BeyondHeadlines News Desk
Ahmedabad: The victims of 2002 Gujarat communal riots along with an NGO called Jan Sangharsh Manch (JSM) have moved an application before the designated court seeking a direction to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is investigating Naroda Patiya riot case, to submit the Action Taken Report (ATR) on the further probe it had conducted before the court.
The application would come up for hearing next week as the presiding judge was on leave today. The JSM, representing some of the post-Godhra riot victims, contends that the SIT had been directed by the court last year to file the progress report, which it had not done so far, despite submitting progress report in the Supreme Court. The SIT should also submit the ATR on the subsequent probe, application says.
As many as 95 persons were killed in communal violence in Naroda on February 28, 2002. Former minister in the Narendra Modi government, Maya Kodnani, is one of 60 accused against whom the trial is on. Most of the eye witnesses have been examined by the court.
The application filed by Salim Shaikh, a Naroda Gaam riot incident victim and JSM Convener Amrish Patel, have sought further investigation into the larger conspiracy behind the riots. The application stated that the SIT has not done anything on this aspect and have not yet submitted any report on investigation since the last two years.
They had sought further investigation on the grounds of call record details. They had asked the SIT to probe the role of police officials with regards to their negligence in controlling the riots. In the application to the agency they also wanted the SIT to find out if the cops had connived with the accused and also explore the larger conspiracy behind the riots.
They have alleged that officials of the SIT as well the counsel representing the SIT made a statement under oath that the investigation is in process and they are looking into all the aspect of the case.
However, in the application, Shaikh and Patel have raised the question as why the agency did not bother to submit a report or chargesheet before the court despite the fact that two years have passed since they first made a representation to the SIT.
In the application, the two have thus prayed to the court to direct the SIT to submit its report or chargesheet in the case and also ask the SIT to submit the action taken report before the designated court in the riot cases.
