Sunday, November 25, 2012

'It was pre-planned conspiracy'


Guajrat EDN
DNA 01SEP2012

The government had argued that Naroda Patia was a pre-planned conspiracy because if this had not been the case such a large number of people could not have congregated at one place, fully prepared and armed with weapons. It further argued that some of the accused even carried alcohol, water pouches and snacks indicating that they were well-prepared.

It said the accused attacked those who could not retaliate, raped woman and burnt and murdered several innocents including children. The government has alleged that the accused also tried to erase evidence.

Defence arguments by Niranjan Kikani and others:

The defence argued that many of the names of the accused were imaginary and that there is no proof that such people even exist. It said the evidence of many of the witnesses was also fabricated and there were several contradictions in their versions.

The defence argued that during the initial investigation by the crime branch, the witnesses did not name the accused but after six years remembered and recognised the perpetrators when the SIT questioned them in connection with the case. It also said that there were no corroborative pieces of evidence to prove the offence.