BJP national president Amit Shah on Monday appeared before a special court as a defence witness for Maya Kodnani, the key accused in the Naroda Gam massacre case of 2002 and stated that the former Gujarat minister was in the state assembly on the day of the incident.
In February 2002, 11 Muslims were killed in Naroda Gam in Ahmedabad as the state witnessed a flare-up of communal violence after a coach of Sabarmati Express was allegedly set on fire in Godhra, killing several people, mostly Karsevaks of Hindu right wing group.
Kodnani is the main accused in the case Naroda case, which is being heard by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) court. The massacre is one of the nine major communal riot cases of 2002 that are being probed by the SIT.
Shah, who appeared before the court at 11 am amid heavy security, said in his disposition that he saw Kodnani in the Gujarat Assembly at around 8:30 am on February 28, 2002. "Maya Kodnani was not present in Naroda Gam. She was inside the state Assembly at 8.30 am," Shah said.
He added: "From 9:30 am to 9:45 am, I was at the Civil Hospital and I met Maya Kodnani there. I was surrounded by people when I left the hospital. Maya Kodnani and I were taken to our respective cars in a police jeep. It was 11 am - 11:15 am that time."
However, the chargesheet filed by the SIT states that the former Gujarat minister left the state assembly at 8:40 am and reached Naroda Gam at around 9:30 am. The SIT has said that signals intercepted from Kodnani's mobile phone suggested that she was at Naroda Gam till 10:30 am. The SIT also cited accounts of several eyewitnesses in the case.
Kodnani has been accused of provoking people to take revenge of the death of the karsevaks who were killed in the Godhra train fire.
Shah, however, said that he saw the former minister being escorted out of Sola Civil Hospital by the police. Dead bodies of the victims killed in the massacre were being brought to the hospital. The relatives of the victims were angry. There was chaos at the hospital. Shah added that he was escorted out of the hospital by a police team while a police jeep dropped him at Gota Chowk, where his vehicle was waiting.
When the prosecution asked why Shah did not appear before the court earlier, the BJP president said: "No summon was ever issued for appearance. The SIT knew that I was at Sola hospital where I saw Kodnani but they never called me for testifying."
Shah also confirmed that he was aware of the SIT issuing notices in the media asking those with evidence in the riot cases to come forward and help in the investigation. Shah is one of the 13 persons to have testified in favour of Kodnani.
Kodnani is among the 82 accused persons facing trial in connection with the Naroda Gam case. the former minister had been sentenced to life in the massacre case in 2012.
