Massacres in Gujarat: a justice of sorts
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - For " for the tardy probe
and serious lapses in the case," the Mumbai High Court has acquitted five
of the nine accused in the "Best Bakery" case, one of many incidents of interreligious violence in the 2002 Gujarat in the riots. But for the other four
defendants the court upheld life imprisonment. Fr. Cedric Prakash, director of Prashant Jesuit Centre for Human Rights,
Justice and Peace, says the verdict "triggers
many questions," not because of the judgment
itself, but "the reasons given by the court."
The case of "Best Bakery" is one of the most violent assaults
occurred during the massacres in Gujarat. On
March 1, 2002 - two days after the carnage of the Sabarmati Express - A group
of Hindus attacked some Muslims, who had taken refuge in the Best Bakery in
Vadodara pastry. After looting the shop, the attackers set fire to the
structure, causing the deaths of 14 people (including some Hindus who worked in
the bakery).
In reading the verdict, the judges of the High Court
of Mumbai said they had "given the benefit of the doubt" to Rajubhai
Baria, Pankaj Gosavi, Jagdish Rajput, Lalo Devjibhai Vasava and Shailesh Tadvi
(the acquitted) for lack of evidence and unreliable witnesses. Instead, thanks
to the stories of some survivors - Tufil Ahmed Siddiqui, Raees Khan, Shahzad
Khan Pathan and Shailun Khan Pathan - were sentenced to life imprisonment and
the other four accused are Sanjay Thakkar, Bahadur Singh Chauhan, Sanabhai
Baria and Dinesh Rajbhar .
"The Best Bakery case - explains to AsiaNews Fr. Prakash - is the best
known of the massacre of Gujarat for two
reasons: the brutality of the attack and the turnaround by Zaheera Sheikh, when
it perhaps mattered the most. " The priest said, "there is no doubt
that we are faced with a case of injustice. But there the hope remains that it
will create a precedent and that other victims who survived the massacres will
see justice done."
On 27 February 2002 a
group of Muslims attacked and set fire to the Sabarmati Express, aboard which
were Hindus - mostly women, children and elderly - returning from a pilgrimage
to Ayodhya. The attack, which killed 58 people, sparked violent sectarian riots
in Gujarat. In the massacre, the Islamic
community of the State has paid the highest price: of more than 1,000 confirmed
deaths, 790 were Muslims and 254 Hindus. At least 253 people were declared
missing, 523 places of worship, including three churches, were damaged, 27,901
Hindus and 7,651 Muslims were arrested.
Meanwhile, on July 30 next the Supreme Court of India will vote to confirm or
cancel a landmark ruling of the High Court of Gujarat, which required the state
government compensate damages and cover the reconstruction of over 500 places
of worship (v . 10/05/2012, " Gujarat
massacre: government to rebuild more than 500 places of worship "). (NC)
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