GUJARAT, INDIA, April 8, 2002: Intelligence reports from various districts in Gujarat reveal that Hindu activists are stoking the communal tension prevailing in the state by sending bangles to cadres in areas where the level of violence did not match the death and mayhem witnessed elsewhere in the state. The gift of women’s bangles are meant as an insult, an accusation of cowardice. Perhaps as a consequence, in the past few days, new areas — like Gomtipur in Ahmedabad city and Ankwaleshwar in Baruch district — have seen a sharp increase in violence. Bangles have also reportedly been sent to Kutch and Saurashtra. Intelligence reports indicate that the radical Muslim Students Islamic Front of India (SIMI) has begun cashing in on the anti-Muslim activities. The organization has been earning a good name by offering sanctuary to Muslims being cleansed out of Hindu-dominated areas.
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