Remains of Muslims found near Lunawada in Gujarat
New Delhi (AsiaNews) Skeletal remains of people who died in the March 2002 riots were found near the banks of the Panam River in the village of Lunawada, Panchmahal district, not far from Godhra, in the Indian state of Gujarat. For human rights activists this is evidence that Gujarat police buried in secret Muslims killed in the riots to hide the gravity of the event.
In the last two days, "[e]ight human skulls were unearthed. The villagers believe that these are the mortal remains of the 26 people who had been killed in a mob attack here in 2002," said social worker Sohail Topiwala, part of the team that discovered the site.
The skulls and bones are suspected to be of the 26 victims of the anti-Muslim violence in Pandarwada in Panchmahals on March 1, 2002.
Local sources in fact reported that at least 26 Muslims were killed in Pandarwada and Kidiyad during a bandh a typically Indian action of civil disobediencesponsored by the World Hindu Council (Vishwa Hindu Parishad or VHP) on March 1, 2002. But police documents mentioned only eight killings with the rest classified as "missing".
In a hurriedly conducted trial in October-November 2002, all the accused were acquitted by a fast-track court, including taluka (County) BJP chief Jaswant Patel, VHP activists Mahendra Vakil and Kalubhai Maliwad.
Lunawada municipal authorities, who visited the site, admitted that they had buried some unclaimed bodies there in 2002.
A.K. Bhargav, director general of police in Gujarat, said a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team has been sent to the area to investigate.
The Gujarat riots broke out after 58 Hindus were killed when a train was set on fire in the town of Godhra, allegedly by a Muslim mob.
Gujarat police and local authorities have been heavily criticised for failing to come to the help of victims during the violence, which was among the worst in India since 1947, with more than a thousand known dead and many people "missing".
Relatives of some of the "missing" said the remains found belong to their loved ones who disappeared in March 2002. They claim that people of nearby villages have informed them that bodies of 26 riot victims were buried near the Panam River on the Lunawade-Kabaristan road.
Like every other year, they had gathered on the spot to pray for their loved ones, but this time was different for they decided to dig up the entire area. DNA tests will be performed on the remains.
Teesta Setalvad, an activist who runs an NGO called Citizens for Justice and Peace, also said the bodies might be of those who were killed during the post-Godhra riots.
The Gujarat High Court accepted this morning Setalvad's petition on behalf of the relatives to conduct a CBI probe and will hear the case tomorrow.
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