On 27th February 2002, a train containing Hindu pilgrims caught fire whilst leaving
Godhra station in Gujarat, India. 59 people died in the blaze and blame was
attributed by the state government and its ‘Hindutva’ supporters to a group of
Muslims gathered on the train platform.

A sequence of events starting the very next day led to an explosion of
widespread ethnic violence primarily directed towards Muslims. By some
estimates, over 2000 people died and around 200,000 people were internally
displaced. Human rights organisations have severely criticised the state
government, who have been accused of complicity in the violence, and exploiting
the situation for political gain in view of up-coming elections.
Since this horrific event, people from all religious backgrounds have strived to
restore their lives to normality. Despite this, parts of Gujarat remain deeply
segregated along religious lines.

'Bringing down the Barriers' looks at the Gujarat carnage 2002, the silences around
the atrocities that took place and the impact of these events. What can this episode
tell us about the following?
• What’s religion and power politics got to do with violent identity struggles?
• Multiculturalism: Is it a melting or boiling pot?
• How can people from different cultural, faith and non-religious backgrounds deal
with outbursts of violence together?
• Can the Gujarat episode tell us anything about the riots in Lozells, Oldham and
Bradford?

SPEAKERS
Ram Puniyani from Mumbai is a leading commentator on communal/ethnic violence,

globalisation, the rise of fundamentalism, and has authored several books around
these issues. He is also actively involved in initiatives promoting communal harmony
and understanding.

Arun Kundnani is the editor of the Institute of Race Relations news Service and a
regular contributor to CARF magazine and the journal Race & Class.
Parita Mukta (Warwick University) interest’s centre on deprivation and suffering in
the developing world; the erosion of the politics of hope; and the rise of Hindu
authoritarianism in India and within the British Indian community. Her recent book
‘Shards of Memory: Woven Lives in Four Generations’ came second in the
Institute of Historical Research's History Prize (2002).

We will be also be showing short excerpts from the multi-award winning documentary
‘Final Solution’ by Rakesh Sharma (www.rakeshfilm.com).