[Reader-list] Teesta Setalvad cooked up macabre tales on Gujarat Riots : SIT

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear all

The fact of the matter is that even official statistics show that more than
1,000 died in these 'riots', if one were to call them that. However, a riot
is not organized but is a spontaneous reaction to an event or a chain of
events which took place. This was a well planned genocide, for there were
people talking on mobiles directing people to attack at various places,
police was sleeping or not functioning, the RAF could not be contacted as
telephone lines were cut, and interestingly even many people are registered
as missing even now, 7 years after the gory incidents.

Every time one talks about these, Godhra is mentioned. Was anybody raped in
Godhra? Was anybody taunted in Godhra? Weren't the VHP workers creating
problems for other passengers by occupying reserved seats? What were they
doing occupying reserved seats while having unreserved tickets for
themselves? Why was it so that a certain number of passengers could not be
identified days after the incident? Why was no official railway inquiry
ordered within 48 hours of the incident by the Railway Ministry, as is often
the case when any incident pertaining to this ministry takes place?

Nobody answers these questions.

Then about avenging Godhra. Even if one were to logically look at it, why
should Godhra be avenged in Gujarat? It should be avenged in Godhra only
(logically looking from the anguished ones' angle). Why was it required to
target Ahmedabad Muslims for what happened in Godhra? Did these Muslims go
and do it there? Or did they support their activities?

And how are rapes justified as avenging Godhra? If that is the case, then
wouldn't a Muslim who lost everything in such 'riots' be justified in
avenging it by raping the mother/sister of some member of this forum
(including me) just because he/she is a Hindu? Is that right?

Teesta Satalvad or no Teesta Satalvad, what is required is punishment of the
perpetrators in the strongest terms to set an example before the society
that those who indulge in such violence would get what they deserve and
shouldn't expect any mercy. It should act as a case of impartial justice
delivered in the quickest possible time. And if Godhra accused can be put
under POTA, all those involved in such killings anywhere and anytime should
be punished under UAPA.

I hope that the SIT achieves this to a certain extent, and I would like to
look at the report before making any remarks. Newspaper clippings and media
have a sense to distort the entire thing, and even a portion or paragraph
can be cited to change the context in which the comments were put up. I
think the report is confidential as the matter is sub-judice. However, if
the report is available, please do inform me (and indeed all of us) for the
same.

And for me, justice is more important, irrespective of there is Teesta or no
Teesta; Pawan Durani or no Pawan Durani; Aditya Raj Kaul or no Aditya Raj
Kaul, Rakesh Iyer or no Rakesh Iyer.

And as a society, that is the goal we must strive towards, not Ram
Mandir/Babri Masjid, not SEZ's or interlinking of rivers or other such
faulty schemes, not temples of Modern India or huge dams, but means to
improve livelihood of people and securing justice for them.

Regards

Rakesh