July 12, 2012: In a case related to interreligious riots of 2002, the Mumbai High
Court has acquitted five defendants for "lack of evidence", but four others are sentenced
to life imprisonment. In late July, the Supreme Court will decide whether to confirm
a judgment of the High Court of Gujarat, which obliges the State Government to rebuild
more than 500 places of worship destroyed in the massacre.
For the tardy probe
and serious lapses in the case," the Mumbai High Court has acquitted five of the nine
accused in the "Best Bakery" case, one of many incidents of interreligious violence
in the 2002 Gujarat in the riots. But for the other four defendants the court upheld
life imprisonment. Fr. Cedric Prakash, director of Prashant Jesuit Centre for Human
Rights, Justice and Peace, says the verdict "triggers many questions," not because
of the judgment itself, but "the reasons given by the court."
The case of "Best
Bakery" is one of the most violent assaults occurred during the massacres in Gujarat.
On March 1, 2002 - two days after the carnage of the Sabarmati Express - A group of
Hindus attacked some Muslims, who had taken refuge in the Best Bakery in Vadodara
pastry. After looting the shop, the attackers set fire to the structure, causing the
deaths of 14 people (including some Hindus who worked in the bakery).
In reading
the verdict, the judges of the High Court of Mumbai said they had "given the benefit
of the doubt" to Rajubhai Baria, Pankaj Gosavi, Jagdish Rajput, Lalo Devjibhai Vasava
and Shailesh Tadvi (the acquitted) for lack of evidence and unreliable witnesses.
Instead, thanks to the stories of some survivors - Tufil Ahmed Siddiqui, Raees Khan,
Shahzad Khan Pathan and Shailun Khan Pathan - were sentenced to life imprisonment
and the other four accused are Sanjay Thakkar, Bahadur Singh Chauhan, Sanabhai Baria
and Dinesh Rajbhar .
"The Best Bakery case - explains to AsiaNews Fr. Prakash
- is the best known of the massacre of Gujarat for two reasons: the brutality of the
attack and the turnaround by Zaheera Sheikh, when it perhaps mattered the most. "
The priest said, "there is no doubt that we are faced with a case of injustice. But
there the hope remains that it will create a precedent and that other victims who
survived the massacres will see justice done."
On 27 February 2002 a group
of Muslims attacked and set fire to the Sabarmati Express, aboard which were Hindus
- mostly women, children and elderly - returning from a pilgrimage to Ayodhya. The
attack, which killed 58 people, sparked violent sectarian riots in Gujarat. In the
massacre, the Islamic community of the State has paid the highest price: of more than
1,000 confirmed deaths, 790 were Muslims and 254 Hindus. At least 253 people were
declared missing, 523 places of worship, including three churches, were damaged, 27,901
Hindus and 7,651 Muslims were arrested.
Meanwhile, on July 30 next the Supreme
Court of India will vote to confirm or cancel a landmark ruling of the High Court
of Gujarat, which required the state government compensate damages and cover the reconstruction
of over 500 places of worship (v . 10/05/2012, " Gujarat massacre: government to rebuild
more than 500 places of worship ".