Finally, Gujarat minister deposes before SIT

Flanked by her husband Jayendra Kodnani and an MLA from Asarwa, Pradip Sinh Jadeja, the BJP leader reached the Gandhinagar range DIG8217;s office around 8.30 am. She was taken to the conference hall and questioned in the presence of eight SIT officials, including Joint Commissioner of Police Ashish Bhatia, the DSPs leading the Naroda Patiya and Naroda Gam probes, V V Chaudhary and P L Mal, and a woman constable.

During her nearly four-hour-long questioning, Kodnani claimed she was supervising the delivery of one of her patients in her hospital at Saijpur in Naroda on February 28, 2002, when the massacres took place. She denied egging on the mobs to attack Muslims and kept reiterating that she was being made a 8220;victim of political vendetta8221;.

She told the investigators that on the day of the incident, she had gone to a condolence meeting at Gandhinagar held for those charred to death in the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express. 8220;From there, I went to Sola hospital. After spending some time with family members of the victims there, I proceeded to the civil hospital at Asarwa. After this, I had to rush to my nursing home Shivam Hospital for one of my patients8217; delivery. I went to Sola civil hospital again after this and later returned home,8221; she told the SIT.

About her mobile phone records, which show she was present at the riot sites in Naroda that day, Kodnani said, 8220;This was because I was in my hospital at Saijpur at that time.8221;