AID Statement on Tehelka exposé on Gujarat
violence
The
Association for India’s Development (AID) views with great concern the
various revelations in the Tehelka exposé of October 25th 2007 regarding the
planning and execution of the Gujarat pogrom in 2002 and how a systematic
effort is going on to deny justice to the victims and survivors of these
violent events in which over 2000 people were killed according to human rights
organizations.
The tapes reveal several prima-facie incriminating statements by the
perpetrators themselves of how the pogrom in Gujarat was planned, how
administrative cover was provided by the state, confessions of brutality, rape
and murder ; statements to the effect that they will murder again if opportunity
arises; statements indicating subversion of law by law officers such as by a
prosecutor and another person representing the State of Gujarat in front of
judicial commission investigating the violence; and bragging by a Gujarat MLA
about how bombs were made at a place in his control and arms procured and
distributed.
The tapes provide fresh
evidence implicating those involved in the Gujarat
government at the highest levels of the political establishment, administration
and law enforcement who colluded with the key perpetrators of the violence. The
tapes also correlate with various statements regarding the scale and the nature
of violence as well as attempts to subvert justice previously made by various
human-rights organizations in India,
and by eminent persons and activists who were in Gujarat
in the immediate aftermath of the violence in 2002 to independently investigate
and provide relief and assistance to the survivors.
The violations of law and order recorded by Tehelka are heinous in the
extreme
and cast a most egregious blot on the very core of civic society. Every
effort
must be made to immediately bring the perpetrators and their supporters
to
justice. Such crimes should not go unpunished for such lengths of time
by
the judicial system, if we are to ensure that they don't ever repeat in
Gujarat or elsewhere, and that people's faith in the rule
of law is restored. It is shocking to be reminded that some of the most
egregious violent incidents such as the Naroda Patiya and Gulbarga
Society are
still pending hearing for the past 4 years, not the least because of
the
way the state government handled the prosecution.
Following the exposé,
the administration in Gujarat has responded by
ordering a media black-out of the Tehelka tapes in that state. This goes
against the Constitutional right of freedom of speech and expression and the
fundamental tenets of the RTI Act of 2005 that says in its preamble:
"democracy requires an informed citizenry and transparency of information
which are vital to its functioning."
We demand that new
evidence brought to light by the Tehelka exposé be rapidly looked at and action
taken to arrest and bring to justice those who perpetrated, aided and abetted
the violence; and that the pending cases be heard and resolved by the Courts in
an expedited manner.Further, all Constitutional means should be considered to
ensure that the Gujarat administration does
not continue to subvert the rule of law in delivering justice to the victims.
All the survivors and families affected in Gujarat
in 2002 should be adequately compensated and rehabilitated, and clear steps
taken to end the isolation and ghettoization of the communities affected by the
riots. We also demand that the media black-out of Tehelka Tapes on televisions
in Gujarat be lifted immediately.
We appeal to the people
of Gujarat to maintain public order and peace
as they look at the evidence and demand that the Indian law enforcement and
judicial system bring to justice all those who are implicated.
