Surrender, Signal Falia tells Godhra accused

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">GODHRA: After stonewalling the Special Investigating Team (SIT) numerous times, in order to prevent it from arresting some accused in the Godhra train carnage, minority residents here now want to call it a day.<br /><br />The religious heads,who had once strongly protested the arrest of Maulana Umarji (another accused) and started the trend of blocking the police, are now wanting the accused to surrender.In fact, they have even asked residents not to shelter the accused, say sources.<br /><br />The decision seems to be an outcome of intense police pressure, and was reportedly taken after residents were arrested for harbouring the accused.<br /><br />This included as many as 41 people arrested on February 19, 2004, after the SIT’s plan to arrest Panwala was foiled.<br /><br />Local leaders say that residents from Signal Falia, Polan Bazaar, Saat Pul, Jahurpura, Vohrawada, and Kasaiwada have come under tremendous political and police pressure in the last few months. The entire locality has become infamous just because people like Salim Panwala, Farookh Bhana, Bilal Badam and Rafiq Bhopa belong here, some residents say.<br /><br />Stressing that a unanimous decision had been taken by local leaders to make the condition conducive for the SIT to carry out its operations, lawyer and city Congress president Yakub Bhatuk said, "Godhra became infamous for the Sabarmati carnage and now the image of this minoritydominated locality is getting worse because of the accused."<br /><br />"Why should the common man suffer for the acts of a few? This is one among the many questions that are being asked in the locality," he added.<br /><br />Residents, who complained that constant surveillance by the police in their areas gave them no sense of normalcy, said they would instead prefer that the accused surrendered and ended the cat-and-mouse game once and for all.<br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br />"We have been sandwiched between the police and accused.We are termed ‘traitors’ if we don’t provide information to the accused and then a threat of being arrested by the police always looms," says Suleman Baksh, a resident of Vohrawada.<br /><br />A senior leader not wanting to be named said, "Its very important to tackle an issue that poses a threat for other people residing in the locality.<br /><br />The Godhra carnage stirred the peace. Now people like Panwala, Bhana and Badam have constantly threatened to stir the calm that the locality enjoyed. A decision has been taken asking the people to keep the accused out of their respective locality."<br /><br />Vadodara range special inspector general of police Rakesh Asthana who is heading the SIT said, "I have not been informed about this development so far. However, if such a decision has been taken I would appreciate the effort of the leaders."<br /><br />While more stress is being put to nab Panwala and Farukh Bhana, nearly 40 people including — Mehboob Ahmed alias Latika, Siraj Bala, Salim Zarda, Shaukhat Ahmed Charka, Hasan Ahmed Charka, Rafiq Kalandar alias Babho, Siddique Ibrahim Bakr, Baba Patodiya, Yakub Patodiya, Kadir Patodiya, Yunus Abdul Haq Samol and Imran Ahmed Bhatuq, continue to fox SIT.<br /><br /><formid=526372></formid=526372></div> </div>