Team Modi and free speech: Republishing "9 Myth Busters Of Gujarat 2002 Riots" by Shehzad Poonawalla
On April 29, Shehzad Poonawalla wrote a piece for the DNA called "Between Myths and Truths". It was about 9 myths being propagated Narendra Modi with regard to 2002. The article was posted at 1 pm and was popular on social media. DNA itself tweeted about the article three times. In less than 24 hours, without notice, the article was pulled down. Here's speculation as to why it was withdrawn. The article may be read below:
01 May, 2014
For those who have developed “selective and motivated” amnesia about the Truth of 2002 riots inGujarat and are suddenly buying into
the myths being perpetrated by the PR machinery of Mr. Narendra Modi, here are
a few myth-busters to refresh your memory and perhaps your conscience. I
offer these with just one phrase, a phrase that has always accompanied the
murder of Truth by Falsehoods… “Hey Ram!”
Myth No. 1: Post-Godhra Violence was brought under control within 2-3 days by Narendra Modi’s Government…
Myth no. 4 : Modi allowed a fair prosecution of those accused in rioting and hence even his cabinet colleague Mayaben Kodnani was convicted…
“Law and justice become flies in the hands of these “wanton boys”. When fences start to swallow the crops, no scope will be left for survival of law and order or truth and justice. Public order as well as public interest become martyrs and monuments.”
9 Myth Busters Of Gujarat 2002 Riots
By Shehzad Poonawalla
For those who have developed “selective and motivated” amnesia about the Truth of 2002 riots in
Myth No. 1: Post-Godhra Violence was brought under control within 2-3 days by Narendra Modi’s Government…
Truth: “The violence in the State, which was
initially claimed to have been brought under control in seventy two hours,
persisted in varying degree for over two months, the toll in death and
destruction rising with the passage of time.”
Source: Final Order of the National human Rights
Commission chaired by the very respected Justice J.S Verma available here http://nhrc.nic.in/guj_finalorder.htm
Myth No. 2:Gujarat Police acted fairly
by taking action against rioters from every side…
Myth No. 2:
Truth: “We women thought of going to police and
telling the police as in the presence of police, the houses of Muslims were
burnt, but the police told us 'to go inside, it is doom's day for Muslims” –
Source: PW219 testimony which was admitted as
part of Naroda Patya judgment that led to conviction of Mayaben Kodnani,
Narendra Modi’s cabinet minister who led murderous mobs during 2002 riots!
Availablehere:http://www.cjponline.org/gujaratTrials/narodapatiya/NP%20Full%20Judgmnt/Naroda%20Patiya%20-%20Common%20Judgment.pdf
Myth No.3 No conspiracy by theGujarat
government, Post-Godhra violence was a spontaneous reaction…
Myth No.3 No conspiracy by the
Truth: “A key state minister is reported to have
taken over a police control room in Ahmedabad on the first day of the carnage,
issuing directions not to rescue Muslims in danger of being killed:” “Voter
lists were also reportedly used to identify and target Muslim community
members” –
Source: Report of Human Rights Watch- April
2002, Vol. 14, No. 3(C) Available Here:http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/india/India0402-03.htm#P446_77680
Myth no. 4 : Modi allowed a fair prosecution of those accused in rioting and hence even his cabinet colleague Mayaben Kodnani was convicted…
Truth : “The modern day 'Neros' were looking
elsewhere when Best Bakery and innocent children and helpless women were
burning, and were probably deliberating how the perpetrators of the crime can
be saved or protected.”
“Law and justice become flies in the hands of these “wanton boys”. When fences start to swallow the crops, no scope will be left for survival of law and order or truth and justice. Public order as well as public interest become martyrs and monuments.”
“From the facts stated above, it appears that accused wants
to frustrate the prosecution by unjustified means and it appears that by one
way or the other the Addl. Sessions Judge as well as the APP (Shri Raghuvir
Pandya, the public prosecutor in this case at the time was a member of the
ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contested elections from Ward 20,
Vadodara in the 1996 Corporation Elections on a BJP ticket!) have not taken any
interest in discharge of their duties.” -
Source: Supreme Court in Zahira Habibulla H
Sheikh And Anr vs State Of Gujarat And Ors
on 12 April, 2004 CASE NO.:
Appeal (crl.) 446-449 of 2004 . Available Here:http://indiankanoon.org/doc/105430/
Myth No.5 : Narendra Modi never justified post-Godhra killings…
Myth No.5 : Narendra Modi never justified post-Godhra killings…
Truth: “Responding to queries regarding various
statements attributed to him by the media, Mr Modi denied citing Newton ’s
law. Nor had he spoken of “action-reaction”; he had wanted neither the action
(at Godhra) nor the subsequent reaction. When we cited footage in Zee to the
contrary (Annexure 4A), there was no reaction from Mr Modi”
Source- Editors Guild Fact Finding Mission Report dated
2002, available herehttp://www.sabrang.com/gujarat/statement/report.htm#Meeting%20with%20Narendra%20Modi
Myth No.6 : Narendra Modi speaks only about development in his speeches. Even after 2002 riots, his speeches were never laced with communal poison..
Myth No.6 : Narendra Modi speaks only about development in his speeches. Even after 2002 riots, his speeches were never laced with communal poison..
Truth : Narendra Modi’s reported speech: “For
several months, the opposition has been after me to resign. When I did, they
did not know what to do and started running to Delhi
to seek Madam's help. They realised that James Michael Lyngdoh, the Election
Commissioner of India ,
is their only saviour.Some journalists asked me recently, ''Has James Michael
Lyngdoh come from Italy ?''
I said I don't have hisjanam patri, I will have to ask Rajiv Gandhi. Then the
journalists said, ''Do they meet in church?''. I replied, ''Maybe they do.''
James Michael Lyngdoh came and visited Ahmedabad and Vadodara. And then he used
asabhya basha (indecent language) with the officials. Gujaratis can never use
such language because our rich cultural heritage does not permit it. Then he
gave a fatwa ordering that the elections can't be held. I want to ask him: he
has come to this conclusion after meeting only members of the minority
community. Are only minority community members citizens of India ?
Are majority community members not citizens of this country? Is the constitutional
body meant only for the minority community? Did he ever bother to meet the
relatives of those killed in the Godhra carnage? Why didn't he meet them? Why
didn't he ask them whether the situation was conducive for polls? Why? James
Michael Lyngdoh ( says it slowly with emphasis on Michael), the people of Gujarat
are posing a question to you.” –
Source: Reported speech of Narendra Modi, 30th September 2002 , available herehttp://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?217399
Myth No. 7: Narendra Modi never applied for aUS
Visa (when it came to light that he was denied one)..
Myth No. 7: Narendra Modi never applied for a
Truth: “The Chief Minister of Gujarat
state, Mr. Narendra Modi, applied for a diplomatic visa to visit the United
States . On March 18, 2005 , the United States Department of State
denied Mr. Modi this visa under section 214 (b) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act because he was not coming for a purpose that qualified for a diplomatic
visa.
Mr. Modi's existing tourist/business visa was also revoked
under section 212 (a) (2) (g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Section
212 (a) (2) (g) makes any foreign government official who "was responsible
for or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of
religious freedom" ineligible for a visa to the United
States .
The Ministry of External Affairs requested that the
Department of State review the decision to revoke his tourist/business visa.
Upon review, the State Department re-affirmed the original decision.”
This decision applies to Mr. Narendra Modi only. It is based
on the fact that, as head of the State government in Gujarat
between February 2002 and May 2002, he was responsible for the performance of
state institutions at that time. The State Department's detailed views on this
matter are included in its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and
the International Religious Freedom Report. Both reports document the violence
in Gujarat from February 2002 to May 2002 and cite the
Indian National Human Rights Commission report, which states there was "a
comprehensive failure on the part of the state government to control the
persistent violation of rights of life, liberty, equality, and dignity of the
people of the state."
Source - Statement by David C. Mulford, U.S.
Ambassador to India, March 21, 2005, Available Here
http://2001-2009.state.gov/p/sca/rls/rm/2005/43701.htm
Myth no. 8: Vajpayee never asked Modi to observe “Rajdharma”, did not rap him for 2002 riots..
http://2001-2009.state.gov/p/sca/rls/rm/2005/43701.htm
Myth no. 8: Vajpayee never asked Modi to observe “Rajdharma”, did not rap him for 2002 riots..
Truth: “In comments which appeared to back
criticism of the state authorities, Mr Vajpayee said he would speak to
political leaders about allegations that they had failed to do their job.
"Government officials, political leaders, need to respond to the task. The
constitution guarantees equal rights for all," he said.The state
government is controlled by the BJP, and the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, has
come in for particular attack over the way the authorities reacted to the
violence.
At the Shah Alam camp in Gujarat 's
commercial capital, Ahmedabad, Mr Vajpayee said that the Godhra attack was
"condemnable" but what followed was "madness". "The
answer to madness is not madness," he said in an emotional
speech."The duty of our government is to protect the property, life and
honour of everybody... there is no scope for discrimination," he said in
an apparent reference to allegations that local officials had turned a blind
eye to the killings.”
Source: Vajpayee says riots “shameful” – BBC
News report April 4th 2002 ,
available herehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1910008.stm
Myth no.9 : It's not sheer opportunism that well-known
Modi-baiters like Smriti Irani, have today become his cheerleaders..
Truth: "Smriti Irani who unsuccessfully
contested from Delhi 's
Muslim-dominated Chandni Chowk constituency in the April-May parliamentary
elections, blamed Modi for BJP's recent electoral reverses. "Whenever
people mention Gujarat they only talk about the riots and
try to corner the Gujaratis on the issue. So, in order to maintain the respect
that I have for Atalji and the BJP, I won't hesitate to take this step( of
going on a fast to seek Modi's removal) ," she said."
Source: Times of India
report dated 12th December 2004 ,
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tulsi-to-go-on-fast-unto-death/articleshow/956389.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tulsi-to-go-on-fast-unto-death/articleshow/956389.cms
These myth-busters took me just one hour to compile. So it's
quite surprising that none of the stalwarts who interviewed Modi, (some of whom
saw the events of 2002 unfold in front of their very own eyes), never
counter-questioned him further and exposed the glaring gaps in his
"rebuffed" narrative. Much like Smriti Irani, I guess, each night
they must be saying to themselves "Hey Ram"....
Shehzad Poonawalla is a 1st generation,
self-made, 26 year old, lawyer-activist engaged in politics and civil rights
movement. Muslim by faith, Indian by conviction, Secularist by ideology and a
committed Constitutionalist. Youngest Additional Private Secretary to Ministry
of Parliamentary Affairs, Govt of India .
Always ready to fight a battle, on the streets or in theTV studios. Fear
nothing and nobody.