Author:
Publication: The New Indian Express
Date: November 8, 2002
URL: http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEP20021108131026&Page=P&Title=States&rLink=158
Fifteen people living near Mai Fatheh
Shah Dargah in Shahpur area have prepared an affidavit against Congress
leader from Dariyapur constituency Pankaj Shah, accusing him of leading
mobs which had looted and set their houses ablaze during the post-Godhra
riots on February 28.
They plan to send copies of this
affidavit to the President of India, Chief Election Commission and top
Congress leaders.
The people of the area say it was
because of the violence led by Shah that around 70 families had to take
refuge at the Dariakhan Ghummat relief camp, and many couldn't return back
for seven months.
Says Siddiqi Kadarbhai, a resident
and a worker at one of the cotton-mattress units in the area: "Shah burnt
our houses while he was not in power. If he contests these elections and
comes to power, there will be another Naroda-Patiya here."
Shah, who is also secretary of the
Gujarat PCC, refutes the allegations and calls them politically motivated.
"I do not want to enter into any controversy with elections around the
corner," he adds. The Congress leader also claims that he had spoken to
the residents, and they were saying exactly the opposite of what is mentioned
in the affidavit ((a copy of which is with this website's newspaper).
Residents rubbish the claim that
the move is politically motivated. "First, we do not want him to contest
the elections. And if at all he does, we want the people to know what kind
of a man he is before they vote for him. How can we tolerate a person who
reduced our houses to ashes to contest the elections and become an MLA?"
argues Raffiq Gaffarbhai, a resident.
Asked why they didn't raise the
matter earlier, Lal Mohammed Sultanbhai Vora, who has been staying in this
area for over 30 years and who persuaded the residents to take up the issue,
claims: "When we were at the relief camp, police came to record our complaints
and we told them about Shah's involvement. But they did not record it."
Kadarbhai adds he even made a verbal
complaint to Congress president Sonia Gandhi when she visited the Dariyakhan
Ghummat relief camp. "I had told Soniaji about her party leader's involvement
and the manner in which he had led mobs on February 28 to torch our houses.
But the party hasn't taken any action yet."
The inaction is only making the
residents nervous, and scared for their lives. "Even after all these months,
things are not as they were," says Kadarbhai.
"Just 15 days ago, a Hindu was killed
along with his Muslim friend for helping his brother and taking him to
the hospital during the riots. If such incidents could happen even after
more than 10 months of the riots, anything can happen to us."
