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October 6, 2003 Times
Of India Godhra
victims vent ire on Parivar S
BALAKRISHNAN MUMBAI:
The Sangh Parivar came in for a searing indictment on Sunday
afternoon for "practising the politics of hate and
communalism." For a change, the critics this time were family
members of some of those Hindus, who were burnt alive in the S-6
coach of Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002 at Godhra. They have
been demanding that the probe should shift outside Gujarat. Five
people from Ahmedabad, whose family members were victims of the
train tragedy, spoke about the pain in their hearts. They appealed
to the nation to see through the political game of the BJP, the VHP
and other such organisations, which were using religion to further
their political agenda. "We
have lost our dear and near ones because of this politics of hate.
We do not want others to suffer. Hence, we have come to Mumbai from
Gujarat to appeal for peace. We should have peace at all cost,"
said octogenarian Dr Girishbhai Rawal, who is a medical practitioner
in Janata Nagar, Ahmedabad. Rawal
lost his wife, Sudhaben, in the Godhra train tragedy and on April
16, 2002, his son, Ashwin, who was a Bajrang Dal activist, was
killed by a Muslim mob in the communal riots which engulfed
Ahmedabad. "My
wife thought she was going for a pilgrimage to Ayodhya. Before she
could return to Ahmedabad, she was burnt alive. Those who burnt the
train were anti-social elements. But the truth about the incident is
still not known because of the vitiated atmosphere in Gujarat,"
Dr Rawal told mediapersons at a press conference organised by
Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP). He
was flanked by CJP activists Teesta Setalvad and Javed Akhtar. Bharatbhai
Panchal (40) said he lost his wife, Jyoti, in the Godhra train fire.
He said the VHP encouraged his wife to join the yatra to Ayodhya.
But, after the tragedy nobody from the Sangh Parivar bothered to
come to the aid of his family. "Anil
Pathak, a BJP MP, came to my house and promised to give Rs 5,000.
But, there was no sign of the money. When I inquired, I was told
that I will not get the money since I was not in Pathak's
constituency. The BJP is only interested in votes," Panchal
said. Two
other participants in the press conference, Prakash Chodagar (35)
and Sharadbhai Mhatre (42) also narrated similar tales. None
of these people displayed any bitterness and each one of them was a
profile in courage. They said they had come to Mumbai to call for a
ban on all yatras, which are aimed at whipping up communal frenzy.
In particular, they called for a ban on the October 15 yatra, being
planned by the VHP on the Ayodhya temple issue. All
of them demanded an inquiry into the "crores of rupees"
collected by the VHP under the guise of helping the families of
Godhra victims. "We have not received a farthing. Where has all
this money gone?" they inquired. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=217041
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