Says the MLA had incited the mob asking them to target minorities.
Revealing the larger conspiracy behind the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, a witness and survivor of the Naroda Patia massacre case deposed before the designated court of judge Jyotsnaben Yagnik that the conspiracy to kill Muslim community members was hatched in 2001.
Witness Mohammed Salim Sheikh said that in 2001, the BJP and other Sangh Parivar organisations had given a bandh call in Ahmedabad protesting against the killing of Kashmiri Pandits in the J&K valley.
On the day of the bandh call he was standing near Ambaji Mandir at Naroda Patiya when two persons approached him and said that they wanted to take revenge for the Kashmiri Pandit killings.
However, Kishan Korani who was one of the two persons, said that the time was not appropriate for revenge and asked to wait and watch for developments.
Sheikh further said that on February 28, 2002, the day of the incident, he had gone to Milan Hotel when he saw a mob comprising more than 1,500 youths coming from Kubernagar.
The mob was led by Kishan Korani, Manoj Videowala, Murli Sandhi and others. They assembled at the Naroda crossroads but began to disperse on seeing an Army van coming from the Narol side.
However, after the army van passed by, the mob again assembled and in the meantime, Mayaben Kodnani reached the spot in a white Maruti car. After stepping out of her car, Kodnani incited the mob and asked them to target property and houses of Muslims.
Moreover, two persons, Manoj Videowala and Kishan Korani, also fired from their revolvers. In the incident, two persons, Abid and Mustaq, died. However, Sheikh said he did not know whether the two persons were killed in the firing by Korani and Viodeowala or by police firing.
Sheikh, who identified five persons in court including Maya Kodnani, Murli Sindhi, Kishan Korani, Manoj Videowala and Santosh Dudhwala, said that after the mob turned furious he escaped from the spot.
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