LONDON: A group of Indian MPs visiting the riot-torn Indian city, according to a report in the “Times”, said there had been cases of extreme brutality. The MPs said, “Entire families had been dragged from their homes and burnt to death. In many cases the attacks had been planned in advance, and mobs appeared to possess the street numbers of their victims.”

According to unconfirmed reports, hundreds of bodies were buried in secret communal pits. ... According to the latest estimates, of the 1,000 persons killed in the rioting, 75 per cent are Muslims.

The correspondent said “there is certainly some truth in the observation that Indian leaders were initially more interested in gatecrashing the Rabat conference basically to outbid Pakistan for Arab support than in the tragic happenings in Gujrat”. He said that the man in the street had not reacted favourably to the Indian decision to join the Rabat conference.

According to the Delhi correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph”, five thousand Police and 1,000 soldiers in Ahmedabad have failed to quell the riots despite what amounts to Martial Law [and] the plan to lift the 24-hour curfew by stages on Wednesday was abandoned. — Agencies

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2019