Supreme Court-appointed Special investigation Team (SIT) argued before a special court on Wednesday, 1 August that Amit Shah’s 2017 deposition in the Naroda Gam massacre should be discarded as it was done to support key accused BJP leader Maya Kodnani, reported The Indian Express.
Public Prosecutor Gaurang Vyas also argued that the statement was made 15 years after the incident and thus is now irrelevant.
Amit Shah recorded his statement in the year 2017.
Vyas also questioned Shah’s presence at the Sola Civil hospital in 2002, where the bodies of kar sevaks were brought after the incident. Vyas said that nobody ever mentioned his presence at the hospital.
AMIT SHAH’S STATEMENT
Shah in his statement had said that he had seen Maya Kodnani at Vidhan Sabha at 8:30 am from where he left for the Sola Civil Hospital. He had also mentioned that since the atmosphere at the hospital was chaotic, the police had escorted him and Kodnani out of the hospital.
Shah had said:
Maya Kodnani was not present in Naroda Gam, she was inside the state Assembly at 8:30 am... From 9:30 am to 9:45 am, I was at the Sola Civil Hospital and I met Kodnani there.
However, according to the Indian Express, Vyas alleges that Shah’s presence at the hospital came into the case records only after the deposition of Kodnani’s witnesses Natubhai Vaghela and Bharat Kantibhai Patel.
While the SIT is examining the deposition of defence witnesses, lawyer Shamshad Pathan has sought the court’s permission to argue on the behalf of the victims.
The court has asked him to file an application which will be heard in the court on 3 August, Friday.
SIT CLAIMS
Contrary to Shah’s statement, SIT chargesheet states that Kodnani was seen by about 14 eyewitnesses between 9 am and 10:30 am in Naroda Gam on 28 February 2002, where she allegedly addressed a mob directing them to kill Muslims, reported Indian Express.
Other than eyewitnesses, the SIT had discovered phone records that showed her presence in the locality.
However, Kodnani claimed that she was 30 kilometres away at Sola Civil Hospital at the time the riots broke out at Naroda Patiya. A claim backed by BJP President Amit Shah.
Kodnani was acquitted in the Naroda Patiya massacre by the Gujarat High Court in April this year.
THE CASE
The infamous Naroda Patiya massacre took place during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express carrying mostly Kar Sevaks from Ayodhya, was set on fire, killing 57 of them.
On 28 February 2002, a day following the incident, a mob instigated by the Bajrang Dal gathered at Naroda Patiya on the Naroda-Narol Highway and riots broke out, killing 97 Muslims.
A total of 82 people are facing trial in the case.
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)