The Hindu : Case against Modi planned in U.K. court

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 01, 2002

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International

Case against Modi planned in U.K. court

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON APRIL 30. The families of British victims of Gujarat violence will seek the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi's arrest if he tries to enter Britain.

A case accusing him of "murder'' and seeking his extradition would be filed shortly in the high court here, their lawyer, Habibullah Akudi, told The Hindu today. "We will arrest him the moment he comes here,'' he said.

The case, expected to be filed in three weeks' time, will also name the Gujarat Home Minister, Gordhan Zadafiya, and the Revenue Minister, Haren Pandya, alleging their "complicity'' with rioters.

The move, sources claimed, had the ``solid support'' of several Labour MPs, and the British Government had assured the families that it would give whatever help was needed to bring the "perpetrators of crime'' to justice.

``We have been assured of whatever support a British citizen is entitled to in seeking justice'', they said.

Two other separate cases arraigning Mr. Modi and the top BJP leadership, including the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Home Minister, L. K. Advani, would be filed in Belgium, where courts have extensive jurisdiction over human rights issues, and at the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

They would be accused of presiding over an "organised pogrom'' against the Gujarat's minority community. Mr. Akudi said a "watertight'' case was being prepared against them, and it would be presented to the British Government and the European Union with the request that they move the ICJ.

Since individuals cannot move the ICJ, the case in Belgium, however, would be filed by the families on their own.

The cases are to be brought by relatives of three British Muslims — Mohammed Aswat, Saeed Dawood and Shakil Dawood — who were killed allegedly by a mob while on their way to their native village in Gujarat.

It is alleged that their jeep was stopped at Prantij and they were dragged out and attacked. Only Aswat's mutilated body has been found so far, and the search for the other two is still on.

Their companion, Imran Dawood, who survived the attack and has since returned to Britain is said to have given a "chilling'' account of the incident. He was reported to be too "traumatised'' to talk.

``What we are saying is that the killings were part of a sinister campaign warranting a trial for crimes against humanity. Our own independent findings have been corroborated by the reports of the British High Commission, the E.U. and the German Embassy,'' Mr. Akudi said.

The ambit of the "crimes against humanity'' case will include the Godhra killings, and as one source put it: "The victims of these crimes included those who were killed in Godhra .'' The demand for a "Milosevic-type'' trial was supported today by the Council of Indian Muslims (U.K.).

Its chairman, Munaf Zeena , said: ``We are consulting Omar Ghandy who worked on the Milosevic case and also liaising with Mr. Akudi's team to launch a joint action.''

Meanwhile, leading Gujarati Muslims have finalised a document which they will present to the British Government, demanding a ban on the activities of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal and the RSS.

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