Gujarat Riots: Communal violence is like lava from volcano, Kapil Sibal tells SC

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 10

Describing communal violence as “lava erupting from a volcano” which scarred the ground it touched, senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Wednesday questioned the SIT clean chit to 64 persons, including then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during the 2002 riots there.

“I lost my maternal grandparents to it in Pakistan. I am a victim of the same,” visibly emotional Sibal told a Bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar on behalf of Zakia Jafri, widow of slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri.

“My concern is really for the future…Communal violence is like lava erupting from a volcano. It’s institutionalised violence. Wherever that lava touches, it scars the earth,” he said, adding communal violence was a “fertile ground” for future revenge.

Maintaining that he was not accusing A or B, Sibal said a message must be sent to the world that this was “unacceptable” and “can’t be tolerated”. He said was a “historic matter” because the choice was between ensuring that the rule of law prevailed or letting people run amok.

Alleging that there was a larger conspiracy, bureaucratic inaction, police complicity, hate speeches leading to violence, Sibal demanded that it should be investigated.

“The SIT never seized any phones…never checked CDR records…never checked how bombs were manufactured…and it never took stock of the whereabouts of the accused. So, whichever way you look at it, there has to be an investigation,” Sibal submitted.

The arguments are likely to resume on Thursday.

The Supreme Court on October 26 said it would like to peruse the SIT giving a clean chit to 64 persons, including then CM Modi, and the justification given by a magisterial court that accepted the closure report.

Zakia Jafri’s plaint thoroughly examined: SIT

The SIT on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that Zakia Jafri’s complaint alleging larger conspiracy in the 2002 Gujarat riots was thoroughly examined after which it came to the conclusion that there was no material to take it forward. PTI