Feb. 27 marked the decennial of the horrendous and diabolic state-led genocide which left around 2000 killed and thousands displaced. Shops were burnt, homes razed and places of worship desecrated and demolished. Whatever happened in Gujarat in 2002 will always be remembered as one of the bloodiest and most horrific kinds of violence. A mere remembrance of whatever happened during those days can make anyone weep profusely, however the thing which hurts most is that the perpetrators of the crime, whom everyone knows by name and by face, are still moving freely and even after a decade of the wretched incident there are very few convictions and a large number of culprits are enjoying impunity.
Exactly the same feelings were expressed by Fr. Cedric Prakash sj, Director of Ahmedabad based Prashant, a Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace, in his statement on the ‘Tenth Anniversary of Gujarat,’ released on Feb. 27. The statement reads:
“Today, February 27 completes full ten years of one of the bloodiest chapters of post-independent India: the Gujarat Genocide of 2002.
“Plenty has happened during these past years. Victim-survivors all over the State and those who accompany them, continue in their pursuit for justice. It has been a long-haul. There have been some landmark judgements, pronouncements, and even convictions, which definitely point to the right direction; but on the whole, the wheels of justice grind very slowly.
“All these years, there has not been the slightest hint or trace of remorse from those who control the lives and destinies of people. Realisation and repentance are the first steps towards normalisation and for enduring peace. To the contrary: minorities in the State are still treated like second-class citizens and a good section of them are confined to ghettos without even basic amenities.
“Above all, meticulous and manipulative efforts are made on all fronts, to subvert the cause of justice and prevent the whole truth from emerging.
“It is hoped that at least on this tenth anniversary, we will awake to a reality based on the vision handed down to us by the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi (a son-of-the-soil) that is the twin doctrine of ‘satyagraha’ and ‘ahimsa’.
“May the people of Gujarat see a new beginning from today based on truth, justice, equity and peace for all!”
The echo of the injustices of the genocide has found recognition in the international arena as well. Recently a resolution adopted in the US Congress recognised the tenth anniversary of the tragic communal violence in India. Indian American Muslim Council, an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, has expressed satisfaction and welcomed the introduction of Congressional Resolution H.Res 569 by Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN). An IAMC statement reads:
“Congressman Ellison’s resolution is an important effort to memorialise all those who were killed in the horrific sectarian violence of Gujarat in 2002,” Mr. Shaheen Khateeb, President of IAMC, said on March 2. “It is an opportunity to renew our pledge to continue the struggle for justice and reparation for the victims and to combat the discrimination and the economic hardships that plague minorities in Gujarat,” added Mr. Khateeb.
The resolution quotes the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report of 2003 which found that the communal violence claimed the lives of an estimated 2,000 people and displaced over 100,000 into refugee camps. The resolution cites Indian investigative magazine Tehelka’s expose wherein people who participated in the violence confessed on camera that such violence “was possible only because of the connivance of the state police and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.”
Mr. Modi was denied a visa to the US by the Department of State on the grounds of egregious religious freedom violations under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. IAMC has called on all people of conscience to call upon their local Congressional representatives and urge them to become a co-sponsor of the House Resolution H.Res 569. In observance of the 10th anniversary of the Gujarat violence, IAMC, as part of the Coalition Against Genocide, is organising candle light vigils across various cities in the US during the weekend of March 3-4, 2012.
The Gulberg Society massacre was the start of a pogrom in which over 2000 people were massacred, hundreds of women were raped and thousands more were forced to flee their homes. Human rights and news organisations as well as whistleblowers have presented evidence of the state government’s complicity. Right-minded people, who were obviously very few in numbers, tried their level best to bring justice to the victims.
Representatives of 45 organisations, including Dr. Hyder Khan, a member of the Board of Trustees of IAMC, gathered at the Gulberg Society and resolved to continue the struggle for justice. In a statement, Dr. Khan lamented about the fact that the perpetrators are still roaming freely, which is nothing but a sheer mockery of justice, and said, “The viciousness and barbarism that marked the Gujarat pogrom of 2002 including the burning alive of hundreds of people, and brutal sexual violence against women, make the Gujarat riots among the worst sectarian massacres in Asia since the partition of India in 1947. People of conscience cannot allow this carnage to be forgotten while the perpetrators are still roaming free.”
IAMC has supported Justice Hosbet Suresh’s statement at the Gulberg Memorial in which he questioned the administration’s actions while horrific crimes against humanity were being committed. “One of the components of justice is proper reparation for all the victims of the 2002 carnage. “Sadhbhavna” without truth and justice is only a farce and has no meaning,” the statement said. Despite strictures against Mr. Narendra Modi by the Gujarat High Court and the Special Investigation Team’s findings of inaction by the State Government in the face of the carnage, the wheels of justice have yet to turn in favour of the victims. IAMC has therefore called upon the Supreme Court to take suo motu action on the faltering judicial process with respect to the Gujarat massacres.
To mark the tenth anniversary, ANHAD, an NGO, organised a programme commemorating the “decade of resilience” by the Gujarat victims under the title “Dasktak”. “Dastak is an attempt to unite people and spread the message of communal harmony while establishing the fact that justice is a precondition of peace and communal harmony in the state,” said ANHAD promoter Shabnam Hashmi.
We commend that in the past years quite a few landmark judgments were made by the courts, however, if we look behind and see the progress of the last 10 years we have no choice but to accept that the wounds that were inflicted on the bodies, minds and souls of the people are far far away from being healed. If we go by the famous cliché ‘Justice delayed is justice denied,’ then even if justice is delivered to the victims it will never be able to compensate the agony, frustrations and irreparable trauma that the hapless Muslims faced at the hands of the biased state.