By Riffat Wani
A recent film by the BBC has revealed the contents of a previously unseen UK government inquiry report on the 2002 Gujarat riots in India, which holds current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly responsible for the violence.
The Gujarat riots, also known as the 2002 Gujarat violence, were a series of violent events that took place in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. The violence was sparked by the burning of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, which was blamed on a Muslim mob. This led to widespread communal violence against Muslims in Gujarat, which was led by Hindu nationalist groups and allegedly supported by state authorities.
The report, which was commissioned by the British High Commission in India in 2002, was never made public and has only now been revealed through the BBC film. The report states that Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time of the riots, failed to intervene to stop the violence and allowed state officials to support the Hindu nationalist groups responsible for the violence. The report also states that Modi and his government actively worked to cover up the extent of the violence and denied aid to the victims.
The revelation of the report has caused a significant uproar in India, with many calling for Modi to be held accountable for his actions during the riots. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of which Modi is a member, has denied the allegations in the report and accused the BBC of spreading “fake news.”
The Gujarat riots remain a deeply controversial and painful chapter in India’s history, and the revelation of this report has once again brought the issue to the forefront of public discourse. The report’s findings, if true, paint a disturbing picture of the role of Modi and his government in the violence, and raise serious questions about the accountability of those in positions of power.
The revelation of the previously unseen UK government inquiry report on the 2002 Gujarat riots, which holds Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly responsible for the violence, brings to mind the ongoing human rights crisis in the region of Kashmir. Since Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power, there has been a significant increase in human rights violations in Kashmir, which some have referred to as a “silent genocide.”
In August 2019, the Indian government revoked the special autonomy status of Jammu and Kashmir, the country’s only Muslim-majority state, and imposed a communication blackout and a curfew in the region. This has resulted in widespread human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and torture. The Indian government has also been accused of using pellet guns against peaceful protestors, which has caused severe injuries and even blindness.
The communication blackout in the region has also made it difficult to independently verify the situation on the ground, but reports from human rights organizations and the United Nations have highlighted the human rights violations taking place in the region.
The situation in Kashmir is deeply concerning, and the human rights abuses taking place there must be brought to an end. The revelation of the Gujarat riots report and the ongoing crisis in Kashmir raise serious questions about the Modi government’s commitment to protecting the rights of all of India’s citizens, regardless of their religion or ethnicity. The international community must call for an end to the human rights violations taking place in Kashmir and for those responsible to be held accountable.
By Riffat Wani
