VZCZCXRO7878
RR RUEHAST RUEHCHI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHBI #0339/01 1980603
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160603Z JUL 08
FM AMCONSUL MUMBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6434
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 7671
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 1564
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNIND/ALL INDO COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 1817
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 1622

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUMBAI 000339 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PHUM KWMN IN
SUBJECT: MUMBAI MASALA JUL 16, 2008: GUJARATI MUSLIM COMMUNITY 
DEVELOPMENT, FEMALE BIRTHS INCREASE IN GUJARAT, AMARNATH SHRINE 
PROTESTS IN INDORE 
 
MUMBAI 00000339  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Table of Contents: 
 
- Gujarat Liberal Muslim Leader Says that State's Muslims are 
Progressing Despite Neglect from State Government 
- Gujarat reports an Increase in Female Births 
- Amarnath Shrine Protests Turn Violent in Indore, Madhya Pradesh 
 
 
 
Liberal Gujarat Muslim Leader Says that State's Muslims are 
Progressing Despite Neglect from the State Government 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
------- 
 
 
¶2. (U)  Dr. J.S. Bandukwala, the Gujarat president of PUCL, and 
an American-educated liberal Muslim leader, informed Congenoff 
during his visit to Vadodara, Gujarat that despite neglect from 
the state government of Gujarat, Muslims were on a positive 
trajectory in terms of development.  Dr. Badukwala noted that 
though the press writes about Gujarati Muslims becoming more 
religious, it neglects to mention that they have also become 
more educated.  He proudly pointed out that more Gujarati 
Muslims girls were becoming educated; this trend had reached the 
point where many Gujarati Muslim girls were having trouble 
finding Gujrati Muslims as well-educated as they are to marry. 
 
¶3. (U)  Dr. Bandukwala also mentioned that Gujarati Muslim-run 
businesses were benefiting from the overall development of the 
state's infrastructure.  But he also added that, as Guajarati 
Muslims felt shut out from government jobs, more were turning to 
the private sector for work or starting their own businesses. 
He mentioned that Gujarati Muslims can be as entrepreneurial as 
the rest of Guajarati society.  As a result, he believes a great 
unwritten story of post-2002 Gujarat was that Muslims are 
beginning to pull themselves up, a phenomenon that he encouraged 
and was proud to be part.  He added, however, that if the 
government took some interest, then development could be easier 
and faster. 
 
¶4. (U)  He pointed out that the Juhapura township, a large 
prosperous Muslim area near Ahmedabad, took years to obtain a 
bank branch.  He noted that after years of personal lobbying, 
the Bank of India finally opened a branch there six months ago. 
However, he informed Congenoff that a large local bank called 
Dena Bank still refuses to branch there.  Dr. Bandukwala stated 
that these were the types of issues in which the Government of 
Gujarat should be helping but was not. 
 
 
Gujarat Reports an Increase of Female Births 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5. (U)  Reportedly, the state of Gujarat has shown a small but 
significant increase in the sex ratio at birth over the last 
year.  In 2007, there were 846 girls per 1,000 boys, but this 
year the Civil Registration System, the body responsible for 
registration of births and deaths, reported there were 882 girls 
per 1,000 boys.  According to press reports, the increases in 
child sex ratio are even evident in remote areas of Gujarat. 
The state government implemented a program to help prevent 
discovery of the child's sex prior to birth to avoid female 
feticide, which is a major problem in India (ref 2006 Delhi 
930).  Chief Minister Modi has made it a personal mission to 
educate Gujaratis about dangers of female feticide, and the 
reversal in the trend was cited by the state BJP in its December 
2007 campaign platform as a major achievement.  At the same 
time, NGOs carried out awareness campaigns with local media to 
help educate the population regarding the problems surrounding 
female feticide.  Officials from the NGO Population First told 
Congenoffs that Gujaratis are responding to the government 
programs and awareness campaign because of the impact in their 
communities from child sex selection.  Some communities have 
even taken vows not to abort females if they do discover the sex 
prior to delivery. 
 
 
Amarnath Shrine Protests Turn Violent in Indore, Madhya Pradesh 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
 
¶6. (U)  On July 3, a nationwide protest called by the Hindu 
 
MUMBAI 00000339  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and Vishwa Hindu Parishad 
(VHP) turned violent in the city of Indore, the commercial 
capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.  The 
protesters were demonstrating against the decision by officials 
in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to revoke an 
order transferring land to Amarnath Shrine after bitter 
opposition in Muslim-majority Kashmir; Amarnath is a popular 
pilgrimage destination for Hindus from across India, and Indore 
is close to a major Hindu pilgrimage spot called Ujjian.  In 
Indore, four people were killed by police gunfire, and three 
policemen were suspended for indiscriminate firing (Note: When 
quelling riots, police are required to aim to injure, not to 
kill). 
 
¶7. (U)  In the political atmosphere surrounding the nationwide 
protests about the Amarnath land decision, Hindu nationalist 
agitators wanted Muslims to close down shops because an 
undeclared general strike was in progress.  In Muslim majority 
areas, residents/shop-keepers resisted the pressure from 
hardline Hindus groups, which led to altercations. 
 
¶8. (U)  Large parts of Indore were under curfew on July 4th, 
5th.   On July 6th, the curfew in the riot-hit areas was relaxed 
for two hours to allow women only to come out of their houses to 
buy essential items.  The curfew ended on July 7 and the 
situation returned to normal.  Meanwhile, the state's largest 
opposition party, the Congress Party, called for a judicial 
inquiry into the riots.  The party protested on the streets of 
Bhopal, the state capital, and also during the ongoing monsoon 
session of the state parliament, by encircling Speaker Ishwar 
Das Rohani`s podium.  The speaker was forced to adjourn the 
House indefinitely (Note: The session was scheduled to end July 
11th). 
KEISER