Hindu Nationalists Mobilize for Quake Relief

BHUJ, India, Feb. 1 (AP) -- Dressed in khaki shorts and saffron scarves, with pickaxes and shovels over their shoulders, volunteers from the Hindu nationalist RSS walk in small groups down the streets of Bhuj, on their way to collect the dead.

The RSS, known for denouncing Western influence in India and often accused of fanning anti-Christian and anti-Muslim violence, has emerged as one of the leading earthquake relief organizations in this devastated corner of western India.

Distributing relief has allowed the RSS--the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or Association of National Volunteers--to display the discipline and efficiency for which it is known.

The group is helping Hindus, Muslims and Christians equally, said Chetan Sompura, an RSS member in charge of aid distribution. But one function it considers its sacred duty is collecting the Hindu dead and carrying the bodies to crematoriums.

"We make sure that everyone gets a proper funeral," Sompura said.

The grim task is becoming more important seven days after the quake, with heavy equipment uncovering hundreds of badly decomposed bodies.

More than 14,200 people have been confirmed dead across Gujarat, the western state where the quake's epicenter was located. Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless, with entire towns and villages reduced to little more than rubble.

The RSS mobilized its followers within hours of Friday's quake, loading trucks with food and relief supplies and dispatching them to Gujarat from across India. Men rode in with the trucks to offer their help, while women stayed home and prepared more food for the survivors, Sompura said in Bhuj, the town nearest the epicenter.

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