Me, I'm willing to bet there are already people out there saying "it's motivated", it's "BJP-bashing", it's "timed because there are elections on the way", or "why do you drag Gujarat into everything?" Or similar. Or worse. And if they're not there already, check in an hour. Sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, they'll emerge. They'll start that old weary drumbeat.
But they have to, because it's the only thing they have. After all, they can't say outright what they truly believe: "We don't want these murderers punished." So they must beat around various other bushes.
Tehelka has a massive report, more accurately a series of reports, on the Gujarat killings of 2002. It's been on TV, and it's up on their website here. Go take a look.
I've got through only some of it so far. It makes my stomach turn. (As if I didn't know).
Nor is it just Gujarat. On October 30, the Supreme Court is supposed to hear a case seeking implementation of the Srikrishna Commission report, into the 1992-93 riots in Bombay. Nearly 15 years later, those murderers and their protectors are as free and unpunished as the killers in Gujarat in 2002. And you'll hear the weary drumbeats here too: the report is "anti-Hindu", or "we should not reopen old wounds." Still and again, the only thing they have.
And you can go back in time still more, which I hope you will do: next week will be 23 years since some of your fellow countrymen killed 3000 other fellow countrymen in Delhi. Those murderers and their protectors remain just as free and unpunished as their more recent counterparts too, and you can go look for the weary drumbeats yourself this time.
Manmohan Singh came to power in 2004, offering millions in this country hope of a measure of justice that his predecessors in that seat showed no inclination to deliver. In over three years, he has shown no inclination to deliver either. It shames him and disgraces an entire country.
For yes, you live in a country that is proud to think of itself as on the move, whose economy is breaking record after record. Why would such a country close its eyes to repeated bouts of its own citizens slaughtering its own citizens? When will this country bring to justice the murderers and their protectors who live among us? What does it say about us that it hasn't?
Makes my stomach turn.
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15 comments:
dilip,
reda the following link and think for yourself instead of getting you news thru Telkha
http://www.geocities.com/hsitah9/facts_speak_for_themselves.htm
This is a second chance for the BJP national leaders and BJP leaders in the rest of the country.
They can condemn the Gujarat BJP/RSS/VHP/etc. leaders involved in this pogrom and throw them out of their coalition.
Or they can make excuses, point fingers etc. etc.
Hi Dilip:
Tried to send you an email to your old rediff email. It bounced back.
I have a possible suggestion on a course of action that common people can do now. Please write back to me.
Thanks
Chitta
On another blog, had watered down my view of Modi a bit, prior to this news of the Tehelka sting. Really regret that now.
regards,
Jai
The Godhra section of that page read a little slanted IMHO.
Doubts are inbuilt into that narrative whenever any Hindu's account is presented, and Muslim POV for example with some abduction are kind of 'read into the evidence'.
And too much is being made of 'spontaneous' vs pre-planned. If you set fire or instigated in some way fire to be set to a coach, and stood around watching as human beings burnt to a char, I dont care too much for your motives or rage.
And if you are a mob of 'mostly women and children' doing that, yikes!
In trying to undo a Guj. govt slant in the story Tehelka rather unfortunately came across as guilty of something similar there, at that Godhra page. Its regrettable esp. since it likely provides some cover to the Hindutva crowd.
regards,
Jai
Dcubed:
Interesting question you ask:
Why would such a country close its eyes to repeated bouts of its own citizens slaughtering its own citizens?
Three times more muslims died in a single day at Neille, Assam back in 83 when Congress ruled. Not one commission report has been made public in over 25 years.
Even a simple NGO meet 3 years ago in Assam to commemorate the event was BANNED by UPA govt.
And to top it, our PM is an MP from Assam.
Come on dcubed, why's lives in Gujarat more important than the lives in Assam.
So, don't beat yourself too hard, answer this, and you'll get all the answers you seek.
BTW, your (and your dad's) initial investment in Tehelka of Rs 1 lac should be paying rich dividends by now - congratulations.
Dilip,
Extremely Sorry for being callous, but let me ask the obvious - no dearth of riots in the last 20 years, the outstanding ones other than Gujarat - 1984, Bhagalpur, Neille .. they haven't turned your stomach as yet, have they?
-no wonder people glancing your blogs are turning rightists.
-KS
The police who failed to act as custodians of law must first be punished. And punished severely for derilection of duty. I don't see why some people want to protect those who have committed crimes. "dharmo rakshati rakshataha". Even if God commits a crime - you've got to stand by dharma and punish God. We must keep up the demand to punish those that committed crimes in the distant past as well as those that committed crimes in the near past.
...your blogs are turning rightists
Hey, no rightists and leftists here. Only typists here please.
Victims from all other riots can rot in hell - as far as this blog owner typist can go [wink][wink].
Godhara - the magic land, it's the gift that keeps on giving, especially if it's election season.
Good post D^3. And to those who attack you, it is really wierd that they try to use ways to justify the killing of innocent people, and worst, govt complicity in the whole thing.
Guys, can you honestly look at the videos and not feel sick in your stomach? Sure, all rioters should be punished, but should we not start somewhere?
The sad thing [truth?] is, since _all_ major parties have blood on their hands, none of them want to want to bite the bullet and pursue a proper investigation. What if they do, and the other party comes into power next?
Kinda like the scene here in the united states, where the democratic congress does not have the guts to hold the president's feet to the fire. Its all symbiotic back-scratching.
Short of the emergence of an untainted new political leadership, I do not see an end to these things. And we all know what happened to the Lok Paritran experiment.
still shocked by the videos..
-A
See comments in
http://dinamehta.com/blog/2007/10/25/gujarat-riots-tehelka-expose/
Lets hope more and more people who are disgusted with this endless mass murders happening at intervals in India will start taking some action.
interesting.....did they also find how did those people die in Godhara...?
lemme guess.......they did not care to.
Things are taking a weird turn, there is media coverage of how this could actually "help Modi". And today my paper editorializes that the Cong in Guj is very ambivalent or tepid, its acting as the Communalism B Team.
Shocking if this is how things are in Guj today.
regards,
Jai
here is something as perverse as what was written on this blog some time ago.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Gujarat_riots_Eight_convicts_get_life_term/articleshow/2502006.cms
justice has caught up with people who were responsible for some of the post-Godhara riots....will those who did Godhara will ever be brought to justice? how about an online petition on these lines.........anyone?
Re: previous comment, this one response only. Nobody I know who demands action against the criminals of Gujarat 2002 means to somehow excise Godhra from that demand. There is nothing I want more than all the killers from those horrendous weeks to be punished: the killers of the 60 in the train at Godhra, the killers of Naroda-Patiya, the killers of Dehlol, the killers of Gulberg, all of them. I welcome yesterday's Eral judgement, it gives me hope that we'll see much more such punishment.
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