Communal Riots-2012.pdf - Indian Social Institute

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special investigation team which probed Ishrat Jahan encounter case. Verma, currently JCP (traffic) forAhmedabad city, has been now appointed as principal of Police Training College in Junagadh. As per thenotification issued late last night, six IPS officers have been promoted from the rank of Superintendent ofPolice (SP) to Deputy Inspector General (DIG). They include RJ Savani, accused of negligence by 2002Gujarat riots victims. Eleven police inspectors have been promoted as Deputy Superintendents of Police,and transfered. Seven existing DySP rank officers have been also transfered. Verma was a part of theGujarat High Court-appointed SIT in Ishrat case. The SIT concluded that the encounter was fake,following which High court handed over the case to CBI. Savani, accused of negligence during the post-Godhra riots by many of the victims and the NGO Jan Sangharsh Manch (JSM), has been promoted asDIG-Railways for Gujarat. Savani, at present SP of Mehsana, was DCP Zone (V) in 2002; Naroda Patiya,Naroda Gam and Gulburg society which faced large-scale communal violence were in his jurisdiction. AtulKarwal, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer who scaled Mount Everest in 2009, has also been transfered fromcurrent posting of JCP Sector 2 in Ahmedabad to Joint Director, State Police Academy, Karai,Gandhinagar. Karwal will be replaced by SG Bhatti, at present Additional Police Commissioner (traffic andcrime), Surat. The police inspectors who have been promoted to DySP rank (class 1) will have to clearthe computer skills test within three months, otherwise they will be demoted to the PI level.(DNA 8/4/12)23 guilty in Gujarat riot case (7)Ahmedabad, April 9: A Gujarat court today convicted 23 of the 46 accused in a 2002 riot case in which amob torched a house where four families had taken shelter, killing 23 people. The court in Anand districtwill hand down the sentences on April 12 in the so-called “Ode massacre” or “Pirawali massacre”, one ofthe nine cases probed by the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT). This is the thirdGujarat riot case whose verdict has been announced, after the Godhra train fire case and the Sardarpuramassacre in Mehsana district. Rights activists rued the 23 acquittals, saying the SIT had not pursued thecase “vigorously” enough. On March 1, 2002, a mob of 2,000 locked the doors of a house from outside atPirawali Bhagol in Ode, Anand. They threw burning rags and kerosene and petrol pouches inside thehouse. Six people who escaped by jumping off the roof said there were 23 others, including nine womenand nine children, inside. The remains of only two could be found; the remaining 21 were presumed dead.All the accused were from the powerful Patel community. Some among the convicts have served aschairmen of the village cooperative bank and credit society. Four were leading tobacco traders. Themassacre was followed by another killing a day later. By March 2, most of the Muslims had fled the villagebut Ghulam Rasool Saiyed, 80, was too weak to leave. Members of the funeral procession of Nishit Patel,a youth killed in police firing, threw Saiyed into the burning pyre. Of the 47 accused of murder, conspiracy,rioting, unlawful assembly and other offences, one died during the trial. All the 14 accused of Saiyed’smurder were acquitted of that crime but seven of them have been convicted of the Pirawali killings. All theaccused had been out on bail but the 23 convicts were taken back into custody today. Shoddy policeinvestigations had led the case to be handed over to the SIT, but the latter neither registered a fresh FIRnor collected new evidence, a rights activist alleged. “It is evident the SIT did not intend to pursue theinvestigation vigorously,” Mukhtar Ahmed said. But public prosecutor P.N. Parmar said: “This is a bigachievement for the prosecution. After all, 23 out of 46 means 50 per cent conviction.” He said theprosecution had itself told the court there was no evidence against 12 accused. The trial had begun inend-2009 and was on the verge of completion when the then judge resigned in May 2011 citing personalreasons. All the arguments had to be made afresh before the new judge. The first verdict in a riot casecame in February last year, with 31 convicted of torching the Godhra train. Eleven were sentenced todeath and 20 were handed life terms. In November, 31 people were convicted and given life terms forburning 33 to death in Sardarpura. (Telegraph 10/4/12)SIT finds no proof against Modi, says court (7)Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Metropolitan Magistrate on Tuesday declared that the Supreme CourtappointedSpecial Investigation Team had not found any evidence for prosecuting Gujarat Chief MinisterNarendra Modi and top bureaucrats and police officers and recommended that the investigation in the2002 Gulberg Society massacre case be closed. Though magistrate M.S. Bhatt did not pronounce thecourt's decision on the closure report, he ordered the SIT to give a copy of it, within 30 days, to thecomplainant, Zakia Jafri, widow of the former Congress MP, Ehsan Jafri, who was among the 69 killed inthe massacre. In his order on a batch of petitions seeking a copy of the report, including the one filed byMs. Jafri, Mr. Bhatt said the investigators had filed a closure report, having found no evidence to justifythe filing of an FIR against any of the persons named in Ms. Jafri's complaint in the Supreme Court,accusing Mr. Modi and 62 others of direct or indirect involvement in the communal riots. “According to theSIT, no offence has been established against any of the persons listed in Ms. Jafri's complaint. Therefore,
as per the Supreme Court's order and the principle of natural justice, the complainant has to be given acopy of the report and related documents,” the court said. No notice was needed to be issued to Ms. Jafrias she had already approached the court for a copy of the report. But the court did not make anyreference to the co-petitioners who sought a copy, including the Mumbai-based Citizens for Justice andPeace, which has been helping the riot victims in the legal battle. That the SIT had given a clean chit toMr. Modi and others was known in official circles for some time. But it was officially being confirmed bythe court for the first time. The State government spokesman and Health Minister, Jaynarayan Vyas, wasguarded in his reaction: the SIT report should put an end to the “canard” being spread against Mr. Modiand others by some NGOs in a “bid to defame Gujarat,” he said. The SIT's finding is a shot in the arm forMr. Modi and the BJP, given that the State is going to the polls by year-end, but is subject to confirmationby the trial court and, in case of an appeal, the Supreme Court. Ms. Jafri said she was pained to learn thatthe SIT had given Mr. Modi and others a “clean chit.” She vowed to continue the legal battle. CJP generalsecretary Teesta Setalvad said the report of the Supreme Court's amicus curiae, Raju Ramachandran,who had found enough grounds for trying Mr. Modi, would be crucial. “We are still not clear whether Mr.Ramachandran's report had formed part of the SIT's report…,” she said. Tanvir Jafri, son of the deceasedCongress MP, said he had apprehensions about the SIT filing a closure report. “The SIT says there is noevidence against Mr. Modi, but not the court. The SIT's decision is of no value if the magistrate decidesagainst it. It may take time, but we are going to fight it out.” (The Hindu 11/4/12)Religious leaders visit affected places (7)A delegation of leaders of different faiths on Saturday visited seven places of worship in the city that hadbeen desecrated by antisocial elements with a view to fomenting trouble. The delegation of the interfaithforum, an offshoot of the Confederation of Voluntary Associations, comprised Srinivas of Arya Samaj,Rev. Prabhakar Rao, Shah Hamed of Shuttari-Kul Hind Sunni Ulema Board, Syed Shah Muqtar ofQuadri- Bazme, Shahe Moosa Quadri and Omim Debara of Parsi Zoarastrian Anjuman. The team visitedthe Masjid E Azmi in Narayanguda, the Noor Alam Masjid in Nimboli Adda, the Masjid e Thaggi jail, theHanuman temple in Kurmaguda (where the first incident took place), the Hanuman temple in Mughalpura,the Masjid Ibrahim Kheelulah in Bahadurpura and the Pochamma temple in Nandi Muslaiguda. Meetingfaith leaders and members of the affected communities in these places, the leaders consoled them andexpressed their hurt and outrage at what had happened. (Asian Age 15/4/12)40 acquitted in Goa communal riots case for lack of evidence (7)A local court today acquitted 40 accused, including senior BJP leaders, in the first ever communal riotscase in the state, which had occurred in the twin towns of Curchorem-Sanvordem in 2006. The Sessionscourt at Margao acquitted 40 accused, including BJP general secretary Satish Dhond and senior leaderSharmad Raiturcar. The accused had been charged with unlawful assembly, mischief and criminaltrespass. <strong>Riots</strong> had erupted after a mob demolished a madrassa on March 2-3, 2006, which was allegedlyconstructed illegally on the outskirts of Sanvordem-Curchorem. The violence, which continued for threedays before the Central Industrial Security Force stepped in, saw property worth crores of rupeesdestroyed. Acquitting the accused, Justice Vikaya Pol said that the prosecution had failed to prove caseagainst the accused, including the individual role played by them. The judge also observed that merelybecoming a part of the assembly does not establish their crime. “The prosecution could not prove, beyondreasonable doubt, the act or commission on the part of the accused, which would make him a member ofthe unlawful assembly,” the judge ruled. The court also noted that the prosecution failed to prove that theaccused were a part of the assembly, which was responsible for communal violence. During the riots,which continued for two days, shops and establishments belonging to the minority community had beentargeted. Officially, this is the first ever communal violence witnessed by the state, which is known forpeace. Police had feared that the violence would spread in other parts of the state as well. However, thecommunal harmony meetings between both the communities had controlled the situation. (The Hindu19/4/12)Sardarpura massacre case acquittals challenged in Gujarat High Court (7)AHMEDABAD, April 20, 2012: The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team has challengedin the Gujarat High Court a fast track court's judgment acquitting 31 people in the Sardarpura massacrecase witnessed during the 2002 communal riots in the State. (Thirty-three people were killed by a mob atSardarpura in Mehsana district on March 1, 2002.) This past November 9, Special Court Judge S. C.Srivastava sentenced 31 people to life imprisonment and exonerated 11 others for want of evidence. Heacquitted 31 people giving them the benefit of the doubt. The SIT, probing some of the gruesomemassacres during the riots, has not challenged the exoneration of 11 persons. The Gujarat Government
Page 1 and 2: COMMUNAL RIOTS-2012January to Decem
Page 3 and 4: e-visit their investigations into t
Page 5 and 6: 2003, a fast track court acquitted
Page 7 and 8: SIT submits final report on Gulberg
Page 9: Supreme Court: we cannot direct Nan
Page 13 and 14: investigate and plug the holes cite
Page 15 and 16: accident sparked off heavy communal
Page 17 and 18: also been given a copy of the amicu
Page 19 and 20: change the fact that the carnage oc
Page 21 and 22: Moin Ashraf Qadri, has launched a c
Page 23 and 24: gain political ground," said the of
Page 25 and 26: people. Several of them are governm
Page 27 and 28: forwarded the cleared forms, along
Page 29 and 30: (Indian Express 20/11/12)'Over 100

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