The Hindu : Poor public response plagues hearing of Godhra, riots cases

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 17, 2003

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National

Poor public response plagues hearing of Godhra, riots cases

By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD July 16. Inadequate public response continued to plague the Nanavati-Shah judicial inquiry commission probing the Godhra train carnage and the subsequent communal riots in Gujarat last year.

Only four witnesses from the posh Satellite police station area appeared before the commission when it began its public hearing here today.

No one turned up from the neighbouring Ellisbridge police station area where several shops, restaurants and minority houses were burnt during the first three days of the riots from February 28 last year.

Justice G. T. Nanavati and Justice K. G. Shah, who constitute the two-member commission, visited 19 districts in the State to record evidences by witnesses appearing before it but less than 350 people turned up in different places though the riots were widespread and affected thousands of people. More than 1,000 people were killed and over 30,000 arrested, charge-sheeted or named as accused in various cases.

In addition to the witnesses, the commission also received some 4,300 affidavits and statements on the riots. Ahmedabad being one of the worst-hit areas, the hearing in the city was kept the last.

A strong posse of policemen were posted in the commission's office where the hearing began, but unlike in Vadodara there were not protests.

There were more lawyers, policemen and presspersons in the small courtroom than the public. While four witnesses appeared before the commission in the pre-lunch session, no one deposed after lunch.

Even the four witnesses who deposed before the commission by and large did so on expected lines.

Two of them praised the "timely action" by police to prevent the spread of riots in the Satellite police station area, while Amrish Patel, a lawyer, accused the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal and other Sangh outfits for setting fire to a restaurant on the satellite road.

Muljibhai Solanki, who owned four restaurants in the locality, said his establishments were specifically targeted by the mob because his partner was a Muslim but did not name anyone in the mob.

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