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India's worst communal violence since partition in 1947 was triggered at the end of February when 57 Hindu religious activists travelling back from Ayodhya were killed in the torching of a train compartment by a group of Muslims in Godhra, Gujarat. Following the incident, mass killings took place (a majority of victims were Muslim) over a three day period in the north eastern parts of the state. On the day of the attack the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (The VHP promote the argument that because Hindus constitute the majority of Indians, India should be a Hindu state) called for a state wide bandh [shut down] for 28th February - its cadre interpreted this as a call to action.
The violence (which various sources including the British High Commission have stated were pre planned - the National Human Rights Commission of India is also suggesting the same) which began with isolated incidents on the evening of 27th February - is reported to have reached levels of brutality unprecedented in India's communal history. For three days after the train attack, continuous reports were coming through from various parts of the state of systematic and planned attacks on Muslim men, women and children, on Muslim homes, businesses and places of worship by people dressed in saffron scarves and khaki shorts - the signature uniform of Hindu nationalist groups - who were chanting slogans of incitement to kill. The actions of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi (himself a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh which is the umbrella organisation of the Hindu nationalist family), were said to have only inflammed an already tense situation. In a statement issued on 1st March he termed the violence as "riots resulting from the natural and justified anger of the people." Furthermore, in a majority of documented cases the police were directly implicated in the attacks, either as passive observers or direct participants.
The particular targeting of women and children is however particularly disturbing and continually asserted by eyewitnesses. An inquiry conducted into the violence in the initial aftermath focused on the targeting of women in the violence states that "Among the women surviving in relief camps are many who have suffered the most bestial forms of sexual violence - including rape, gang rape, mass rape, stripping, insertion of objects into their body and molestations. A majority of rape victims have been burnt alive." The team interviewed a woman from Naroda Patia - a locality in Ahmedabad - which witnessed one of the worst scenes of communal hatred. The eye witness states, "The mobs started chasing us with burning tyres after we were forced to leave Gangotri society. It was then that they raped many girls. We saw 8-10 rapes. We saw them strip 16-year-old Mehrunissa. They were stripping themselves and beckoning to the girls. Then they raped them right there on the road. We saw a girl's vagina being slit open. They were burnt. Now there is no evidence."
After the first few days of violence the government figures were suggesting that 850 people were killed - unofficial estimates 2000. 140,000 people have been displaced. Six months after the initial bout of violence, sporadic incidents and attacks are still taking place.
Despite assurances given by the state government in the Gujarat High Court that camps would not be closed down until the victims were adequately rehabilitated, AI has received reports that several relief camps have been given closure notifications and people are being forced to leave. Whilst a minority have left, others are refusing to leave as they have nowhere to go or are too scared to go home. Many are relying on private individuals for food. Where victims have approached the police to register their complaints, strong allegations are being made that the police are either diluting the charges or not taking appropriate action to arrest the accused, particularly members of the state level BJP who have also been identified by eyewitnesses as instigating the crowds to kill.
This letter writing action is about putting pressure on the Gujarat government to ensure the delivery of justice to the victims of those affected by communal violence in Gujarat and secondly to ensure the protection of the rights of the people displaced by the violence throughout the state - particularly in light of strong allegations by a range of actors that the state administration and the police had taken insufficient action to protect the minority population of the state during the massacres, and in some cases may have even connived with the attackers.
Please send a letter to the Prime Minister of India:
- Condemn the attack on religious activists which took place on the 27th of February;
- Express grave concern at reports of state connivance or inaction in acts perpetrated against the minority community in the recent violence in Gujarat;
- Urge that once the Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the violence is completed, strict action is taken against public servants, including police, found to have colluded with criminal elements in perpetrating violence against the minority community;
- Remind the Government of India that impartial investigations into the violence and protection of the rights of those displaced by it would only be the first step towards ensuring full redress to the victims of the violence
- Highlight concern at reports that the camps are being closed down. Stress that the central Government should put pressure on Gujarat authorities to remind them that have the primary duty and responsibility to establish conditions, as well as provide the means, which allow internally displaced persons to return voluntarily, in safety and with dignity, to their homes or places of habitual residence, or to settle voluntarily in another part of the country.
Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
152, South Block
New Delhi 110 001
India
Copies to:
Ambassador Lalit Mansingh
Embassy of India
2107 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
FAX 202 265 4351
For additional information, visit the
Amnesty International Web Site.
