NEW DELHI: Led by LK. Advani, the Hindu fundamentalists’ march to Ayodhia to destroy the historic Babri mosque on Oct 30, has already spelled Muslims killings far and wide.

In Gonda district, close to the site of the emerging confrontation, the worst carnage took place a few days ago in which 400 Muslims were killed, a figure conveniently suppressed by India’s upper caste dominated news agencies and the daily newspapers. The details of the death and destruction have been revealed by the Sunday Observer which says the Gonda riots were comparable only to last year’s riots in Bhagalpur.

At least 2 dozen villages were involved. The brunt, as always, was borne by Muslims. As the death dance continued the district administration as usual was a mute witness despite prior warnings. Several villages in the interior have been wiped out, according to the newspaper. Virtually all 40 Muslim families of Pandey Chaura have been killed leaving 1 or 2 survivors to tell the ghastly tale.

The mounting death toll in Gonda coming simultaneously with communal clashes in 4 more states Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh shows that the county is perched on a tinder box.

Anti-Muslim riots spread to more areas of Karnataka with Tumkur coming in its grip where violence and arson were the order of the day. In Davangere 15 died of communal violence including 7 at the hands of the police which tried to control the situation. Meanwhile, to refurbish Congress (I)’s image among Muslims and other minorities, Dalits and backward committees, the party chief} Rajiv Gandhi asked Chief Minister Varinder Patil to resign from office but he refused to call a meeting of the parliamentary party. “Why should I call the meeting? I am the leader. No one can take the Congress Parliamentary Party as their right,” he asserted. However, if CLP wants me out, I will go, he said.

The Congress (I) leadership’s grouse is that Patil now on the sick bed had failed to control the law and order situation resulting in Muslim deaths. The party seems to be anxious to put upa clean image on the communal front to take advantage of the likely destruction of human lives and property by the BJP and other organisations on or before October 30.

Article extracted from this publication >> October 12, 1990