The Naroda Patiya riot case is the first in which three women face gruesome charges
The Naroda Patiya massacre will go down in history for being a rare
case in which three women are accused of rioting and abetment to
crime.
Besides BJP MLA Maya Kodnani, two sisters face charges of providing
help to the rioters in setting ablaze and killing Muslims in the
narrow lanes of Naroda Patiya. A total of 97 Muslims were brutally
killed by a mob on February 28, 2002. It is also the sole case of the
2002 riots in which three women face rioting charges.
The accused sisters, Geeta and Ramila Ratilal, are residents of Naroda
Patiya. According to the prosecution case, both were actively
involved, along with their father Ratilal who is known as Jay Bhavani,
in the dance of death and destruction.
Witnesses and survivors like Jannat Banu Kallubhai, Ishrat Jaha, Abdul
Majid Usman Shiekh and others have identified Geeta and Ramila in
their testimonies before designated judge Jyotsna Yagnik.
According to the deposition of witnesses, Geeta and Ramila were part
of the mob which went on a rampage in the chawls of Naroda Patiya. The
witnesses have said the two sisters provided the rioters bedsheets
doused in kerosene which were used to set the victims ablaze,
including children.
Along with the two women, their brother Mukesh Rathod is also an
accused in the case.
Both sisters have denied the charges. While talking to DNA, they said,
“We actually provided them (victims) shelter and food during the
mayhem.”
Gaurang Vyas, assistant special prosecutor in the case, said, “There
are three female accused in the case. The two sisters, Geeta and
Ramila, face charges of abetment to murder by providing the accused
bedsheets doused in kerosene. They have also been charged for the
murder of three persons.”
Counsel for the sisters, Niranjan Kikani, said, “The version of the
witnesses is full of contradictions. Nobody has attributed their
specific role in the incident. Therefore evidence against them is
unbelievable.”
Now the ball is Jyotsna Yagnik’s court who will decide complicity of
the three women in one of the most heinous riot cases in the history
of Gujarat. Verdict in the Naroda Patiya case is on June 30.
The Naroda Patiya massacre will go down in history for being a rare
case in which three women are accused of rioting and abetment to
crime.
Besides BJP MLA Maya Kodnani, two sisters face charges of providing
help to the rioters in setting ablaze and killing Muslims in the
narrow lanes of Naroda Patiya. A total of 97 Muslims were brutally
killed by a mob on February 28, 2002. It is also the sole case of the
2002 riots in which three women face rioting charges.
The accused sisters, Geeta and Ramila Ratilal, are residents of Naroda
Patiya. According to the prosecution case, both were actively
involved, along with their father Ratilal who is known as Jay Bhavani,
in the dance of death and destruction.
Witnesses and survivors like Jannat Banu Kallubhai, Ishrat Jaha, Abdul
Majid Usman Shiekh and others have identified Geeta and Ramila in
their testimonies before designated judge Jyotsna Yagnik.
According to the deposition of witnesses, Geeta and Ramila were part
of the mob which went on a rampage in the chawls of Naroda Patiya. The
witnesses have said the two sisters provided the rioters bedsheets
doused in kerosene which were used to set the victims ablaze,
including children.
Along with the two women, their brother Mukesh Rathod is also an
accused in the case.
Both sisters have denied the charges. While talking to DNA, they said,
“We actually provided them (victims) shelter and food during the
mayhem.”
Gaurang Vyas, assistant special prosecutor in the case, said, “There
are three female accused in the case. The two sisters, Geeta and
Ramila, face charges of abetment to murder by providing the accused
bedsheets doused in kerosene. They have also been charged for the
murder of three persons.”
Counsel for the sisters, Niranjan Kikani, said, “The version of the
witnesses is full of contradictions. Nobody has attributed their
specific role in the incident. Therefore evidence against them is
unbelievable.”
Now the ball is Jyotsna Yagnik’s court who will decide complicity of
the three women in one of the most heinous riot cases in the history
of Gujarat. Verdict in the Naroda Patiya case is on June 30.
