Eyewitness in Gulberg Society case deposes before fast-track court An eyewitness in the 2002 Gulberg massacre case has told the fast-track court that while his house was under attack by rioters,Congress leader Ehsan Jafri had made a phone call to Chief Minister Narendra Modi for help only to be abused by the latter. The witness,identified as Imtiaz Saeed Khan Pathan (32),is one of the survivors of the Gulberg Society massacre. A number of Muslims of the locality had taken shelter at Jafris residence during the riots. The trial of the case has begun in the designated fast-track court of Judge B U Joshi in Ahmedabad. Pathan,the first witness of the case,who lived in Gulberg Society during the riots,appeared before the court to give evidence on Monday. In his examination-in-chief by Special Public Prosecutor R K Shah,Pathan said that on February 28,2002,the society was under attack by a mob and like several others,he too had taken shelter at Jafris house. At this point,according to Pathans deposition,he went to Jafri to ask for help as the police were not coming to their rescue. At that time,according to Pathan,Jafri said he would call Modi for help. When Pathan asked the Congress leader what the CM said,Jafri said that instead of providing help,Modi abused him. Besides this,Pathan identified 21 accused in the case in his 27-page deposition,and pointed out the crime they committed during the riots,like rape,murder,attempted murder and arson. Seven members of Pathans family were killed in the massacre,which also left 69 people dead,including Jafri. Defence lawyer Mitesh Amin cross-examined Pathan for two days till Wednesday. Non-bailable warrants against two Naroda Patiya riot accusedA designated court on Wednesday issued non-bailable warrants against two accused in the Naroda Patiya case for contempt of court. Designated Judge Jyotsna Yagnik issued the warrants against Naresh Chhara and Vijay Chakubhai for not following court orders. Despite repeated reminders to remain present in the court during the hearing,the accused remained absent,following which the court issued warrants against them. The riots in Naroda Patiya on February 28,2002 had claimed 98 lives. A total of 46 people were arrested in the case before the Supreme Court asked the state to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into some of the riot cases. The SIT made further 21 arrests in the case,while four people are still absconding. The accused in the case include former BJP minister Dr Maya Kodnani. The Gujarat High Court recently termed the Naroda Patiya massacre as a carnage almost unparalleled in modern history and that such crimes undermine the very foundation of law.
