The article “The battle against forgetting” (Feb. 28) is the story of those who faced the horrors inflicted on a community with the help of the State that was supposed to protect them. Forgetting the atrocities would mean accepting them; even encouraging similar acts. The fight for justice must go on till Gujarat admits its mistake and the guilty are punished.
S.D. Mukherji,
Hyderabad
How we pursue the Gujarat riots case will be an indication of how responsible we are as citizens. The fight is for justice for all our brothers and sisters, victimised during the carnage. It is not as much about Gujarat as it is about India as a whole.
R.V.K. Saketh,
Visakhapatnam
I still wonder how a civilised society could commit such atrocities against fellow human beings. It is easy to say “Ten years have passed, forgot the riots,” but the fancy line has no meaning in real life, especially for the victims of the riots who have to deal with the trauma every day. They should not only get justice but get it as soon as possible.
Bineet Joshi,
Dehra Dun
Even a mere reading of the gruesome accounts of those who were witness to the horrors of the Gujarat carnage is painful. How, then, can those who suffered forget and “move on?” State connivance in the 2002 pogrom was too obvious, which is why the leaders of Gujarat say ‘look at the progress the State has made.' Be it the Delhi of 1984 or the Gujarat of 2002, attempts should be made to remember, not forget, the horrors.
Why and how the common folk allow themselves to be used and turn into beasts need to be deliberated thoroughly. Attempts should be made to reach out to the violent psyche of the common man in order to eliminate the cause. This will be possible only when the shameful deeds are remembered, discussed, debated and deliberated upon.
Satya Veer Singh,
Faridabad
Despite ample evidence, the criminal justice system is moving at snail's pace. Ten years have passed but virtually nothing has been achieved in the name of justice so far.
Mohd. Naved Ashrafi,
Aligarh
I fully agree with the writer that justice should be ensured for the Gujarat riot victims. But what surprises me is that she refers to only Muslims as victims. Apart from the 58 people who lost their lives when a coach of the Sabarmati Express was burnt in Godhra, 254 Hindus were killed in the post-Godhra riots.
Riots are spontaneous in which all communities suffer. We must ensure that communal hatred is not encouraged. For this, it is necessary to forget the past and move forward.
Avneesh Kumar Verma,
Allahabad
The argument that Gujarat 2002 should not be treated as something in the past and that we should wage a battle against forgetting it is dangerous. If we go on recalling the past, where are we to draw the line? What if some insist on recalling what happened 400-500 years ago in Somnath and elsewhere, when the gory scenes described by the author were played out by different actors?
S. Ganesh,
Chennai
There are no words to describe the violence that followed the Godhra incident. But on the 10th anniversary of the Gujarat riots, all newspapers and television news channels were abuzz with the recollections of the riot survivors. The families which lost their loved ones in the Godhra carnage were hardly covered. Were they lesser human beings? We must regard every life lost as unfortunate, regardless of religion.
Kumari Bhavya,
Allahabad
The law is taking its course and justice will be delivered. To go to the homes and localities of the riot victims and make them recall the unpleasant events will only rekindle their anger and the memories of the incidents they are trying to forget.
Ph Lamlunlal Vaiphei,
New Delhi
