Naroda Patiya massacre: Witness says VHP leader Jaideep Patel was in Godhra a day before riot

Ahmedabad: A defence witness in the 2002 Naroda Patiya massacre case on Wednesday told a special court in Ahmedabad that VHP leader Jaideep Patel, one of the accused, was in Godhra on 27 February, a day before the riot. [caption id=“attachment_645676” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of women in front of houses burnt in Naroda riot. AFP[/caption] Mahendra Nalvaya, who was posted as mamlatdar (revenue official) in Godhra in 2002, said he handed over bodies of 54 victims of train burning incident to Patel in Godhra on 27 February. He produced an official letter to support his claim. The train burning incident had led to riots across Gujarat. The Naroda Gam riot, in which 11 Muslims were killed, took place on 28 February. According to victims’ relatives, Jaideep Patel and former BJP minister Maya Kodnani were in the mob which carried out killings. Naroda Gam is one of the nine major riot cases probed by the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT). A total of 82 persons, including Kodnani and Patel, are facing trial in the case.