labels: economy - general
Violence paralyses Gujarat, 180 slain news
Our Bureaus
01 March 2002
Ahmedabad: The death toll in the Gujarat state has increased to 180, with Ahmedabad alone witnessing 111 people getting killed. The state government has issued shoot-at-sight orders against those indulging in arson and violence. Cases of arson and killing are still pouring in.

Fifty-eight people were burnt to death in Naroda. A family of eight was set on fire in a Sumo on the Ahmedabad-Udaipur highway. The fresh incidents are in the aftermath of a train carrying kar sevaks getting attacked in Godhra on 27 February. Four bogies of the train were burnt and 58 people were killed in the incident.

Nine army columns have now been positioned in Ahmedabad and curfew clamped in major parts of the state. Army units will also be sent to Rajkot, Baroda and Godhra. In Dariapur, one of the most communally-volatile areas in Ahmedabad, several shops and other public property have been burnt down by mobs.

In Meghaninagar, 38 people were reportedly burnt to death in their homes on 28 February. The police have recovered the bodies of 12 children and 10 adults. Among the dead are believed to be Ehsan Jaffrey, a former Congress MP, and 19 members of his family, who were killed when some youths set their building on fire.

Defence Minister George Fernandes has reached Ahmedabad to monitor the situation on the ground and try and build confidence among the frightened people.

"Precautionary measures have been taken by the administration. The army has arrived; we have a whole brigade located here. There will be flag marches in all the affected areas of the city. All that I want to say is that violence should not be resorted to and if there is a curfew, please stay indoors. Create a situation of peace, so that normal life can be resumed in the city. We cant go back into the past and reclaim what has been lost and everyone has to cooperate in this effort," he said.


 


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Violence paralyses Gujarat, 180 slain