The word began to filter around in the afternoon that Tehelka, whose 2001 hidden-camera expose of Bangaru Laxman introduced the phrase 'sting operation' to India, was about to break The Most Important Story of Our Time. Sabrang sent an email alerting the national media that the target of the operation were senior Sangh Parivar officers in Gujarat. It sounded like a zinger.
It has turned out to be more than a zinger - this is an explosive story. Ashish Khaitan infiltrated the VHP of Gujarat for 6 months, and emerged with video recordings of highly incriminating statements made by key people in the VHP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena about their roles - and the role of the state apparatus at large - in manufacturing the 2002 massacres.
The Truth About Gujarat 2002: In the Words of the Men Who Did It: Tehelka's Full Story Here
Among the statements made and recorded on camera:
Babu Bajrangi, chief of the Bajrang Dal in 2002, talking about killing a pregnant woman with a sword*, about promising to kill four times the number of Muslims as there were Hindus killed at Godhra, about contacting the State Home Minister Zadaphia after organizing the murder of 91 Muslims and being advised to flee, about being hidden by Modi in a state-owned building for four months.
Anil Patel, the departmental chief of the VHP, talking about burning down 126 Muslim houses, about instructing his cadre to 'Lock the door from outside and burn the Muslims from the inside,’ and about International Gen'l Sec'y Pramod Togadia coordinating the attacks in the district.
Madan Chawal, a local trader who was part of a mob led by VHP leader Atul Vaid, talking about besieging the house of MP Ehsan Jafri, taking the money Jafri offered in exchange for sparing the lives of the people gathered in the house, cutting off Jafri's hands, then his legs, then his genitals, and burning him alive.
This is only a sampler of the recorded incriminations that Khaitan obtained. They appear to be extensive, interconnected and thoroughly damning. But as Shoma Chaudhury, Tehelka's features editor, took pains to point out during the programme, the real exposure is not of the individuals who confessed on camera to participating in the massacres. The real exposure is of the state apparatus of Gujarat - the executive, the police, the judiciary - which is compromised in total. In total.
The dramatic unveiling of this footage shouldnt blind us to the fact that, for anyone who cared to look into it, the evidence for the collaboration of the government and the Sangh organizations in the massacres was always plentiful. It was easily accessible: in the reports of the People's Union of Civil Liberties, in Rakesh Sharma's documentary Final Solution, in Siddharth Vardarajan's book Gujarat: The Making of a Tragedy, and in any number of news report and scholarly articles looking at the production of communal riots. What the sting operation may accomplish that is new and important is, firstly, to make the charge completely irrefutable, and secondly, and more importantly, to present the charges and the evidence in as public and dramatic and attention-gathering a format as possible.
This may have a single, incredible effect on the discourse surrounding the 2002 massacres: it may finally make it the default understanding about Gujarat that the massacres were organized by the people now in power. It will push the deniers onto the back foot. It will no longer be necessary to say, "allegedly," and "indications that," and "accused of," when discussing that a riot-production system exists, and that it was put into full-scale operation by the Sangh Parivar in Gujarat.
Many questions now arise about what will follow the sting. It seems certain to be an exciting two weeks, between the evening of the broadcast and the Gujarat state legisative elections in two weeks.
Will the people appearing in the videos be charge-sheeted? Are the videos admissible as evidence in court?
How should the Election Commission respond in terms of managing the election?
Will the Supreme Court take suo moto action?
Will the press come under the big tent and make a concerted effort to galvanize action on the basis of the investigation?
Above all, will the electorate of Gujarat - or at least that part of it that is allowed to live and exercise its franchise - acknowledge the brutal reality of what their state has become? Will that knowledge dim their view of the Modi government, or will it shine even brighter in their eyes?
In India the Islamo joins hand or act as Secular fundamentalists to denigrate Hindus/Hinduism so as to protect or advance their Islamo agenda.
Patel, can you prove it? Are not most Muslims peaceful in our state?
There may be a FEW bad Muslim clerics, etc, who do such things....why blame the vast masses that probably are focused on "roti, kapda, makaan"? They are like you and me, only from a different religion.
If tomorrow the Neo-Nazis target you and persecute you because you do not have blue eyes and blonde hair, how would you feel? Just because you are non-Aryan hardly makes you bad. Same with religion...a person belonging to a sect is not bad. People who rape and murder are bad, though....and we know they can be of any religion.
What I am saying, Patel, is that focus on DEEDS/ ACTS/ THOUGHTS, etc. This is what distinguishes a good man from an evil one.
Many of the people I interview who have opened up factories in Gujarat or are planning / thinking of doing so always mention how the state government has a good record in 'law and order'. To my ears, this seems perverse, especially given the Tehelka expose and commentary.
My question is how (on Earth) the Modi government could have mobilised such a hegemony that lots of industrialists want to invest there *because* of the Gujarati approach to law and order -- and these aren't exactly dyed-in-the-wool Sangh-ites either.
Could this 'sting' actually shake the other dominant narrative of technocratic success that gives Modi support from the India Shiners?
the question I have is how the definitive outing of the 2002 nightmare fits in with technocratic, business-friendly Gujarat. I met someone this week who just opened an industrial unit there, and part of the rhetoric was actually Gujarat's effective administration of law and order. And this man is not Gujarati, and from what I could tell, not a hard-core Sangh-ite by any stretch. Yet the hegemony is pretty wide-spread: Gujarat is a stable, investor-friendly environment.
How will these fairly mild-mannered business types respond to this? How will the business / technocratic end of the BJP handle it?
And could this be a political opening? Has anyone ever tried talking to GAP or any other multinational that's touchy about their human rights image about sourcing from Gujarat?
[...] Raghu Karnad says- ‘Murder will out’: This is only a sampler of the recorded incriminations that Khaitan obtained. They appear to be extensive, interconnected and thoroughly damning. But as Shoma Chaudhury, Tehelka’s features editor, took pains to point out during the programme, the real exposure is not of the individuals who confessed on camera to participating in the massacres. The real exposure is of the state apparatus of Gujarat - the executive, the police, the judiciary - which is compromised in total. In total. [...]
[...] Pass the Roti has more on this story… [...]
Tehelka is known for creating news where there is none. This "sting" is just another example of the secular fundamentalists hateful agenda against Hindus. No wonder, Hindus are getting angrier by the day against this secular propaganda.
Secular agenda against Hindus? I wasn't under the impression that the report had anything to say about Lord Ram or Lord Krishna, even anything about the Ram Mandir.
The Tehelka report is providing concrete, hard evidence for the massacres in 2002, and implicating organisations that claim to speak and act in the name of Hinduism by sowing hatred and taking the lives of thousands. What is particularly Hindu about the actions of the VHP and the Bajrang Dal on those days? What is particularly secular fundamentalist about bearing witness to that massacre and bringing the perpetrators out into the public eye?
Are we expected to equate the Gujarat massacres of 2002 with issues like the Ram Sethu? Can standing up for Hinduism really mean defending the perpetrators of these actions?
Why didn't the secularists do a sting on the Godhra massacre of Hindus ? Because secularists are against Hindus and Hindus only.
Secularism does not have to denigrate Lord Ram or Lord Krishna. All they have to do is to spread hate against those Hindus who stand up for themselves. Notice, my email said "Secularist agenda against Hindus" , not Hinduism.
The Tehelka report was nothing but manufactured news. Earlier Aaj Tak TV channel (Tehelka's partner) had done a "sting" on Hindu Gurus. The interviews conducted by Tehelka were done under false pretexts and statements seem to be been taken out of context. Mr. Pandya, who was interviewed by Tehelka has filed an FIR against Aaj Tak and Tehelka, claiming that he was misrepresented.
Instead of focusing on the real reason for the Gujarat reprisals, which was the murder of Hindu pilgrims by Muslims, the Secular Fundamentalists (which includes Muslims) are trying to villify Mr. Modi. This agenda of the Secularists is the real issue in the case of Gujarat, whose message is --- If Hindus are being murdered by Muslims, then Hindus should not fight back, but let the Secularists handle the situation. Or in other words --- Hindus, please get murdered and do not complain.
Note that 22 pages of the Tehelka report (pp. 78-100) were devoted to separating out fact from fabrication in the Godhra case. Their argument, which I found quite credible given their evidence, is that the attack on the Sabarmati Express was an awful, yet spontaneous, bout of ethnic violence against the karsevaks by local platformwallas reacting against the misinformation that the karsevaks had kidnapped a local girl.
Could we please look at the two events as somehow different? I am not saying for a second that Godhra was at all justified, but I would also argue vehemently that the response by the VHP and other groups was not at all proportional, even if you subscribe to an 'eye-for-an-eye' form of justice. The Gujarat massacres were systematic, planned and executed so as to cause the greatest destruction against some of the poorest residents of Gujarat's cities and villages.
Why does 'tanding up for yourself', or 'complaining' have to take the form of hacking limbs off, burning people to death, setting fire to houses and generally terrorising an entire faith community? Aren't there other, less violent ways of showing pride in your religion?
Also, as regards to Mr. Pandya, there are quite a few comments made by the man himself in the Tehe;ka Report corroborating the earlier sting. I would suggest you actually read it, if only to see the weight of evidence brought to bear on these events.
Again you are finding excuses for the Mob behaviour at Godhra. Basically Muslims burned 59 Hindus alive, many of them were women and children. The Hindu reprisals were also spontaneous, simply because, usually the secular governments do nothing. They are like you, who just talk and condemn, but punish no Muslim perpetrators.
What do you mean by not proportional ? It is impossible to proportionate street justice. The mob has a life of its own. But you must agree that Muslims need to not overreact to "misinformation (my ass)" about the karsevaks kidnapping a girl.
You want to HIndus to restrain themselves, but find excuses for Muslim behaviour. Remember, it is Muslims who are fighting everyone everywhere. So there is something fundamental about the Islamic religion or interpretation that must be examined with an unbiased mind. Clean up your act, Muslims.
How about the burning of the karsevaks ? Why did so many karsevaks have to die for a misunderstading by Muslims ??? Come on now..you want Hindus to just stay put while they are being murdered. This is nothing but the Secular/Islamic agenda to wipe out and terrorize Hindus.
Tehelka is in the money making business. Their news is manufactured and politically motivated. Perhaps the government needs to investigate the illegal tactics of the Tehelka/Aaj Tak folks.
Patel,
Please, please, please actually read the Tehelka Report before responding further. The whole point of it is to separate the horrible acts of mob violence in Godhra with the calculated, planned and state-sponsored slaughter of members of a community. If you can respond to statements made by perpetrators themselves of how weapons were smuggled in, how the attacks were coordinated high up, how the police stood by, and how the butchering, burning and raping occurred for many hours... by all means do. But don't respond without reading it, without being able to address the actual content of the Report.
I'm not excusing for a second what happened in Godhra. More than 50 people were burned, it was tragic and certainly the perpetrators need to be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. There is no question about that. But if you actually read the thing, perhaps you would see the two events as different.
As to some of your other comments, I don't know what to say. 'Clean up your act, Muslims'? Come on! Do you honestly belief that a religion that stretches from North Africa to Southeast Asia share a common political agenda?
So, again, please read the bloody Report! Then we can actually have a conversation.
Yes. The whole Muslim world is one people -- the Ummah. It is the responsibility of all Muslims to fight for other Muslims may they be anywhere. (This is why you are making your post here). Islamic ideology is controlled by Saudi Arabia, which is the major donor of finance to other Muslim countries. Saudi Arabia also donates money to build madrasas all over the world, and also controls the content of the courses.
So in short yes -- All muslims share a common political agenda. This can also be observed by Indian Muslims rallying against Bush on Iraq when Bush visited India, Kashmiri Muslims wanting the ousting of Modi in Gujarat (but same muslims being silent AND COMPLICIT about the murder of Hindus in Kashmir), Muslim hatred for Israel because of Palestine. Also the fact that Afghan, Tajik, Paki, Chechnyan Muslims have been found fighting in Kashmir. Recently an Australian white race person who had converted to Islam was found fighting Indian soldiers in Kashmir.
YES YES YES -- All Muslims have a common agenda and fight for their fellow Muslims.
As far as Gujarat -- Like I said, it is only secularists that want to separate Godhra from the reprisals. You must be reminded that hundreds of Hindus also were killed by Muslims in the after math. The Muslim community is well armed thru its connections with Pakistan -- case in point the massacre of Hindus in the Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad (you will never speak up on this).
So do not try to separate issues. There is a long history of violence against Hindus in India and this started with the foreign Islamic religion coming into India violently. This legacy of violence still continues. And you cannot separate history from what is going on right now --- unless you are Muslim or a pseudo secularist.
kawaa - you're clearly new to the blogosphere. Never debate with a Hindutwit. They know just as well as you do how "Hindu-Muslim riots" come about, but they play intellectual possum and reduce you to absurd arguments like this: "I would also argue vehemently that the response by the VHP and other groups was not at all proportional!" There's no conversation to be had with this guy, he's not here to converse, think, examine or learn, he's just a jobless Modi footsoldier, all he wants to do is wave his trishul around and poke your eye out.
Saw this linked in a comment on Sepia Mutiny:
Babu Bajrangi is into kidnapping too, apparently, in addition to mass murder...
There is no argument with a Islamo fascist. All they do is blame others for problems which are of their own creation. When they are a minority, the plead oppression. When they are a majority, they kill you or convert you.
These Islamo's know very well what they want to do to kafirs, but they hide their agenda.
But the cat is out of the bag....
This from one who says " There is no God but Allah..." as a matter of faith ?
He, who out of his faith, considers all Kafirs impure.
Debate is with someone whose mind is open...and he dares to blame others...
But then that is the nature of the beast..
Self-parody is my favorite kind :)
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean the whole world isn't Muslim
...and out to get you
Its the Quran or the sword on Pass the Roti, you got that, k?fir?
And there are no gays here, either.
Secular fundamentalists and Islamo fascists need not be mutually exclusive, depending on the circumstances. In India the Islamo joins hand or act as Secular fundamentalists to denigrate Hindus/Hinduism so as to protect or advance their Islamo agenda.
Hitchens is from a Semitic religious background. So his argument applies to the Semitic religions. That argument cannot be extended to indigenous traditions since these traditions by their nature are largely Pluralistic.
“Why didn’t the secularists do a sting on the Godhra massacre of Hindus ? Because secularists are against Hindus and Hindus only.” >>
Patel, there was no sting here because firstly brute mentality needs no sting. You don’t do a sting on road rage, or uncontrollable fits of anger. These things are part of the low behavior that happens because of brutish and unreasonable tendencies in man. A psychologist is needed to explain this, not investigators.
But the violence done to Muslims was not mere mob anger, but STATE MACHINERY and POLITICAL PARTIES actively involved in planning and sustaining mob rioting, murder, rape, etc.
You miss the point as usual... The state machinery has a *constitutional duty* to be secular and do what they are paid to do. The police are paid to protect...the courts are paid to prosecute the guilty impartially...the chief minister is paid to make all of this work!
Our political parties also are bound to be lawful...a criminal agency or party cannot be a political party in the country. This is NOT Hindus vs. Muslim but anarchy vs. lawful order.
******************
“Instead of focusing on the real reason for the Gujarat reprisals, which was the murder of Hindu pilgrims by Muslims, the Secular Fundamentalists (which includes Muslims) are trying to villify Mr. Modi.”>>
The real issue here is NOT Godhra, that was mob violence and spontaneous. It is like a case of road rage...nothing much behind it other than brutishness. Of course the guilty have to be found and punished but there is no reason for a “sting” – just like you do not do a sting on someone committing violence because he has a uncontrollable temper (That is more for psychologists than investigators).
The real issue is lack of administrative competence and acceptance of government duties ....the police did NOT protect the people they are paid to protect, and Modi encouraged violence per reports both by Tehelka and Outlook.
Modi is the head of this administration and he has to take blame for the chronic failure of the police, and also the miscarriage of justice which occurred in the aftermath.
**********************
“Because secularists are against Hindus and Hindus only.”>>
This is a poor argument. It may be that secular politics have been lenient on Muslims, but the REAL ISSUE IN THIS CASE is the lack of proper administration. It is not a few brutes getting angry and raping women...this is for psychologists to determine why people do such things!
The issue is HOW did the police fail so badly...WHY are there reports of Modi giving people three days when he is supposed to run an administration that serves the people...ALL people of Gujarat, not just Hindus. And WHY is it that folk like Bajrangi can thrive with hooliganism, where he can determine whom people can marry like he owns their rights!
The issue is LAW vs. ANARCHY. You *cannot* kill innocent people, rape them, destroy their property, etc, because you feel angry for someone belonging to their religion performing an evil act. You have to find the evil doer and bring him/her to justice, and NOT harm the rest who are ESSENTIALLY INNOCENT of the crime. This is being fair, not brutish blaming of innocent people who did not participate in the crime!
I thought we were secular fundamentalists? How about Christopher Hitchens's "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons everything" or the sword? :)
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