SC rejects probe into Godhra mass burial

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi received a major reprieve on Thursday when the Supreme Court (SC) rejected a plea for a CBI probe into the clandestine mass burial of 22 victims of the post-Godhra riots seven years ago.

A bench headed by justice BN Aggrawal dismissed Ammenabi Habib Rasool’s petition seeking a probe either by the CBI or the SIT into the mass burial of the innocent victims, one of whom was a member of Rasool’s family.

He claimed about 102 Muslims were killed by mobs on March 1, 2002, at Pandharwada and Limadiya Chowky in Godhra district.
Of these, the authorities buried 22 victims without the consent or knowledge of their families.

“After how many years have you come? It’s seven years,” the bench said, tersely dismissing Rasool’s petition. His counsel Aparna Bhat said an independent probe was essential to identify and prosecute police and others responsible for the burial of the victims.