April 5, 2002	Friday	Muharram 21, 1423

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NEW DELHI, April 4: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, obviously stunned by the horror of the bit of Gujarat he saw on Thursday, told a gathering of Muslim victims sheltered in a camp that they were not alone in suffering the barbaric assault on their human rights, and that the whole of India shared their grief.

Even as a he spoke, explaining that he was late in coming to Ahmedabad because the state administration of Chief Minister Narendra Modi would not let him come earlier, several parts of Gujarat were reeling under unabated violence.

There were reports that one person was killed and several injured in police firing at the precise time of the prime minister’s visit to Gujarat.

“You are not alone at this time of crisis, we all are with you. The entire country is with you,” Vajpayee told mostly Muslim victims huddled at the Shah Alam Relief camp where nearly 8,000 people affected by the state-backed communal violence have taken shelter.

In an emotional outburst, Vajpayee said: “Apne desh mein refugee ho jana, yeh dil ko cheerane wali baat hai (becoming refugee in one’s own country is something that pierces the heart).”

He said India had prestige in the comity of nations for its pluralistic character which has been badly bruised by the events in Gujarat. He said “with what face, I do not know, I will go abroad after what has happened here”.

Referring to the massacre of Hindu activists in a train on Feb 27, Vajpayee said: “Whatever had happened in Godhra should be condemned. But what went on after that in other parts of the state should also be equally condemned by one and all.”

“Yeh pagalpan bandh hona chahiye (this madness should stop),” he said amidst claps from Muslim inmates of the camp. “Aag se aag nahin bujhti (fire does not stop fire). To prevent fire from spreading you need water,” he said.

“What happened this time in Gujarat cannot be even imagined by a civilised man. I cannot even think of how a man can be torched to death. This is inhuman and should be condemned,” Vajpayee said.

“Are we going off track from the path of humanity,” he asked. Vajpayee walked into the relief camp amidst unprecedented security with the chief minister Narendra Modi accompanying him. Immediately after Vajpayee ended his speech, some of the youth victims raised anti-Modi slogans demanding his dismissal.

“No guilty would be allowed to go unpunished. The guilty would be punished. When we cannot give life what right do we have to take it away,” Vajpayee said.

“Aman qayam rakhna rajneetik neta aur adhikariyon ka zimedari hai (it is the responsibility of political leadership and o