The Muslim News

Press Release by UK Indian Muslim Federation:

The Indian Muslim Federation has expressed its immense concern and alarm on the disinformation being dispensed by certain sections of Indian media and Government officials in the wake of the tragic incident that took place this week in the Godhra town of Gujarat, in India. It is clear from reliable local resources that what is being connivingly described as an attack on VHP (Extremist Hindu organisation) activists by Muslims returning from their illegal campaign of building Rama’s temple at the site of the desecrated Babri Mosque – was a communal riot, ensuing from communal taunting, abusive behaviour and harassment against the local Muslim community. The Indian Muslim Federation has urged the Indian authorities and the government to not to indulge into issuing irresponsible and hasty statements insinuating that the unfortunate incident was a pre-meditated attack on Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists returning from Ayodhya after participating in the Maha Yagna (karseva) at the disputed site of the Ram Mandir.Expressing his dismay at the biased reporting of the incident, Mr Shamusddin Agha, President IMF said: ”There is a gaping discrepancy in the ‘official accounts’ of the incident itself. According to the Godhra district superintendent of police Raju Bhargav the incident took place after a scuffle between the karsevaks and some persons belonging to a minority community, rather than a pre-planned act of mob violence.“We believe the situation calls for a collected and collective response. Remarks by the Gujarat Chief Minister Mr Narendra Modi with their sectarian undertones, have hardly helped mitigate the situation. You have a marginalized and disenfranchised rural Muslim community on the one hand who are routinely made the subject of communal harassment and violence and on the other hand a huge law-violating, violent mob of Kar Sevaks who are being further inflamed by the Chief Minister’s irresponsible and dangerous remarks. “Mr Agha said: “Communal riots spread like jungle fire and we have received some very worrying reports that, following the BJP’s defeat in the recent local elections, communal sentiments are being consistently fanned. The situation in Baroda is tense after the incident and one person was stabbed in Nagarwada area of the city. Other areas with minority population are living under the threat and fear of becoming targets of terrorist reprisals.”While denouncing the shoddy handling of the situation by the government, the IMF executive committee said that the peace loving population of Gujarat have been hijacked by the Hindu extremist factions who are intent on fracturing the fragile social fabric of the region, while the government continues to casually sweep the real and urgent issues under the carpet. “It is a dangerous course of action. We call upon the Government of India to deploy army in the affected region in order to halt and monitor any further disturbances. “We also call upon the peace-loving people of India to stand united against this imminent onslaught of sectarian wave, and not to allow the country to be swept beneath the conspired overdrive of sectarianism. Indeed, it is time that we uphold India’s proud pluralistic and secular values enshrined in its constitution,” said Mr Agha.

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