On April 3, 2013, a shocking incident took place at Rajkot in Gujarat. Seven people, poor migrants, went to the Rajkot Municipal Corporation office. They were being tortured and coerced into vacating a piece of land. They had threatened self immolation. Two were rescued before they set themselves on fire but five others set themselves ablaze. All five of them are dead.
This is the biggest case of mass self immolation in a public office in the history of modern India and it has taken place in Gujarat. Ironically, the Gujarat Model of Development and governance is being talked about all over the country but the media have no space or airtime for such ghastly incident involving self immolation of five persons.
However, sadly in Gujarat justice is a far cry! Five people have burnt themselves alive because they were being threatened and harassed by BJP leaders, Rajkot Municipal Corporation, councilors and other society members. But because the Corporation in Rajkot is run by BJP and more importantly the people who self immolated themselves have named TWO BJP councilors and a prominent BJP leader who is former BJP MP and also mayor, the Rajkot police have NOT registered their names in the FIR.
We, concerned citizens of Rajkot are anguished about the death of five poor people. In fact, we want to bring the following things on notice and herewith are attaching the video of the self immolated people and their dying declaration. They categorically named the BJP leader Vijay Rupani and two councilors but mysteriously no name has been mentioned by the police in the FIR.
Before these people died (two of them died after more than 48 hours), even the medical and para medical staff were told by the poor people of how they were harassed. We are also attaching the video of these people. The dying declaration was recorded on mobile video recorded by people present there at the behest of deceased.
We are now disclosing it because we are shocked that Rajkot police and administration in connivance with the state authorities are not conducting the probe in right direction so as to shield powerful people who have been named by the deceased.
The details of the case are as below
· Seven people who are fighting an encroachment case take a rickshaw from their chhotunagar society to the Rajkot Municipal Corporation. They reach the Rajkot Municipal corporation with kerosene at around 10.30 am.
· They all belong to one family (Vishwakarma family), originally from Nepal. They have been living in Rajkot and in that society for over 30 years and are embroiled in an encroachment case with the Society.
· The Vishwakarma family in the past had appealed several times to the Rajkot Municipal Corporation to intervene. Rajkot Municipal Commissioner Ajay Bhadu categorically said after the incident that the Corporation was no where involved and this was a personal issue. He said the Vishwakarma Family had made no representations to the Corporation. The Municipal Commissione’s claim is a blatant lie.
· Deceased categorically named: Gujarat BJP general secretary and former MP Vijay Rupani besides two Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s BJP councilors Rajbha Jhala and Kamlesh Mirani for harassing and threatening them to vacate the land they were occupied.
· Sir, it is a matter of concern that the incident took place at 11.15 am but the FIR was filed at 4.30 pm. Sir this was a deliberate delay. The head of the family, Girish Vishwakarma died and FIR was filed after his death. But before dying, in his dying declaration Girish Vishwakarma named senior BJP leader Vijay Rupani and two BJP corporators but the police did NOT record it. However, there is video evidence that the deceased had named these BJP leaders.
· Here is the gruesome video link that you can see for yourself.
