Godhra riot witness identifies Mayaben Kodnani in court

A day after Narendra Modi received SIT summons, Dr Mayaben Kodnani — the Naroda MLA and an ex-member of the Modi cabinet — was identified in court by a witness as an instigator of violence in Naroda gaam. The witness, Ayub Lallu Mia Kureshi, 42, told an open court that Kodnani and Jaideep Patel, the former general secretary of the VHP, egged on the murderous mob, on February 28, 2002. This is the first time that any witness has identified Kodnani and described the alleged role played by her in the post-Godhra riots. Kureshi named four people he had seen on the day. However, he identified only Kodnani and Patel. Kureshi, a resident of Muslim Mohallah in Naroda Gam area, said that on the day, at around 10 am, he ventured out of his house after hearing the screams of a mob. On reaching the corner of the mohallah, he saw the mob targeting vehicles and houses belonging to Muslims. Kodnani and Patel were instigating the mob, Kureshi said.