Following the tragic incident in Godhra, India on 27th February 2002, when 58 Hindus _ 23 men, 20 women and 15 children _ were burnt alive in a premeditated act by a mob of Muslims, VHP-UK issued a Statement condemning this. The grief and anger felt by the families and relatives of those who had been brutally murdered while travelling in the train triggered inter-communal rioting resulting in further loss of life and property and avoidable human suffering. The reaction to the murder of Hindus was natural and spontaneous.
We have made extensive enquiries and found no evidence that any organisation was responsible for initiating or supporting these riots. Our enquiries reveal that the victims include members of both Hindu and Muslim communities.
We wish to emphasise that in India people of all faiths live harmoniously with each other, and enjoy equal rights and religious freedom.
On behalf of the VHP, we have spoken previously in public on various occasions to deplore and condemn these incidents _ burning alive of innocent pilgrims and the riots that followed, and have requested the concerned authorities to take all steps to bring the situation under control.