Divided Godhra votes amid rumours, rage

For a town where it all started with an attack on a train, leading to communal polarisation and campaigning, Godhra showed remarkable restra...

For a town where it all started with an attack on a train, leading to communal polarisation and campaigning, Godhra showed remarkable restraint today. Security was widespread, so were the rumours.

There was heavy voting and bogus voting as both the communities came out in large numbers.

What kept turning up were the rumours, including one that Haji Bilal had cast his vote. Bilal, prime accused in the Sabarmati Express carnage, is in judicial custody.

If anyone was at the receiving end here, it was the English media, perceived by many as anti-Hindu. In Jahurpura, a mixed locality, a TV crew was asked to leave or being attacked. Then reporters of English newspapers took the flak. Mitul Soni, outside a polling booth, said: ‘‘Let the BJP come to power, we will teach you a lesson.’’

In Muslim localities, anger against the BJP was evident. Residents were out in groups to cast vote ‘‘before trouble breaks out later’’. The same rumour sent people in the Hindu localities to the booths early. They were willing to believe that trouble would be started to keep them from casting their votes. In the end, there was no law and order problem.

The briefing to the Muslim community was clear: Vote, and vote early. ‘‘The moment we finished our morning namaz, we lined up our women at the booths. Voting was as important as Id,’’ said Mahfuz Patel, a social worker.

Social workers from the Muslim community said they made a ‘‘late compromise’’ deciding to vote for the Congress. ‘‘The candidate is not important, the party is,’’ said Jayesh Patel, son of former MP Shantilal Patel.

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A similar scene was being played out in Hindu-dominated Prabhakunj Society. ‘‘It’s the BJP here. If you don’t want them (Muslims) to rule over us, vote for the BJP,’’ said Nitin Shah at his home opposite the polling booth in the society.

What was common with the anger was the zeal to cast bogus votes. ‘‘If they can do so, why can’t we,’’ asked Sanket Desai, rubbing the ink mark on his finger. Less than 100 meters away, Janak Parikh was getting angry with polling officials for ‘‘asking too many questions on his identity’’. Nearby a group of youngsters were poring over the voter’s list to look for people who had not voted.

In a Muslim-dominated booth in Nashabandhi godown, the scene was no different. Girls as young as 13 had queued up. ‘‘They are accompanying their mothers because they have not seen the EVMs before,’’ explained Mahfuzbhai.