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The day after the train
attack rioting broke out across the state of
Gujarat |
2002: Hindus die in train fire |
England have
Fifty-seven Hindu pilgrims have died in a fire on a train in India.
The fire happened as the Sabarmati Express, bound for Ahmedabad, was
pulling out of Godhra station in the western state of Gujarat at
approximately 0630 hrs today.
The train was returning hundreds of Hindu activists from a
pilgrimage to the disputed
holy site of Ayodhya in the northern Indian state of Uttar P, which is
claimed by both Muslims and Hindus.
A gang of Muslims are suspected of causing the fire and India's prime
minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has appealed for calm amid fears of renewed
religious tension in the country.
The dispute over Ayodhya has been ongoing for several years.
In 1992 the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), or World Hindu Council,
organised a demonstration which resulted in the destruction of a
500-year-old Moghul mosque at Ayodhya.
The Hindus believe the mosque occupied the same spot where their god
Ram was born.
The destruction of the mosque sparked the most widespread rioting India
has seen since partition, and resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000
people.
More than 14,000 Hindus have gathered at Ayodhya in recent weeks to
plan the construction of a temple. They have set a deadline of 15 March
for work to begin.
According to the head of police in Godhra, Raju Bhargava, it appears
this morning's train fire was started by a gang of Muslims who were
angered by pro-Hindu chanting on the train.
Initial evidence suggests kerosene was poured into four of the
carriages before they were set alight.
Local resident Rakesh Kimani, 18, witnessed the event: "I heard screams
for help as I came out of my house.
"I saw a huge ball of fire... people putting out their hands and heads
through the windows, trying to escape.
"It was a horrible sight."
Schools and shops have been shut in Godhra and a curfew has been
imposed. Police in the town have been ordered to shoot troublemakers on
sight.
Prime Minister Vajpayee, whose Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Janata
party (BJP), allied to the VHP, came to power in the mid-1990s in a
landslide victory, said: "This is a very sad and unfortunate incident.
"The Ayodhya dispute can be solved only by dialogue between Hindus and
Muslims or resolved by the court. It cannot be resolved through violent
means or agitation.
"I would appeal to the VHP to suspend their campaign and help
government in maintaining peace and brotherhood in the country."
But the VHP has called for a state-wide strike to protest against the
attack and the more militant members have vowed to continue with the
temple's construction.
There have been scattered reports of clashes between Hindus and Muslims
in Gujarat after news of the train attack spread.