In India, a court has convicted 23 people in reference to the killing of 23 Muslims during deadly religious riots that swept through Gujarat state in 2002. The massacre was investigated by a different team after allegations that the probe by state police was not impartial.
A special court Monday found the 23 people guilty of setting fire to a home in Gujarat’s Ode village where a set of Muslims had taken shelter to guard themselves from rioting mobs.
Twenty-three others were acquitted for loss of evidence. Most of these who stood trial are Hindus.
The massacre occurred a decade ago, when towns and villages in Gujarat were convulsed with riots that targeted Muslims homes and neighborhoods. The violence erupted after a train fire, blamed on Muslims, killed 60 Hindu pilgrims and prompted retaliation by Hindu mobs.
The prosecutor, P.N. Parmar, called it a historic judgment within the mass killings in Ode village.
"Nine children, nine women and five men burnt alive during this heinous crime,†he said.
The sentences could be announced later. Defense lawyers say they are going to appeal the decision.
The massacre in Ode village is certainly one of nine incidents into which the Supreme Court has ordered a unique investigation, following allegations that the Gujarat police weren't impartial of their probe into the deadly riots. About 1,000 Muslims died within the violence.
This is the third judgment to be handed down in reference to the riots. In two separate judgments last year, 31 people were sentenced for burning 39 Muslims to death, while 31 Muslims were found guilty for setting fire to the train that killed the Hindu pilgrims.
Gujarat is ruled by the Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The state’s chief minister, Narendra Modi, has often been accused of not doing enough to forestall the riots or bring the perpetrators to justice.
After Monday’s verdict, senior BJP leader Balbir Punj said justice have been handed to the riot victims.
"This is a victory for the folk of Gujarat and it's a slap at the face of these those that [say] justice can't be done in Gujarat,†said Punj.
Although the 2002 violence tarnished Narendra Modi’s image, the controversial leader remains one in every of BJP’s top leaders. He has won state elections in Gujarat twice because the riots and hopes to play a bigger role in national politics.
From WhatNewsToday.net
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