The Hindu : Fernandes discusses situation with Modi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 02, 2002

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Fernandes discusses situation with Modi
By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD, MARCH 1. The Defence Minister George Fernandes, who arrived in violence-torn Ahmedabad late on Thursday night, held detailed discussions with the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and later with the State Cabinet this morning to finalise the programmes of the army flag march and deployment, if necessary, in the affected areas.

He also visited some of the affected areas and talked to the local people before returning to Delhi in the afternoon.

Mr. Modi denied that the flag march by the army was ``delayed'' and claimed that the army was on the streets ``as soon as'' the route and other necessary details were finalised with Mr. Fernandes.

While condemning the Meghaninagar and Naroda incidents and claiming that the perpetrators of the heinous crimes would not be ``spared,'' Mr. Modi said the incidents were ``provoked'' by the minorities. In Meghaninagar, a mob attacked the houses of minority community members after the former Congress member of the Lok Sabha, Ehsan Jafri, fired from his private revolver injuring at least three persons. Three more were killed and 13 persons injured in 92 rounds of firing by the police to disperse a violent mob. The Naroda incident was sparked when a tempo driven by a minority community member deliberately crushed to death one person and injured two others. Mr. Modi also claimed that Mr. Jafri had opened fire during previous communal riots also.

Mr. Modi said the police had so far fired 311 rounds and burst over a 1,000 teargas shells in the affected areas and arrested over 1,100 persons, more than half of them in Ahmedabad alone. He, however, could not say if any VHP leader was among the arrested. No specific complaint against any VHP volunteer had so far been received, he claimed.

Mr. Modi has called an all-party meeting tomorrow in an effort to bring peace to the riot-torn State.

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