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PiotrKłodkowski
234Hindusweresaidtohavebeenmurdered,with2,500woundedand223
missing,butmanyresearchers,politiciansandNGOactivistsarguedthatthe
actualnumberofvictimswasatleasttwiceashigh.3
IndependentIndiahadwitnessedsporadicoutbreaksofbloodycommunal
violence,butwithmuchlowerfrequencythanthecountry’spopulationdensity
andethnicandreligiousdiversitymightsuggest.TheGujaratmassacrethus
cameasadoubleshock,giventhattheIndianmiddleclasswidelysawthat
stateasasymbolof21stcenturyIndia,aplacewhereeconomicgrowthand
technologicalchangewenthandinhandwithmulticulturalharmonyand
socialpeace.Theattackswerebelievedtobeinspired,oratleastcondoned,
byModi,whohadledthestatecabinetforseveralmonths,althoughno
hardevidencetothateffectwasprovided.Respondingtothepoliticalstorm
ragingthroughoutIndia,Moditenderedhisresignationanddismissedthe
wholecabinet,butinthesameyearheregainedtheofficelwithastronger
mandate—followingasnapelectioninwhichhisparty,BJP,wonanabsolute
majority.4
AnofficialinvestigationintotheGujaratriotsconductedatthecentral
level(orratheraseriesofdiverseprobes)tookalongtimetocomplete.In
2008,theSupremeCourtappointedaspecialinvestigationteam,whichafter
fiveyearsofarduousexaminationandanalysisindicted249people,mostof
themfollowersofHinduism.Ontheotherhand,reportsfromindependent
bodiespointedtotheheroismofmanyHindus,includingpoliceofficers,
whoriskedtheirlivestosaveMuslimfellowcitizens.Theoverallpicturedid
notfitintoblackandwhiteclassifications.5
Modicouldbeseenasmorallyculpable,butthatdidnotnecessarily
translateintocourt-establishedguilt.In2012,hewasfinallyclearedbythe
investigationteamofchargesofcomplicityinthepogroms.Asimilarverdict
waspassedbytheGujaratcabinetasawhole(excludingsomeofitsmembers).
Thatprovokedanotherheateddiscussionathomeandabroad,sparkingmany
protestsfromnumerousleadersoftheMuslimcommunity.Buttherewas
3
See:Ch.Jaffrelot,CommunalRiotsinGujarat,TheStateatRisk?,SouthAsiaInstitute,
DepartmentofPoliticalScience,UniversityofHeidelberg,WorkingPaperNo.17,2003.
4
Formoreaboutthepresentprimeminister,see:M.Desaietal.,MakingSenseofModi’s
India,HarperCollinsPublisher,2016.
5
See:“NarendraModigetscleanchitinSITreportonGujaratriots,”TheTimesofIndia,
10April2012,http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
10
ThePolishQuarterlyofInternationalAffairs,2017,no.1
