Gujarat Nine Years On

That ghost of Godhra, that ghost of the Gujarat pogrom, those killings in that politically charged communal surcharge, still hover around. In fact, getting compounded as legalities come by. Seeing shots of those 63 men acquitted in the Godhra train burning case sent down a strange feeling—after nine long years you release a bunch of men with the innocent tag to them, without an apology of keeping them duly caged and in your possession. Also, should it have been a simple release? What about compensating them? What about providing for their upkeep for the remaining years of their lives?

No, you simply release these innocents from your prison cells. Without an apology. Little bothered what happens next in their lives and how do they go about re-assembling their lives or their families or whatever remains of them. Not to overlook some hard hitting underlying factors: most come from lower middle class, if not poverty-stricken, backgrounds and were providers for their families before they were made to languish for these nine long years. Some were very young at the time of those arrests. Not to overlook another crucial factor: several of those initially imprisoned had died in the imprisoned conditions—perhaps could not take the strain-cum-trauma of false accusations heaped on them. Did the state apologise to their families? Did the state compensate?

And coming to the sentence pronounced on the remaining 31. Again, it relays confusion and contradictions. Was the train burning a conspiracy? Or an accident? And if an accident, then who was behind that accident? And what about a sentence on those politicians and administrators connected with the aftermath—that complete bloodbath that followed in the rest of the State?

And whilst we are on this, it’s important to point out that the last day of February—February 28, 2002 will always stand out as a day of mourning for hundreds in and around Ahmedabad, for that‘s the day pogrom held sway … And even on this February 28 it was a day of mourning for many.

In fact, let me quote Ahmedabad based Jesuit priest Father Cedric Prakash who runs a Centre for Peace and Justice, Prashant:

The sight of garbage trolleys, apparently kept on the premises by municipality workers, is symbolic of the rot that is still on! The stench from putrid garbage exemplifies this. The undergrowth and the overgrowth seem to throttle the skeletal of a once vibrant housing society. The atmosphere is, to say the least, heart-wrenching! It’s nine years after 69 persons lost their lives in the Gulberg Housing Society in Chamanpura which is the heart of Eastern Ahmedabad. Among those who met with a most brutal death here was the former Member of Parliament, Ehsan Jafri. To many, Jafri Saheb symbolised all that India meant: a devout Muslim whose closest friends belonged to every other religion and community; a politician who epitomised service and integrity; a sensitive human who willingly reached out to those in need at any time; his illustrious career ensured that he rubbed shoulders with the most powerful of the land, yet never losing touch with the simple and ordinary folk of his constituency. What he chose to do on that fateful February 28th, 2002 will be recorded in the annals of those who sacrificed their lives for a cause. He telephoned everyone who mattered to prevent the mob from attacking his people. In his bravado, he went to the gates of his Housing Society to plead with the murderous mob, hoping that ultimately good sense and his own importance would prevail. But nothing mattered to those who were seeking blood—they butchered him, they roasted his remains! A horrific act by any standards, even for a people who could be condemned as ‘barbarians’… Today, several of the victim survivors gathered once again, to share with one another their inexplicable grief. As one walked in a daze through the burnt-out apartments, the pain is palpable. At the same time, there is a feeling of hopelessness and despair. They seek neither revenge nor retribution. They have lost their loved ones, their homes, their possessions and in fact nine full years of their lives—waiting anxiously that the cause of justice will be served… Nine years on and the pain, the trauma of an immense tragedy still weighs heavy on those who suffer. Gulberg Society is but one incident of a carnage that engulfed Ahmedabad city and a good part of the Gujarat State in 2002. Life will never ever be the same for many who suffered the most inhuman type of atrocities. At this juncture, as Ahmedabad completes six hundred years of its existence, the citizens could in some way make real the one prayer that Mahatma Gandhi sung from the hallowed grounds of his Sabarmati Ashram: “Ishwar Allah tere naam, sabko sanmati de Bhagwan!’”