After murder charge,Maya booked for destruction of evidence

“We have charged her and others for murder,attempt to murder,rioting,loot and destruction of evidence,” an official of SIT told PTI. Altogether 106 persons were killed in the riots in Naroda Patia and Naroda Gam on February 28,2002.

“Having committed the crime,all the accused had tried to burn the dead bodies and houses in Naroda gam and Naroda Patia,where masscares were committed.”

“It appears that the attempt to burn down dead bodies and houses was meant to destruct the evidence so that their involvement in the crime could not be established,” the official said. “We have statements of the witnesses and a CD of mobile call details,which establish her (Kodnani’s) presence at the scene of offence and that she was constanstly in touch with other accused,” he said.

According to the official,SIT has also obtained statements of witnesses which were given at the time of filing the FIR. “Those statements are very important evidence because those statements were recorded at the time of lodging FIR of the cases but somehow,they were not looked into by the officials who investigated the cases initially,” he claimed,adding that all these details have not been furnished in the chargesheets submitted in the court.

It may be noted that following the riots in the wake of train burning incident at Godhra,11 persons were killed in Naroda Gam massacre and 95 people were killed in Naroda Patia massacre on February 28,2002.

Prime accused in these two riots incidents include Kodnani,VHP leader Jaidip Patel,BJP corporator Vallabh Patel,police inspector VS Gohil and others. Presently,Maya and Patel are in jail while police official Gohil is out on bail.