The Hindu : Call to declare Gujarat a disturbed area

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 03, 2002

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Call to declare Gujarat a disturbed area
By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 2. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today demanded that affected parts of Gujarat be declared Disturbed areas and handed over to the Army, even as a delegation of People's Front that visited Ahmedabad said the Gujarat government should be dismissed and the State brought under Central rule.

Former Prime Minister, V. P. Singh, echoing similar sentiments, suggested that he would welcome firm action, including arrest of the VHP leaders who have been making statements challenging the authority. Referring to the Gujarat situation, he said things had deteriorated. ``we are facing worst sort of terrorism'', he said.

The CPI(M) Central Committee, which is meeting here, urged the Centre to intervene immediately and charged the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, with having ``displayed outright communal bias and under his stewardship the Government cannot be expected to ensure the protection of all citizens irrespective of religion or community''.

It said the gruesome killing of 58 people travelling in the Sabarmati Express has shocked the country and demanded that culprits responsible for the carnage be identified and punished. The Gujarat Government, while doing so, had the elementary responsibility to maintain peace and prevent retaliatory communal violence. What happened in Gujarat in the last two days was ``shocking instance of State patronage to armed gangs to kill and burn with impunity. ``The police machinery is paralysed and in most places played a partisan role''.

Meanwhile, the four-member People's Front delegation consisting of MPs Raj Babbar, Amar Singh (both SP), Shabana Azmi and CPI(M) Politburo member, Sitaram Yechury, returned here from Ahmedabad after a short visit. Addressing a press conference, the leaders said the Ahmedabad police which had failed to give police protection to the MPs, could not be expected to come to the rescue of ordinary citizens. They said the delegation could manage to meet some of the injured and get first person account.

Mr. Amar Singh, SP general Secretary, demanded the dismissal of Modi Government and imposition of the President's Rule, while Mr. Yechury said the State Government could not be trusted and the Centre had to deploy the Army to control the situation.

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