M A I N   N E W S

Youth stabbed to death in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, May 12
In unabated communal violence, a youth was stabbed to death and the police opened fire and burst several teargas shells to disperse rioting mobs which set on fire shops in curfew-bound localities of Ahmedabad this afternoon.

Two persons armed with swords and riding a scooter attacked an unsuspecting youth at Bhaironnath Road of Maninagar area, police sources said.

The youth suffered multiple injuries on his head and other parts of the body and was rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead, the sources added.

Mobs hurled stones indiscriminately in curfew-bound Jamalpur locality under Haveli police station area and set a shop on fire, compelling the police to open fire and burst several teargas shells.

A shop was set afire at Behrampura in Danilimda, which was under indefinite curfew, fire brigade sources said.

Indefinite curfew remained in force in four police station areas of Haveli, Kagadapith, Kalupur and Danilimda.

Curfew was relaxed in other police station areas of the walled city during daytime, police sources said.

Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (U), a partner of the ruling National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, today took out a peace march in Bharuch district in south Gujarat.

The march, which later culminated into a rally, was led by Janata Dal (U) General Secretary Arun Kumar Srivastava and party’s National Secretary Javed Raja.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi-based NGO of ayurvedic physicians on Sunday announced sending a doctors’ team to provide medical assistance to the riot-affected in Gujarat.

The team of doctors would visit different relief camps set up by the government and NGOs in Ahmedabad and elsewhere.

The team was being sent as per the desire expressed by a large number of Gujarati NRIs in Europe. PTI

Want to be safe? Fake your identity
Mahendra Parmar

Ahmedabad, May 12
For more than a decade, Mohsin Ansari had been proud of his long, flowing beard. Fear has replaced pride today as the 35-year-old air-conditioning technician keeps his beard trimmed.

Switching religious identity could be your passport to roaming safely in Ahmedabad and other places in Gujarat hit by communal riots.

The frightening situation has forced people of both communities to resort to expedient means to either hide or expose their identities.

Ansari says he is forced to conceal any sign of his religious identity as most of his clients belong to the majority community and live in the majority community-populated western part of the city.

College students Shabbir and Yusuf wear their white skull caps when they are in minority-populated areas. Once they are out of these places, the white caps disappear into their pockets.

“Saab, kya kare? Aap hi baataiye? Bahar jana bhi hai or salamat rehna bhi hai (Sir, what to do? You tell us? We have to go out, yet we need to be safe also),” say Shabbir and Yusuf.

Neither are all Hindus bad nor all Muslims good, but their dilemma is — How does one judge who is good and who is not?

Businessmen from the majority community dealing in clothes and gold in Ratan-pole and Manek Chowk areas of the walled city, dominated by minority population, resort to all sorts of gimmicks to hide their religious identity like not calling one another by their names.

Symbols like “786”, “Om”, “Jai Shree Ram” and “Jai Mata Di” too have disappeared from vehicles.

Members of the majority community tend to speak in Hindi using popular words such as “ustad”, “party”, “bhai” and “apun” if they are going to the minority-dominated eastern part of the city. Pure Gujarati comes a safe tool for those belonging to the minority community.

The handy survival kits are helping them now, but Ansari and others wait for restoration of normalcy, peace and communal harmony to tear away their fake identities. UNI