Ahmedabad: The judgement in the Naroda Patiya massacre case that took place during the 2002 Gujarat riots has been deferred to August 29. Three of the 62 accused in the case were not present in the court following which the Ahmedabad court of Additional Principal Judge Jyotsna Yagnik issued non-bailable warrants against them. The three accused are Rajesh Kantilal Chhara, Suresh alias Sehzad Chhara and Ramesh Keshavlal Chhara.
During the riots 97 Muslims were slaughtered in Naroda Patiya by a mob led among others by a former minister in the Narendra Modi government. Judge Yagnik had completed the hearing in May, 2012 and reserved the judgement for Saturday.
The 62 accused include former minister in Narendra Modi government and Naroda MLA Maya Kodnani, former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Babu Bajrangi, local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Bipin Panchal, Kishan Korani, Ashok Sindhi and Raju Chaumal.
The massacre took place on February 28, 2002, a day after Sabarmati Express train burning incident at Godhra, during a bandh called by the VHP. A mob carrying lethal weapons and allegedly led by Kodnani and others gathered at Naroda Patiya in Ahmedabad and killed 97 persons while 33 others were wounded in one of the most brutal post-Godhra riots....
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11:32 AM, Jun 30, 2012
