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AIR staff reprimanded for Godhra report

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj has pulled up the top brass of All India Radio for its coverage of the attack on passengers of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra on Wednesday.

According to officials, Swaraj took up the issue on behalf of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

The Gujarat CM objected to AIR reports, which said the entire trouble in Godhra started after some karsevaks, returning from Ayodhya, refused to pay up for the tea that they had at the station.

The argument between the vendors and karsevaks flared into a carnage, the report said.

The reports was used in the English news bulletins and almost every regional bulletin, most importantly in the Gujarat bulletin.

Modi complained that the report was based only on rumours.

The Gujarat government believes the Godhra massacre was pre-mediatated and was not spontaneous as the report indicated.

Swaraj gave a dressing down to the top brass of AIR, officials said, though no action taken against anyone.

But, fear and anticipation of future action hung heavily in the AIR newsroom where reporters pointed out that their report was not an isolated one.

Similar reports had appeared in other media, including newspapers.

When contacted, D R Malakar, director general, AIR, who retired on Thursday, said he was not aware of any such incident.

The Sabarmati in Flames: Complete Coverage

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