“We will file an appeal against the magistrate’s decision of not filing a chargesheet against some influential people in Zakia Jafri’s case despite having prosecutable evidence,” Human Rights activist Teesta Setalvad said on Sunday.
Zakia had filed a complaint against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and 62 others for inciting violence during post-Godhra riots.
On the sidelines of a programme organised to release books titled ‘Mankubuddhi Modi - Hitlerna Hejje Jadugalu’ written by Suresh Bhat and the third edition of RSS Antharanga written by A K Subbaiah, Teesta told reporters, “It is difficult to find prosecutable evidence in conspiracy cases and we have prosecutable evidence against some people in the case filed by Zakia Jafri. Yet, the magistrate refused to file a chargesheet against them. There is a provision of appeal in our three tiered judicial system and we will utilise it.”
Teesta said one has to overcome the hurdles while fighting communalism as right wing fundamentalists and sympathisers have penetrated into the intelligence, police department and the judiciary.
On the recent Muzzafarnagar riots, she said 85 people died in the riots and 50 more are missing. More than two thirds of the dead are from the minority community. Four boys from Jat community and many dalits died. Those who are living in the relief camps are in very a bad condition and many infants are dying due to malnutrition, she said.
“Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav claims that only Congress and BJP supporters are living in camps and, therefore, they are accusing the government of ignoring them. The situation in these camps are so pathetic that one child died due to malnutrition when I visited the camp,” Teesta alleged.
Expressing displeasure over the government’s unwillingness to table the prevention of Communal Violence Bill, She said, “More than 15,000 activists struggled to get the bill drafted and the Congress and BJP colluded with each other and did not even table the bill.”