05-04-2006, 04:55 PM
Just look at how the media mostly ignored the killing of Biren Shah in Vadodra riots but has been feeding us about the burning to death of some Muslim, how come when a Muslim gets killed he gets national coverage but a Hindus death is like that of a vermins.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Wednesday, May 3, 2006 (Vadodara, godhra, riots):
Tuesday night's violence in Vadodara has revived memories of the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
Eyewitness accounts of organised mob violence and police indifference to desperate calls for help are chillingly familiar in the state.
The family of Rafiq Vohra, who was burnt alive in his car, is inconsolable.
"He was like my brother. We kept calling the police but there was no response. They kept saying 'we're on our way' but never came," said a relative of Rafiq.
They cannot come to terms with the way their lives have been shattered by the senseless act.
Senseless act
Rafiq, an employee of Gujarat Refineries, was returning home when his car was set on fire by a mob.
"My elder brother was at the refinery since afternoon. When he was coming home at night, they saw his car and recognised that it is from this society. They did not let him go," said Munna Vohra, Rafiq's brother.
Forty-eight-year old Yasin Vohra runs an STD shop in the Bihad complex located 300 metres from where the mob stoned and burnt shops.
He made a first SOS call to the control room at 11.48 pm, and a second call was made at 12.08 am.
Residents of the Vohra and Kismet colonies, which are predominantly Muslim colonies in the area, say they made close to 200 SOS calls between 11.30 pm and 12.30 pm, but the police did not respond to their pleas for help.
"They attacked our colony and then Rafiq's car was attacked. If the police had arrived on time the incident could have been averted. I called repeatedly when the mob started stoning our shops but the police turned a deaf ear," said Yasin Vohra, one of the eyewitnesses.
But the police claim there was no delay in arriving.
"If they say we reached late, that is totally baseless. We would have been 5-10 minutes late. I was there and the DCP was also there," said VM Parghi, ACP.
Loss of life
Rafiq will be missed most by his wife and two small children, a son and a daughter.
On Wednesday, terrified neighbours gathered to say their final goodbye and try and make sense of what happened in a city hit by violence.
"Whether the dargah broke or not, what is the use? What is the benefit? I have lost my brother," said Siraj Vohra, elder brother of the victim.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has said that the Centre has asked the Gujarat government to take necessary action to control the situation.
Communal history
Just a few kilometres away, another family has been crying for two days, struggling to understand why a son and brother had to lose his life over nothing.
Biren Shah, who was killed by rioters on Monday, was the only earning member looking after his two sisters and mother.
But the scenes of sorrow didn't stop those on streets. Many broke curfew in the Panighat area and two dye factories were set on fire at the Sardar industrial area.
Fortunately, the situation was quickly brought under control on Wednesday.
The question now is, will the fragile calm continue and how long will it last for a state that has had a volatile communal history, and where the smallest incident can ruin lives.
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?...=87521&callid=1<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It means that this happened on May 1st but did we see any reports on this?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Wednesday, May 3, 2006 (Vadodara, godhra, riots):
Tuesday night's violence in Vadodara has revived memories of the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
Eyewitness accounts of organised mob violence and police indifference to desperate calls for help are chillingly familiar in the state.
The family of Rafiq Vohra, who was burnt alive in his car, is inconsolable.
"He was like my brother. We kept calling the police but there was no response. They kept saying 'we're on our way' but never came," said a relative of Rafiq.
They cannot come to terms with the way their lives have been shattered by the senseless act.
Senseless act
Rafiq, an employee of Gujarat Refineries, was returning home when his car was set on fire by a mob.
"My elder brother was at the refinery since afternoon. When he was coming home at night, they saw his car and recognised that it is from this society. They did not let him go," said Munna Vohra, Rafiq's brother.
Forty-eight-year old Yasin Vohra runs an STD shop in the Bihad complex located 300 metres from where the mob stoned and burnt shops.
He made a first SOS call to the control room at 11.48 pm, and a second call was made at 12.08 am.
Residents of the Vohra and Kismet colonies, which are predominantly Muslim colonies in the area, say they made close to 200 SOS calls between 11.30 pm and 12.30 pm, but the police did not respond to their pleas for help.
"They attacked our colony and then Rafiq's car was attacked. If the police had arrived on time the incident could have been averted. I called repeatedly when the mob started stoning our shops but the police turned a deaf ear," said Yasin Vohra, one of the eyewitnesses.
But the police claim there was no delay in arriving.
"If they say we reached late, that is totally baseless. We would have been 5-10 minutes late. I was there and the DCP was also there," said VM Parghi, ACP.
Loss of life
Rafiq will be missed most by his wife and two small children, a son and a daughter.
On Wednesday, terrified neighbours gathered to say their final goodbye and try and make sense of what happened in a city hit by violence.
"Whether the dargah broke or not, what is the use? What is the benefit? I have lost my brother," said Siraj Vohra, elder brother of the victim.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has said that the Centre has asked the Gujarat government to take necessary action to control the situation.
Communal history
Just a few kilometres away, another family has been crying for two days, struggling to understand why a son and brother had to lose his life over nothing.
Biren Shah, who was killed by rioters on Monday, was the only earning member looking after his two sisters and mother.
But the scenes of sorrow didn't stop those on streets. Many broke curfew in the Panighat area and two dye factories were set on fire at the Sardar industrial area.
Fortunately, the situation was quickly brought under control on Wednesday.
The question now is, will the fragile calm continue and how long will it last for a state that has had a volatile communal history, and where the smallest incident can ruin lives.
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?...=87521&callid=1<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It means that this happened on May 1st but did we see any reports on this?