The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Why was Gokul Chat targeted?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 27, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Why was Gokul Chat targeted?

Swathi V.

HYDERABAD: Mangled softy machine, far flung footwear, congealed blood and an unbearable stench marked the ravaged “Gokul Chat” on Sunday. Premchand Vijayvargi, one among the seven family-partners, was pleading hoarse to be left alone.

“We are humble businessmen and do not in the least know why our eatery was targeted,” he said.

Gokul was started 34 years ago as a small family-owned establishment and expanded gradually into a medium-sized outlet selling all chat varieties and softies. With the city turning more cosmopolitan, the eatery had begun to attract huge crowds. However, it had also encountered major roadblocks with regard to its extension upstairs—the extension had to be closed down eventually-- and the lack of parking space due to which it remained closed for a month recently. It was reopened in June only to face a more horrendous obstacle this time.

Proximity to VHP office

Mr Premchand might plead ignorance but the local people link the incident to the presence of a huge Hindu population in the area and the proximity of the chat bhandar to Vishwa Hindu Parishad office.

“The region ranging from Esamia Bazar to Badi Chowdi is thickly populated with North Indian business communities, especially Hindus from Gujarat and Rajasthan,” informs a social worker from the area. The VHP office standing just about 20 metres behind the blast site could be another prominent reason, he says. Neighbours say that security around the office had been beefed up following intelligence alerts after the Mecca Masjid blasts. Of late, however, the security in the backyard leading to Gokul Chat was slackened.

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