Gulberg Society riots: Court hears plea to make former cops accused

A special court conducting the trial in the 2002 Gulberg society riot case, where 69 people of the minority community were killed in post-Godhra violence, concluded its hearing today on a plea by survivors to arraign four former policemen as accused in the case.

Hearing of the application to arraign four former policemen as accused in the Gulberg Society riots case was concluded in the court of special trial court Judge PB Desai. The court is likely to pronounce its order on May 12 in the case which was probed by a Supreme court-formed Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Earlier, survivors of the Gulberg Society riot case had filed the plea before the special court seeking arraignment of then Ahmedabad city Police Commissioner PC Pandey, Joint Commissioner of Police MK Tandon, Assistant Commissioner of Police PB Gondia and Assistant Commissioner of Police (city crime branch) SS Chudasama for negiligence in their duty.

Their advocate SM Vora alleged that these police officers failed to react in time to stop a mob which went on a rampage and killed 69 people of the minority community. Those who died in the Gulberg Society riot case include former Member of Parliament (MP) of Congress Ehsan Jafri.

Citing testimonies of survivors, Vora told the court that the police officers, including Pandey, never came to the scene of offence until the late evening of February 28. Vora submitted that the four police officials should be added as accused in the case for failing to perform their duty, which led to killings of innocent people.

While hearing the application, Special Public Prosecutor RC Kodekar for SIT submitted that the plea should be rejected since SIT had earlier probed charges of criminality by police but found no material evidence against them.