Maybe the M in MEA can’t include Muslim

It's the job of the Ministry of External Affairs—which has been prickly of late to criticism from foreign countries—to put New Del...

It’s the job of the Ministry of External Affairs—which has been prickly of late to criticism from foreign countries—to put New Delhi’s best foot forward. On Gujarat, in trying to do so, it’s put it right royally in its mouth.

And in an exercise that would make even cloying PR professionals cringe, it has given the Gujarat carnage a spin without referring to the fact that over 800 Muslims have been killed. MEA spokesperson Nirupama Rao was unavailable for comment.

• The death toll in Gujarat over the last two months is not over 800, it’s 58 in Godhra plus 145 in police firing.
• The police have been doing just one job: rescue, rescue and rescue.
• There are 1.13 lakh people in 99 relief camps across the state. Who are these people? Don’t ask.

On its official website (meadev.nic.in), under the heading The Present Situation in Gujarat— The Facts (updated on April 22), it has a 55-frame slide show. Not one mentions the killing of any Muslim. Or of any attack against them.

In contrast, it has details of the Godhra attack, with pictures, and the death toll.

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• Godhra gets 11 slides—two showing the charred train, two showing the ‘Honourable’ Chief Minister visiting.

• Not a single slide mentions the revenge attacks on Muslims that followed.

• Slides 12 and 13 list the ‘‘immediate aftermath of Godhra’’: reporting by the media and the surcharged atmosphere in the state.

• Slide 15, referring to events in Ahmedabad, says that ‘‘panic-stricken calls flooding the control room had to be responded to.’’ Yet, it makes no mention of the worst massacres in which the victims called the control room to no effect.

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• Slides 24-28 list ‘‘Effective Police Action.’’ In this, the MEA claims police killed 145 across the state (doesn’t mention that most of them were Muslims shot point blank as first reported in The Indian Express) and rescued 10,000 people.

• Who were they rescued from isn’t explained at all.

• Slide 30 talks of 5,406 peace committee meetings and 1,067 peace marches held. Facts are that until tonight, two peace marches have been held in Ahmedabad.

• The slide show takes a swipe at Congress-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra for not coming to Gujarat’s rescue. Slide 23, which is on CPMF reinforcements on February 27, 28 and March 1, notes: ‘‘By 3rd March, 33 coys of CPMF and 2 coys of MSRP were deployed in the state. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were requested to provide 10 coys each. However, only Maharashtra responded by providing two coys.’’

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• Slide 32 to 35 are all about normalcy returning to Gujarat — of peace prevailing when 1,37,000 pilgrims trek to Dakor on Holi, of 5,998 Haj pilgrims being escorted home safely on their return.

• The remaining slides are all about what the Government calls relief and rehabilitation: 400 gm of wheat per head, 100 gms of rice.

• The last slide says, ‘Thank You.’