Gulbarg massacre verdict likely to be pronounced today

A special SIT court is likely to pronounce its verdict on Thursday in connection with a 2002 post-Godhra riots case of Gulbarg Society in which 69 persons including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri were killed. Special Court Judge P B Desai will deliver the judgement over eight months after the trial concluded on September 22, 2015. Ahmedabad has been put on high alert for the same. The Supreme Court, which is monitoring the case, had directed the SIT court to give its verdict by 31 May. There are 66 accused named by the SIT in the case for the murder of 69 people. Nine of the accused are behind bars since 14 years, while others are out on bail. [caption id=“attachment_2812146” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Survivors of the 2002 Gujarat riots weep inside a house that was burnt and damaged in the riots at the Gulbarg Society. Reuters[/caption] Five have died during the trial among the 66 accused, which has been conducted under four judges. The Times of India added that over 338 witnesses were examined in the case, and is the only one where then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had been questioned. One of the accused, Bipin Patel is a sitting BJP corporator from Asarva seat. He was also the corporator in 2002 when the massacre happened and won the election for fourth consecutive term last year. Last week, the court had turned down pleas moved by two accused — Narayan Tank and Babu Rathod — to conduct narco analysis and brain mapping tests on them to prove their innocence. The court maintained that it was not required when the verdict was imminent. During the trial, riots victim’s lawyer had argued that the massacre was a pre-planned criminal conspiracy hatched by the accused to kill minority community members of the Gulbarg Society. The defence had refuted the conspiracy theory of prosecution and claimed that the mob resorted to violence only after slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri fired several rounds on them. The Gulbarg Society case is the eighth of the nine cases of the 2002 Gujarat riots probed by the Supreme Court appointed SIT. A Hindu mob had attacked the muslim neighbourhood Gulbarg Society in Chamanpura, Ahmedabad on 28 February 2002 and burned down houses. Many were burned alive, and the total death toll was 69. The incident had taken place a day after S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express was burnt near Godhra train station, where in 58 ‘karsevaks’ were killed.   With inputs from PTI