[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3020-3021]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


           TRAIN ATTACK IN INDIA REACTION TO HINDU REPRESSION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 12, 2002

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, we were all disturbed to read about the 
attack on a train full of Hindus in the village of Godhra in India. It 
is always disturbing to see this kind of sectarian violence.
  The Gujarat Samachar reported that the train was carrying high-level 
activists of the militant, pro-Nazi Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a branch of 
the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), which is also the parent 
organization of the ruling BJP. They were taunting the villagers with 
slogans about building a Hindu temple on the site of the most revered 
mosque in India, which was destroyed by the BJP some years ago.
  In another village, Daahod, they got tea and snacks and did not pay 
for them. They knocked over a vendor's stall, according to the article, 
and deliberately picked a fight with a man who was helping the vendor, 
beating him, pulling his beard and committing other acts to humiliate 
him. His 16-year-old daughter tried to stop them from harming her 
father. They grabbed her and took her on the train, according to the 
article. After a crowd gathered to try to rescue her from the VHP, they 
slammed the windows shut with the girl inside the train. Out of their 
frustration and anger over this action, some villagers began to burn 
the train.
  No one condones the killing of these Hindus, even if they were 
militants, but I hope none of my colleagues justifies the killing of 
Muslims that has erupted in response while the police have stood by and 
let it happen. The militant Hindu nationalists want to make a Hindu 
society in India, and they can justify actions like these in the name 
of that cause, but there is no justification.
  If this is how democracy and secularism are practiced in India, then 
it should not receive any American aid or trade. We should also 
acknowledge that the only way to end this kind of violence is to 
support independence for all the peoples and nations of South Asia. It 
is time for India to begin acting like a democracy and allow the 
peoples living under their rule to enjoy self-determination. It is time 
for a plebiscite on independence.

                 [From Gujarat Samachar, Mar. 3, 2002]

                     Truth About the Train Incident

                     (By Anil Soni and Neelam Soni)

       The tragic incident of Sabarmati Express that occurred 
     today at 7:30 am at about 1 km away from Godhra railway 
     station has thrown a question mark to those people who claim 
     to be secular or liberal. Many aspects & facts have been 
     ignored & which I would like to bring to your notice.
       Compartment (Bogey) no S-6 & two other compartment of the 
     Sabarmati Express was carrying the kar sevaks of the V.H.P. 
     (Vishwa Hindu Parishad). And it was due to these kar sevaks 
     from bogey no S-6 that the incident occurred.
       The actual story didn't start from Godhra as being told 
     everywhere but it started from a place from Daahod, a place 
     that comes 70-75 km before Godhra railway station. At about 
     5:30-6:00 a.m. the train reached Daahod railway station. 
     These kar sevaks, after having tea & snacks at the railway 
     stall, broke down the stall after having some argument with 
     the stall owner and they processed back to the departing 
     train. The stall owner then field on N C against kar sevaks 
     at the local police station about the above incident.
       Then about 7.00-7.15 am the train reached Godhra railway 
     station. All the kar sevaks came out from their reserved 
     compartments and started to have tea and snacks, at the small 
     tea stall on the platform, which was being run by an old 
     bearded man from the minority community. There was a servant 
     helping this old man in the stall.
       The kar sevaks on purpose argued with this old man and then 
     beat him up & pulled his beard. This was all planned to 
     humiliate the old man since he was from the minority 
     community. These kar sevaks kept repeating the slogan, 
     ``Mandir Ka Nirmaann Karo, Babuer Ki Aulad to Baahar Kar''. 
     (Start building the Mandir and throw the sons of Babur i.e. 
     the Muslims out of the country.)
       Hearing the chaos, the daughter (16) of the old man who was 
     also present at the station came forward & tried to save her 
     father from kar sevaks. She kept pleading & begging to them 
     to stop beating her father and leave him alone. But instead 
     of listening to her woes, the kar sevaks lifted the young 
     girl and took her inside their compartment (S-6) and closed 
     the compartment door shut. Their intention behind this act is 
     best known to them.

[[Page 3021]]

       The train started to move out of the platform of Godhra 
     railway station. The old man kept banging on the compartment 
     doors and pleaded to leave his daughter. Just before the 
     train could move out completely from the platform, two stall 
     vendors jumped into the last bogey that comes from the guards 
     cabin. And with the intention of saving the girl they pulled 
     the chain and stopped the train. By the time the train halted 
     completely, it was 1 km away from the railway station.
       These two men then came to the bogey in which the girl was 
     and started to bang at the door and requested the kar sevaks 
     to leave the girl alone. Hearing all these chaos, people in 
     the vicinity near to the tracks started to gather towards the 
     train. The boys and the mob (that also included women) that 
     had now gathered near the compartment requested the kar 
     sevaks to return the girl back. But instead of returning the 
     girl, they started closing their windows. They infuriated the 
     mob and they retaliated by pelting stones at the compartment.
       The compartment-adjoining compartment S-6 on both sides 
     contained kar sevaks of the V.H.P. These kar sevaks were 
     carrying banners that had long bamboo stick attached to them. 
     These kar sevaks got down and started attacking with bamboo 
     sticks on the mob gathered to save the girl.
       This was like adding insult to injury for the crowd 
     gathered and their anger was now uncontrollable. The crowd 
     started to bring diesel and petrol from trucks and rickshaws 
     standing at the garages Signal Fadia (a place in Godhra) and 
     burnt down the compartment. They don't bring the fuel from 
     any petrol pump as being reported everywhere nor was this act 
     of burning pre-planned as being mentioned by many peopole but 
     it happened all of a sudden out of sheer frustration and 
     anger.
       After hearing about this incident, members of V.H.P. 
     (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) living in that area started burning 
     down the garages in Signal Fadia, they also burnt down 
     Baddshah Masjid, (Mosque), at Shehra Bhagaaad (small area in 
     Godhra). Reliable sources have reported all this information 
     and facts to their information and me cannot be doubted. I 
     would also mention my sources namely Mr. Anil Soni and Neelam 
     Soni (reporter of Gujarat Samachar, also members of P.T.I. & 
     A.N.I.) have worked hard to dig the true facts and they duly 
     deserve words of appraisal for their hard work. Mr. Soni's 
     mobile number: 0-9825038152. Resident number 02672 (code) 
     43153, office number: 43152, fax number: 45999.
       Due to no proper substantial and circumstantial evidence 
     and the late arrival of the Police at the scene of crime 
     frustrated the Police. Which resulted in harassment and 
     arrests of innocent local people living in Godhra. 
     Furthermore the police started blaming the Mayor of Godhra, 
     Mr. Ahmed Hussain Kalota for the incident. Mr. Kalota who is 
     the member of the Indian National Congress is also a lawyer. 
     This blaming of Congressmen was also done to humiliate, 
     defame and demoralize the Congress. The V.H.P's plan is to 
     weaken the country by planning internal conflicts between 
     communities and bring a backwardness of 100 years in the 
     country. Sorry to say but they are carrying out their plans 
     successfully without the fear of being stopped by anyone. No 
     one but only the innocents will have to bear the consequences 
     of their plans.
       It is our humble request and prayers to all the members of 
     Parliament along with the Prime Minister, and the entire 
     media circle to try and stop the sparks of a fire to gulp 
     down the whole county in flames to take some auction against 
     the kar sevaks of the V.H.P (Vishwa Hindu Parished) before 
     they get out of hand and stop harassing the innocents and 
     catch the real miscreants and culprits.
       We lay our request in front of you with folded hands and 
     hearts filled with theirs for the death of innocents and 
     anger for the wrongdoers. We hope our request and efforts 
     will not deafeared or blind-eyed.