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Journalism of Courage
Like former minister Maya Kodnani, Babu Rajabhai Patel alias Babu Bajrangi was also an accused in both Naroda Gam and Naroda Patiya massacres. Named as one of the key conspirators in Naroda Gam massacre case by the prosecution, Bajrangi was facing serious charges like murder, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, instigating mob, rioting and unlawful assembly among others.
He came to be known by his alias name, “Bajrangi”, owing to his association with Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of VHP, for many years. He, however, has not been associated with the Bajrang Dal for many years now.
In 2007, a private news channel had broadcast a sting operation related to the 2002 Gujarat riots in which many of the people were shown making claims about their roles in the riots. One of them was Bajrangi, who belongs to the Kadva Patidar sub-caste group of the Patidar community. In fact, the prosecution had relied on this sting operation and claims made by Bajrangi in it as his admission of the alleged act.
The prosecution also accused him of instigating and being part of a mob that attacked the Muslim locality in Naroda Gam on February 28, 2002.
Before his acquittal in Naroda Gam case, Bajrangi was convicted by the special trial court for the Naroda Patiya massacre case in 2012 and was condemned to life imprisonment till death. In 2018, a division bench of Gujarat High Court had acquitted Kodnani and some others from Naroda Patiya case, but upheld Bajrangi’s conviction. The court, however, commuted his sentence of life imprisonment until death to 21 years imprisonment without remission.
Bajrangi has been out on bail since 2019 on medical grounds after he complained of loss of vision.
In 2017, Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel had hailed Bajrangi as the “real leader” of Hindutva. Bajrangi used to run an organisation that “rescued” Hindu girls who had married outside their faith.
