The report examines how systematic sexual violence against women was used deliberately by Hindu mobs to inflict maximum suffering and humiliation on the whole Muslim community.

It also looks at how the state government of Gujarat failed to prevent or stop the attacks, how the local police ignored and sometimes took part in the violence against women, and at how both the Gujarat and the federal Indian government have failed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Amnesty International is asking members of the public in the UK to write to the Gujarat authorities asking them to pursue justice for the victims of sexual violence.

Bilqis Yakoob Rasool, who lost 14 family members in the violence, and who was five months pregnant when she was gang-raped and left for dead, said:

"They started molesting the girls and tore off their clothes. Our naked girls were raped in front of the crowd. They killed Shamin's baby who was two days old. They killed my maternal uncle and my father's sister and her husband too.

"After raping the women they killed all of them... They killed my baby too. They threw her in the air and she hit a rock. After raping me, one of the men kept a foot on my neck and hit me."

Because of the way the police had stood by and even participated in the violence, many women and girls who survived the attacks were too frightened to report them to the police.

Bilqis however did go to the police, but found that they initially refused to record the complaint, and when later forced to consider it quickly closed the case saying those responsible could not be found.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

"The Gujarat state government grossly failed to protect Muslims, especially women and girls, during the violence.

"The fact that it still refuses to admit failings and express regret, despite evidence from many respected local observers, is a further insult to the victims."

Gujarat state both failed to prevent the violence and then failed to intervene and end it. Gujarat officials, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claimed that a fire on a train on 27 February 2002 was planned and caused by Muslims, and then took no steps to prevent or stop the widespread and systematic attacks on members of the Muslim minority which followed.

Gujarat state government subsequently failed to cooperate with the National Human Rights Commission, or to provide redress. The Indian state government also failed to intervene and insist that the minority Muslim community was protected, and that the victims of the violence received justice.

Indian human rights campaigners, women's organisations, the Indian national media and the Supreme Court have however all supported victims of violence and contributed to restoring hope to some victims.

In August 2004, the Supreme Court ordered that over 2,000 complaints closed by police, and some 200 cases which ended in acquittals, be reviewed with a view to possible remedial action.

Kate Allen concluded:

"Little has been done to ensure that such violence does not happen again. The Gujarat state government and the Indian federal government must ensure that justice is done in order to make it clear that these crimes will not be tolerated.

"For many victims however justice will come too late. Many women were burned alive after they were raped, leaving no trace of the crimes against them. Scores of other women never filed rape complaints, because they were prevented from doing so or were too frightened or ashamed to do so. These are the forgotten victims of the violence."

The report was shared with the governments of India and Gujarat prior to publication. Both governments provided detailed comments which are reflected in the report.