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"Advani Directly Responsible for Genocide in Gujarat": Women's Panel
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| Scene of the anti-Muslim riots in Ahmedabad during the early phase |
By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, June 18 (IslamOnline) - The All India Progressive Women’s
Association (AIPWA), in a sensational statement issued Monday, June
18, and blacked out by major Indian newspapers, blamed Home Minister
LK Advani for "masterminding" the genocide of Muslims in
Gujarat and "direct involvement" in whatever happened there.
The
Association's delegation, which recently returned to New Delhi after
undertaking a 4-day tour of Gujarat and collecting relevant
information, said that since Advani represents Gandhinagar
parliamentary constituency, he should immediately resign, not only
from the cabinet but also from Parliament.
The
Association, in its report, prepared after touring the state and
visiting various refugee camps and meeting prominent and common people
at different levels, expressed concern over the prolonged violence and
said that the lingering riots divide the Gujarati society on communal
lines for which Advani is directly responsible.
The
association announced that it will observe a country-wide protest day
on July 2 against the continuing massacres and violence in the state.
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| Ameena Bibi whose house was
burnt. |
AIPWA
also said that by clearing Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi during
his recent tour to Gujarat, Advani proved that his sympathies are with
the rioters and murderers. On the contrary, he should have taken
strong punitive action against the culprits and given priority to
relief and rehabilitation of the riot-affected people.
AIPWA
said Modi did not take the trouble of visiting refugee camps where
living conditions are unbearable. Men, women (including old and
infirm) and children are stuffed in these camps with no roofs, no
privacy, and no satisfactory facilities in the scorching heat.
The
association demanded that the first step to even slightly improve the
conditions there is to sack Modi immediately. It also demanded that
police officers taking part in the riots should be dismissed and
punished and police officers belonging to minority communities should
be placed on duty in Muslim areas.
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| Anti-Muslim riots in Ahmedabad during the early
phase |
Relief
and rehabilitation work should be undertaken impartially on a
war-footing and false cases against innocent people should be
immediately withdrawn. Unless these steps are taken by the government,
confidence of the affected people cannot be restored, AIPWA report
said.
AIPWA
members, consisting of its president, Gita Das, general secretary,
Kumudine Patil, national secretary, Suresh Chaudhury and others, were
informed in Gujarat that even after three-and-a-half months the
affected people have not been given suitable compensation and whatever
given for rebuilding houses is insufficient to the extreme. Persons
managing the camps have complained that the chief minister has refused
further assistance for relief and rehabilitation.
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