Fact-finding
by
a Women's Panel
Syeda Hameed, Muslim Women?s Forum, Delhi
Ruth Manorama, National Alliance of Women,
Bangalore
Malini Ghose, Nirantar, Delhi
Sheba George, Sahrwaru, Ahmedabad
Farah Naqvi, Independent Journalist, Delhi
Mari Thekaekara, Accord, Tamil Nadu
Sponsored by
Citizen?s Initiative, Ahmedabad [India]
April 16, 2002
ROLE OF THE POLICE
This time round in Gujarat, far more than in
previous episodes of communal violence,
women have been fair game. Forced out of burning
homes, running for their lives on
violent streets, they have been targeted not
only by rampaging mobs hell bent on hurting
every Muslim woman, man and child in sight,
but far worse, by the Police, whose job it
was to protect them. Just as the mobs sought
revenge on behalf of Hindu women (refer
previous section on Sexual Violence) so too
it appears did the Police. This we have on
the word of Gujarat?s Chief Minister - ?Police
are human beings as well?, he said,
shortly after the carnage began, ?and not
inured to the sentiments of society?.
Everywhere the fact-finding team went, women
narrated graphic, first-hand tales of
police complicity.
Ø Several accounts speak of policemen
actively aiding, abetting, and in some cases
leading the mobs. Video footage seen by the
fact-finding team showed slogan?s like,
Yeh andar ki baat hai, Police hamare saath
hai (The inside story is that the police is on
our side) - written boldly on the walls of
gutted Muslim homes.
Ø A pattern that was often repeated
was that the Police would open fire at the Muslims
rather than at the mob, which was attacking
them.
Ø In other cases, the police turned
a deaf ear to cries of help, or simply told women, in
so many words, that they did not have ?orders
from above? to help them. Women and
children were repeatedly turned away from
Police chowkis and stations and told to
fend for themselves.
Ø At best, the Police would take a crowd
of frightened Muslims and dump them in
safer Muslim majority areas. The message was
clear - ?Protecting Muslims is not our
responsibility; Other Muslims can look after
them?. Muslims were no longer citizens of
the state.
Ø In no instance did the fact-finding
team hear of Mahila Police being deployed in
areas where women were being brutalized.
Ø In a vast majority of the cases, FIRs
have not been lodged. Several accounts say
that the Police simply refuse to lodge the
FIR, saying, ?you don?t have enough
evidence, there is no case?.
Ø Victims of sexual violence do not
even have the confidence to approach the Police,
let alone walk the long path to evidence gathering,
and getting justice. In the words of
one Muslim woman, "Yeh to Hinduon ki Police
hai" (`This is a Hindu Police?).
Ø Muslim women surviving in relief camps
across the state are not the only ones who
dread the Police. Outside the camps, in several
Muslim dominated areas in
Ahmedabad, they live in forced imprisonment
and constant terror of another kind.
Curfew has been imposed in these areas, including
Millat Nagar, visited by the
fact-finding team. Under the guise of ?combing
operations? the Police are picking up
young Muslim boys at random. Mothers live
in constant fear.
Ø In order to protect their men, women
are being forced to venture out of their homes
for daily chores, and encountering the Police.
The fact-finding team heard specific
accounts of continuing police atrocities -
of women being severely beaten or killed in
Police firing.
However, even in its worst moment, there remained
in Gujarat isolated pockets of calm
where the police and the administration stood
firm, giving the lie to the theory that the
post-Godhra carnage was an unstoppable case
of spontaneous communal combustion.
For example, no casualties have been reported
from Panchmahals District since March
5th, including in Godhra town where the spiral
of violence first started and which has a
long history of communal tension. The fact-finding
team believes that this is in large part
due to the sincere efforts of the District
Collector Jayanti Ravi in ensuring that law and
order is maintained.
WOMEN?S TESTIMONIES OF THE ROLE OF the STATE
Shabnam, Resident of Vatva, Ahmedabad
Date of incident: March 1, 2002
Shabnam, 23, recounted the events of the afternoon
of March 1: "The mob arrived,
armed with trishuls and swords, shouting -
Miya ne maro, Miya ne kato. (Kill the
Muslims!). Some of them started pelting stones.
We were 50 odd people, they were a
few thousand. As we ran for our lives, the
police blocked our escape, chasing us in the
direction of the mob `Chalo maar do saalo
ko? (Kill the bastards!), they shouted. This
is the first time this has happened here.
Where can we go? What is to become of us?"
(Qutb-e-Alam Dargah Relief Camp, Vatva, Ahmedabad.
March 27, 2002)
Saira Bano, Resident of Khed Brahma town, Sabarkantha.
Date of Incident: February 28, 2002
It was 9:30 in the morning when the attack
started. A large crowd came at us. They
were all our neighbours. I recognize each
one of them - I know the castes: Bhatt,
Vaghri, Prajapat. We ran to the Police Station.
The Police gave us shelter, but said that
they could not protect us for long. They put
us in dabba gaadis (police box-cars) and
packed us off into the care of local Muslim
leaders in Vadali. That?s how we landed up
at the relief camp.
(Vadali Relief Camp, March 28th, 2002)
Kulsum Bibi and Jannat Bibi, Residents of Jawan Nagar, Naroda Patia, Ahmedabad.
Date of incident: February 28, 2002
The day began like any other. We were all drinking
tea when we heard that the (local)
masjid had been attacked. The men and boys
went out to see what was happening.
They were confronted by a crowd of several
thousands, armed with trishuls and
swords. Some of the swords had Bajrang Dal
written on it. They were wearing khakhi
shorts. Some were carrying petrol. This we
now know they had got from nearby Bipin
Auto. The owner is a Bajrang Dal agyavan (leader).
The trucks that had brought these
men were stacked with gas cylinders...Suddenly
the police fired. Some of our men
were killed in the firing. The women and children
started fleeing. Our colony is
sandwiched between the State Reserve Police
(SRP) Colony, the State Transport
workshop and the Hindu housing societies-
Gopinath and Gangotri. We all rushed
towards the SRP Colony. We were not allowed
inside. We begged but the gates
remained shut. We kept running back and forth
like caged animals. Then there was a
lathi charge. Many of us got hit. We heard
the police say things like - yeh aap logon ka
aakhri din hai - (this is your last day).
(Shah-e-Alam Relief camp, Ahmedabad. March
27, 2002)
Saira Bano, Resident Navapura, Vatva, Ahmedabad
The maidan was full of thousands of trishul
and sword wielding men. I have never seen
so many people. Everyone was panicking. We
lost all hope when the police came with
the crowd. When we pleaded with the police
that they were meant to protect
everyone, they told us- "Tum lad lo. Jitni
takat hain mukabala kar lo". (You fight them
with whatever strength you have.)
(Qutb-e-Alam Relief Camp, Vatva, Ahmedabad.
March 27, 2002)
Saira
Bano, Resident Hussain Nagar, Naroda Patia, Ahmedabad
Date of Incident: February 28, 2002
Saira used to live in Hussain Nagar Chali in
Naroda Patia. She is now at the camp with
her 3 children. "I heard girls screaming.
I saw a naked girl running with 25 men chasing
her. The sweet shop owner was distributing
sweets to the rioters. The police fired on
the Muslims rather than the mob". She said
that women were beaten with sticks. She
saw her husband being killed in the police
firing. She was hiding on the terrace of
someone?s house. "At least I saw him die.
There are many women here who don?t
know what has happened to their husbands.
Are they widows or not? Should they
mourn or not?"
(Shah-e-Alam Relief Camp, Ahmedabad. March
27, 2002)
Nagori
Bibi, Resident Khed Brahma near State Transport bus stand, Sabarkantha
District.
Date of incident: February 28, 2002
The tension escalated and the mob (which she
estimated as being over 2000) started
throwing stones. By about 12 noon about 50
-60 people were taking refuge in her
house. 25 of these people belonged to her
extended family. Her brother-in-law then
phoned the police to be told - "We neither
have the time nor the staff. We can?t come".
They then phoned Amanullah Khan the local
Muslim leader and also a member of the
Congress. It was only after he put pressure
on the police that they came.
(Vadali Relief Camp, Sabarkantha. March 28,
2002)
Shamshad Bibi, Resident Khed Brahma (near dargah), Sabarkantha.
Date of incident: February 28, 2002.
On February 27th when my sons went to the dargah
they heard rumours that a dhamal
(incident) was about to take place. There
were other rumours of impending tension. 4
families slept at the dargah that night. In
fact 2 policemen were posted outside. "Now
when I look back the police had come around
asking questions about the Muslim
residents, like how much cattle we possessed."
One policeman asked - "Mutton vutton
milega kya?" Nothing happened that night.
I was cooking lunch the next day when the
mobs came shouting - Maro, Maro (Kill! Kill!)
They were carrying trishuls. We ran.
We had to cross the river, which is dry. Finally
we reached the dargah. I found many
other Muslims there. About 300 to 400 of us
were cramped into a room. Then they
came and set fire to the dargah wall. The
police was around but did not stop the
crowd. In fact we could hear them shouting
looto! All we could do was pray. The
police squad finally came and took us to the
Police Station. We could hear them talking
on the wireless - sab tod diya, phod diya.
(everything is broken, destroyed) Then
suddenly we were told - chale jao nahin to
police station ko jala denge. (Go from here
or they will burn down the police station)
(Vadali Relief Camp. Sabarkantha. March 28,
2002)
Farzana: Resident of Vatva, Ahmedabad (Story narrated by her sister-in-law
Naim)
Date of Incident: March 20, 2002.
Farzana, 25, lived behind the Dargah. She was
shot dead by the police on the 20th of
March. Her family members said: "First, we
heard a commotion outside. Then we
noticed a pall of smoke. As we came out into
the courtyard to check what was
happening, the police fired indiscriminately,
killing Farzana. There were no men around
as they had all gone to read the namaaz".
Among the policemen identified by the
residents of the area are SP KC Patel, PSI
Baluch, PSI Siddiq Sheikh and PI Singh.
"The Hindu mobs were gathering near Ashopalo
housing society, some distance away.
Par Police ne wahan nahin, hamare par hi attack
kar diya. (But instead of going there,
the Police came here and started firing).
In the same shooting spree a young man
Sikandar, 20, was killed. Six others, including
Mumtaz Bano, were wounded. She is a
polio victim. Her neighbours are bewildered.
"Why shoot at a handicapped girl? Poor
thing had one bad leg, now she has two damaged
legs." Farzana?s older sister,
Shahnaz Bano, was lathi charged when she came
out to save her sister. Shahnaz is
angry and bitter. "How can they enter our
homes and kill us. We only ask for one thing
- insaaf"
We saw the bullet holes in the wall and the
memorial they had made for Farzana. A
crumpled dupatta marks the spot in the courtyard
where Farzana first fell. An
aluminium pot covers the spot where she died.
(Vatva, Ahmedabad. March 27, 2002)
Naseem
and Ameena, Residents of Bahar Colony (an upper middle class colony)
Vadodora
Date of Incident: March 17, 2002
When the fact-finding team arrived there shortly
before noon, the road was deserted
since the area was under curfew. Only women
were allowed to venture out in the day.
On the main road we were met by one of the
residents, Naseem. She told us of the
events of March 17.
The mob came at 11 PM but could not enter the
colony because of police patrolling.
Then they retuned at 3 PM the next day. First,
they blasted a godown. Then they
began to burn the few `jhonpar pattis? (slum
dwellings) nearby. These were owned by
some Hindu families who had already been evacuated.
Suddenly police jeeps were
seen. 200-300 women tried to stop the police
jeeps. It is alleged that the police just
went ahead saying `Ab to yahan aisa chalay
ga!? (From now on, this is the way it will
go here).Then they returned and started firing
during which one bystander was shot.
Since the women were outside on the road,
the police started beating them with lathis
to herd them inside. Amina Haroon Memon was
one such woman.
Amina took us aside, removed her shalwar and
showed the laceration mark from the
police danda. ?They hit me even as I was trying
to get back inside my house. And such
filthy gaalis. We went out to call the police
because if our boys would have gone they
would have forcibly taken them away. Even
if I die it does not matter. I am forty plus.
But not the young boys, they have a life ahead.
The people who come they have
?sadhan? (arms) we have nothing.?
(Vadodra. March 28, 2002)
Testimonies
of Continuing Fear, Ajwa Road, Vadodara
This is a Muslim area consisting of several
8 or 9 storey buildings. We went into the
house of Daud Shaikh where about 20 women
had collected. First they told us about
the Best Bakery massacre which has been recorded
in detail by Sahiyar, an NGO
working in Vadodara. Maimuna Shaikh told us
that they were running a Chinese fast
food business but everything is at a standstill
for the past month. Maimuna?s
daughter-in-law Farhana, an outspoken young
woman, spoke to us about the daily
harassment. ?The mobs come on motorcycles.
We can?t recognize them because of
the helmets. They threaten us. At night they
clang the thalis, clang the electricity poles,
whistle. We have not slept for one month,
so acute is the tension. When the ?tola?
(mob) comes the Police are at the vanguard.
Maimuna?s young son was picked up by
the Police. Zehra, who was 3 months pregnant
had gone out with the women to plead
with the Police not to take him away. She
showed us the spot where she was hit with a
Police danda (stick).
(Vadodara, March 28th, 2002)
Testimonies of women whose young sons have been picked up in combing operations,
Millat Nagar, Ahmedabad.
There is curfew in the area. As a result, daily
wage earners, small shop owners,
vendors, tailors, butchers have all been unemployed
for over a month. Adding to this
forced imprisonment, and virtual destitution
is the atmosphere of terror - because the
Police have started ?combing operations? in
Muslim dominated areas, picking up
young Muslim boys at random. So acute is this
fear of the Police that even for small
tasks to be done outside the home women venture
out more rather than men. No one
knows why and under what charge these young
men are being arrested.
The fact-finding team met 5 mothers in Millat
Nagar, in the offices of Sahrwaru, an
NGO, which has been working in the area for
several years. Their sons were picked
up by the police during a combing operation
on March 21st, 2002- Bugo Bibi?s son
Akeel Khan, age 22; Badla Bibi?s son, Arif,
age 20; Noorjehan?s son Saleem, age 25;
Abida?s son Imran, age 18; Ammu Bibi?s son,
Feroz Khan, age 20. The families do
not know what the charges are. All that the
distraught mothers can say is "Combing
mein le gaye mere bete ko" (They took away
my son in combing). They weep all the
time, dying a thousand deaths a day not knowing
if their son?s are alive or not. Every
day they come to the Sahrwaru office trying
to find ways to get a bail hearing for their
sons. Life, said one, means - "Na din ko neend,
na raat ko. Na rozi, na roti, na chain".
( No sleep during the day or night. No income,
no food, no peace) That?s life in
Gujarat today if you are the mother of a young
Muslim boy.
(Sahrwaru Office, Millat Nagar, March 27th,
2002)
A COMMON MAN?S IMPRESSION
Shankar our driver for one day felt that the
attacks on Muslims were justified because
of Godhra. However, he was equally clear that
it had all been possible because the
Government and Police had been on the side
of the Hindus and that it was an organized
attack. "Hindu sarkar hain to Hinduon ki madad
karenge." (It is a Hindu government so
naturally they will help the Hindus). On the
role of the police he said - " Police ko jaan
bujh kar shaant jagah mein bhej diya." (They
knowingly deployed the police in the
relatively peaceful areas). On the behaviour
of the police - "jahan tola tha vahan police
bachke nikle." (Where there were mobs the
police carefully avoided those areas).
Shankar, Resident of Chamunda bridge area,
Ahmedabad
A MEETING WITH POLICE SUB-INSPECTOR PATIL,
INCHARGE OF KALOL POLICE STATION,
KALOL TALUKA, PANCHMAHALS DISTRICT, MARCH
30, 2002
PSI Patil and DySP Parmar had both been named
by Muslims in Kalol as having led
the mobs who burnt and looted. Jamadar Uday
Singh, Badge # 1272 was identified as
having started burning a Muslim owned vehicle.
Kalol has one of the highest death tolls
in Panchmahals (26 dead: 23 Muslims and 3
Hindus). The taluka has also reported
extreme brutality against women (Ref: Sultani?s
testimony in Section 1 on Sexual
Violence).
As the interview progressed, PSI Patil?s initially
confident attitude was replaced by
suspicion and defensiveness. He was also joined
by other policemen, including a
policewoman. She said that during this period
she was always in the office and had not
been assigned "field duty". PSI Patil denied
playing any role in the violence. And to
prove his impartiality he kept mentioning
an incident where he saved 15 Muslims from a
crowd of over 4000 near Jethral station. He
also justified the high death toll by stating
that the situation could not be controlled
as it was a natural reaction to Godhra. 4
karsevaks who died on the Sabarmati express
were from Kalol taluka, from nearby
Bhadroli village. Among the dead were a mother
and child. This image had a deep
impact on the people and they reacted. The
extent of outpouring was such that the
police could have done nothing. They had not
anticipated this therefore there was
inadequate "bandobast".
When told that many victims claim they are
being refused the right to lodge FIRs, he
hotly denied this, and said, proudly that
Kalol Station had lodged 13 FIRs. We asked
for details of these FIRs. Closer examination
revealed that only 6 FIRs had been
lodged by victims. 7 FIRs had been lodged
by the State with Patil himself as the
complainant. The State FIRs were an eyewash
- since the accused in each FIR was
simply written as ?tola? (mob). Obviously
not a single arrest has been made in these
State FIRs. We examined the other 6 FIRs:
1. Complainant: Medina Bibi, Eral. Out of the
39 named as accused, only 13 have
been arrested
2. Complainant: Arvind Bhai Parmar. Out of
5 Muslims accused, all have been
arrested.
3. Complainant: Ilyas. No arrests
4. Complainant: Ahmed Haji Mohammed: Out of
10 named as accused, none have
been arrested.
5. Complainant: Shiraz Abdul: 4 arrests
6. Musa Bhai Sheikh: Out of 2 accused, none
have been arrested.
One Muslim died and 3-4 were injured when the
Police fired to control a volatile
situation that arose when 3 Hindus were stabbed
on the 27 of February. The firing was
done by Dy SP Parmar, who many testified as
having seen leading the mobs. However,
when the firing was against large Hindu mobs
there were no deaths. We asked PSI
Patil how was it possible that when firing
at a large mob, the Police did not manage to
injure even a single person? He smiled and
said Yeh to chance ki baat hai (It?s all a
matter of chance).
There is a clearly a long road ahead to justice,
rehabilitation and recovery for the
victims of Gujarat. The fact-finding team
tried to meet Mr. Kumaraswami, who is in
charge of the Human Rights Cell in the office
of the DG Police. Although too busy to
meet the team because of the PM?s impending
visit, he agreed to a phone interview.
He was asked to comment on the charge made
by almost every victim met by the team
that the Police was aiding, abetting and colluding
with the looting and marauding mobs -
what action was being taken on these charges?
What action was the Human Rights Cell
proposing on the evidence of several cases
of rape? What, according to him, should
have been the role of the Mahila Police, in
preventing sexual violence?. Mr.
Kumaraswami?s responses were that he was simply
a part of the DG?s office, working
as a bridge between the NHRC and the DG. His
office merely laid down the policy
about women police, and about other human
rights aspects. Since he was not a field
officer he did not have answers for the rest
of the questions.
The fact-finding team was concerned that with
the total collapse of the State machinery
in Gujarat, there was no alternative institutional
mechanism in Gujarat through which
women could seek justice. Gujarat does not
have a State Commission for Women, and
until the writing of this report, the National
Commission for Women had chosen not to
visit the State.