shoot-at-sight orders before leaving Godhra. On 27^th February night, nearly 800 people (its 827) were rounded up all over Gujarat. The February 28 (VHP) bandh was spontaneous. There weren’t any reports of people being forced to join it. Tensions started rising at 11:00  a.m. and at 12:20 p.m. curfew  was imposed in Ahmedabad.

Q. You mean you imposed curfew during the VHP bandh?

A. Yes, the very first day. The police strategy to quell violence was based on the past experience. We concentrated on hyper-sensitive areas. But this time, these areas remained calm and violence erupted in new pockets on the western banks of Sabarmati. (Times of India also said this like India ) Five people were killed in 600 rounds of police firing in Ahmedabad on 28^th February itself. (Actually, at least 10 if not 17 were killed, five at Jafri’s place.) At 2:00 p.m., I spoke to the Prime Minister. I told him that people in the middle and upper middle class colonies were out on the streets and I needed the Army and para-military forces to control them. In fact, at 4:30 p.m. that day, I told the media that I have sought the Army’s help. The troops were withdrawn from the borders and deployed within 16 hours (actually 14 hours). In similar situations earlier, their arrival took between three and five days.

Q. But till now (March 5 morning), neither you nor any of your ministers has cared to visit the devastated localities. Only Defence Minister, George Fernandes touched the trouble-spots, which even Advani avoided during his March 3 visit to the state.

A. This is not true. Advaniji took a round of the city covering all sensitive areas. I went with him. The Leader of the Opposition here (Naresh Raval of the Congress) went to his Sardarpur constituency after 72 hours yesterday. But a Cabinet colleague of mine was there within six hours. Now, the government machinery is focusing on the relief work. For the first time, my administration has raised from the Rs        5 to Rs  15, the daily cash-doles for riot victims….

Q. More than material help, what the Muslims need is a sense of security. Are you capable of delivering on that front?

A. This task will have to be accomplished jointly by people and the government. To build confidence and trust between communities, the social, political and religious leaderships will have to combine their efforts.

Q. It is believed that your March 1 statement justifying the backlash to the Godhra killings emboldened the VHP-Bajrang Dal cadres, who went on the rampage in Ahmedabad and What do you have to say about it?

A. I made no statement of that kind. One big newspaper reported that I quoted Newton’s law of every action having an equal and opposite reaction. I have never quoted Newton since I left school. I cannot help if people allow themselves to be guided by their predilections and fantasies. I’m willing to suffer if that helps the I plead with those opposed to me to wait till normalcy is restored in Gujarat.

Q. What’s your personal assurance to the Muslim community?

A. Security and social harmony, that’s my assurance to them. This Government is as much theirs as it is of anybody else….

Q. Opposition parties do not believe you and have sought your dismissal.

A. …in the US, nobody sought President Bush’s resignation after the WTC bombings. But in India, each calamity is followed by demands of resignation, be it an earthquake or the attack on the Parliament…. Gujarat is a border state and the internal security problems here could acquire an external dimension. Our biggest worry is the madarsas. Godhra has a large number of such institutions.

   In Bhavnagar, a madarsa became the cause of tension when a TV channel reported that an associate of Aftab Ansari [dreaded terrorist who was involved in a terrorist attack on Kolkata’s American Centre on 22 January 2002] had been a student there. To defuse the situation, we had to move 400 students and some Maulvis to safer places.”

   Now, notice how the time on which the government is being accused of being a mute spectator suddenly jumps to “48 to 72 hours”! Besides, it claims that after Modi’s alleged statement of quoting Newton’s Third Law, VHP and Bajrang Dal cadres went on a rampage, whereas in reality that misquote was first reported on 3 March 2002 in The Times of India after which the riots had stopped.

   As on 25 April, 2002, 77 to 80 Hindus were shot dead by the police in police firing and 207 were injured. B.P. Singhal (1932-2012), former Rajya Sabha MP, and former Director General of Police wrote in Organiser dated 9 October 2005:

   “…the police had fired over 10,500 rounds…. In addition, in all, 15,000 tear gas shells had also been burst during the Gujarat riots…. The 1984 riots escaped the media glare because TV was barely in its infancy.  On the other hand, a lot of mischief was played by the electronic media, which went on repeating some of the gory incidents of riots day after day. One channel repeated a particularly gory scene as many as 21 times. An image was, thus, created by the collaborating media that the massacre of Muslims was continuing unabated in Gujarat, day after day. The truth is that the total number of riot- related accused that came to light in the entire Gujarat was 25,486 (17,489 Hindus and 7,997 Muslims). The efficiency of the police can be gauged from the fact that out of the above-mentioned number, as many as 25,204 accused were arrested, out of which 17,348 were Hindus and 7,856 were Muslims.  The police in Gujarat was, therefore, not sleeping at any time.

   The maximum number of relief camps opened up during riots was 159. At a given point of time, the figure varied as certain camps were closed down and certain new camps were opened up. As on 5^th March, 2002, out of the 98 refugee/relief camps opened, 85 were for Muslims while 13 were for Hindus… On the other hand, there was a contrast of night and day in the versions of riots as projected by the national English media as against the sharply contrasting versions appearing in the local Gujarati papers of all hues….”

   Thus, it can be seen that on 5 March 2002 itself, so early in the riots as many as 13 out of the 98 relief/refugee camps were for the Hindus. It is safe to assume that these camps of 5 March were for the victims of the riots in the first three days, i.e. until 2 March. That even after the first three days of rioting, more than 13 per cent of the relief/refugee camps were for the Hindus, indicates that at least in 13 per cent of the events even in the first three days, the Hindus also suffered just as much as the Muslims suffered in other incidents of the state.

Naroda-Patiya Case

   The Naroda-Patiya was a case of real anti-Muslim violence. A total of around 95 Muslims were killed by a Hindu mob here on 28^th February 2002, the first day of the riots. The number was revised to 95 from 84 after all missing were declared dead with the 7-year period being over.

   Here the attackers included members of the Chara tribe and there was no police presence worth the name as per the report of India Today. The police were grossly inadequate throughout Ahmedabad that day because the size of the mobs was huge. Years later, The Hindu reported on 20^th August 2004:

   “Ahmedabad, 19^th August.  … (Former Police Inspector of Naroda) Mr. Mysorewala blamed the attack in Naroda Patiya on the ‘brutal killing’ of a Hindu youth, Ranjit Vanjhara, behind a mosque and the reckless driving of a Muslim truck driver in which a Hindu was killed and two others were injured. (The Telegraph of Kolkata also quoted a mention of this on 2^nd March 2002).

   Rumours were spread in connection with the two incidents that added fuel to the communal fire. Hindus attacked a mosque and later the Muslim houses in the locality.

   Inadequate Police Force

   According to Mr. Mysorewala, the Naroda police station with 80 policemen was adequate in normal times but the situation on 28^th February was unprecedented and was quickly going out of control.

   He said he had asked for police reinforcement and was given 24 additional SRP men but even that was inadequate, considering the size of the attacking mob, about 17,000 people.”

URL: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/names-of-vhp-leaders-figured-in-fir/article27656791.ece    

   Both these incidents, of the killing of Ranjit Vanjhara and the truck of a Muslim driver killing another Hindu and injuring 2 others happened in the forenoon of 28 February 2002 and are on police record. Thus there was ‘provocation’, something even in addition to Godhra, responsible for the Naroda- Patiya killings. Years later, on 25 May 2013, India Today reported in a report on the bail plea of Maya Kodnani (who was a BJP MLA in 2002) who was an accused in this case:

   “The scene in the Naroda area on February 28 morning was restricted to just stone pelting between Hindu and Muslim mobs till 10.30 am, when two Hindus were killed by Muslims in different incidents and one of them with horrid cruelty.

  ‘These two incidents sent the Hindu mobs into a reactive frenzy and led to the massacres at Naroda Patiya and Narodagam areas in close vicinity of each other,’ said lawyer Mitesh Amin.

   In the first case, rickshaw driver Ranjit Vanjara was pulled by a Muslim mob in a lane and killed. Even his eyes were gorged out. In the second incident, a frightened Muslim truck driver drove his truck through a Hindu mob killing a Hindu. Both these incidents happened between 10.30 and 11.30 am on that morning and are on police record…”

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/west/story/naroda-patiya-case-mayaben-kodnani-judgement-narendra-modi-gujarat-riots-164380-2013-05-25

   No provocation can justify killings of innocent people. This cannot, and does not justify killings of 95 Muslims here. But we saw how a well-planned massacre like Godhra was tried to be forcibly called as ‘spontaneous’ due to ‘provocation’ when there was no provocation. And the real provocation, of killings of 2 Hindus in Naroda Patiya first on 28 February 2002, even after Godhra, was completely covered up. But along with 95 killings, 900 Muslims’ lives were saved there despite the fact that the police were overwhelmingly outnumbered in a ratio of 17,000:100 odd. Police firing killed 2 rioters here, according to Mysorewala.

   Even after the Army was rushed to Ahmedabad, the tensions did not subside and the killings continued. The fact is, after the first three days, riots continued largely only in those places where the Indian Army was present, i.e. in Ahmedabad and Vadodara. To accuse the BJP and the Gujarat Government of allowing killings (of Hindus?) would be accusing the Indian Army of partisanship.  Some people would never want to know and accept this.

   The Times of India, in a report dated 28^th April, 2002, reported that: “Of the total substantive arrests made by the police, 9,954 are Hindus and 4,035 are Muslims. However, in the preventive arrests column, the statistics show that the number of Hindus arrested is much higher—17,947 as against 3,616 Muslims.”

   To quell the violence:

1. Not only did the Gujarat government call the Army as early as possible but also declared this decision publicly on 28^th February evening.
2. Police fired 10,559 rounds of bullets, including around 5450 in the first three days, though the Army was present for 73 out of 74 days.
3. Police fired over 15,369 tear gas shells, including 6,500 in the first three days.
4. 101 people were killed in police firing in the first week, and 199 for the entire period of the riots.
5. The police arrested 35,552 people as on 28^th April 2002, out of whom 27,901 were Hindus.  About 20,000 were preventive arrests.

   Some people ask: “When magazines like Outlook, India Today and newspapers like The Times of India, The Hindu make allegations against Modi now, you don’t believe them calling them as biased against Modi. But in case of riots you cite the same newspapers’ and magazines’ reports which you then believe”.

   The answer is simple. If newspapers or magazines with a known anti-BJP bias report something in favour of BJP, then it is absolutely impossible that it is false. It has to be true, though it may not be the whole truth. That is what we have seen- not a single newspaper or magazine reported all the facts on any day, but only some of the facts. We came to know the whole truth by gathering the facts from all the newspapers. For example, The Hindu reported that on 28 February, at least 10 people were killed in police firing, & the army was called frantically, but it did not report George Fernandes’ arrival and call, or 700 arrests. We got to know 700 arrests from other outlets. Whenever they report anything against BJP or Modi, it should not automatically be called false either, it should be judged on merit.

   Also, the Gujarat Government spent a lot of money for providing relief to the riot victims. This will be seen in detail in Myth 16 of Chapter 7.

   The then RSS spokesman M.G. Vaidya wrote in Marathi daily Tarun Bharat in July 2002:

   “…In a town named Harij in the North Gujarat, the following incident took place: There are only three houses of Muslims in a predominantly Hindu-dominated area. All the inmates of the houses had vacated the houses because of the fear of riots but in one house, there were two 70-year-old women, four kids and four women. These women were virtually shaking with fear. However, the RSS Swayamsevaks reached there. One amongst them was the well-known lawyer of the area, Shri Hargovindbhai Thakkar, who is also the local Sanghachalak of the RSS. He called for his jeep and rescued all the women to a safer place.

   In a town called Unza in the Mehsana district, a Muslim woman was an employee in a dispensary of Dr. Maheshbhai Purohit, who is an active worker of the RSS. When the mob came to attack the woman at Dr. Purohit’s house, he resisted the mob and saved the woman.

   There are many such incidents that reveal the humanitarian approach of the Hindus. But the English newspapers have not published even a single such story…” http://hvk.org/2002/0702/99.html

    Among another of ‘many such’ incidents is the following one reported in India Today dated 15 April 2002: “Take Umreth, a little town in Anand district that had practically never witnessed communal violence. This year it did and when a local BJP leader, Vishnu Patel tried to pacify a Hindu crowd, it turned on him. ”

   As another proof of the fact that the real riots stopped in three days, let us take a look at the following facts:

1. In March 2002, both Holi and Moharram were observed with traditional fervour throughout Gujarat. 1,000 Moharram processions including nearly 100 big ones were taken out.
2. 7,000 Haj pilgrims were felicitated in about 800 villages/ cities in 22 districts in March/ April 2002.
3. 75 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in the Panchayat polls in almost 1,700 villages (exact number 1677 villages) in March 2002.
4. Call for a boycott of the Board exams by the Muslim students flopped with 98 per cent attendance in March/April 2002.

   In reality, far from being a ‘Muslim-killer’, Narendra Modi, if anything was a ‘Muslim-saver’, whose administration saved as many as 24,000 Muslims and many Hindus too.

   The violence in the state, post-Godhra, can be briefly divided into three phases:

1. First three days, on 28^th February, 1^st and 2^nd March 2002
2. From 4^th March 2002 to 12^th April 2002
3. From 21^st April 2002 to 20^th May 2002

   The first phase of violence was really the period of Hindu retaliation to the Godhra carnage. Though at places, Muslims were in complete command and they threw out Hindus from their homes and also killed Hindus, in general, it was the Muslims who suffered. This period saw the real anti-Muslim riots, like the Chamanpura incident (Ehsan Jafri case) or the Naroda Patiya killings, where Muslims were killed.

   The second phase was when Muslims started the retaliatory riots in Gujarat, retaliatory, for the first three days of Hindu retaliation. This will be clear from the next few chapters.

   The third phase was after 21^st April 2002, Ramnavmi day. This was when the riots are alleged to be instigated by the Congress Party as is indicated from the reports of the website rediff.com dated 22 April 2002, India Today dated 20 May 2002, The Hindu dated 7 May 2002 and the Justice Tewatia Committee report. At that time, the Parliament was in session and Gujarat was to be debated. The Opposition wanted the Narendra Modi Government to be dismissed. At that time, peace had come to stay in Gujarat. To deliberately attack Narendra Modi, and perhaps collapse the NDA Government at the Centre by getting NDA allies to withdraw support to the Vajpayee Government, the Congress Party is alleged to have instigated the riots. We will also see this later in detail.

   India Today and Outlook predicted the violence to last several weeks, if not months, on 28 February 2002 itself. But it was controlled in just three days. Gujarat has seen horrible riots in the past like in 1969 and 1985. That despite such a bloody history of violence, riots could be controlled in such a communally sensitive state in three days, with the Godhra carnage as a huge provocation, shows that the administration did its duties extremely well.

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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