The Hindu : Muslims' ultimatum to CM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 05, 2002

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Muslims' ultimatum to CM

By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD April 4. Muslims affected in the riots in Gujarat today showed their strong disappointment with the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and threatened to mob him if violence was not stopped immediately and urged the Central Government to take early steps to curb the menace.

In a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, when he visited the Shah Alam relief camp here today, they held Mr. Modi "responsible" for the attacks against the minorities and said that if pushed to the corner, "we will en masse present ourselves to the Modi Government who can then quench his thirst for Muslim blood by shooting all of us down.'' The memorandum said it was not just a ''threat,'' but ''we are seriously thinking on these lines.'' The memorandum demanded a CBI inquiry into the riots to "know the real truth,'' arrest of the culprits responsible for the mayhem so that they could be brought to justice. It also wanted the "combing" of the majority- dominated areas to unearth weapons such as swords, `trishuls' and firearms. Demanding early rehabilitation of the affected before the rainy season, it wanted a separate package for widows, the aged and orphans and interest-free loans to traders to resume their business.

Giving details of the "beastly acts'' of the last one month, the memorandum blamed Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal "goons'' for the mayhem and said despite Mr. Modi's "tall claims of having controlled violence in 72 hours", the virus was still spreading to small villages and hamlets having a very few Muslim families.'' "Mr. Modi still seems to have scores to settle with the minorities,'' it charged. It held police equally responsible for the carnage and said they first "encouraged" the VHP and the Dal "goons" to plunder Muslim localities and then entered the houses of minority houses "in the name of combing operations.'' What followed was another havoc for the minorities. A large number of minorities had been arrested, false complaints made against them and put behind bars.

``This is nothing but state terrorism,'' it said. Muslims had been so terrified that they could not even go to the police stations.

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