25.06.2007 - Source: BBC News

Gujarat: Nine Muslims are sentenced to life in prison in the Indian state for the killing of the state's former home minister, Haren Pandya ("Muslims jailed for Gujarat murder") [ID 20896]

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

POTA in Gujarat ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19193]

"Through December 2005, 217 persons were arrested and remained in custody in Gujarat under POTA in connection with the 2003 killing of former Gujarat chief minister Haren Pandya, the 2003 Akshardham temple bombing, the 2002 Godhra train arson case, and the 2002 Tiffin bomb case. During the year the Tiffin bomb case trial was completed, leading to 12 acquittals and five convictions. In July the Supreme Court appointed a judge from the Delhi Sessions Court to review the evidence of nine major trials (the Godhra trial among them), which had been stayed by the Supreme Court since 2003. By year's end, the judge had not concluded his review. In July a POTA court in Ahmedabad convicted all six accused in the 2002 Akashardham temple terrorist attack, which killed 34 persons. Of the six accused, three were sentenced to death and one to life in prison. By the end of the year, the Godhra trial had not commenced."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Concern about the failure of the Gujarat government to arrest / convict those responsible for the communal violence in 2002 to 2005 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19219]

"There was continued concern about the failure of the Gujarat government to arrest and convict those responsible for the widespread communal violence in 2002 following the burning in Godhra of the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express train, in which 59 men, women, and children died. In the days following the train burning, Hindu mobs killed hundreds of Muslims, displaced tens of thousands, and destroyed thousands of dollars worth of property. In many cases attempts to hold perpetrators of the Gujarat violence accountable were hampered by the manner in which police recorded complaints. Victims related that police refused to register their complaints, recorded the details in such a way as to lead to lesser charges, omitted the names of prominent people involved in attacks, and did not arrest suspects, particularly supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). HRW alleged that instead of helping Muslims in finding their relatives' bodies, the Gujarat police victimized and harassed them. In August 2004 the Supreme Court instructed the Gujarat High Court to appoint a committee of high-level police officials to re-examine the 2,032 closed cases out of a total of 4,252 complaints filed and determine whether any should be reopened. In February Gujarat police informed the Supreme Court that they would reexamine the closure of 1,600 of the 2,032 cases, and reinvestigate some of the cases by filing fresh FIRs. The media reported that officials attempting to conduct a serious investigation into the incidents were promptly removed from the case. [...] In addition, some bodies from the Kidiad killings, where over 70 persons were burned alive in March 2005 in two cars at Limbadiya Chowki in Sabarkantha district, were found in the Panam dam. According to police records, a case of eight deaths was reported. Following the 2002 acquittal of all the accused in the Kidiad killings by a judge based in Godhra, the Supreme Court issued a notice in 2003, and the state government fired the two prosecutors involved in the case. An appeal was filed before the State High Court. A senior police official said it was still unclear whether the discovered remains belonged to riot victims or whether an older graveyard had been unearthed. The Gujarat police dismissed the unearthing of the mass grave as an unnecessary publicity campaign by victims' family members. [...] The Gujarat government claimed that police had re-opened investigations against 5,384 persons in the city of Ahmedabad and 24,683 persons in the state as a whole. However, analysis by the Islamic Relief Committee of Gujarat revealed that only a small number of these investigations actually led to convictions. As of October there were fewer than 10 convictions out of 217 cases concluded in the lower courts of Gujarat. The Gujarat government's legal department advised against appealing most of the acquittals in the remaining cases. As a result, only a handful of cases were appealed to higher courts. All Gujarat-related cases are under investigation in an official inquiry conducted by retired Justices G.T. Nanavati and K.G. Shah. The inquiry included gathering and analysis of 20,940 oral and written testimonies, both individual and collective, from survivors and independent human rights groups, women's groups, NGOs, academics, and police officials. HRW reported in 2005 that Hindu extremists threatened and intimidated victims, witnesses, and human rights activists attempting to prosecute those who committed crimes during the 2002 Gujarat riots. It asserted that instead of pursuing the perpetrators of violence, the Gujarat government nurtured a climate of fear. The report alleged that the Gujarat government launched selective tax probes against some Islamic organizations to pressure Muslim witnesses to withdraw murder and arson charges against Hindu nationalists. According to HRW's annual report published in January, "The Gujarat government again failed to investigate and prosecute those responsible for attacks on Muslims during the Gujarat riots of 2002." According to AI's May annual human rights report, "The perpetrators of human rights violations in India continue to enjoy impunity, particularly in Gujarat. The survivors of targeted killings and sexual violence in Gujarat in 2002 continued to be denied justice and reparation." The Gujarat government denied the charge."

Document(s): Open document

05.06.2006 - Source: BBC News

India court refuses film security ("India court refuses film security") [ID 15493]

Document(s): Open document

27.05.2006 - Source: BBC News

Gujarat 'bans' new Bollywood film ("Gujarat 'bans' new Bollywood film") [ID 15732]

Document(s): Open document

24.02.2006 - Source: BBC News

9 people sentenced to life imprisonment for participating in the 2002 riots in Gujarat when 12 Muslims and 2 others were burned to death during an attack by a Hindu mob ("Life sentences in India riot case") [#44959],  [ID 7110]

Document(s): Open document

16.02.2006 - Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Gujarat: Some 300,000 Hindu activists and fundamentalists held mass rally in Dangs district calling for nationwide anti-conversion law; run-up to event characterised by anti-minority propaganda ("Hindu extremists' mass rally calls for nationwide anti-conversion law") [#44262],  [ID 7111]

Document(s): Open document

25.10.2005 - Source: BBC News

108 people acquitted over killing of 2 Muslims during religious violence in Gujarat in 2002 ("India court acquits 108 over riot") [#38324],  [ID 7112]

Document(s): Open document