The Hindu : Peace marches, prayer meetings held in Gujarat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 06, 2002

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Peace marches, prayer meetings held in Gujarat
By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD, MARCH 5. The Gujarat Government, voluntary organisations and prominent citizens organised a peace march here today as the situation in the State showed signs of returning to normality.

Hundreds of prominent citizens, Sarvodaya leaders and others marched from the Kocharab Ashram to the Sabarmati Ashram, both set up by Mahatma Gandhi, and held an all-religion prayer meeting. Peace marches and prayer meetings were also held in Surat, Porbandar, the birth place of the Mahatma, and several other cities and towns.

State-owned transport corporations resumed partial operations. Municipal buses in Ahmedabad are expected to start services from tomorrow, at least in some areas. According to the State Transport Corporation chairman, Kamlesh Patel, the loss to the body due to the violence is more than Rs. 15 crores.

Schools have reopened in many parts of the State. The Education Minister, Anandiben Patel, said the remaining schools would be reopened tomorrow.

Board examinations for the secondary and higher secondary classes had been postponed by a week to March 18.

Even as the police rounded up more than 1,000 people for the violence following the Godhra carnage, Opposition parties complained that the Government was shying away from arresting Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and BJP leaders named in the suo motu complaints filed by the police.

No known VHP or Bajrang Dal leader has been arrested though the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, has maintained that action would be taken against all those guilty of the ``heinous crimes'' without any discrimination.

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