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Violence paralyses
Gujarat, 180 slain
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Our Bureaus 01 March 2002 |
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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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