Gunmen kill 23 in Hindu temple

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

Gunmen kill 23 in Hindu temple

Tuesday, September 24, 2002 Posted: 1:24 PM EDT (1724 GMT)

[Picture caption: The temple was visited by former U.S. President Bill Clinton last year.]

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- At least 23 people, including four children, were killed when gunmen stormed a Hindu temple in India's western state of Gujarat and opened fire, a top Indian official said.

Continued fighting between security forces and the gunmen is being reported by government officials.

The gunmen are "most likely on the roof" of Swaminarayan temple in Gandhinagar, said Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani.

In addition to the children, 13 men and six women were killed and 30-40 people were injured when at least two men stormed the temple, Advani told reporters.

Security forces evacuated about 500 people from the temple complex, Advani said.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is expected to cut short his trip to Maldives and return home because of the incident.

Advani, also the home minister, called the attackers "enemies of the nation."

A witness told a local TV channel that he went in the temple shortly after the attack and "pulled out 15 to 20 dead bodies myself."

Advani said the gunmen, dressed in plain clothes, got out of a car and jumped a fence before killed a woman and a temple supervisor.

They then entered the temple and began firing and tossing grenades, he said, adding they appeared to be armed with AK-47s.

Advani said Gujarat state is on high alert. He appealed for calm and said is going to Gujarat from Delhi.

In February and March, Gujarat was hit by religious warfare that authorities said left more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead. New clashes between Hindus and Muslims last weekend left four dead.

It was not known whether Tuesday's attack could be linked to Islamic militants who have threatened to sabotage state elections in the Indian-ruled portion of Kashmir.

But Advani said it could be that the gunmen "realize the Kashmir elections would strengthen India so they did this to take attention away from elections in Jammu and Kashmir."

No one has claimed responsibility.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

Gunmen storm Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, 30 killed, 100 hurt

 

By Vrunda Shah in Ahmedabad

 

Thirty people were killed and nearly 100 injured on Tuesday evening when gunmen stormed the famous Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, capital of Gujarat.

 

Earlier officials sources had put the toll at 44 dead, but late in the night scaled down the figure, which now officially has been put at 25 dead and 77 injured.

 

But, sources in hospitals, where bodies have been brought, said 30 people have died and the toll could go up as some of the injured were in critical condition.

 

A government spokesperson, however, said only 31 persons have been injured in the attack, adding that 500 devotees were rescued.

 

Two of the injured belonged to the minority community and were identified as Anwar Mir and Abdul Mir.

 

The terrorists, believed to be three in number, first threw grenades in the complex and then started firing indiscriminately.

 

Confusion also prevailed on whether any devotees were still inside the temple with contradictory claims made by government officials and temple authorities

 

Temple spokesman Brahm Bihari Das said about 100 devotees were still inside the complex, adding the terrorists were holed up in different areas of the temple. He said the militants also seemed unaware of the temple layout.

 

But Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said no devotees were inside the temple complex.

 

Inspector General of Police (Gandhinagar) Pramod Kumar, however, said some 50 to 60 devotees were inside the temple, but were safe and away from the area where the militants were operating.

 

He added that the police were not making efforts to evacuate these devotees right now, as this would expose them to the terrorists holed up inside the temple complex.

 

The gunmen are believed to have entered the temple complex, which has four entrances, through gate nos 1 and 2, at around 1720 hours IST.

 

Security forces have surrounded the temple, situated about two km from the state secretariat, Gujarat Agriculture Minister Purushotam Rupala said.

 

Union Minister of State for Defence Harin Pathak said hospitals in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad and teams of doctors have been kept in readiness to attend to the casualties.

 

The temple is a popular destination for people of the Swaminarayan sect and others, including foreigners.

 

It is located in a massive complex spread over 23 acres and is usually crowded in the evenings.

 

The head of the sect, Pramukh Swami, is safe in Sarangpur and is rushing to Gandhinagar. He is fifth successor to Lord Swaminarayan.

 

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home I D Swami appealed to the citizens of Gandhinagar to maintain peace and communal harmony.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani is already in Gandhinagar, his parliamentary constituency.

 

 

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

Official Temple Website:

 

http://www.akshardham.com/

 

It is a Swaminarayan temple.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

The following was posted by Basu Ghosh Das on another forum:

 

 

Home Base: ISKCON-Baroda

 

Dear Maharajas & Prabhus,

 

Namonamaha. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

 

By now most of you know about the dastardly attack by terrorists on the

Akshardham, Swaminarayan temple complex, at Gandhinagar, the state capitol

here in Gujarat.

 

What you don't know is that 3 months ago the local police informed ISKCON

Ahmedabad that they had intelligence reports suggesting that they, along

with Akshardham and some 3 other temples were possible targets for terrorist

attack!

 

The purpose of my writing this is simple enough: I invite the readers to

make suggestions as to how we ought to put in place adequate security

measures to protect both the visiting public & the structures that exist

here.

 

Any suggestions are welcome.

 

However, I'm particulaly interested to hear from persons connected to ISKCON

- in whatever way - who have a background in the military or security

agencies from anywhere in the world.

 

Thanking you in advance for your kind consideration for any and all help

proferred in this regard.

 

Hope this finds you well.

 

Vaishnava dasanudas,

 

Basu Ghosh Das

 

 

 

[theist]

It would seem to make sense that these muslim fanatics would want to target ISKCON.From their distorted viewpoint that is.

 

Western Hindus would be perceived as the proverbial killing of"two birds with one stone."

 

Temples in general are wide open by nature.Anyone can walk in carrying a duffle bag,looking like a sadhu, leave the bag by a column, walk to the deities as if taking darshan, leave without the bag and then BOOM a few minutes later.

 

They will not be reasoned with leaving only premptive strikes as an option.The ones that survive should be kept so much on the run that they don't have time to plan an attack.

 

That may not sound pretty, but I believe it is the only workable solution.

 

[Guest guest]

US temples mourn Gujarat massacre

CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2002 07:52:32 PM ]

 

WASHINGTON: Hours after the massacre of some 30 devotees in Gujarat, hundreds of disciples gathered for prayers at Swaminayarayan temples across the United States, where the group has a wide following, while President Bush and his administration strongly condemned the murderous attack.

The most prominent meeting was at the Swaminarayan Sanstha Temple in Edison, New Jersey, where a previously planned prayer meeting with state and local officials turned into a long-distance wake.

With dozens of temples across the US, the Swaminarayan Sanstha is the most prominent and non-controversial among Hindu organisations and has had goodwill visits by several public figures, including former President Bill Clinton. US-based devotees say the Swaminarayan complexes here are not just temples but also cultural, spiritual, historical and social centres.

In a recent medical camp organised by the Washington Chapter of the Sanstha, 25 prominent physicians in the area provided free medical check-up for 700 patients at the temple in Beltsville, Maryland.

More than 300 people gathered at the Beltsville Temple last night in an impromptu prayer meeting as news of the massacre spread among devotees, Kirit Patel, the temple prirest said. More prayers are planned for the weekend.

The Edison meeting was attended by local Indian-American officials including Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula and Roger Chugh, assistant commissioner of New Jersey's Department of State.

Chugh read a letter from Governor James E. McGreevey in which the Governor said he was "personally saddened" by the attack because he had visited the Akshardham temple during a trip to India two years ago.

"Terrorists choose shame by killing innocent civilians," McGreevey wrote. "We must not allow them to break our spirit. We should instead vow to honor those who died by rising above the evil that claimed their lives."

Condemnation also came from the top echelons of the administration, including President Bush’s office.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the Gujarat attack was a “particularly deadly one” and Bush condemns it. Over at the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher described it as a “horrific attack” and said, “We condemn the senseless violence.”

 

[Guest guest]

there is not much you can do,to prevent an attack.

The best most effective way is to gain informants.

This can be done through money,and giving

the potential informant a way to get a

relative or close friend a way out of jail.