At least 79 people were killed -- 38 of them burnt alive -- and scoresinjured on Thursday in the worst communal flare up in Gujarat in recent timesand Army was called after rampaging mobs attacked and burnt homes, shops,buildings and buses in the wake of Wednesday's killing of 58 people in a trainin Godhra.
As many as 26 places including Ahmedabad, Baroda, Bharuch and Rajkot were putunder indefinite curfew as violence spread during the day-long bandh called byVHP to protest yesterday's attack on the Sabarmati Express carrying Ram Sevaksfrom Ayodhya which resulted in the brutal burning to death of 58 people,including children and women.
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Fifty one people lost their lives in arson, stabbing and police firing inAhmedabad alone where at least 19 of the total 30 police stations were placedunder indefinite curfew as houses, shops, hotels and vehicles belonging tominority community were attacked.
In a gruesome incident, 38 people, including 19 members of former Congress MPEhsan Jaffri's family, were burnt alive in their homes in Meghaninagar suburb inAhmedabad. Jaffri and some children were among those in the family who wereburnt alive.
According to the police sources, 28 were killed in violence in Baroda, Anand,Himmatnagar, Godhra, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, Surat and Mehsana districts wheresome places of worship were attacked.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has requested more paramilitary companiesto assist the state police. To put a check to the snowballing violence, PrimeMinister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in consultation with his colleagues in the CabinetCommittee on Security decided that the army would be on standby in Gujarat.
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Army began recce missions in Ahmedabad in the run up to their deployment onFriday when they will also stage a flag march and assist the paramilitaryand police personnel to tackle widespread violence.
CISF, RAF and CRPF companies have been deployed in Ahmedabad and other partsof the state to control violence and maintain law and order, according to ChiefMinister Narendra Modi.
Defence Minister George Fernandes, had left for Ahmedabad late Thursday nightto review the situation in Gujarat with Modi and senior army and civil officials.
Muslim Bodies Condemn The Barbarity At Ghodra
Meanwhile, in Delhi, heads of several Muslim organisations condemned thekilling of 58 people in Ghodra and demanded that the government identify andpunish the culprits behind the incident.
"The barbaric and brutal violence has shocked the conscience of all menof goodwill. We condemn the culprits of this criminal act, whoever they be,without any reservation, whatever the provocation," the leaders said anddemanded that the government take urgent steps to identify and prosecute theculprits and maintain peace in the state.
The leaders included Syed Shahabuddin, President of All India MuslimMajlis-e-Mushawarat, Qazi Mujahidul Islam Qasmi of All India Milli Council,Moulana Asad Madani of Jamait-ul-Ulema-e-Hind and Syed Nazamuddin of All IndiaMuslim Personal Law Board.
In another statement, Jamait-e-Islami Hind Secretary General Moulana MohammedJaffar condemned the incident and asked the government to exercise allprecautionary measures to ensure that the atmosphere does not worsen.
