We share with you below two chapters of volume 2 of Crime against Humanity: An Inquiry into the Carnage in Gujarat, which consists of the findings and recommendations of the eight-member Concerned Citizens Tribunal-Gujarat 2002 that investigated the massacre of primarily Muslims by Hindu mobs in the Indian state of Gujarat beginning in late February 2002, an orgy of violence that was sparked by an apparent arson attack when one coach on a train of mostly Hindus was set on fire in the town of Godhra on Feb. 27.

After touring various parts of the state and collecting more than 2,000 oral and written testimonies from survivors, academics, independent human rights groups, women's groups and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the tribunal, which met in Ahmedabad where most of the violence occurred, sent recommendations to the state and central governments. However, officials at neither the state nor national level have responded to the tribunal. In response to this silent reaction, the tribunal members-Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, Justice Hosbet Suresh, Justice P. B. Sawant, Aruna Roy, K. G. Kannabiran, Prof. Ghanshyam Shah, Dr. K. S. Subramanian and Prof. Tanika Sarkar -stated in the introduction of Crime against Humanity:

"In a democracy, the people's right to information should be paramount. Any government wedded to this basic right should have eagerly cooperated in the effort of a citizen's tribunal to inquire and let the people know what happened in Gujarat, who engineered the carnage and who the guilty are.

"The tribunal undertook this huge task as part of the exercise of this fundamental human freedom. The health of any society lies not in denials and half-truths when grave injustices have occurred but in courageously admitting to them, righting those wrongs with justice and their reconciliation. That both the government of Gujarat and the government of India did not participate in the inquiry reveals their utter disregard for the people's basic democratic right to know."

The first article that follows discusses the atrocities of Gujarat within the legal parameters of genocide.

This article is followed by the long-term recommendations of the tribunal to help prevent another Gujarat massacre in the state or elsewhere in India. The report also contains short-term measures that should be taken as well in the following areas: state government, central government, the United Nations and international community, the media, relief and rehabilitation, civil society and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Both volumes of the report are available on the Internet at <www. sabrang. com/ tribunal/ index. html>.