A signature campaign was carried out by Jan Sangharsh Manch in April 2002 and the letter below along with the signatures was sent to the President of India, Prime Minister of India, Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court and the Governor of Gujarat.
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JANSANGHARSH MANCH104, Maharanapratap Centre, Near Ellisbridge Post Office, Ahmedabad- 380006. Phone: 6577280; 2139726. Dated:26th April, 2002 |
To,
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The Hon’ble President,
Rashtrapati Bhavan,
New Delhi.
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The Hon’ble Prime Minister,
Government of India,
New Delhi.
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The Hon’ble Leader of Opposition,
Parliament of India,
New Delhi.
Sub: Appeal for entrusting investigation of Crime against women in the Gujarat riots by a Central Agency like CBI.
Hon’ble Sirs,
On and from 27th February, 2002, Gujarat has been engulfed in a holocaust that defies all civilized comprehension. Premeditated killings, destruction and burning of humans and their habitat has become the norm in cities like Ahmedabad. Amongst all the crimes that have been perpetrated in the past two months, the most gruesome and ghastly are those which are specifically directed against the women. Perhaps the sight of the mutilated, abused and humiliated woman is chosen to strike terror in the heart of the community to which they belong.
On behalf of the Jan Sangharsh Manch, we had therefore approached the common women of both the communities in their homes and work places to elicit their opinion against such crimes against women. In a near total communally polarized society in the present time, we received an encouraging support from the women, cutting across the communal divide, who were willing to express their outrage against the atrocities committed against the women irrespective of the communal origin.
The most unfortunate aspect of the present violence is the partisan role being played by the the Police in particular. Complaints filed in connection with the most heinous crimes are neither being registered nor investigated into. Under these circumstance, Sirs, we appeal to you on behalf of the signatories of the attached memorandum, to use your High Constitutional Offices to order the de-novo investigation in all cases rape, murder and burning alive of women in the Gujarat riots, by CBI or any other impartial central investigation agency in order to bring to justice the perpetrators of such heinous crimes.
Yours sincerely,
Mohan Bundela
Convenor, JSM
Rajesh Mankad
Treasurer, JSM
Encl. 41 pages of Signatures.
