A Gujarat fast-track court on 14 December 2005 sentenced 11 men to life imprisonment for hacking and burning to death Muslims of their village and dumping their bodies in dry wells during the post-Godhra riots. Three others got 10 years in another case from the same village.

This is the fourth 2002 riot case from the Panchmahals district which has resulted in a conviction in the last two months. The case relates to incidents that took place on 3 March 2002 and 5 March 2002 in Ajanwa village, some 20 km from the taluka headquarters town of Santrampur.

After hearing of the Godhra carnage of 27 February 2002, Muslims living in the village had fled to the fields and the jungles around it. Some of them would return to their homes at night.

According to the case papers, there was no violence in the village till 3 March 2002, when a mob of villagers ransacked and burnt empty houses and shops that belonged to Muslims. It cornered one Gulab Kalu, who was never found.

In the incident of 5 March 2002, a mob of villagers caught hold of 16 Muslims, including old men, women, and children. Some were burnt alive; some were hacked to death and then burnt. Most of the bodies were dumped into two dry wells.

When the police arrived the following day, three women were found alive inside the wells. They also found others left for dead. They recovered from the wells the bodies of eight adults and three children.

The FIR named 34 accused, including the 29 named in the 3 March 2002 incident. Two brothers from the village Razak and Gafoor Sheikh became complainants in the FIRs for the two incidents. Gafoor’s wife Ruqaiah was one of those killed. The FIR for the 3 March 2002 incident names 29 suspects, and that for the 5 March 2002 incident names 34, including those named in the first. Both FIRs were clubbed together and treated as one case, tried in the court of additional sessions judge R D Thakar.

In the 3 March 2002 incident, the court handed down ten years’ imprisonment to Raising Poonja, Bharat Poonja and Dhana Rupa. They were also fined Rs 250 each, with an additional 15 days in prison for defaulting on the fine.

In the 5 March 2002 incident, the court handed down life terms to Dalpat Baria, Kalu Sana, Kalu Soma, Bana Fata, Raising, Dhana Rupa, Balwant Jiwa, Natwar, Ratna Kalu, Rupa Soma and Salam Aba.

Counsel Siraj Malik, Aslam Beg, and NA Sheikh, who appeared for the complainants, said the verdict would help instill confidence in the Muslim community. Family members of the accused, who had gathered to hear the verdict, seemed despondent even before it was announced.

Government pleader PL Gandhi said this post-Godhra riot case was the fourth from the district resulting in conviction. Two of the earlier cases had also been heard by the same judge.

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