Police to quiz ex-MLA inside jail in post-Godhra riot case

A local court in Mehasana permitted the police to question former Visnagar BJP MLA arrested in Dipda Darwaja post-Godhra riot case of 2002, inside the jail.

Additional district and sessions judge Miss SC Shrivastava rejected the application seeking police remand  of Prahlad Mohanlal Patel (Gosa) and asked the police to question him inside the jail. The court also ordered to video record the quizzing.

"The court has allowed the interrogation for two hours each on Sunday and Monday," Govind Barhmbhatt, lawyer of Gosa said.

Gosa along with former member of Visnagar Taluka Panchayat Dahyabhai Tribhuvandas Patel, had on Tuesday last surrendered before special judge SC Srivastava, who had sent them in judicial custody.

The court has also ordered the investigating agency to question Dahyabhai Patel in the same manner inside the jail along with Gosa.

Gosa, who was the then MLA of Visnagar and Patel are facing charges of instigating the riots in Dipda Darwaja locality of Visnagar town in Mehsana district, where 11 people of minority community were burnt to death by the rioting mob in February 2002.

In February this year, the special court was set up following the Supreme Court order to conduct trial in some of the cases probed by the special investigation team (SIT), had ordered that Gosa and Patel be inducted as accused in the Dipda Darwaja case.