The Hindu : Violence persists in Gujarat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 20, 2002

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Violence persists in Gujarat
By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD, MARCH 19. At least four persons were killed in police firing and stabbing in the communally-sensitive Broach and Modasa towns today as violence continued to rock several parts of Gujarat.

An indefinite curfew has been clamped on both Broach and Modasa following the violence which also forced the authorities to postpone the on-going secondary and higher secondary examinations in these towns in addition to Ahmedabad and Baroda where they were postponed earlier in view of the disturbed conditions.

Two persons were killed when police opened fire to disperse two clashing groups in Broach town following rumours of large-scale stabbing. Curfew, which was in force only in the areas under `B' Division police station for the last three days, was extended to the entire town for an indefinite period following today's incident.

Two persons were stabbed to death in broad daylight this afternoon in Modasa in north Gujarat, which has a history of communal disturbances at the slightest provocation, but had so far remained by and large peaceful. The town had been under curfew as a precautionary measure after the Godhra carnage, but restrictions had been withdrawn a few days ago. It was placed under indefinite curfew again today following the stabbing incidents just outside a higher secondary examination centre.

Barring an incident of arson in which a fire cracker factory on the outskirts of Baroda was set ablaze, the riot-torn Baroda and Ahmedabad cities remained incident-free today with further relaxation in curfew. Except in Dani Limda, day curfew had been lifted in other parts of Ahmedabad where only night curfew would remain in force. In Baroda curfew was withdrawn from most parts of the city except the more sensitive mixed localities.

Meanwhile, the BJP's Ahmedabad unit president and Member of the Assembly, Maya Kodnani, is also reported to have figured in the complaint filed by the police in connection with the Naroda-Patia case of February 28 in which at least 75 people were burnt alive. The State unit general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Jaideep Patel, is among the other accused in the case along with some other local VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, while replying to the debate on the budgetary demands for the Home Ministry in the Assembly in Gandhinagar today, said he was convinced that the current bout of disturbances in the State was part of an ``international conspiracy'' to destabilise Gujarat and defame the BJP.

Claiming that the Government was taking all possible steps to contain violence and restore normality in the State, he appealed to all parties to rise above political considerations to work together to restore peace and advised people to shun violence and live in harmony.

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