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CNN Sunday Morning
Deadly Religious Violence in Western India
Aired March 03, 2002 - 07:11 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, capital officials of the Indian government are visiting the sights today of deadly of religious violence in Western India. Officials now believe they have the situation control though, but others say it could flare again in a region where nearly 300 people died in fighting between Muslims and Hindus. CNN's Satinder Bindra has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): A drive through some of Ahmedabad's narrow, debris littered streets showcases the horror of India's worst villagers riots in more than a decade. Three days after the trouble began, the fires here continue to burn. Looting is still commonplace, but very dangerous to film. Several cameramen have been injured.
As we walk through the ruins of this city, Ahmedabad's police commissioner tells me he thinks the worst may be over.
PRASHANT PANDE, COMMISSIONER, AHMEDABAD POLICE: The situation is fast coming back to normal. Normalcy means no violence at the moment.
BINDRA: Police are now easing curfew restrictions in some parts of the city. Here, the area's braver residents venture outdoors to try to calm their jittery nerves. Storeowners clean up the mess from days of rioting. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) workers also work feverishly to sweep away the memories of what happened here.
In one neighborhood, I come across a bulldozer carting away the remains of a gutted mosque. Watching it all is resident, Albaj Argojolt (ph), a Hindu. He tells me Muslims should have anticipated a backlash after they torched alive 58 Hindu activists, including women and children in a train last Wednesday.
ALBAJ ARGOJOLT, RESIDENT (through translator): As you sew, so shall you weep. They should get ready to take back whatever they did to us.
BINDRA: Realizing such bitterness still divides Ahmedabad; police are keeping parts of the city under curfew. With such restrictions in place, it may be days before authorities can make a full assessment of the damage.
Many residents here have witnessed villager strife in Ahmedabad before, but they say the savagery of these recent riots in which women and children were burnt alive and hundreds of homes were trashed, still traumatizes them.
Nujanha Boni (ph) tells me a Hindu mob burnt her home. She managed to escape and now lives with her Muslim relatives.
NUJANHA BONI, RESIDENT (through translator): Right now, this is where we have to live. Where else can we go?
BINDRA: As residents here slowly start picking up the pieces of their lives, their hoping the bitter hangover of the riots should not unleash yet more violence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BINDRA: Kyra, clearly, in the city, the violence seems to have been brought under control. But out in the countryside, the bloodshed continues. Just a few kilometers from where I am, six people were killed in ongoing Hindu-Muslim clashes just this morning.
I'm, Kyra, in a village called Hasaporov (ph) where there was a major incident just yesterday. Police tell me a large Hindu mob of about 1,500 people came to this village. Four hundred and 50 Muslims live here. The mob came into the street. They started burning and looting the homes. The Muslims then ran from the street just to my left and came into this room that you see over my shoulder. They thought they could seek shelter in there, but the mob tossed in a few gasoline bombs and they shut the doors. By the time the police managed to arrive here, 29 people had been burnt alive. Nineteen of them were women and children.
The Indian prime minister just yesterday described this as a quote disgrace to the nation.
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: Satinder, can you expand at all on the security that had taken place and the type of security, especially for women and children?
BINDRA: Kyra, since this morning, out here in the countryside, I am seeing a large paramilitary presence. Of course, we have seen the Indian Army being deployed in the larger cities, but just this morning, while I've been here, I've seen a large contingent of Indian paramilitary troops. They have been patrolling the area.
The other residents of this village obviously are petrified. They say they haven't slept in two or three days. And they say if the paramilitary forces do not hang around here for the night, then they too intend to flee.
I should add that all the remaining Muslims of this village have fled. They've fled to other friends and family. Police, though, here managed to rescue about 40 people. Another 17 or 18 people were injured in the rioting, Kyra, have been taken by police to a nearby hospital. Back to you.
PHILLIPS: Satinder Bindra, a tough story. Thank you so much.
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