Moving on

Narendra Modi finally steps into the SITs witness box to explain his role in the 2002 communal violence that engulfed Gujarat,which lives on as one of the most scarring episodes in our recent history. This is a reminder why the trials must be exemplary,and one that holds the state machinery of that time to full answer on their complicity.

This special investigation team,headed by a former CBI director,was set up last year on the National Human Rights Commissions plea to track 14 of the most critical cases from sites like Gulbarg Society,Naroda Patiya and Sadarpur. This is the first,preliminary step to determine whether Zakia Jafris widow of a Congress MP killed in one of the communal flashpoints testimony has enough substance for a full-blown FIR and criminal investigations against Modi and the other accused. Despite the Supreme Courts full backing,the SITs integrity has been questioned by a range of civil society voices,who claimed that three of the investigating officers are from Gujarat cadre,one even directly implicated in Jafris list. But both Modi and the SIT director took pains to clarify that his interrogation was conducted by a non-Gujarat officer. The questioning lasted nine hours,though there is little detail on the content of the proceedings.

The legal process on Gujarat so far resembles an obstacle race,and it has created an exploitable vacuum on one hand,stories about the 2002 violence have been inflated and dramatised by many activists,as if the real violence wasnt terrible enough. On the other hand,Modis ideological brethren have reacted with defiance,keeping up a mechanical 1984 chant every time the matter is brought up. Of course,the Congresss glibness was also on display,as they dismissed Modis SIT appearance. In public perception,Modi has been held guilty, the Congress spokesperson sweepingly claimed never mind what public perception is of the 1984 accused who have managed to dodge justice this far. Between them,they have managed to reduce the tangible horror of Gujarat into a set of rhetorical talking points. Activists too must resist the temptation to turn every development into a point-scoring opportunity. It would be a great disservice to the victims if we turn the tragedy into a tale told,and distract from the laborious,important work left that of making sure that we clinically extract a thorough accounting from those in Gujarats administration during those awful days in 2002.