The Gujarat government has revoked the security cover provided to witnesses, lawyers and a retired judge in the 2002 Gujarat riots cases, as reported by The Times of India. TOI quoted officials who said that this decision came on December 13, following a recommendation by Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief BC Solanki.
15 years ago, a special witness protection cell was formed by a Supreme Court-appointed SIT in nine riot-related cases that it was handling including Naroda Patia and Gulbarg.
According to the Centre's reply tabled in the Parliament earlier this year, 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed, 223 were reported missing and 2,500 injured in the Gujarat riots of 2002. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat at the time of the riots.
In November, security cover for principal city sessions judge Jyotsna Yagnik, who had convicted 32 of the accused in the Naroda Patia case involving the massacre of 97 persons, was revoked. It was allegedly done without informing her, the paper reported.
Imtiyazkhan Pathan, the prime witness in the Gulbarg Society massacre case, asked TOI: "If something happens to us, who will be responsible? Court, SIT, or police?"
In April this year, a special trial court had acquitted all 67 accused, including former Gujarat Minister Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, and former VHP leader Jaidip Patel, in the Naroda gam (village) massacre case of the 2002 riots which saw 11 deaths.
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