Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Eleven jailed for life in India over 2002 riots that left 1,000 dead
Source: Associated Press
Eleven jailed for life in India over 2002 riots that left 1,000 dead
Associated Press
Friday 17 June 2016 09.24 BST
Eleven people have been sentenced to life in prison for their part in the religious riots that swept across the western state of Gujarat in 2002 and left more than 1,000 dead.
The judge rejected the demand for the death penalty as the prosecution failed to prove the charge of a criminal conspiracy against the defendants.
Twelve more defendants were sentenced to seven years in prison and one to 10 years in prison in connection with a riot in a Muslim neighbourhood in Ahmedabad, in which dozens of homes were set on fire and 69 people were killed.
The dead included a former politician from the opposition Congress party, Ehsan Jafri. His widow, Zakia Jafri, expressed her disappointment with the verdict. She said: “This is hardly the punishment for the crime they have committed.”
The Gujarat riots, which erupted after a train carriage full of Hindu nationalists was engulfed in a fire that killed 60 people inside, pitted mobs of Hindus against Muslims, who were widely blamed for setting the fire, though arson was never confirmed.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Associated Press
Friday 17 June 2016 09.24 BST
Eleven people have been sentenced to life in prison for their part in the religious riots that swept across the western state of Gujarat in 2002 and left more than 1,000 dead.
The judge rejected the demand for the death penalty as the prosecution failed to prove the charge of a criminal conspiracy against the defendants.
Twelve more defendants were sentenced to seven years in prison and one to 10 years in prison in connection with a riot in a Muslim neighbourhood in Ahmedabad, in which dozens of homes were set on fire and 69 people were killed.
The dead included a former politician from the opposition Congress party, Ehsan Jafri. His widow, Zakia Jafri, expressed her disappointment with the verdict. She said: “This is hardly the punishment for the crime they have committed.”
The Gujarat riots, which erupted after a train carriage full of Hindu nationalists was engulfed in a fire that killed 60 people inside, pitted mobs of Hindus against Muslims, who were widely blamed for setting the fire, though arson was never confirmed.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/17/eleven-jailed-for-life-2002-riots-left-1000-dead
