Jul
16
High Court Allows CBI Appeal Against Sajjan Kumar
July 16, 2004 | Comments Off on High Court Allows CBI Appeal Against Sajjan Kumar
The Delhi High Court has allowed the appeal by the Central Bureau of Investigation against the acquittal of MP Sajjan Kumar in the last case against him, arising from the November 1984 pogroms against Sikhs The Court had earlier criticized the CBI for failing to file the appeal in a timely manner: On April 6, […]
Jul
16
Godhra Forensic Report Released; Supreme Court Admits Bilkis Plea
July 16, 2004 | Comments Off on Godhra Forensic Report Released; Supreme Court Admits Bilkis Plea
Parliament has been in an uproar since the Railway Minister announced a new probe into the Godhra carnage that preceded the 2002 Gujarat pogroms against Muslims. The official forensic report has finally been released to the public: The National Democratic Alliance suppressed for three months the only forensic investigation report that conclusively established that the […]
Jul
14
Railway Minister Announces New Probe into Godhra Carnage
July 14, 2004 | Comments Off on Railway Minister Announces New Probe into Godhra Carnage
India’s railway minister has ordered a fresh probe into the Godhra train carnage that preceded the 2002 Gujarat pogroms against Muslims. 58 people, many of whom were Hindu kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya, were killed in the carnage: It is still unclear whether any inflammable material was hurled into the train from outside or whether […]
Jul
13
Protests over Torture of Kashmiri Schoolgirl
July 13, 2004 | Comments Off on Protests over Torture of Kashmiri Schoolgirl
Last week, thousands of people protested in Handwara, Kashmir over the police torture of a 17-year old Kashmiri school girl: Police used batons, tear gas and fired into the air to break up protesters as they marched to the main square. Fifteen people, including nine students, were injured. The protesters say the 17-year-old girl, Hussaina […]
Jul
9
The November ’84 Carnage Justice Committee issued a release today about the Nanavati Commission’s steps against Former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao for his role as Home Minister in the massacres of Sikhs during November 1984. Similar to steps taken against Ministers Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath, the Committee has issued a Section 8B notice against […]
Jul
9
Ninth Accused Arrested in Best Bakery Case
July 9, 2004 | Comments Off on Ninth Accused Arrested in Best Bakery Case
With yesterday’s arrest of Kamlesh Tadvi, the police have rearrested 9 of the 21 accused in the Best Bakery case, arising from the 2002 Gujarat pogroms against Muslims: All the 21 accused had earlier been acquitted by a fast track court in Vadodara in June 2003 and the Gujarat High Court had also recently upheld […]
Jul
7
Gujarat Updates; New Law on Communal Violence
July 7, 2004 | Comments Off on Gujarat Updates; New Law on Communal Violence
In the process of re-investigating cases arising from the 2002 Gujarat pogroms of Muslims, as ordered by the Supreme Court in December 2003, the Gujarat police recently arrested 27 people and registered a First Information Report: Five persons were arrested on June 27 for their alleged involvement in the massacre of six persons of a […]
Jul
2
Tytler May Change Minister Portfolio
July 2, 2004 | Comments Off on Tytler May Change Minister Portfolio
Jagdish Tytler, the current Minister of State for NRI Affairs, may not stay long in this position. Witnesses and survivors of the 1984 pogroms of Sikhs have consistently named Tytler as one of the organizers and perpetrators of the massacres. The Nanavati Commission investigating the massacres has also issued a Section 8B notice against Tytler, […]
Jul
2
Testimony over Godhra Fire; Perpetrators of Pogroms Released on Bail
July 2, 2004 | Comments Off on Testimony over Godhra Fire; Perpetrators of Pogroms Released on Bail
Recent testimony before the Nanavati and Shah commission, investigating the Godhra carnage of February 2002 in Gujarat and the ensuing pogroms against Muslims, challenges the claim of the Godhra fire resulting from a conspiracy hatched to target kar sevaks. K.C. Bawa, former Deputy Superintendent of Police, Western Railways, Ahmedabad division, told the commission that his […]