This refers to the article “ >Deliberateness and spontaneity in violence ” (Dec.31). It presents evidence again, if any more was really required, that the 2002 riots were no spontaneous outbreak of violence but a state-sponsored pogrom with a vicious and ulterior political design to polarise society in order to reap a rich political harvest of votes of the majority community including those who used to traditionally vote against the BJP.
Mr. Narendra Modi’s Mehsana election speech was meant to create a feeling of contempt for the Muslim community. In view of all this, his recent blog post that expressed his “pain and agony” over what had happened deserves to be rejected.
Shahabuddin Nadeem,
Bangalore
If the BJP was so desperate to win elections, it would have applied the very same formula also in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The findings presented are the result of the media still being unable to come to terms with Mr. Modi being given a clean chit. It would be polite to say that the article is based only on a theory that is of academic interest.
Srinivas M.,
Hyderabad
Culpability in the 2002 riots cannot be fixed solely on the basis of an academic analysis studded with statistics which do not represent the ground realities. It is just inconceivable that the Gujarat government would have gone about analysing areas where it faced stiff political competition and then selectively orchestrated riots in exactly those places. With an Ahmedabad court having stood by the findings of the SIT, it is time we repose faith in our judiciary and stop trying to run down a prime ministerial candidate who millions look up to now as a ray of hope.
Prashant Rakheja,
Chennai
