Indian govt. survives censure vote

AHMEDABAD, India -- India's Parliament has defeated a motion to censure the government for its handling of India's worst religious riots in a decade, Associated Press reports.

The parliament debated the censure motion, which condemned violenmce which left more than 900 people dead, for more than 16 hours.

The governing coalition of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee won the vote 276-182, with eight abstentions.

The opposition-sponsored motion said the house expresses "grave concern over the failure of the administration in ensuring the security" of Muslims in Gujarat state.

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"The government in New Delhi has been turned (into) a passive spectator, while a partisan chief minister has besmirched the fair name of Gujarat," said opposition leader Sonia Gandhi.

"The prime minister's shifting statements have shocked us all. One day he offers sympathy, the next day he condemns the whole (Muslim) community," she said.

Earlier, as parliament sat to decide whether to censure the government, more sectarian fighting erupted in the volatile western state of Gujarat.

One man was shot dead by police and four others were wounded in Hindu-Muslim clashes early Tuesday.

"The clashes began after trouble-makers set fire to a plastic goods store. Police had to open fire at mobs throwing stones at each other," a police official told Reuters news agency. Two people were hurt when a crude bomb exploded in another part of Ahmedabad.

Although the censure would not topple the government, analysts say any failure by key BJP allies to support the government could signal the start of the fractious coalition unravelling.

Losing the censure motion would also have been a humiliation for the BJP, which has been stung recently by a series of regional election defeats.

Firebombs

The violence was sparked late February when a Muslim mob torched a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, killing 58.

The riots that followed in Gujarat have left nearly 900 people dead, however some international human rights groups have estimated the death toll is much higher.

Violence culminated last week when about 300 to 400 Muslims and Hindus took part in a battle that lasted well over an hour, with firebombs going off about every minute, according to a CNN crew that was there.

Hundreds of security forces responded, including army soldiers and members of the state's Federal Rapid Action Force. The police fired tear gas to try to bring calm and then fired warning shots into the air.

In several instances, both Hindu and Muslim rioters targeted police with firebombs.

"What has happened in Gujarat has shocked us all," opposition congressional member Kapil Sibal told CNN. "We don't want the situation to worsen and spread to other parts of the country."