Godhra victims’ families feel left out by VHP

AHMEDABAD: “What happened in Godhra has hurt us all. But, instead of providing a healing touch, our wounds were aggravated, opened in public to fetch votes and win elections... There is a great difference between ‘balidaan’ (sacrifice) and ‘bali ka bakra’ (sacrificial goat). Now, I feel we are the latter�.
These are words of Dr Girishchandra Laxmishanker Rawal, whose wife Sudha was burnt alive in the S-6 coach of the ill-fated Sabarmati Express.His son Ashvin, who was also an active VHP and BJP worker, was killed during the ensuing communal riots.
Rawal is one among those related to Godhra victims who is not happy with the way in which his family has been treated by the vanguards of Hindutva, especially after the December elections. “A lot of people visited us before the elections. But after the results were announced, nobody from the VHP or the BJP has even bothered to phone us to find out whether we are okay or not,� he says.
The promises of huge compensation to the families of Godhra victims by the cash-rich VHP have evaporated. Besides the official govern-ment compensation of Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh in cash and Rs 40,000 in bonds, the VHP had made announcements that they will give Rs 50,000 to the family of each Godhra martyr. The VHP promise came after the government compensation was reduced from the original Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1 lakh.
“I want to ask how many people have received the money promised by the VHP,� says Rawal, who looks after his daughter-in-law and grand daughter on a meagre pension of Rs 3,000 which he gets. “We don’t want to be misunderstood as someone who is asking for a price for the deaths. But the deaths have not been respected in the true sense,� says Rawal, who stays in Juntanagar in Ramol.
“I had expressed my dislike before the VHP leaders when they de-cided to observe February 27, 2003 as Balidaan Diwas,� he says.
Komal Panchal, who lost both her parents and two sisters in the Godhra carnage, says that they are yet to get the Rs 50,000 promised by the VHP. Incidentally, Komal was one of the persons who inaugu-rated Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s election office in Maninagar.
“However, hardly any VHP leaders have turned up after elections. But what more can you expect from politicians?� says Komal, who lives with her three sisters. At present, the only source of income for the Panchal family is Komal’s salary. “Any kind of financial help would do us a great deal of good,� she says.
Neha Soni, who stays near Rabari Colony, lost her father and elder brother in the carnage too hasn’t received the sum promised by the VHP. However Soni, who stays with her mother, has no complaints against anyone.
VHP leader Jaideep Patel, says he doesn’t remember whether such a promise was ever made. “I don’t know whether the Parishad had promised to pay Rs 50,000 or not,� he says.