Gujarat, 2002 , forgotten?
Obaidur Rahman Gopibag, Dhaka
In 2002, this month arrived in Gujarat in the garb of an evil as it sparked, one of the deadliest communal terrors against the Muslims of that very region. The stunned world witnessed the bloodbath of Muslims of Gujarat in the hands of fanatic Hindu extremists. It all started with the torching of a train carriage in Godhra. Although at that time Muslims were thought to be responsible for this but the recent report by the investigation committee declared that the fire that killed 57 Hindu pilgrims in that train was the result of a simple accident. However, neither considering any aspects of truth nor showing any respect for humanity, thousands of fanatics armed with deadly weapons unleashed their beast of hatred on the Muslim communities of Gujarat. And the result was devastating. The onslaught on Muslims resulted in 2,000 deaths; thousands of others were wounded and 100,000 rendered homeless.There are thousands of other examples of brutalities and each is more horrific than the others. But the worst of all is participation and approval of the then Gujarat government in this deadly riot against the Muslims. Numerous groups of fanatics, criminals and slaughterers in the guise of religious organisations were involved in this bloodbath with the blessings and support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the then Indian government and Gujarat state government. More than two years have passed by, yet the culprits are yet to be brought to justice. Besides, even after days have passed by since the violence, many of the survivors are now faced with routine harassment and threats from the same group of people who conducted this planned massacre. India considers itself a democratic country, but the question remains to its politicians and its people how "democratic" is it to wage riots against minorities, maim justice and deny responsibilities of the bloodiest riots that cost the lives of thousands of innocents and left the survivors' future battered.
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