Search the Internet          Tips

Gujarat riots highly disturbing: Home ministry

"The large-scale communal violence in Gujarat, following the Godhra carnage on February 27 in which 58 persons were burnt to death, was a highly disturbing development," the ministry's annual report for 2001-02 said.

Acknowledging that violence had spread to several towns of Gujarat, it said that the state government "immediately deployed" 18 columns of Army, 28 companies of paramilitary forces and 66 companies of the state reserve police force.

The report said it was "a positive development" that the violence was not allowed to spread to other states "due to initiatives taken by the central and state governments, alertness of law enforcing agencies and a rare sense of maturity and aversion to violence shown by the people of all communities".

The report, which dealt with a wide range of subjects including the violence in Jammu and Kashmir, the attacks on Parliament and the J&K assembly and insurgency in the northeast, said the challenges posed by terrorist and secessionist groups, outlawed outfits and organised crime syndicates "are quite formidable".

PTI

The Sabarmati in Flames: Complete Coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report