Gujarat Massacres: court convicts figures close to Narendra Modi
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - A court in Ahmedabad has
convicted 32 persons in the Naroda Patiya case, the largest massacre in 2002
during the Gujarat riots between Hindus and
Muslims. Among the defendants, Maya Kodnani, a member of the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP, the Hindu nationalist party) and former Minister of State, and Babu
Bajrangi, a leader of the radical Hindu group Bajrang Dal. Both are close to
Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat,
blamed for the violence. For Fr. Cedric Prakash, director of the Jesuit human
rights centre Prashant Ahmedabad the verdict "is the biggest victory of
truth and justice" ever obtained by the victims of the massacre.
The two are convicted on two counts: criminal conspiracy (Section 120B of the
Penal Code) and murder (Article 302). In the best case, they will be sentenced
to life imprisonment. At worst, they the death penalty.
Instigated by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP nationalist group affiliated to
the BJP), February 28, 2002 a
Hindu mob attacked the Muslim community in Naroda Patiya, a suburb of
Ahmedabad, killing 95 people. The massacre came a day after the carnage of the
Sabarmati Express, when a group of Muslims attacked and set fire to the train,
which Hindus were traveling aboard returning from Ayodhya, the site of an
ancient mosque taken over years ago by Hindus. The attack - which killed 58
people - also sparked violent sectarian riots across Gujarat,
where the Islamic community paid the highest price.
In the face of the 32 convicted, the court acquitted 29 other defendants.
However, according to Fr. Prakash, the verdict is "a triumph for the
victims" and "the Indian judiciary," because it confirms
"the ability of our judicial system to uphold truth and justice," two
"non-negotiable values, however powerful the accused may be. "
As director of Prashant, that has always defended the cause of the victims of
the massacres of Gujarat, the Jesuit said:
"What happened today reflects everything that we believe in the center,
and all the work done with these people. As the judgment was delivered, I saw
people hugging each other and bursting into tears of joy. Our struggles were not in vain. "
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03/06/2016 11:43
