Ahmedabad, December 28
Social activist Teesta Setalvad today filed a writ petition in the Gujarat High Court demanding that the case of exhumed bodies, suspected to be that of post-Godhra riot victims, near Lunawada in Panchmahals district be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The skulls and other remains of the bodies were allegedly exhumed yesterday by the villagers from a spot on the banks of Panam river near Pandarwada village, about 30 km from Lunawada, which witnessed riots on March 2, 2002, in the aftermath of the Godhra carnage on February 27, the same year.
She also demanded that the remains be sealed in presence of their relatives, treating them as “panch’’ witness and be sent for DNA testing to forensic laboratory in Hyderabad.
In a petition jointly filed with riot-affected Ameena Habib Rasool, Ms Setalvad also pleaded that the alleged intimidation of the witnesses and possible tampering of the evidences be stopped.
The case, filed as a special criminal application, is scheduled to be heard in the court of Justice C K Buch tomorrow, she told mediapersons before leaving for Lunawada, about 150 km from here.
Ms Setalvad said she had asked for transferring the entire case to the CBI and sought DNA tests outside Gujarat, as she feared that evidences might be tampered with.
Meanwhile, the Centre has sought a report from the Gujarat Government on the detection of mass grave and recovery of a large number of skeletons in Panchmahal district of the state.
