Looking Back: blasts echo in collective consciousness

January 16
Shaktisinh Gohil declared Congress Legislative Party leader.

January 19
A saffron organisation attacks a private news channel office for naming painter MF Hussain as a contender for the Bharat Ratna in an SMS poll.

January 21:
Justice for Bilkis Life sentence awarded to 11 in connection with the gangrape of Bilkis Bano during the 2002 riots.

January 24
IPS Officer P C Pandey, who was removed by the Election Commission in the wake of the Assembly elections, replaces K R Kaushik as the Gujarat Director General of Police.

January 25
Gujarat High Court cancels the bail application of two IPS officers accused in the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and the killing of his wife, Kausar Bi.

February: Patan Shame

February 4
Nearly 100 girls of Primary Teachers8217; Training College in Patan go on a rampage to protest against the alleged repeated gangrape of an 18-year-old girl student by six college professors over the last four months.

Seven people are killed when a building collapses in front of the Kalupur railway station in Ahmedabad.

February 25
Gujarat government extends the date of completion of the Narmada Project till 2011-12

MARCH: Bill on the Backburner

March 5
The National Commission for Women comes to Ahmedabad following the Patan gangrape case.

March 5
The National Commission for ST comes to Ahmedabad in the wake of the Polo forest firing incident.

March 10
The Gujarat government withdraws the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Amendment Bill

March 12
Two children die in incubators in Ahmedabad hospital.

March 13
Blood samples collected from relatives of people missing from Dahod in the 2002 riots.

March 23
Saffron MLA8217;s firepower Baroda Dairy director and BJP legislator resorts to opening fire in the air while astride a horse during the Dulheti celebrations.

March 23
Justice Retd K G Shah of Nanavati-Shah Commission, inquiring the Sabarmati Train carnage and the 2002 riots, passes away.

March 30
Gujarat Gau Rakshak Samiti disbanded.

March 31
TADA Court acquits all 14 accused in the Rander mass-murder case.

APRIL: Narmada Tragedy

April 4
Fire in Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Limited BEIL godown in Ankleshwar.

April 15
A State Transport bus falls into the Narmada canal near Bodeli village in Vadodara district, killing 44 people, including 41 students.

April 27
Testing time for IPS officer: IPS officer Rajinish Rai, who was investigating the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, is accused of cheating in law exams conducted by the Gujarat University.

MAY: Nandy Ignites Fire

May 2
Retired senior IPS officer R B Sreekumar promoted to DGP rank.

May 18
The Nanavati Commission visits the Sabarmati Express carnage site at Godhra.

May 22
Everest Glory: Gujarat Police officer Atul Karwal scales Mt. Everest. Karwal is the first from the Indian Administrative and the Railway Services to achieve this feat.

May 28
Suspended BJP parliamentarian from Dahol, Babubhai Katara gets bail from the Delhi High Court in connection with a human trafficking case.

May 29
Top Class: Rinkal Makheda, a Rajkot-based vegetable vendor8217;s daughter tops the HSC exams. Rinkal scores 93.71 per cent marks.

May 30
Gujarat Police register criminal case against political psychologist and sociologist professor Ashish Nandy for writing an allegedly inflammatory article in an English daily.

JUNE: Breach of Trust

June 11
A major breach is reported in the Narmada canal near Sujatpura village in Mehsana. Over 200 village houses are submerged.

June 20
Bijal Joshi gangrape case: Five awarded life sentence.

JULY: Ashram Whodunit

July 1
The Supreme Court stays Adani8217;s Mundra SEZ project in response to a PIL.

July 5
Mysterious death of two children reported at the Asaram Bapu Ashram in Ahmedabad.

July 12
The government announces that the Rs 4,000 crore Gujarat International Finance Tech-City project is to be unwrapped by the year-end.

July 18
Mayhem in the morning as Asaram Ashram devotees and bandh supporters hold Ahmedabad to ransom

July 26
Serial Terror Twenty-one serial blasts rock Ahmedabad killing more than 50 people.

AUGUST: Monsoon Wading

August 12
Rains are back with a vengeance in Gujarat. Over 5,000 evacuated to safety in Vadodara and Bharuch

August 17
Blast Breakthrough Gujarat Police claim that the Ahmedabad serial blasts case has been cracked with the arrest of alleged mastermind Mufti Abu Bashir. The alleged mastermind is brought to Ahmedabad

August 29
Gujarat government demands a law like POTA to curb terror

SEPTEMBER: Fake Valour

September 2
Aneesa Mirza, the first elected Muslim Mayor of Ahmedabad passes away.

September 3
The Supreme Court issues notices to Gujarat Chief Minister Narandra Modi and the state government on a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation CBI inquiry into an alleged fake encounter in which a youth, Pranesh Kumar Pillai alias Javed Shaikh, was killed in 2004.

September 4
Riots victims allege they were issued bogus bank cheques against compensation.

September 6
Power Punch Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ONGC commissions a 50-mega watt wind power project on the Jakhau coast, some 125 kilometres from Bhuj in Kutch district. The project cost is Rs 300 crore. A total of 34 windmills, each capable of generating 50-mega watt power, are installed.

September 9
Darlie Koshy, the Director of the National Institute Design NID announces his retirement by November. He resigns without finishing his second five-year term in office as director, which was supposed to get over in June 2010.

September 10
No Open Exams: The Gujarat government puts on hold the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board8217;s GSHSEB8217;s decision to hold 8216;Open Book8217; examination for Class VIII, IX and X from the current academic year.

September 15
Violence breaks out in the Fatehpura area of Vadodara during the Ganesh Visarjan ceremony. One person is killed while seven are injured in police firing.

September 23
Corporate Socialism Six Public Sector

Enterprises PSEs agree to set aside 30 per cent of their Profit Before Tax PBT for carrying out welfare activities across Gujarat.

September 25
Nanavati8217;s Open Secret The Justice G T Nanavati Commission, probing the 2002 Godhra train incident and the ensuing communal riots, report that the fire on board the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002 was the result of a pre-planned conspiracy involving some individuals. The fire killed 59 kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya. The Nanavati Commission Report says: There is absolutely no evidence to show that either the Chief Minister and/or any other Ministers in his Council of Ministers or police officers had played any role in the Godhra incident,8221; it goes on to give a clean chit to the government on what followed.

September 29
Modasa Rocked Bomb explodes next to a roadside stall in Modasa in Sabarkantha district. One killed and 10 injured.

September 29
Cutting across party lines, MLAs belonging to the ruling BJP as well as the Congress object to the government8217;s move to raise the monthly salaries of ministers and ministers of state. This is one of the main reasons why the government is forced to withdraw, at the eleventh hour, an official Bill to amend laws relating to the salaries and allowances of ministers, members, Speaker and

Deputy Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly during the three-day monsoon session that concludes on September 29.

OCTOBER: Justice at Last

October 1
The Gujarat High Court reprimands state Fisheries Minister Purshottam Solanki8217;s practice of doing away with floating tenders for fishing rights contracts in the state reservoirs. The High Court says the move is illegal and was being done on extraneous ground.

October 4
The Additional and Sessions Court convicts former State Fisheries Board Chairman Mohammed Gulam Surti and 12 others in two terror attack cases that happened 16 years ago.

October 7
Nano8217;s Here The Gujarat government and Ratan Tata sign a Memorandum of Understanding MOU in Gandhinagar for setting up the Tata Nano car factory.

October 9
Metropolitan Magistrate G M Patel decides to go for in-camera proceeding of the Ahmedabad serial blasts case.

October 21
In a setback to the Gujarat Government in the Godhra train burning case, the Supreme Court says that the court cannot adjudicate upon the POTA review committee8217;s opinion to drop charges against the accused under the repealed anti-terror law.

October 22
Moon Links WPSLV-C11 blasts off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh with Chandrayaan-1, India8217;s first lunar mission. Many critical components of Chandrayaan-1 are developed at Indian Space Research Organisation8217;s ISRO8217;s Ahmedabad centre.

October 24
New face of TerrorA young sadhvi suspected to have links with a Hindu right wing group and two other men are slapped with murder charges on Friday after they are arrested for their alleged involvement in the Malegaon blasts. Police say RDX is used in the blast.

NOVEMBER: Sonal in Obama Team
November 1
The High Court allows the sale of seven mills in Ahmedabad and Kalol

November 4
The economic slowdown takes Gujarat under its wings, incidents of farmers, stockbrokers and diamond workers8217; suicides start trickling in.

November 5
The African Siddi Community in Gujarat celebrate Barack Obama8217;s win in the US Presidential elections.

November 7
The selection of Sonal Shah who has her origins in Gujarat, as one of Obama8217;s advisors, is celebrated in Sabarkantha.

November 12
The Health Department announces Rs 911 crore facelift for Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.

November 20
Jantri rates slashed as an impact of the meltdown.

November 24
Support for Sadhvi State8217;s women8217;s panel backs Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.

November 25
State announces introduction of whale shark tourism.

November 26
The Taj Mahal hotel and Oberoi Trident are attacked by terrorists in Mumbai. The city is under siege for over 72 hours. The death toll crosses 100 and over 300 are left injured. Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist caught by the police is taken in custody for interrogation.

November 28
Rescue operations in Mumbai come to an end.

DECEMBER: Gateway to 26/11
December 1
The connection between the Mumbai terror attack and the Gujarat coastline is established. The body of crewmember of the fishing trawler Kuber is found afloat in a vessel and fishermen refrain from going out to sea.

December 2
The owner of Kuber, Vinod Masani is interrogated by the police.

December 4
State government employees go on mass casual leave to protest against the government8217;s tardy approach over the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission report.

December 5
The state and Centre discuss the coastal security plan of Gujarat. Union Home Ministry assures the release of more funds under the Rs 392 crore plan.

December 9-
Fourteen hundred litres of unused High Speed Diesel HSD recovered from Kuber.

December 13
Six victims of the Naroda Gam riots retrace steps. Say earlier statements were fabricated.

December 15
Bonanaza for State Staff State government says yes to Sixth Pay Commission report.

December 20
Dengue outbreak in Kaloria scare people out of their village.

December 23
SIT summons Maya Kodnani and Jagdeep Patel in Naroda Gam riots case.