NARODA PATIYA Decade Long Wait for Justice

The 97 victims of the worst massacre of Gujarat riots 2002 will get the verdict on August 29 as the judge has postponed the announcement of his judgement by two months. The evidence against the highly-placed perpetrators of massacre is so clear and massive that several death sentences are expected.

February 28, 2002 was not less than a day of Qiyamah for the Muslims of Naroda Patiya, a poor locality of Ahmedabad, when a furious mob with fearful chants of Jai Shri Ram had surrounded the frightened residents and was indiscriminately burning, looting, killing and raping the hapless Muslims. There was Shakeela, whose mother, two brothers, a sister-in-law and two young nieces and nephews were killed and flung into fire to be devoured by it.

The worst aspect of the massacre is that it was perpetrated by neighbours who turned murderers that day. In the beginning justice evaded the victims as the Gujarat police was in no mood to bring the culprits to book. But on intervention of NHRC, the Supreme Court constituted an SIT which took action and pursued the cases.

Ms. Mayaben Kodnani was then local MLA, who was rewarded afterwards by being made the minister of state for women and child development in Butcher of Gujarat’s cabinet. Eyewitnesses deposed in open court how she accompanied by her personal assistant Kirpal Singh had instigated the mobs to kill the Muslims and distributed trishuls, swords and other lethal weapons brought by her in her car.

One of the accused is Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, who had boasted how he ripped open the womb of a pregnant woman, Kosar Banu, and pulled out her nine-month old child and cut it into pieces.

It is hoped that the punishments would be a warning to BJP, Bajrang Dal, VHP and their ideological masters who have spread the worst poison of hatred in the country which is responsible for all communal riots in India.

India is waiting with bated breath. Let us be confident that ends of justice are met and murderers are given exemplary punishment. The verdict would certainly blacken the faces of the anti-human, anti-Muslim murderers and give new hope to those who believe in justice and rule of law.

Some culprits may escape the noose but another day of judgement, the final one, under the guidance of Almighty God is there when no criminal would be spared and justice and full justice would be done. Let all culprits be ready to face that final judgement!