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Action Alerts
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October 6, 2003 The
Indian Express Victims
allege BJP pressure MUMBAI,
OCTOBER 5: In an embarrassing
development for the ruling BJP in Gujarat, some relatives of the
Godhra train carnage today alleged being ‘‘pressured’’ by
party and VHP workers and demanded shifting of the Nanavati
Commission of inquiry outside the state as they had ‘‘no
faith’’ in the Narendra Modi government. The
allegation comes even as an NHRC petition demanding shifting of
trial in the Best Bakery case outside Gujarat on the plea that the
kin of the post-Godhra riot victims were being ‘‘pressured’’
by BJP leaders is pending before the Supreme Court. Addressing
mediapersons here, the relatives of the victims, under the aegis of
city based NGO — Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) alleged that
the BJP and VHP had ‘used’ them for political gains and said
they felt abandoned. They also appealed to the public not to
participate in the forthcoming Ayodhya Yatra organised by the BJP
and VHP on October 15. ‘‘The
BJP had taken our family members to Ayodhya and assured of bringing
them back safely. Why were they sent back without none of the BJP
members accompanying them,’’ asked 82-year-old Girish Rawal,
whose wife Sudha was killed in the carnage and son Ashwin was
stabbed in post-Godhra violence. The BJP and VHP sponsored Ayodhya
Yatra was ‘‘politically motivated’’, he alleged. Prakash
Chodagar and Sharad Mhatre, both of whom lost their wives in the
carnage, alleged they were ‘‘pressurised’’ by BJP leader
Jaykant Dave during inquiry by the Nanavati Commission to ‘‘keep
our mouth shut’’ and the party functionaries themselves deposed
posing as representatives of the victims’ families. The victims also lamented that 19 months after the carnage, they were still struggling to get compensation from the state government. http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=32874
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