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Amit Shah and Maya Kodnani were escorted out of Sola Civil in police van: Bharat Patel

Patel told the court that they had got information that the survivors would reach Maninagar railway satation that evening.

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Amit Shah and Maya Kodnani were escorted out of Sola Civil in a police van on February 28, 2002. A few hundred metres away, Shah got off and went away in another car, while Kodnani sat in the van till RTO. From there, she went in her car Asarwa Civil. This was part of the submission by Bharat Patel, a witness for Kodnani. Patel was examined on Monday. His cross-examination will take place on Wednesday, when the next hearing in the case is scheduled. 

Patel is a resident of Odhav. His friends, Satish Vyas and Manoj Chhaparia, who lived close to his home then. were travelling on Sabarmati Express on February 28, 2002. Patel told the court that they had got information that the survivors would reach Maninagar railway satation that evening. While Chapparia arrived, there was no news of Vyas. Upon inquiry, they found out that he had died. Patel, along with Odhav councillor Jagdish Patel reached Sola Civil Hospital at night after getting information that the bodies would be brought there. However, there they were told that the bodies would arrive in the morning. 

“Around 12.30 am, we set out for home. On the way, Jagdishbhai called up Mayaben. He later told me that she would reach Sola Civil after finishing work at Assembly and help us. The next day when we reached there, we met Amit Shah and Maya Kodnani. Satish’s family went ahead with the identification, while Jagdishbhai and I were with Mayaben,” said Patel. 

He further submitted that about an hour later, when they stepped out, a mob was sloganeering. “Amitbhai was standing there even as the mob was getting unruly. Police cordoned him and Mayaben and escorted them one after the other to the police van. Upon Jagdishbhai’s instructions, I took her car and followed the police van. She got down near RTO and sat in her car,” said Patel. They went to Asarwa from where he proceeded towards Odhav on his own. He told the court that he had given all these details to the SIT in Gandhinagar. 

The other witness to be examined was Natu Vaghela, a businessman and social worker. His friend ND Dave’s brother Manibhai Dave had been killed in the Godhra carnage. “I had had accompanied the family the next day to Sola Civil where we saw Dr Jaydeep Patel, Babubhai Patel and Dr Kodnani. While the family was looking for the body, I waited outside with Amit Shah. About an hour later, we took the body and left,” he submitted. 

Asked by special public prosecutor SC Shah if he had given these details to the police, he said he had not found it appropriate to do so. 

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