Gujarat minister ignores summons

Quite predictably, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Mayaben Kodnani didn’t turn up for questioning before the SIT appointed by the Supreme Court for re-investigation of some post-Godhra riot cases of 2002.

Quite predictably, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Mayaben Kodnani didn’t turn up for questioning before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court for re-investigation of some post-Godhra riot cases of 2002.

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Many survivors of the Naroda Patiya and Naroda Gam violence told the Nanavati Commission probing the Gujarat riots and the police that Kodnani and Vishwa Hindi Parishad (VHP) leader Jaydeep Patel had instigated mobs to attack Muslims.

Eighty-six people were killed in Naroda Patiya and 11 in Naroda Gam on February 28, 2002 when the VHP called for a shutdown to protest against the Godhra train fire. Despite the statements, the police took no action against Kodnani.

As Kodnani remained incommunicado for past two days since the SIT issued summons, state BJP spokesman I.K. Jadeja told the HT that the party does not know why she is not responding. Leader of Opposition in the Shaktisinh Gohil sought Kodnani’s resignation.

“It would have been alright if she was summoned as an eyewitness, but she has been summoned as an accused in the massacre case,” Gohil told HT. Patel also failed to turn up.