Gulberg Massacre : 11 accused awarded of life imprisonment,12 to be jailed for 7 years and 1 accused sentenced for 10 years.
Today 17th June 2016, a special SIT court pronounced the quantum of sentenced for 24 convicts in the Gulberg Society massacre case, in which 11 accused awarded life imprisonment, 12 to be jailed for 7 yrs, 1 accused sentenced for 10 yrs.
However Zakiya Jafri, wife of Ehsan Jafri and complainant of the case described that she is not satisfied with this quantum, she added that “This case is not over for me, we are right where we started, I will have to consult with my lawyer again and we will for higher court”
Gulberg Society massacre took place on 28th February 2002, during the 2002 Gujarat riots, when a mob attacked the Gulberg Society, a Muslim neighbourhood in Chamanpura, Ahmedabad.
As per the complaint lodged with Gujarat police most of the houses were burnt, and at least 35 victims including a former Congress Member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, were burnt alive, while 31 others went missing after the incident, later presumed dead, bringing the total deaths to 69.
69 people died during the following six hours violence and at least a further 85 were injured. Among the dead was Ehsan Jafri, who was hacked to death and later burnt, while at least another 35 people were either hacked to death or burned alive.
Zakiya Jafri, wife of Ehsan Jafri, who was burned alive on the day, made first complain on 8 June 2006 alleging that the police had not registered the FIRs against Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, and 62 others including several ministers. The complain included VHP leaders Praveen Togadiya and Jaideep Patel, DGP of the state PC Pande for abetting the riots. She then approached the Gujarat High Court with her complaint on 3rd November 2007, but refused to entertain the plea. Then she approached the Supreme court of India on 27th April 2009 appointed five member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by R.V.Raghavan, a former head of CBI, to investigate into this case, and asked the SIT to look her complaint of alleged collusion of the state machinery and the rioters over the two days of Gujarat riots.
In March 2009, Indian National Congress leader Meghsingh Chaudhary at the instance of SIT was arrested for active participation in the Gulberg Society massacre.
Roopa Modi and Imtiyaz Pathan were two eye witnesses who testified against Modi in the trial court. Imtiyaz who lost six members of his family during massacre, was the one to give the first eyewitness account in the trial which started in September 2009, after being help up for 7 years.
He told the court that when a mob started gathering outside Gulbarg Society on 28 February, Mp Jafri called Narendra Modi for help, yet the police refused to come for help. However in April 2012, a Special Investigation Team found that Gujarat CM Narendra Modi had absolutely no role in the killing of Ehsan Jafri.
In March, 2012, the Ahmedabad Metropolitan Court rejected the SIT report had revealed to jhakiya Jafri petition.
In December, 2013, had given a clean chit to Modi appealed against Jaikya Jafri in Ahmedabad Metropolitan Court, which was rejected.
In November, 2014, the Supreme Court said the sessions court to complete the trial within three months Gulberg case.
In August 2015 the Supreme Court for more than three months to complete the trial court in Ahmedabad Gulberg case.
June 2, 2016, was declared a special court convicted 24 accused while 36 others were acquitted.
