40 years ago July 14, 1986: Five more killed in Gujarat

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on July 14, 1986.

2 min readJul 14, 2026 06:40 AM IST

First published on: Jul 14, 2026 at 06:40 AM IST

At least four persons were burnt alive in three separate incidents in Ahmedabad as violence continued unabated on the fifth day. One of the three persons injured in the police firing late on Saturday night in Dhanasuthar-ni-Pole on Relief Road died. One man was fatally stabbed in Baroda, bringing the death toll in the city to three. With this, the total figure of deaths recorded in the state rose to 54.

MiG-29 deal finalised

India has finalised a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Soviet Union for the purchase of futuristic MiG-29 fighter aircraft. India will thus become the first country outside the Soviet Union to acquire this latest fighter in the Soviet air force inventory.

Not much headway in Colombo

A TULF delegation comprising A Amirthalingam, Sivasithamparam, Sampanthan, Anandasangari, Yogeswaran and Neelan Tiruchelvam, met President Jayewardene at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall. Associated with the President were the National Security Minister, Lalith Athulathmudali, and the Education and Youth Affairs Minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe. According to informed sources, in the two-and-a-half-hour meeting the TULF had with the President, they had discussed the provincial council’s proposals clause by clause.

Police apathetic to massacres

The writ of the government just does not hold good in the so-called Naxalite-infested areas of Jehanabad and its surrounding areas in Gaya district for the simple reason that the police are not free to act as to take the necessary action in a law-and-order crisis. The gory killings in Kansara village of Gaya district and the heinous massacre in Arwal in Nalanda district — the two places are about 20 km apart in different but contiguous districts — is an example of the situation the police find themselves in when the government tries to take sides based on caste.