"Jai Shri Ram" and posters of Hindu gods and goddesses have becomepasswords to survival for those who live in mixed localities or have controversial names that can be mistakenas belonging to that of the minority community.... The humble mango leaf is suddenly in demand as well....Others have fallen back on simple symbols. Fresh swastikas [a traditional Hindu symbol], the symbolic Om andJai Shri Ganesh [Praise Lord Ganesh] surfaced overnight on rusted shutters of mechanics and greengrocers atNaroda, Bapunagar and Memnagar. In Vadodara, a number of houses have Ram inscribed on doors and shopkeepershave hung boards proclaiming: "This shop belongs to a Hindu". Others have resorted to decoratingdoorways with coconuts on a kalash near their doorsteps. In Karelibaug, even housing societies have pastedposters of Hindu gods and goddesses at the main gates.153
In Ahmedabad, violence broke out on March 17 when Dalits in the Danilimda areawere attacked by Muslims. On March 19, it was Modasa, a town in Sabarkantha district. A police officer's sonwas stabbed and two communities went berserk.... The stories only got more macabre. In Himmatnagar, a youngman who went to a Muslim-dominated area to do business was found dead, with his eyes gouged out. In Bharuch,the murder of a Muslim youth led to mass violence. Next the Sindhi Market and Bhanderi Pole areas of Ahmedabad,hitherto calm, were attacked by mobs. This phase, really, was one of Muslim mobs attacking Hindus. By the time[Prime Minister] Vajpayee arrived [on April 4] the Hindu throngs were looking for blood again. The cycleseemed unending, at least for the immediate future.154
On March 1, at around 2:15 p.m. they surrounded us. There were so many peopleyou couldn't count them. They attacked us from all sides. There was a row of twenty-four houses on theperiphery of the vando [courtyard] and they burnt them all using petrol. Five or six were completely destroyedbut we saved some using water. They also burned other homes and tried to break down the houses and enter. Thiswent on for three-and-a-half hours. The police were few and couldn't really do much so they left. We aretrapped here. We haven't left here since then. Some organizations are helping us. The VHP and RSS have helpedus a bit as well. We are worried that once the protection lifts at the end of the month, what will happen tous? We cannot leave for work because it is difficult to come back after 6:30 p.m. No one was killed in thisarea but some were injured. NGO doctors also came.158
Kerosene bottles were thrown in through the roof. They threw it through thewindows and the openings in the walls. We called the police thousands of times but they told us, "Sir isout". In the morning the mosques began announcing that Islam was in danger, that there was poison in themilk. This is their code word. We are the only Hindus here, poison here means us. The rioting lasted between2:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. First they destroyed the police stall outside. At 11:00 p.m. two police people to cameto us. We had to give them security.159
After 5:30 p.m., the brigadier came in. The Rapid Action Force and themilitary said, "We got no message to come here. We have been close by for seven hours but got no messagethat there was any problem here." The police said, "We are on our way." They cut off our phonesfrom the outside. When the police arrived they threw tear gas inside here.164
There are twelve to thirteen people stationed outside. But they will leave onMarch 30. We don't know what will happen after that. After the first incident, another acid bottle was thrownin around March 15. Nothing has happened since then. The police took the acid bottle and sent it to the lab.We are working with the Gaikwaud police station. We have filed complaints with the police. The police notedeverything down but there is no combing of the areas.165
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