09-28-2005, 12:17 AM
There isn't a bigger lie
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->-BP Singhal
It has become fashionable for the UPA's pseudo-secular leaders and their collaborators in media to equate the 1984 Sikh massacre with the post-Godhra riots. The comparison is not only erroneous, but also aimed at misleading the people. The differences are too glaring to allow them to be equated.
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The 1984 Sikh massacre was triggered by a single individual who, by chance, happened to be a Sikh. The Gujarat riots, in contrast, were sparked off by the dastardly acts of hundreds of persons belonging to a single community.
The Sikhs as such had no role in the assassination of Indira Gandhi, still less could that community be blamed for having done any pre-planning. On the other hand, the Godhra massacre was pre-planned.
In 1984, hundreds of Sikhs could manage to escape the murderous mobsters. But in Godhra, not one person was allowed to escape by the armed mob.
In Ahmedabad, the riots started on February 28, and Chief Minister Narendra Modi sought Army's assistance at 2:30 pm the same day. Police reinforcement were also sought from neighbouring States. The Army contingent had to be flown to Ahmedabad and landed on that night, and had been deployed the very next day. In Delhi, the Army, even though available locally, had not been called up for three days.
The Godhra massacre was so ghastly that it sparked off simultaneous riots in several places in Gujarat, yet Gujarat Police took action and 34 Hindu rioters had been shot dead and 56 were wounded in the first three days alone. On February 28 itself, 10 rioters were shot dead and 16 wounded. Stories carried by the English media that the police was asked to look the other way were false. Actually, a total of 80 Hindus were shot dead and 207 had been wounded in police firing in the Gujarat riots. In the Sikh riots, in contrast, not a single rioteer was killed in police firing. In fact, the police was conspicuously absent from the road for three days.
As established in Nanavati Report, the DTC buses had transported the attackers carrying petrol and other incendiary materials. No such assistance by any Government agency was provided to the rioters in Gujarat.
The Hindu community in the country ensured that the riots did not spread beyond Gujarat, even though Godhra had severely outraged Hindus all over the country. Even in Gujarat, out of 18,600 villages, 240 municipal towns and 25 districts, riots and counter-riots had occurred in less than 60 locations. To say that entire Gujarat was on fire was misreporting by the biased English and electronic media. But the anti-Sikh riots did not remain limited to Delhi. They had spread all over the country, especially in the Congress-ruled States.
The initial wave of post-Godhra riots in Gujarat had been controlled within the first four days (read any of the local Gujarati dailies of that period); then began the retaliatory riots by Muslims, and this time the riot spread to several villages in the interior of Gujarat. Thus began a fresh wave of riots in Ahmedabad and other cities of Gujarat. The hunted Sikhs, on the other hand, got no such opportunity to retaliate.
Reportedly, Congress leaders like HKL Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, etc., had been seen leading the rioters personally in Delhi. No such allegation could be made against any minister of the Gujarat Government.
The 1984 riots escaped the media glare because TV was barely in its infancy. In contrast, a lot of mischief was played by electronic media who went on repeating same incidents day after day. One channel repeated a particularly gory scene as many as 21 times. An image was thus created by the collaborating media that the massacre of Muslims was continuing unabated in Gujarat. The truth is that the total number of riot-related accused that came to light in Gujarat was 25,486 (17,489 Hindus and 7,997 Muslims). The efficiency of the police can be imagined that out of the above, as many as 25,204 accused were arrested - out of which 17,348 were Hindus and 7,856 were Muslims. The police in Gujarat was, therefore, not sleeping at any time.
The maximum number of relief camps opened during riots was 159. At a given point of time, the figure varied as certain camps closed and certain new camps were opened. As on March 5, 2002, out of the 98 refugee/relief camps opened, 85 were for Muslims while 13 were for Hindus. On the other hand, no attempt was made to open even a single refugee camp for Sikhs. As per the Nanavati Commission report, even the arms of Sikhs were withdrawn with promise of protection by the police, while the same localities were then attacked.
What happened in Gujarat were riots in which both Hindus and Muslims attacked each other. But in Delhi and elsewhere in 1984, it was a one-sided carnage of Sikhs. There was not a single casualty among the attackers.
The media's versions of anti-Sikh riots were identical in the English/ Hindi and regional language sections throughout the country. On the other hand, there were contradictions in the versions of riots as projected by the national English media as against the local Gujarati papers.
In the light of above, every rational person can see the mischief being played by pseudo-secular leaders and their cohorts in the media by repeatedly equating the anti-Sikh massacre with the Gujarat riots. It is time they stopped this game and worked towards upholding the majesty of law - whether in Delhi or in Gujarat.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->-BP Singhal
It has become fashionable for the UPA's pseudo-secular leaders and their collaborators in media to equate the 1984 Sikh massacre with the post-Godhra riots. The comparison is not only erroneous, but also aimed at misleading the people. The differences are too glaring to allow them to be equated.
Â
The 1984 Sikh massacre was triggered by a single individual who, by chance, happened to be a Sikh. The Gujarat riots, in contrast, were sparked off by the dastardly acts of hundreds of persons belonging to a single community.
The Sikhs as such had no role in the assassination of Indira Gandhi, still less could that community be blamed for having done any pre-planning. On the other hand, the Godhra massacre was pre-planned.
In 1984, hundreds of Sikhs could manage to escape the murderous mobsters. But in Godhra, not one person was allowed to escape by the armed mob.
In Ahmedabad, the riots started on February 28, and Chief Minister Narendra Modi sought Army's assistance at 2:30 pm the same day. Police reinforcement were also sought from neighbouring States. The Army contingent had to be flown to Ahmedabad and landed on that night, and had been deployed the very next day. In Delhi, the Army, even though available locally, had not been called up for three days.
The Godhra massacre was so ghastly that it sparked off simultaneous riots in several places in Gujarat, yet Gujarat Police took action and 34 Hindu rioters had been shot dead and 56 were wounded in the first three days alone. On February 28 itself, 10 rioters were shot dead and 16 wounded. Stories carried by the English media that the police was asked to look the other way were false. Actually, a total of 80 Hindus were shot dead and 207 had been wounded in police firing in the Gujarat riots. In the Sikh riots, in contrast, not a single rioteer was killed in police firing. In fact, the police was conspicuously absent from the road for three days.
As established in Nanavati Report, the DTC buses had transported the attackers carrying petrol and other incendiary materials. No such assistance by any Government agency was provided to the rioters in Gujarat.
The Hindu community in the country ensured that the riots did not spread beyond Gujarat, even though Godhra had severely outraged Hindus all over the country. Even in Gujarat, out of 18,600 villages, 240 municipal towns and 25 districts, riots and counter-riots had occurred in less than 60 locations. To say that entire Gujarat was on fire was misreporting by the biased English and electronic media. But the anti-Sikh riots did not remain limited to Delhi. They had spread all over the country, especially in the Congress-ruled States.
The initial wave of post-Godhra riots in Gujarat had been controlled within the first four days (read any of the local Gujarati dailies of that period); then began the retaliatory riots by Muslims, and this time the riot spread to several villages in the interior of Gujarat. Thus began a fresh wave of riots in Ahmedabad and other cities of Gujarat. The hunted Sikhs, on the other hand, got no such opportunity to retaliate.
Reportedly, Congress leaders like HKL Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, etc., had been seen leading the rioters personally in Delhi. No such allegation could be made against any minister of the Gujarat Government.
The 1984 riots escaped the media glare because TV was barely in its infancy. In contrast, a lot of mischief was played by electronic media who went on repeating same incidents day after day. One channel repeated a particularly gory scene as many as 21 times. An image was thus created by the collaborating media that the massacre of Muslims was continuing unabated in Gujarat. The truth is that the total number of riot-related accused that came to light in Gujarat was 25,486 (17,489 Hindus and 7,997 Muslims). The efficiency of the police can be imagined that out of the above, as many as 25,204 accused were arrested - out of which 17,348 were Hindus and 7,856 were Muslims. The police in Gujarat was, therefore, not sleeping at any time.
The maximum number of relief camps opened during riots was 159. At a given point of time, the figure varied as certain camps closed and certain new camps were opened. As on March 5, 2002, out of the 98 refugee/relief camps opened, 85 were for Muslims while 13 were for Hindus. On the other hand, no attempt was made to open even a single refugee camp for Sikhs. As per the Nanavati Commission report, even the arms of Sikhs were withdrawn with promise of protection by the police, while the same localities were then attacked.
What happened in Gujarat were riots in which both Hindus and Muslims attacked each other. But in Delhi and elsewhere in 1984, it was a one-sided carnage of Sikhs. There was not a single casualty among the attackers.
The media's versions of anti-Sikh riots were identical in the English/ Hindi and regional language sections throughout the country. On the other hand, there were contradictions in the versions of riots as projected by the national English media as against the local Gujarati papers.
In the light of above, every rational person can see the mischief being played by pseudo-secular leaders and their cohorts in the media by repeatedly equating the anti-Sikh massacre with the Gujarat riots. It is time they stopped this game and worked towards upholding the majesty of law - whether in Delhi or in Gujarat.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->