A special trial court on Thursday acquitted all 67 accused, including former Gujarat Minister Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, and former VHP leader Jaidip Patel, in the Naroda gam (village) massacre case of 2002 riots in which 11 members of the minority community were killed by the rioters.
A total of 86 accused were named in the First Information Report and chargesheet and out of which 18 died during the pendency of the trial, while one was discharged, leaving 67 to face the protracted trial that had begun way back in 2009 and the verdict came more than 21 years after the massacre. On Thursday, of the 67 accused, 65 were present in the courtroom.
The accused were charged with murder, rioting, unlawful assembly, criminal conspiracy, among others.
Principal sessions judge S.K. Baxi delivered the verdict in the case for which the trial had completed on April 5.
As soon as the court pronounced the order, relatives, and supporters of the accused chanted “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, hailing the verdict.
Probed by SIT
Naroda village was among the nine cases probed by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former CBI director R.K. Raghavan and the trial was conducted in a special designated court.
During the protracted trial, the SIT had examined 187 witnesses, including victims and their relatives, doctors and the police.
The massacre was carried out on February 28, 2002, when 11 persons of minority community were burnt to death in a Muslim neighbourhood in the Naroda area of north Ahmedabad.
After the killings of pilgrims in the Sabarmati express train at the Godhra railway station by a Muslim mob, large-scale communal riots had broken out engulfing the parts of Gujarat in which more than 1,000 people were killed.
There were some common accused in this case and another case Naroda Patiya in which 97 Muslims were killed. In the Naroda Patiya case, the trial court had convicted former Minister Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal’s Babu Bajrangi, and four others, who were accused in this case also.
However, the Gujarat High Court had subsequently acquitted Ms. Kodnani, who was sentenced to life imprisonment until death.
In 2018, during the trial in Naroda village case, the then BJP president Amit Shah had deposed in the court during the final hearing and Mr. Shah had endorsed Ms. Kodnani’s contention that she was not present at the “scene of crime” as she was at the Legislative Assembly.
