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This is an archive article published on April 13, 2004

Day after, Hashmi crusade on its feet

‘‘The VHP goons asked me to take off my T-shirt, which carried a message of peace. When I resisted, they tore it off and burnt it,...

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‘‘The VHP goons asked me to take off my T-shirt, which carried a message of peace. When I resisted, they tore it off and burnt it,’’ says Manan Trivedi (30), co-ordinator for Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD), an NGO working for communal harmony in Gujarat.

On Sunday, 28 student members of the group Youth Aman Karwan led by Shabnam Hashmi on a road campaign, Meri Awaaz Suno, were physically and verbally assaulted by some 50 VHP activists in Baroda.

‘‘After the press meet at Hotel Sayaji, two reporters tried quizzing us and raised slogans. Soon, they went downstairs and called some VHP goons who surrounded and pushed me around. A complaint has been sent to NHRC,’’ says Hashmi.

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‘‘With most of us aged between 14 and 22, it was even more scary. This is violation of human rights,’’ adds Swapnil Gupta (17).

While the others have taken the incident in their stride, Trivedi is extremely hurt. ‘‘I feel insecure. And I fear for the safety of my family now,’’ says this Ahmedabad resident.

The students claim the activists wanted to single out Gujaratis and Muslims. Sambuddha Bhattacharya (17) from Kolkata alleges having heard an activist tell Hashmi: ‘‘This is Modi’s Gujarat. Just like we raped Muslim women, we will rape you.’’

But the young enthusiastic bunch wants to continue the campaign. ‘‘No matter what, we will continue our karwan,’’ says Ajita Vidyarathi (18) from Delhi. Asked how their parents had reacted, Kamna Ramakrishnan (22) of Ahmedabad notes, ‘‘Initially, my father was upset. But he told me not to return till I had finished the tour of 40 cities.’’

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