The Hindu : National : No intelligence failure: Gujarat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 18, 2005

National

National

No intelligence failure: Gujarat

Manas Dasgupta

U.P. police failure led to Godhra tragedy: action taken report

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Government has denied any "serious failure" of the State Intelligence Department to prevent the train carnage or in "fulfilling its constitutional obligation" of protecting the "lives, liberty and dignity" of "all its people" during the post-Godhra riots in 2002.

"For every incident of violence reported, there have been innumerable instances of lives saved, property saved and protected by the State administration," the Government said in its `action taken report' on the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, which was submitted to the G.T. Nanavati and K.G. Shah judicial inquiry commission here on Saturday.

In respect of crimes registered till June 24, 2002, the report said 19,603 people were arrested for 4,184 offences and the other accused were being identified and arrested. "All those responsible for various crimes will be brought to book."

While the Intelligence Department kept track of the movements of kar sevaks from Gujarat to Ayodhya and from time to time notified the Uttar Pradesh police and other authorities, the U.P. police failed to inform the State of their return from Ayodhya. This failure caused the tragedy at the Godhra station, the report said.

It listed more than a dozen messages sent to the U.P. police and other authorities from February 7, 2002 about the plans of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to send groups of kar sevaks to perform the "Shiladan Mahayagna" for 100 days from February 24. The U.P. police were also informed that the first batch of 3,500 kar sevaks would leave Ahmedabad by the Sabarmati Express on February 22 and prior to that a "Ram Mahayagna" was planned at every taluk and district headquarters in the State by the VHP to recruit kar sevaks.

In response to a message from the U.P. Inspector-General (communal intelligence), the police in that State were informed as early as February 16 that the first batch of kar sevaks would include about 150 Bajrang Dal activists armed with trishuls (tridents). It was during the return of this group that the Godhra train carnage occurred.

Police warned

The Gujarat police were told to take precautionary measures in their areas and at railway stations as a large number of kar sevaks were leaving from different parts for Ayodhya. The State intelligence bureau had from time to time issued warnings to the police authorities that any deterioration in law and order at Ayodhya would have "serious repercussions" in Gujarat.

Even when the bodies of the train carnage victims were being brought to Ahmedabad, all police units were directed to take action to prevent any communal backlash.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National