The Hindu : Togadia barred from entering Godhra

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 17, 2002

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Togadia barred from entering Godhra

By Manas Dasgupta

A Rapid Action Force jawan takes position with a teargas shell firing unit atop a vehicle in Godhra on Saturday in view of the proposed rally by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Sunday. — PTI

AHMEDABAD NOV. 16. A massive security blanket has been thrown in and around Godhra town, scene of the February 27 train carnage, from where the Vishwa Hindu Parishad proposes to take out its "Hindupat padshahi yatra'' (vijay yatra) tomorrow, defying the ban imposed on it by the Gujarat Government at the instance of the Election Commission.

Additional police and para-military forces, including the State and the Central Reserve Police and the Rapid Action Force, have been rushed to Godhra from the neighbouring districts and Ahmedabad to strengthen security. Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the entire Panchamahals district.

The VHP international general secretary, Pravin Togadia, and its Margdarshak Mandal chairman, Acharya Dharmendra Maharaj, who are scheduled to lead the yatra, have been barred from entering the district. Police have also cordoned off the ground where the VHP proposes to hold its "dharma sabha'' before launching the 20-day long yatra which is to end at the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar on December 6.

The dais put up for the meeting by the local VHP workers has been demolished. Though life was apparently normal in the town with an uneasy calm prevailing in anticipation of tomorrow's development, reports said some families belonging to the minority community in adjacent rural areas had shifted to safer places. Senior Government and police officers are meeting to finalise the administration's strategy to ensure minimum disturbance while carrying out the Election Commission's directives. It was still not clear whether the authorities would take the VHP leaders into preventive custody or allow them to cross into the Panchamahals district or Godhra to arrest them for violating the prohibitory orders.

Acharya Maharaj, however, assured the authorities that the yatra participants would not violate any law or instigate disturbances unless the Gujarat administration, under instructions from the Chief Election Commissioner, took any "wrong steps.''

The participants would peacefully court arrest if the authorities prevented them from entering the Panchamahals district or Godhra.

The decision to go ahead with the yatra schedule was taken at a meeting of the Margdarshak Mandal of the VHP here today, which was attended by the representatives of various Hindu organisations.

Announcing it in the presence of Dr. Togadia, Acharya Maharaj said that Hindus had not given "anyone'' the authority to decide on their course of action. And that the yatra would stick to its programme "come what may.''

The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Chief Election Commissioner, J. M. Lyngdoh, were at the receiving end of the Acharya's outburst at the media conference, convened to give the details of the yatra.

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