Godhra (Gujarat): Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi on Friday began a day-long fast here as part of his
'Sadhbhavana Mission, a move which comes nearly a month ahead
of the tenth anniversary of the Godhra carnage.
Before the fast meant to promote peace, harmony and
brotherhood could begin, social activist Shabnam Hashmi and
five others of NGO Anhad were detained for organising a
convention 'In search of Justice'.
Modi arrived at the fast venue at the State Reserve
Police (SRP) ground here at 11 AM where he was greeted by his
cabinet colleagues and local MPs and MLAs, besides BJP
leaders and priests from various religions.
A huge crowd had gathered at the venue from all sections
of society.
Godhra, the epicenter of communal turbulence in 2002,
has transformed virtually into a police base camp ahead of the
fast. Over 1,600 policemen have been deployed along with 50
specially trained Chetak commandos and other unarmed jawans
across the town.
Police said six activists were detained as they wanted to
hold a public function despite permission being denied to
them.
The fast is being held nearly a month before the tenth
anniversary of Godhra carnage. 59 persons, mostly karsevaks,
were killed when the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express train
was burnt near Godhra Railway station on February 27, 2002
triggering worst-ever riots in the state.
PTI
First Published: Friday, January 20, 2012, 09:46