MAY 20,
2007
TEHELKA: What time did you reach Baroda [from Godhra]?…
Deepak
Shah:We got there at about three, four o clock…
TEHELKA: After admitting
the injured to hospital …
Shah:We had gone
with a big ambulance… went straight to the hospital… got
them admitted… Then we met the Godhra MP, Gopal Singh …
met the train collector also… The directives were clearly given
to the police… to the MP also … the directives were very
clear… that no Hindu is to be arrested now… catch all the
Muslims… don’t talk to us about balance… “balance”
is something we’ll do later… Just take the force now and
teach them a lesson…
TEHELKA: In Godhra?
Shah:We
went to a lot of places… Everybody’s views were zabardast
[fierce]... Jaideepbhai from the VHP was also there… All our workers
had gathered on
the road… there was tremendous fury… They seemed to have
made up their minds then itself that this time they were not going to
spare the Muslims… When we reached Baroda too, it was a curfew-like
situation because everyone had come to know through the media of the
terrible incident that had happened… The anger was so spontaneous…
that even on the way, wherever there was a Muslim shop or house, it
was burnt …
TEHELKA: How was
it all organised…
Shah: For the next
two days in Baroda, everyone just targeted… whoever they could…
as many as possible… even in remote areas like Manzarpur... Areas
like Alkapuri and Gotri have never even seen stonepelting... such areas
which have no history whatsoever of riots… in those areas, people
selectively targeted all the Muslim shops and burnt them …
TEHELKA:Were you
at the meeting held in Baroda that night?
Shah: Yes…
I went for that meeting too… The general sentiment was that if
we did not retaliate even after such a big incident and if we just backed
down quietly, then they would be encouraged to spread terror…
They can do anything… First we gave a bandh call…
TEHELKA: Only VHP
people attended the meeting….
Shah: No, no, everybody
was there…There were people from the Sangh Parivar… from
the Sangathan… the Mandal … you know, people who participate
in any big event organized by the VHP… All the youth wings were
also invited…
TEHELKA: Fifty to
sixty people were there in the meeting …
Shah: The number
was higher… around 100–150
TEHELKA:
Like in Ahmedabad, where the meeting was held at some guesthouse…
Shah: Yes, it was
held here at the Narmada guest house …
TEHELKA: Narmada
guesthouse… Did anyone spell out anything specific?
Shah:
Everyone expressed their views… [the view was] itihaas me
kabhi sakshi na ho aisa hona chahiye [it should be something history
has not witnessed)…
TEHELKA: Dhimantbhai
was telling me about the strategy… about constituting a team of
lawyers …
Shah: Correct…
because the police will conduct an inquiry… So [we had to think
of] what we would do to protect our people…
TEHELKA: So who
were there in the legal team?
Shah: Sanjaybhai
Joshi was there… Neeraj Jain was there...
TEHELKA: Rajendra
Trivedi was there?
Shah: Rajendra Trivedi
was there… Pankaj Chabar …Tushar Vyas…
TEHELKA: Who was
used in the attack?
Shah: There are
warring communities… the Kharvas… the Baakris… They
always come forward at such times… They are meat-eating people
… they have the tools and they usually lead from the front…
So they were channelised … There were Kahars… A lot of Rabaris
were there this time… Bhadris, Parmars and
Marathi-speaking people, who have a lot of passion…
TEHELKA: Dhimantbhai
was telling me that a peace committee was formed just to mislead everyone,
and that committee moulded rods and pipes and distributed them…
Shah:
Whatever was needed was given… After all, it was a battle for
faith…
