The 2002 massacre: 23 convicted for Gujarat murders
An Indian court convicted 23 people on Monday over the massacre of nearly two-dozen Muslims during religious rioting in Gujarat state in 2002 that left more than 2,000 dead.
Another 23 people were acquitted for lack of evidence in the case, in which rioters in the small Gujarati village of Ode bolted the doors of a house where Muslim families had taken refuge and then set it on fire.
Of the 23 who died in what became known as the “Ode massacre”, 18 were women.
The violence in Gujarat was triggered by the killing of nearly 60 Hindu pilgrims travelling in a train that was torched by a mob.
Some 31 Muslims were found guilty last year on murder and conspiracy charges for the train attack that sparked an anti-Muslim backlash.
Hindu mobs hungry for revenge rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods in several cities across Gujarat during three days of bloodshed that witnessed some of India’s worst religious violence since independence from Britain in 1947.
More than 2,000 people, most of them Muslims, were hacked, beaten or burned to death.
The Ode massacre was one of several cases probed by a Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team.
The convicts will be sentenced on Thursday.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2012.
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@Afridi: Look Kashmiris and lower cost people are enjoying Secular system in india. Gujrati Muslims Under the secular state and Hindu chief Minister Narendra Modi's terrorists killed over 2000 Muslims Men And Women plus looted and rapped 100's of Muslim girls.
This is a true face of Indian Secular state.
@vasan: Indian and USA courts punishes on the base of judges patriotism and media news not on the credible evidence. Pakistani courts decide on the base of purely on solid evidence not on the base of Media news and stories.
This is a great day for Indian judiciary. Communal riots are dificult to propsecute ( as compared to cold blooded preplanned murders ) because of the circumstances they happen in and the often lack of evidense or lack of will on the part of authorities to prosecute. However, Indian judiciary and Gujrat judiciary have done a relatively commendable job in prosecuting and punishing many of the rioters against whom cases are proceeding. All countries in the region can watch and learn from it. This is how judiciary in a secular, democratic country is suppose to act.
well i personally think India minority to some extent enjoys good environment because of secular system it works in such kind of countries like pakistan and india. however, pakistan is so complicated now internally
@Billoo Bhaya: "Yes, we have problem but you have monumental problems. Recognize them. " We do. And then, proceed to do something about them That is not something anyone can say about you. In any case, since you cannot do anything but gloat about our problems, lay off! "Even the Supreme court of India ruled against Mrs. Gandhi for arbitrarily and surgically carrying out sterilization of men and women??" Get your facts straight. It was Sanjay Ghandy who was the guilty party, not Indira. But what is your point. A crime was committed, a judgement was passed. What else was expected? No one in India claims that our political system was handed down by God, as Muslims claim for themselves. As someone above has remarked, there may be delays in our system but justice is finally delivered. As the famous song goes: "Dher hai, andher nahi hai". No one in Pakistan can honestly claim that. Look at how you treat your women!
Still waiting for the day when action would be taken against Narendra Modi...the real evil face behind all that... & I agree Billoo Bhaya...Indians can shout a lot against Pakistanis but they do very little about their own minorities...Atleast in Pakistan we were not involved in state sponsored genocides against "Sikhs." No "Christians" or "Muslims"(Hindus in case of Pakistan) Massacres have been witnessed in Pakistan unlike India & as far as the Ahmedis are concerned they are not the only community who have been the victim of terrorism...Every single Pakistani is fighting with this menace introduced against Pakistanis & we all know who our enemy is & who could sponsor such terrorists...
@vasan: You will notice how quickly the Indian trolls are approving your message. They don't even have intellectual honesty to debate.
@vasan: Then why is this man released within hours of Prez visit to India??? Why did Poolan Devi demand justice for rape be become the Bandit Queen. Why was Babri Masjid destroyed by Janata led Advani as its instigator?? Why is he not in prison for destroying a 16th century mosque which had been sealed by the courts prior to his demolition?? Why did the courts take all this time to make a ruling which is not a ruling by dispossessing both parties from its rightful possession. Is that justice??? Why is Samjohta Exoress case going no where? Surely somebody started the fire. Yes, we have problem but you have monumental problems. Recognize them. Even the Supreme court of India ruled against Mrs. Gandhi for arbitrarily and surgically carrying out sterilization of men and women?? Remember that. but after many many years. I can go on and on till the cows come home but its useless to argue as you have so little knowledge about your own world.
@Billoo Bhaya: You are right that Indians have not progressed in communal hatred.
But, I believe, the justice system in India is much better than Pakistan, simply because Indian law is secular, and it does not discriminate on the basis of religion/ sect/ caste.
Sunni, Shia and Ahmedia sects are treated alike as Muslims and they enjoy equal rights under Indian law, unlike how it is in Pakistan. A person from minority community can even aspire to be the President or Prime-minister of the country, unlike how it is in Pakistan.
Billoo Bhaya : Absolutely illogical observation, I guess your observation is based on what is happening to the justice system in Pakistan, which lets the terrorists go free, and if convicted, the judges flee. Nothing of that happens in India. Courts are excessively slow, but justice gets delivered in India.
The first step in improving a our judicial system is to acknowledge the fact that there is a problem. Unfortunately, Pakistani Judges (cant say for certain about indian judges) and the judiciary in general has this superiority complex that the system they are running is a perfect one. Unless this mindset can be corrected, improvement is not possible.
Indians haven't progressed communally in their hatred for minorities, or their justice system to deliver justice. They are as bad or as good as the Pakistani justice system. One think both countries can do is to import British retired Judges. They would not be corrupted by our system and would perform infinitely better and be seen to deliver justice. I think we should just hand over the country to them. It would be far safer and better place to live, once again.