India Uncut
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Tuesday, January 18, 2005
The truth on fire
The "high-level enquiry" into the incident in Godhra has found that the fire was an accident. The chief investigating officer in the case claims that he has found a "terrorist link". What is the truth? It doesn't matter any more.
Godhra has been politicised so much, and has become such a powerful symbol in the battle between the two forces, that what happened there is irrelevant. More than an event, it has become a meme, an idea that makes the facts redundant, a part of the folklore of either side, that stands apart from the place or the burning carriage or the people who died. Much like Gujarat, once a state in India, and now the state of India. The question to ask is not what caused the fire, but what can douse the flames?
Godhra has been politicised so much, and has become such a powerful symbol in the battle between the two forces, that what happened there is irrelevant. More than an event, it has become a meme, an idea that makes the facts redundant, a part of the folklore of either side, that stands apart from the place or the burning carriage or the people who died. Much like Gujarat, once a state in India, and now the state of India. The question to ask is not what caused the fire, but what can douse the flames?
