Mar
19
US revokes visa of Narendra Modi
March 19, 2005 | 1 Comment
The US has revoked the visa of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his role in the violation of religious freedom. The Indian government and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) strongly criticized this move, with the Indian government requesting a review of the decision. The Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, Navtej Sarna, expressed the government’s disapproval […]
Feb
22
Gujarat updates
February 22, 2005 | Comments Off on Gujarat updates
The Supreme Court has given Zahira Sheikh, the key witness in the Best Bakery retrial, four weeks to submit details about her financial assets. She has been accused of accepting bribes to change her testimony about the 2002 Gujarat pogroms. Although she has changed her testimony twice, she denies accepting any bribes. In December, prosecution […]
Jan
26
Gujarat updates
January 26, 2005 | Comments Off on Gujarat updates
Zaheera Sheikh, the main witness in the Best Bakery trial, has told the court that she doesn’t know how or when her sister Sabeera died. According to the prosecution, Sabeera died in the attack on Best Bakery the nights of March 1 and 2, 2002 during the pogroms against Muslims in Gujarat. She said she came […]
Jan
24
Godhra train fire not caused by mobs
January 24, 2005 | Comments Off on Godhra train fire not caused by mobs
An independent panel of engineers has concluded that it is “highly unlikely” that the February 2002 Godhra train fire began from outside, contradicting the Modi government’s official account that the fire began from Muslim mobs outside the train throwing flammable liquid. The report was prepared by a group of experts who reviewed physical evidence, testimony, […]
Jan
19
Gujarat Updates
January 19, 2005 | Comments Off on Gujarat Updates
In another setback for the Best Bakery trial, the main witness, Zahira Sheikh, has denied signing any application for justice in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Delhi. During her examination at the Mazgaon sessions court, when special public prosecutor Manjula Rao asked her if she had approached NHRC, Zahira said she went to […]
Jan
9
Best Bakery retrial deferred due to Zaheera’s absence
January 9, 2005 | Comments Off on Best Bakery retrial deferred due to Zaheera’s absence
Although set to reopen the Thursday after Christmas vacation, the Best Bakery retial did not resume because witness Zaheera Sheikh was absent. After Zaheera’s lawyer said that she was not well, the court deferred her cross-examination to January 10. If she had appeared, it would have been the first time Zaheera faced the prosecution since […]
Dec
27
Tehelka Says Zaheera Took Money from BJP: Updates on the Best Bakery Case
December 27, 2004 | Comments Off on Tehelka Says Zaheera Took Money from BJP: Updates on the Best Bakery Case
Zaheera Shiekh has dominated the news for the past two weeks, with people speculating over what prompted her to make her second recantation. In her testimony last week, Zaheera said she saw nothing during the Best Bakery attack: In all six witnesses, among them Ms Sheikh’s mother and two brothers, have now refused to identify […]
Dec
13
Police break up Kashmir protest
December 13, 2004 | 1 Comment
On World Human Rights Day, more than five hundred people marched in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir. More than two hundred protesters, representing a faction of the main separatist All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), were taken into custody by police. The main procession included a large number of women carrying pictures of a 10-year-old […]
Dec
11
Panel reviewing Gujarat pogroms consider using cell phone records
December 11, 2004 | Comments Off on Panel reviewing Gujarat pogroms consider using cell phone records
A.K. Bhargav, Gujarat police chief and head of a committee established by the Supreme Court to investigate closed cases from the 2002 Gujarat pogroms against Muslims, said that he may use recordings of cell phone calls in the investigation. He added that he would discuss it with his officers, and that cell phone records cannot […]
Dec
11
Godhra hearing: police officer fails to turn up
December 11, 2004 | Comments Off on Godhra hearing: police officer fails to turn up
On November 30, Noel Parmar failed to show up before the judicial inquiry commission investigating the 2002 Godhra train massacre and subsequent pogroms of Muslims in Gujarat. The hearing, held by the G.T. Nanavati and K.G. Shah commission, will now be held on December 14. Though the reason for his absence today for the third […]