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CNN Live Saturday

Indian Army Restores Order in Godhra

Aired March 02, 2002 - 12:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The Indian army appears to have a firm grip today on a corner of the country that has been hit by three days of religious violence.

CNN's Suhasini Haidar reports on a blood-soaked week in Godhra.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUHASINI HAIDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Policemen fired to force people back into their homes in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. It is an attempt to stop crowds from collecting and turning into riotous mobs. Yet people do gather, some to watch, some like these men to take stock of their loss.

Their shops were burnt two days ago, when eyewitnesses say a Hindu mob set fire to the single Muslim-owned store in this row of shops selling car parts. The mob, say policemen, were angered by an attack on a train Wednesday by a suspected Muslim crowd that killed 57 Hindu activists. When they set fire to the first shop, it spread and engulfed eight others, including Pradeep Shah's shop.

PRADEEP SHAH, SHOP OWNER (through translator): One Muslim shop was burned, and then all our shops caught fire.

HAIDAR (on camera): It's a metaphor for what's been happening here in the western state over the past few days, violence that flares against one community, quickly spreads to the other. That violence has already claimed hundreds of lives, mostly unarmed men, women and children.

(voice-over): Police say they tried their best to protect them, but their forces were just outnumbered by the size of the violent crowds.

P.C. PANDE, POLICE COMMISSIONER: People in Ahmedabad cannot deal with a violent crowd of say 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, which has been the numbers.

HAIDAR: Reinforcements have arrived now. Hundreds of soldiers have been patrolling Ahmedabad's streets since Friday. Police say the situation will soon be under control, but many residents here say they don't sleep at night for fear of more violence, a fear as real as the fires here that haven't stopped burning for the past three days.

Suhasini Haidar, CNN, Ahmedabad, Western India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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